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Cue Speaker series: Teachers as Deputies? Confronting ableism, racism & linguicism in schools. / Event #2
This was an event hosted by Bree Picower and Tanya Maloney. These two ladies are educators who have banded together to fight the injustices that students of color are exposed to in our United States school system. They pose the question, “What can teachers do avoid the complicity of enforcing and reinforcing an educational school system that is built on the foundation of ableism, racism and linguicism? These three words ableism, racism and linguicism have been the catalyst of destroying children of color lives during their educational plight, as well as setting a trail of destruction upon exiting the school system. A flawed school system that consciously promotes isms will hinder children of color from succeeding and will continue to promote deficits. From unemployment, narcotic abuse, and jail terms children of color are doomed before they are even conceived. Therefore, teachers have to step up and deputized themselves to right the ills of the educational system. This ...
ReplyDeleteJeffrey Edmond
September 14th, 2020
YDEV 252 / Senior Seminar
Redefining The Notion of Youth
Blog #2
The first stereotype I read in the article stated the term Youth-Phobia-Notion. This term states that the youth will be unfit to lead or become leaders in their lifetime. To make such an assumption is based off of sub stereotypes which gives the youth phobia notion legs to stand on. Adults will make statements such as "He thinks
he is gay; we are ignoring it; he will grow out of it. "This hip hop thing, it is violent; we don't allow it in our home".(Steinberg, Redefining The Notion of Youth) As our youth move forward in life figuring out their sexuality they are bombarded ugly stereotypes if they are in the LGBTQ community. They live with fear of being persecuted through biblical scriptures and blamed for incurable diseases. These stereotypes are shaped by adults and their personal morals on sexuality. There are a lot of youth who like hip hop music although there are misogynistic overtones in many songs. He or she may like the song in general because of it's catchy beat but can care less about it's lyrical content. As songs of this nature flood the airwaves many adults may find the youth out of control and disrespectful due to the nature of the songs content. As did Reverend Calvin Butts III. In 1993 he held a rally where he steamed rolled hundred of compact discs to protest the lyrical content. (www.upi.com/Archives/1993/06/05/Anti-rap-rally) His sentiments was harbored by many adults around the county. Many felt the glorifying of gang violence and the disrespect toward women should not viewed as glamours. Most of these musicians were black men and many protesters felt it was an attack on black and brown men and their freedom of speech was being silenced.
The second stereotype was mentors, teachers and social workers who did not live in urban communities would not be available to provide effective leadership. Having those professionals living in poverty stricken neighborhoods would be ideal. But there are great people for the youth to role model themselves after and they are possibly their neighbors, From barbers, auto mechanics, grocers and your local civil servants. The bevvy of leadership is endless which leads to the African proverb it takes a village to raise a child. This is true with the program titled the Wrap Around Service. By definition the wraparound services a philosophy of care and correlated services which are inclusive of a planning procedure involving concerned relatives, central person, and service providers. It results in a greatly personalized group of closely-tied community services and organic reinforcements for the individual and the family, that reaches a multitude of intervention outcomes.(psychologydictionary.org/wraparound-services) This stereotype was definitely motivated by socioeconomic class.
The third and final stereotype was youth being portrayed in the media as people who were out of control and had not focus. As described in the character played by James Dean the youth basically had no growth or substance to their lives. Being a carefree spirit would make any adult or parent worry about their child's direction in life. All of the the social media outlets at our youths disposal there will be some footage captured of some unsavory events. But on the whole there is so much positivity and creativity with our youth today in regards to social media where some of them are making a very comfortable living. This stereotype can be shaped by class as viewed by an adult. The adult may want their child to be more focused on their academics instead of making tik toc videos. Some adults may see the youth wasting their time and energy with social media as a whole.
In 2008 I went to a restaurant on Thayer St in Providence. The waiter said to me," I'm sorry sir but my manager would like for you to pay before you receive your meal." I kindly stood up and left.
