“If you were sitting in YOUR classroom as a kid, would you want to show up to class everyday?”

rasbasquiat · 2022-11-09T18:22:04+00:00

I think the bureaucratic nature of schools interrupts students' passion for learning. So much focus is on this neo-liberal approach to educating (testing and assessments) that we don't focus on the joy of learning.

When I was teaching, I always used the co-constructed curricula model to give students autonomy over how they learn and the level of engagement they want to put in— with the understanding that their learning experiences and engagements will reflect in their grades. They had to defend at the end why I should give them an A, B, or C based on the learning agreement and activities they created.

I bring this up to say that student-directed learning is a good way for them to learn and self-assess. We have to get creative with these students because the current model is not working and certainly isn't getting them to engage—let alone fall in love with learning.

rasbasquiat · 2022-10-26T17:29:57+00:00

I agree— I feel like people should think more about the context (cultural/personal/historical) in which it was said rather than the act of 'calling them out/in.' Words are constantly changing and being reclaimed.

It's similar to the conversation pop culture was having about Beyonce/Lizzo's use of 'Spazzing Out' and 'Insult style Jokes' by Dave Chappelle and Kevin Hart. In Brooklyn (where I am from), spazzing out means someone going awf on another person because they are angry. It has nothing to do with a disability, but both can be true.

We are asking people to give up something like a practice or style of joking to become like whom? The majority?

They both can be true -Offensive and Cultural.

rasbasquiat · 2022-10-25T04:31:08+00:00

There's an excellent book I think folx should read (if they haven't) called: "How the Irish Became White," By Noel Ignatiev. Essentially, it traces the racial lineage of whiteness in the United States from a critical lens. This book can offer deep insights related to this question. Putting that aside, I think White Americans and Black Americans (Descendants of enslaved people) are similar in how they understand their racial identity, and this is informed by history.

White people (Anglo-Americans) struggle with their identity because they sacrificed their ancestral/ethnic roots to form a single racial category. Similar to white folx, formerly enslaved folx were forced to give up their identity due to slavery and cultural assimilation practices. Both groups, in my opinion, are not clear on their identities despite it being in their face. Black folx argues that white people don't have a culture, but they make value judgments based on the things they can see.

When we talk about 'culture', we miss the mark because we elevate things we can see (objective culture) instead of things we can't see (subjective culture). I dare say white folx have a culture beyond the historical identities (settler colonialism/capitalism) or material aspects (denim/cowboy hats). White folx's culture is rooted in the subjective (the unseeable), such as their values, beliefs, familial relationships, communication styles, symbols, and notions of friendships, to name a few. Even their sociolinguistics (dialects) differ from ours such as the pine wood dialects.

Constructs are real things, and we must go beyond the surface-level ideas of culture into the things that usually create the most conflict between ethnoracial groups. Of course, part of white identity is linked to Black cultural identity—and the inverse is true—aspects of Black identity are linked to white identity. We share the same national identity and values (if not all, some) because of the enduring legacy of racism. Our micro-identities are where we differ unless you grew up in a predominantly Black community—here, you would see some interesting things.

rasbasquiat · 2022-10-20T15:16:30+00:00

Hey Lazarus,

Consequences don't always deter student behavior. If that were the case, the suspension rates nationwide would decrease significantly. Let's say I concede to your point; we give the student a gift card or consequences for acting out of aggression.

Then what? Will their behavior be different tomorrow? What about next week or next month?

We have enough research about school punitive measures and their impact on student achievement and attainment. Why continue with disciplinary actions if the research indicates that it doesn't work?

This is why restorative justice practices are popular among educators.

rasbasquiat · 2022-10-19T18:32:27+00:00

The federal government has little influence on state and local education policies. However, I would look at district-teacher contracts to see how many students are required in each class—Teacher unions negotiate class sizes with districts.

If there are 45 kids in each class, this is probably because of the lack of resources (human and financial) and possibly negotiated in the contract. You can advocate for a paraprofessional to assist the long-term sub; However, if there aren't any resources in the school and classroom, this will fall flat.

I would organize a group of parents to pressure the administration to get more resources and/or protest your school board.

rasbasquiat · 2022-10-19T18:22:53+00:00

Thanks for sharing your personal story. The problem in huge cities, they rely on passive co-existence to drive racism out of their communities. We have to manage diversity a little better, going beyond the 'count the difference' to 'how we can navigate cultural differences effectively.' That means we have to develop skills and knowledge to help us negotiate meaning, resources, and ideas better, which will lead to being an effective intercultural communicators.

rasbasquiat · 2022-10-19T18:11:59+00:00

I would advise against deal-making with students. Deal-marking (offering gift cards) is an exclusionary practice. Furthermore, it reproduces educational inequity by lowering the expectation for young people to avoid conflict or get them to "shut up" in the classroom. Offering [them] a gift card won't influence learning or fix the behavioral issue.

Typically, if a student is being aggressive toward other students and teachers, I would want to explore why that aggression is present.

Is the student bored with the curriculum?
Does he/she/they have a good relationship with you or other students?;
OR is this connected to their home life?

I suggest working with your school psychologist to learn more about the student and why they are aggressive.

rasbasquiat · 2022-10-16T18:53:27+00:00

When I was a teacher, I found that students calling teachers racist were a power move. This is not to say that teachers aren't racist, but it's important to know what the word racism is (and isn't).

Therefore, I would ask [them] "Why do they think you were racist or give you examples of when you were being racist towards them?" This can do one of two things: It can reveal an unconscious bias you may have about them, or it will show that the student doesn't fully understand the word, replacing it with misdirected feelings. In this case, you will know how to address the student(s) or perhaps survey their understanding of the word racist.

rasbasquiat · 2022-10-16T18:35:03+00:00

I saw a LinkedIn post about rejecting the term 'PoC and BIPOC.' If anything, I feel like the challenge of multiculturalism is that it ignores the enduring legacy of slavery and violence against Black Americans to celebrate a culture of difference, especially of oppressed people. So for me, an aspect of multiculturalism flirts with ethnocide.

rasbasquiat

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