MIAMI UNIVERSITY The Graduate School
Certificate for Approving the Dissertation
We hereby approve the Dissertation
of
Monica L. Marks-Richardson
Candidate for the Degree:
Doctor of Philosophy
Director Dr. Denise Taliaferro Baszile
Reader Dr. Lisa Weems
Reader Dr. Sally Lloyd
Graduate School Representative Dr. Kevin Bush
ABSTRACT
MATTERS OF THE HEART: UNDERSTANDING RACIAL INTERPRETATIONS & CULTURAL PERCEPTIONS IN THE CLASSROOM FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS
by Monica L. Marks-Richardson
This paper is a qualitative study on the influence of race and culture in the instructional planning within classrooms in a suburban school district. The study was designed using a focus group of teachers in grades 4-8 who demonstrated successful growth for African American students using value added measures on state assessments. The focus group members met to answer pre- determined research questions that tied to exploring the role of race and culture in the classroom. The group met regularly over a period of time and conducted discussions centered around activities to help generate reflective thinking on instructional pedagogy. The paper also presents limitations to the study and directions for future research.
MATTERS OF THE HEART: UNDERSTANDING RACIAL INTERPRETATIONS AND CULTURAL PERCEPTIONS IN THE CLASSROOM FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS
A DISSERTATION
Submitted to the Faculty of
Miami University in partial
fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Department of Educational Leadership
by
Monica L. Marks-Richardson
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio
2014
Dissertation Director: Dr. Denise Taliaferro Baszile
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Description of Research Topic 1 Importance of the Research 4
Chapter 2: Literature Review 9 Racial Interpretations – Beliefs about a Racial Group 12 Cultural Perceptions – Behaviors Based on Beliefs 13 Culturally Responsive Teaching 16
Chapter 3: Research Design and Methodology 22 Theoretical and Methodological Lens 22 Research Design 23 Location of Study 24 Process, Procedure, Sample 27
Chapter 4: Research Findings 30 Focus Group Members 30 Focus Group Research Themes 42 Exploring Values/Beliefs about Practices 44 Teacher Beliefs/Values 44 Classroom Strategies and Practices 85 Incorporating Student Experiences 85 Navigating Experiences with Race 94 Cultural Experiences 94 African American Students in our Classroom 107 Resolving Racial and Cultural Differences 109 Race and Culture with Instructional Planning 109 Responding to our African American Students 116 Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) 117 What is CRT and what does it look like? 117
Chapter 5: Discussion 121 Exploring Values/Beliefs about Practices 121 Navigating Experiences 124 Resolving Differences 125 Culturally Responsive Teaching 126 Other Outcomes: Colorblindness & Reflective Practices 127 Limitations & Future Implications of the Study 128
References 130
ii TABLES
PAGE
Table 1: 31 Focus Group Members’ Demographics
iii
FIGURES
PAGE
Figure 1: 3 The Relationship of Racial Interpretations and Cultural Perceptions in the Classroom
Figure 2: 11 Race and Culture in the Classroom
Figure 3: 19-20 The Cultural Proficiency Continuum
Figure 4: 27 Overview of Research Design
Figure 5: 43 Overview of the Focus Group Research Themes
iv CHARTS
PAGE
Chart 1: 25 2012-13 North School District Population by Race
Chart 2: 45 Courageous Conversation Compass
v DEDICATION
I dedicate my dissertation work to my family and friends for their love and support through this process. I appreciate and value their trust and encouragement to reach beyond what I think I know and to always be open to new and different ways of looking at things. I would like to give a very special thank you and show of love to my mother, Shirley Garmon for her whispers and prayers to always go after things in life that bring fulfillment. Thank you to my children (Morgynne Marks and Jamard Richardson, Jr.) who have never doubted my ability and willingness to achieve my professional and educational goals. Thank you to Jamard Richardson, Sr. for his patience and backing throughout my entire educational journey. Also, thank you to my special and dear friend, Beth Wyandt for her gentle, yet firm push to believe in myself and to continually work hard to complete and achieve my professional goals. To the DIVAs – Dr. Shelia Burton and Dr. Rashida Savage-Gentry, for their side by side journey with me through this adventure and life in general. We are DESTINED by faith, INSPIRED by the struggle, VALUEABLE beyond measure, and an ASSET to anything we are a part of together! DIVAs! I send a very special thank you to Dr. Michael Dantley for his leadership, wisdom and insight and Dr. Denise Taliaferro Baszile for her passion, knowledge and guidance through the doctoral process – I could not have completed this journey without them both! I also dedicate this work to the African American children whose voices need to be heard and their educational needs better met. I share in the work of those many researchers who have come before me and will come after me to contribute to the advancement of the social justice agenda.
vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to acknowledge the support of Dr. Sarah Zatik for trusting me to conduct this study while fulfilling my professional responsibilities and for her advice and wisdom through the process. I appreciate the work of the participants in this study and their dedication to the experience (G. Carter, D. Frantz, C. Stallard, E. Russell, K. Cunningham, S. Moore, M. Schreiber, K. Henderson, and N. Mengerink). Your valuable input is what made this study rich and full of content to share. I would also like to acknowledge the love and support received by Amy Anyanwu, Rita Tilton and Maureen McCormick and for their continued discussions and sharing of experiences to help me stay encouraged and focused on the greater good of this work. Thank you to Kelly Lucas for her attention to detail and her tenacious spirit through the revision process with me. I also appreciate the patience, prayers, and efforts of Peggy Augusten, Paula Eifert, and Martha Orndorff – who lived with me (figuratively) through this process. They were privy to the moans, groans and happy cries. Thank you to my sister and brother, Michelle Marks and Marvin Marks, Jr. - who have always been my sideline cheerleaders in every journey in my life. I appreciate and have enjoyed working with a supportive committee. Their guidance has given me an immeasurable level of respect for them and the work they do daily – Dr. Lisa Weems, Dr. Paula Saine, and Dr. Karen Beard, under the leadership of Dr. Denise Taliaferro Baszile.
vii Chapter 1: Introduction The minority population in suburban school districts went from 19% in 1990 to 27% in 2000, and as high as 43% in suburban areas in large cities such as Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and New York (Frey, 2001). The rapid growth in numbers may have made it increasingly difficult for suburban districts to be ready to meet the academic and social engagement of minorities (Evans, 2007). African American students in suburban school districts face academic and social challenges different from their European American peers. Suburban schools that primarily educate European American students fail to address the academic and social needs of African American students because of racial interpretations as well as cultural perceptions (Evans, 2007). An additional cause is the lack of staff preparation in dealing with students’ of color cultural backgrounds. Understanding racial identity as well as the role of culture in the classroom setting can help educators of African American students better address academic performance. This can ultimately lead to closing the achievement gap in student learning for people of color. Cultural perceptions of African American students tend to be negative because of the resistance to knowledge and lack of experiences of staff within a suburban setting regarding African American culture. The absences of culturally responsive staff members affect the decisions and actions taken by educators in the school environment, which impacts the academic success of African American students (Evans, 2007). This lack of a culturally responsive staff is often a result of negative racial interpretations reinforcing biases about African American student behaviors. As the researcher, I believe educators of all students have a responsibility to practice culturally responsive pedagogical practices that embrace, educate, and promote differences among and between students. Key Terms: racial interpretations, cultural perceptions, race, culture, assimilate, acculturate, racism, systematic oppression, deficit model, resilience model, othered Description of Research Topic African Americans have historically been subjected to European American ideology that argued African Americans were genetically inferior causing the perceived learning ability and expectations of African American students to be low (Smedley, 2007). Separate and unequal educational practices have also had a negative impact on the education of African Americans in the United States. African American students and European American students (who typically
1 populate suburban school districts) have very different cultural backgrounds and applying the same pedagogical methods will only continue to increase the educational disparities (Ladson- Billings, 2000). The more we learn about African American students and how to increase their learning, the better we will be able to address their needs through curricular and pedagogical practices (Ladson-Billings, 2000). Evans (2007) conducted research about a suburban school’s response to the changing demographics. The outcome of the study emphasized the impact of the overall belief system of the school and how its racial biases directly impacted how the staff responded to meeting the academic and social needs of its African American students. What the staff and school believed about their African American students was highly based on limited cultural experience with African American students and a resistance to be open to understanding information communicated by these students. The student achievement gap is not decreasing as rapidly between European American students and African American students because of the failure to consider racial interpretations and cultural perceptions in suburban schools. The racial interpretations represent the belief system about African Americans and the cultural perceptions represent how these racial interpretation/beliefs are applied to observations made of the African American student behaviors. Racial interpretations and cultural perceptions are important concepts to understand for this study and are views to consider when designing instruction that engages all student learners. Racial interpretations are assumptions or ideas based upon prior knowledge of our experiences with a racial group. These assumptions may be formed from actual encounters or from media interpretations and may be used by educators when making instructional decisions. When planning instruction in the classroom, racial interpretations and cultural perceptions must be recognized as an essential factor of culturally responsive teaching. Racial interpretations are essentially the belief system teachers form about a student based on their knowledge about a student’s racial background. For example, if a teacher has a classroom with primary aged African American students, she may choose a picture book to read that is about African American children around the age of her students, doing an activity that the teacher knows the students can relate to because of their racial identity. So the teacher considers the age and racial knowledge of her students when making an instructional decision. The key is
2 that these racial interpretations are based on accurate knowledge and not biases or assumptions about the racial identity of students. Cultural perceptions are applying the racial interpretations to the style, language, behaviors, or actions of a group of people. These meanings - cultural perceptions - are shaped based on an individual’s exposure to and understanding of a racial group - racial interpretations. For example, a teacher may have a classroom primarily of African American teenage students from an urban setting who display an urban style to their language and actions, so when teaching a math lesson he may choose to use examples referencing items or locations from an urban setting that African American students can connect. So the teacher considers both the age, cultural, and racial experiences of his students when teaching.
