In Peoria, whatever the extracurricular, whatever the educational venture, you will more often than not see an "only"...
Throughout my life I have often had the distinction of the being “the only” (the only black girl/woman in attendance). As a girl in ballet, gymnastics, archery; certain courses as I matriculated in college; as an adult on the job – every job; as a happily married, stay at home mom and volunteer. And the only life continues as my children excel educationally and I take them to music, swimming, chess club, tennis, gymnastics, ballet or volleyball.
I think that if the child can manage to be aware of the multifaceted life in which they live, they can thrive off of the diversity (or lack thereof). But for the child without a strong sense of family and identity, being the only can be a very isolating experience.
Facing Identity Conflicts, Black Students Fall Behind
By Nancy Solomon, NPR
The identity issues facing middle-class black and Latino teenagers might be a clue as to why they don't do as well academically as their white and Asian counterparts, some researchers and educators say. The teens often live in dual worlds: the suburban one they live in, and the rougher street life they see glorified in the media.
Known as the "minority achievement gap," the lower average test scores, grades and college attendance by black and Latino students have long perplexed researchers. Many have focused on the values and attitudes of students and whether black students think doing well in school is "acting white."
Read the entire article here.
15 comments:
Emerge--so true. My borrowed granddaughter, freshman at Richwoods, has been the "only" in so many activities. However, when she was selected to go to Washington Gifted, she was grounded for saying she didn't want to go to the damn school. Well, she thrived there and loved every minute of it. I do believe that some black youngsters are selected for Washington but refuse to go for all kinds of reasons (I'd like to see some statistics). And it's probably more often the girls that say "yes" to these challenges away from the familiar. There were moments in my own teaching experience that I thought that fear of "being too smart" had almost died out. I'm not so sure now--and I don't know the answer. If the schools are overlooking these kids, then the blame should be pointed out. If the kids are refusing the opportunities, then we need to find some other solution.
In my experience I think it's a little bit of both - when opportunities come their way (which they know they parents will want them to take), they show no interest when around peers and miss out. A teacher can make all the difference to a student in these instances, they can ask the question of the student when the parent is not around to keep them on track.
Agreed! I think some "outside" forces need to be at work also to encourage young people to strive for schools such as Washington Gifted. Its inclusiveness has improved over the years-but there is room for improvement, of course. I know that the student that I mentioned told me (in later years) that she tried not to do her best during the Bradley interview so that she wouldn't be chosen--they saw right through her.
Emerge---Your post hits so close to home. I have been the only African-American female in all aspects of my life. I am currently the only at a predominately white school and it is hard for my co-workers to understand why the few African-American students sometimes struggle with fitting in or why their is such a disconnect with the school environment. As an adult I have learned that I live in two worlds and often when those two worlds collide it can beautiful or tragic.
I like to analyze numbers from the school report card data (best site is http://iirc.niu.edu/Default.aspx) and I can compare gender, race, income, etc., but I can't seem to compare more than one at the same time. What I mean is that there is a dramatic achievement gap for low income students, but I can't tell what the results are for low income black students vs low income white students, as an example. I tend to think that, from a student achievement level, poor is poor regardless of color.
On a lighter note, looking at the scores of 11th graders in D150, girls have always (for the last 8 years of data) performed better than boys at reading and writing tests while boys have always done better at math and science, UNTIL this year. The boys finally pulled ahead in reading (38% meet/exceed vs 37%) - a very close "victory", but we'll take it! :)
Riding on certain buses on walking in certain neighborhoods - you don't even want to carry books home because you will be teased "who do you think you are"; "you ain't no better than nobody else";and on and on.
If you happen to make it to college from one of these neighborhoods and you go home - the ridicule is off the charts. You are not a hero for making it, more than likely you stand a chance of getting the s*it beat out of you if you get caught on the streets. And that will be your reward for being "college".
