Book Club -- Bad Boys: Public Schools in the Making of Black Masculinity

One of the disruptions that I had while reading this book was the fact that so many of the kids who were considered "at risk", or trouble makers were African American, and that so many of them were being tracked to a prison cell from such a young age.  No 10 year old should have their future decided like that.  I think that if you're hearing things like "There's a jail cell in your future" from so early on, you start to think that there's no other option for you, because no one's ever told you that there could be something different.

I think that one of the stories from this book that really highlight the media aspect that we talked about in class is where the author is doing a self-description exercise, and two of the students get into a conversation.  One says that there are good kids, and then there are bad kids.  The other argues that there's no such thing as a bad kid, just that TV sets a bad example and some kids want to be like that.  "But nobody's bad, though."  I think that this highlights the identity struggle that the author of this book looks at.  Media and many other things tell these boys that they have to be masculine, and to do that you have to be dominant, and powerful.  But when they go into school, they are punished for that, and taught that you have to submissive to the teacher, and not to cause trouble.  But if they do that, then the people around them tell them that aren't "acting black", and that they're only technically black.  There's a struggle with the hegemonic vs the counter hegemonic culture.  And if the kids do act out, it's seen as "because they're black", instead of as a reaction to something in their environment.  Their behavior gets generalized, instead of being seen as something individual.

Another story looks at the stereotypes African Americans are often subject to.  Some of the parents shared discussions that they've had with their sons about how other people will perceive them.  These kids are taught lessons from an early age to downplay there blackness, and that they will be under more heavy scrutiny than other people based on their race, and that because of this they will have to work harder to make himself visibly different from the image of black males that everyone has in their head.  Things that would be ok for a white kid to do suddenly become more threatening when done by a black kid.  It's alright for a white kid to go to the store in junky clothes, but if a black kid does it, he's clearly up to no good.

I think that one of the ways that this book will affect how I go into the classroom will be to never judge any student as a "bad kid", and to never look at them with the idea that all they have in their future is just to end up in prison.  There not going anywhere, so what's the point in teaching them.  All of these kids need help, and if you treat them like just a bad boy, then that's what they'll be, because it's easier to act the way everyone expects you to, than to try and fight and prove that you're different.

(Re)Imagined Classroom

(Images Courtesy of Google)

I would use a Senatorial setup with the desks.  This way, it encourages discussion, and there really isn't a "back of the class" for students to hide in or get shunted to.

I would hang up historical memes around the classroom.

There would be a row of computers for students to use in their research and projects.

 

I would also hang up historical quotes around the classroom.  I would try to include quotes from various leaders from multiple ethnicities and genders, instead of just a bunch of "dead white guys".  I get the feeling from a lot of students that this is how they see history, and I want to do something to change that, and to have as much representation in the classroom as possible.

I would also use a bookshelf with historical novels and books students could use to do research that the school library might not have.

You are preparing to be a teacher. Imagine a typical lesson that you might teach in the future. Below, create a sketch or a description of a typical lesson in your future classroom. 
We would open up with a Bell Ringer, a person of the day (they will later be tested on these people, or I will use them as bonus questions on tests at the very least), and then an activity to act as a hook to get the students engaged.  Then we would go through the lesson using a mix of lecture and activities to keep the students engaged.  I would make sure that the lesson includes an explanation of the ways that this historical event has influenced them today.  The lesson would end with some kind of formative assessment to make sure the students retained the information.

Imagine the students in the classroom and describe them in more detail. Who are the typical students? What are their backgrounds? What are their interests? Where are they during the lesson?
If I was teaching back in Florida, most of the students would probably be from a rural background.  There would probably be about an even mix of white and black students.  Most kids in secondary education I've found would be more interested in the blood and gore aspects of history, rather than the bills and laws part.  They will probably also be interested in how various events in history affected their ancestors, their cultures, and their lives today.  Most of the students are probably in their desks or sitting in groups, depending on the activity.

Imagine the surroundings in the classroom and describe them in more detail. What does the room look like? What resources are available to the students? How are those resources used during this lesson?

The room has a wall of windows to help the students feel less like they're "in prison", and to give the room a lighter atmosphere.  The desks are arranged in a way that makes it easier to walk around as I teach, but also encourages class discussion.  There's computers and a projector for presentations, and for students to use to do research.  There's also a bookshelf that students can use to do research.

Imagine the lesson and describe the topic in more detail. What are you teaching? What is the main thing you would want students to learn during this lesson? Why are you teaching this lesson?

I am teaching the students about why we learn about history.  I want students to understand the overall objective that I want them to learn over the course of the year, and that it's important, but I want them to come to that conclusion relatively on their own and with little nudging.  I feel like a lot of students feel like history is extremely boring and unimportant, and something that they can overlook, or that it's just a bunch of dead white guys, but it's not.  I want to show them the influence that many cultures have had on world history, and why it's important that we know them.

Imagine your work as a teacher during this lesson and describe it in more detail. What are you doing during the lesson? Where are you in during the lesson? 

I start off at the front of the classroom, but as the discussion goes on, I'll start walking among them.  I'll have a ball or some kind of stuffed animal that I can toss to different students as a way to "cold call" on them.  This makes sure everyone is paying attention and is contributing.  I want students to present their ideas and opinions on whether or not history is important.

Imagine the various lesson activities and describe them in more detail. What are the students doing during the lesson? Why have you chosen these activities?

For this particular lesson, students are discussing why they study history.  This would probably be the first lesson of the year, and it helps give purpose to what they're studying.  I would also probably have them toss the ball or the stuffed animal (probably the mascot of the school) around to each other.  It would help the students get to know who's in the class, and I've found that students are pretty good at calling on people who need to be kept alert.

Reflection

I noticed that I lot of the changes that I made to this Imagined classroom had to do with representation.  A lot of students that I have talked to criticize the fact that history classes tend to focus more on what the "rich white guys" did, and that they don't even look at how African Americans, or any other culture for that matter, had an influence on history until they get to the Civil Rights movement, after which they promptly fade into the background again.  I want to do something to change that.  I want to show these students that they have role models, and heroes in history, which is part of the reason why I want to do the Person of the Day activity.  This way, students can learn how people from different cultures, backgrounds, and genders had an influence on history.  I want girls to be able to see that women played a hand in history before the suffrage movement, and after, too.  I want African American girls to have more heroes than Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks.  I want the Asian students to know that they existed outside of the Transcontinental Railroad, or the Internment Camps.  And Hispanics outside of the Mexican Revolution and Pancho Villa.  These students are more than what they see in the media, and I want them to know that.

I kept my classroom setup the same for a variety of reasons.  These are reasons that I hadn't thought of when I originally included it.  Before, I just liked that I could keep an eye on students easier, and that it would be good for class discussions.  But now, I've thought up several other reasons why this setup would be beneficial for my students.  The Senatorial setup operates in a way similar to the Round Robin.  It creates equality.  There's no front of the class students, or back of the class students because it's basically one big circle.  Kids who would normally hide in the back and not participate are drawn into the discussion and lesson.  It's more open, and less crowded.  Hopefully, I will get a classroom with the space to permit this setup.