Thank you for your post Jeffrey. I appreciate your analysis of the Steinberg article and for pulling forward these stereotypes. I love the Reverend Butts spectacle example that you bring up regarding hip-hop. As adults, we engage with media that may sometimes be violent or misogynistic or "problematic" in some ways, we are able to be critical and also still like it. But the fear-factor with youth and maybe adults' low estimation of their capacity for critical analysis, makes their love of complex media intolerable or even scary. Also, with all the concern about violence in hip-hop, relatively little of that concern was channeled into engaging/ combatting the systemic violence and oppression underneath the lyrics. Finally, I'm sorry about your experience at the Thayer st restaurant--that is vile and hurtful.
Deleteoh also, let's check in in class about how to post your writings as "posts" vs. "comments"
ReplyDeleteJeffrey Edmond
ReplyDeleteSeptember 20th,
Blog #3
Norms & Normalcy
The visible rules that govern Marcus’s school and classroom are rather general. Here are a few items that the teachers and administrators are expected to follow. The first one is safety, be respectful / appropriate, utilize school property properly and be punctual. For the professionals who are instructing the children the list mentioned is a blueprint, that sums up their plight to create a safe and learnable environment for their students. A list of visible rules Marcus must adhere to in the classroom are follow directions, work quietly, raise your hand if you have a question, work and play safely and be attentive.
A student like Marcus who suffers from attention- deficit / hyperactivity disorder, there are many social cues that are untapped within him. Which makes it virtually impossible for him to follow the visible cues of conduct, therefore an adjustment must be made for him to be successful academically. To address his impulsivity from roaming around the classroom and over talking his teacher, she must institute teaching strategies that will keep the classroom moving forward. In this case she used a strategy called planned ignoring. This strategy does not feed into Marcus’s attention seeking behavior. Which will have him settle and possibly return him to a baseline where he can have effective communication her. Marcus is a young African American which an invisible cultural code of conduct may arise and become an issue for his teacher. Case in point as his teacher Emily attempted to get him on track for his academic routine, Marcus was escorted off to his brother’s birthday party down the hall. This can be damming for Marcus because one educator may see Marcus’s ethnicity as a liability when it comes to his education and may have the attitude of why bother. As opposed to his teacher Emily on the other hand is putting her best effort forward to have Marcus be responsible as possible. This behavior will promote a code of cultural values which will send mix messages of rewards and punishments throughout Marcus’s academic years. He will assume that his high school years will be filled with educators who will not hold him accountable and let him have free reign.
This attitude will have an adverse effect on teachers that can trigger their invisible code of conduct values. This can cause them to check out mentally and not be present during educating of our youth. They may be ruled by their biases and their content for teaching will be jeopardized. Ferris’s outlook on norms and normalcy I see are parallel with the plight of educators in the case of Marcus. There is the topic of taking a youth’s disability and not addressing it properly. When you use the language and call someone feebleminded you already have them labeled as defeated. Therefore, when the responsibly is put on our school system to correct mental health, problems at home and assist a youth with their life skills. Some may not have the ability to be successful which is normal versus those who have a disability which is improbable.
Thank you for your post Jeffrey! You bring up great points in the dueling dynamic between Marcus' teacher and counselor and their approach to supporting and educating Marcus. How does race--their whiteness, his Blackness--play into the different kinds of expectations that they set for him around social emotional wellness and academic learning?