Emerge, do you think that problem is better for girls or not? That has been my impression--but I think things have gotten worse, especially on Peoria's southside. Before integregation (1960s), all black working families were forced to live in that one area. That was so bad and so unfair--but ironically it was far better for black young people who had all the role models right there in their neighborhoods. Now most working black families have moved elsewhere--the role models are gone. (I am not happy with my next line of reasoning because I try very hard to leave race out when I can--because I don't like making it a factor in 150's problems) That said, this is another reason why I have a problem with the black leaders at Manual and with Ken Hinton, also. They don't know any more about living in areas of poverty with gangs and drugs, etc., than do the white teachers. Yet at Manual, at least, the leaders throw Ruby Payne's "Culture of Poverty" at teachers with the implication that they need to learn about the problems Manual students face--before consequences for bad behavior can be meted out. I do understand totally that all teachers need to understand the influence of poverty, etc., on learning. I just wish it weren't being used as a "club" over the heads of teachers. The same is true of Kherat's saying, "They don't care what you know until they know that you care." My contention is that Kherat, Jenkins, etc., have lived away from the problems long enough (and I don't know for sure if they ever lived close up to the problems)that they don't have a deep understanding either. I wish that they could understand--and maybe I'm wrong because it was my own personal experience--day to day contact with kids is the "real" teacher about what it's like to live under the conditions of poverty and the drug culture. You may be amazed at how much children tell their teachers--especially, the younger ones. If a person is any kind of teacher at all, these children pull at your heart strings. Kherat hired a group of teachers--some of whom really weren't prepared for what they encountered--there's no doubt about that. She gave up so many veteran teachers who truly do love the kids and did understand the culture. It takes a while for teachers who are new to these situations to get acclimated--it takes a while, but if they stay, loving the kids just has to be a consequence. The kids are better teachers than is a book. But that was my experience--of course, I went through considerable racial sensitivity experiences, also--and I willingly put myself in others.
Here... http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/12/national/class/ANGELA-FINAL.html?_r=1
I don't know that it is so much about race anymore but rather class. To get ahead, you have to adopt the values of where you are going. There is nothing for Kerat and others to understand per se. Rather the need for understanding is upon those who view failure as a virtue to change. If you want to be successful and move to the middle class, you must adopt middle class values.
Its a good series: http://www.nytimes.com/indexes/2005/06/12/national/class/index.html
If you don't like being a crab... then stop acting like one.
You said it Mahkno - that would be the key.
Just an off the wall question... has anyone actually sat the kids of Manual, Woodruff, and Central down and given them a crab lecture? Aside from watching Obama on TV saying their education is really in their hands. But has anyone locally actually sat them down and said... look you are all acting like crabs.
Yes, the crabs in a bucket lecture was the main thrust of Dr. Strand's Efficacy series. Many of us continued using that analogy when we deemed it important. I don't like to make any prononcements (try hard not to do so) about whether or not I was a good teacher--that's for others to decide. However, I believe, my strength was that I was never afraid to have straight talk about race, etc. I was always honest with my kids about my racial background (or lack there of), etc. I always had conversations about the things they felt held them back. Right now every time I write negative things about Manual, I want to assure my former students that I am not negating any of the feelings I have for them. Actually, usually the opposite happens--I get calls from or run into students who agree with me--they know that Manual has changed and grieve about the loss. In 2002 when Jeff Dutro and I wrote to the PJS about our description of discipline problems at Nanual, the day the article came out on the front page of the PJS, I read the story to all my classes and discussed it with them--and the letters to the editor that was also printed from me. In one class I was totally taken aback when a young man stood up and gave me a standing ovation and the other kids followed. Younger teachers--especially those who are new to the inner city--would probably be rightfully afraid to initiate such conversations. I had a tremendous advantage--the parents of most of my students had been my students--and they had passed on stories about me to their children--fortunately, most of the stories were good,so kids trusted me (and that is hard to come by for new teaches). It takes new teachers a few years to get that confidence, but if they have staying power they do become attached to their students--teachers just get a bumb rap.
RE: Washington Gifted. Though there were not a large number of black students when my children attended a couple of years ago, there was definitely a mix of different races and nationalities, more so than primary school. I felt that all the students mixed well together and were all included in parties, etc. I also felt there was quite a range of income levels, as well, from what I was able to observe, which pleased our family.
One thing I think could be improved at Washington is more support for those students that may not have parents or guardians at home to help them. The school expects students to work at a higher level and be independent, but 5th grade is a big jump and I certainly spent many hours helping my children become more organized, maintain their planners, study for tests (for the first time perhaps), and don’t even get me started about the projects that just never ended. All good stuff BUT . . . a student without a parent to assist them with some of this and provide structure was at a decided disadvantage. I felt there were a few from low-income backgrounds that did not succeed, but perhaps could have, if there could have been more intervention on the part of the school.
Emerge - did you see the online interview that Katie Couric did with Michelle Obama? I am sorry, but is that woman cool or what.
I don't have access to U.S. TV so this might be all old news to you, but what Mrs. Obama is doing in terms of inviting young girls into the White House and mentoring them is just outstanding. I wish she would use some of the White House's resources to "franchise" for lack of a better word a program that interested persons could implement in their own communities and schools.
I didn't see the interview, but I read about the program. Wow, those young ladies in the Washington DC area are LUCKY. Can you imagine having that kind of exposure to attainable success?
There are different groups that reach out to young women here in Peoria. Unfortunately, if you are not uniquely disadvantaged in some way you don't have access to information about the local programs.
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