ReplyDeleteBlog #4, Tatum
ReplyDeleteI have experienced similar situations as these students during my years of schooling. Being an African American male there were many times I was apprehensive about attending school. I have questioned myself many times about dropping out when I was of age. Particularly when I had to develop a plan after graduating high school. Do I join the arm services, go to college or find a job that will sustain me and my family? Thankfully, my parents gave me the encouragement and the strength I needed to power through school when I was experiencing tough times. Some of those tough times were linked to race related issued that had me questioning my educational plight. I was not a student who had a behavioral problem in my elementary years, but I had some questionable moments. When I was in the sixth grade if a student had an issue he or she would be sent to the principal’s office and some form of discipline was handed down. From staying after school or writing a sentence one hundred times on the chalkboard. I remember being sent to the office for something so minor as talking while my teacher was talking or responding to a question with a brash overtone. Ironically, I found myself in the office with other African American and Latino students pleading our cases that our teachers do not like us. I cannot remember if students of other races received the same discipline, but I felt targeted at times. During my sophomore year I played junior varsity basketball and my coach would use terminology that was offensive and complimentary at the same time. He would make statements such as “I never had a group of kids who can run and jump like you guys”, or “make sure you guys check your schedule for the game times.” Was he making a coded statement, that you black kids are absurdly athletic but have a problem being punctual? Did he believe he was that witty that we would not understand what he was saying to us. I attended Central High School in Providence, which was predominantly African American and Latino students, but my 90 percent of the faculty were Caucasian. I felt very comfortable attending Central H.S. because my race was represented in every classroom, sports team etc.
Race became very pronounced for me during my college years. As one student stated in the article he was once the only African American student in his class. The apprehension of being called on about a topic concerning the African American community is very unnerving. I could feel all the non-African American eyes descending upon me. This was a wake up call for me to be the best student I could be. I must conduct myself respectfully and become the most diligent student possible As an African American we are constantly challenged daily to be exemplary. During my first year at RIC there was a big brawl between the wrestling and basketball ball team. The basketball team were predominantly African Americans and the wrestling team was predominantly Caucasians. Why this brawl happened no one could figure out only conjecture but is sent unconscious alliances throughout the campus. I was residing in the dorm at the time and had a mix of friends from all races. But once this incident happened my non-African American friends distanced themselves from me. This caused me to become very leery of who I would befriend as well as being out on campus without one or two friends. I was fearing the unknown and being away from home for the first time I had to grow up fast. I saw the world as unkind and unapologetic due to people representing themselves whether good or bad. It was imperative I equip myself with the skills to survive and it was not bravado. I never took or take anyone for face value they will have to state positivity and respect for the space I occupy and therefore I will do the same.
Jeffrey Edmond
ReplyDeleteBlog # 5
Ideology
October 6th. 2020
Quote 1”Power is distributed, with coaches modeling and teaching the sport while also
facilitating contexts where peers practice and coach each other.
This is an awesome strategy to have our youth perform as player and coach. Many young
athletes have dreams about coaching as adults and this will tap into their untapped coaching
skills unconsciously. When I am coaching my basketball team, I pair up my veteran skilled
players with kids who are not as talented and have the veteran players perform the drills and
skills sets. This promotes leadership, responsibility and the respect the youth develop for one
another is paramount.
Quote 2 “The aim of this model is to influence the development of skills and pro social, protective
behaviors for individual young people. In preventing negative behaviors like violence, sexual
promiscuity, or drug use, youth work programs can influence positive community outcomes.
For our youth to have a fighting chance in this world the model Risk, Resilience and Prevention
must be instituted into their daily lives. We must stare our youth clear of the ills of the world
because we as adults cannot be with our youth every moment of the day. Therefore, it is
imperative that they make the right choice when there is no adult around. If our youth can
overcome an overwhelming moment where a bad decision can be made. This shows that they
have the power to think critically in a critical life changing moment.
Quote 3 “Scholars and practitioners of this framework believe that young people should be
empowered to work together to engage their communities in active service work (Roholt, et al.,
2013); furthermore, civic youth workers have a dual commitment to supporting youth development and influencing communities in positive ways.
It is very important that our youth become involved in their communities. Many youths are “in the
know” of what is going on in their communities which gives them a great perspective. Whether it
is social media, or they are active with a youth organization they are very well informed of their
communities. Now you incorporate their knowledge of their communities and empower them to
make change from an activist, political or the everyday concerned citizen aspect.
The involvement with their communities are boundless and hopefully they can be a monumental
piece of progress.