Figure 1: The Relationship of Racial Interpretations and Cultural Perceptions in the Classroom
Figure 1: Racial Interpretations - what we know and believe about others based on how we racially identify others and Cultural Perceptions - how we use what Racial Cultural we believe about a racial group to Interpretations Perceptions understand the behaviors of others - KNOW/BELIEVE SEE/UNDERSTAND influences culturally responsive teaching.
The relationship between racial interpretations and cultural perceptions are as important as academics to consider when making instructional decisions to impact all students. This study involved looking at how teachers consider the race and cultural background of their students when they are teaching. Teachers often look at gender, interests, and personal experiences of their students when planning for instruction. Why not consider the lens of race and culture? The role of race and culture is often overlooked and not talked about but the gap in learning clearly shows us there is a difference. This study demonstrates why having culturally responsive pedagogical practices among teachers in a suburban school district working to achieve academic success and curricular engagement of African American students is important. Culturally responsive teaching embraces a way of thinking and being that enables educators to plan for and respond positively to individuals and situations that arise in an environment of diverse learners (Lindsey, Robins, & Terrell, 2003). Culturally responsive teaching is also the ability to find commonalities with diverse groups of people as well as mediate and resolve
3 conflict between individuals while maintaining the integrity of the differences within and between the group members. The research question for this study was: “How do suburban schools’ teachers take into consideration African American students’ race and cultural background when they teach?” Importance of the Research I’ve come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or de- humanized. (Ginott, 2009, p. 86) As I reflect upon the profession I have chosen – to educate children – this quote reminds me of the criticality of that role and its impact upon our children. Educators play a very decisive role in how knowledge is crafted and disseminated through our educational system. The power to decide whose knowledge to include or exclude is often in the hands of teacher. Teachers must become better social agents for change or else we will keep reproducing the status quo and not become a society that advocates for the extinction of social injustices. Our children need to learn to challenge the current social structures in order to eliminate the marginalization of racial minority groups. As an African American parent of children who attended a predominantly European American suburban school district, I think about the magnitude of trust I placed on teachers to shape the minds of my children, despite the fact that they had a limited understanding of who my children really were. I witnessed great instructional practices from experienced teachers with a strong knowledge base for curriculum methods and content. It was only when my daughter reached her senior year and we were planning her graduation party that I realized somehow I had allowed the system to fail my child. I asked her if there were any teachers she would like to invite to the party that had had an impact on her education and she had none. This made me pause and reflect on the experiences of my daughter throughout her schooling as a minority in a suburban school district and I recalled the struggles and the failures but I examined them through a much different lens this time. Because my son on the other hand had a long list of successes despite his days of struggles and disappointments, I began to explore reasons why this was. I
4 eventually realized that my son had acculturated – he was able to embrace suburban school culture much more successfully than my daughter. My daughter struggled to assimilate into suburban school culture and found it difficult socially and academically. This caused me to pause and ask the question of the role of race and culture in the classroom. I became consumed with wanting to understand it in terms of a student’s ability to fit in - as my son did - or from a teacher’s perspective - the ability to connect with children on a deeper level based on who they are culturally. I really felt this was an important factor that could be contributing to the growing gap in education academically for African American students. My personal experience with my own children is what has prompted me to start the journey of exploring race and culture in the classroom for African American students. This is why this research topic is urgent and a matter of the heart for me – it impacts me professionally and personally. Amy S. Wells and Robert L. Crane (1997) conducted research on African American families moving from urban school districts to suburban school districts. The study took place in a mid-west state and followed several families who transferred their children from an urban school to a suburban school as a part of a special transfer program. The study looked at reasons why and the impact of the decisions and choices the families made in the education of their children. Many of the African American families chose to transfer their children to a suburban school, which was comprised of predominantly European American students, did so because: they wanted to escape the negative reputation of the urban school setting; they felt suburban schools would help their children attain their educational goals; and that their child would learn more and have better resources. The study classified parents into two categories as either assimilationists or visionaries. Assimilationists were parents who blamed the issues of urban schools on African Americans and they saw the suburban schools as superior. As assimilationists, their expectations were for their children to learn to fit into the suburban school setting by adapting to the behaviors and norms of the European American students. Visionary parents resisted the “White is right” attitude and instead held a deeper sense of pride in maintaining their child’s cultural heritage. The visionary parents understood the complicated and critical view of the historical implications and disparities that precipitated the inequitable resources for their children.
5 The study found that many of the students returned to the urban school after experiencing issues with disciplinary actions and academic challenges in the suburban school setting. Some of the families expressed racial uneasiness with interactions between administrators, teachers and students. The study concluded that the suburban schools that developed initiatives to foster sensitivity to racial issues and poverty were more successful at maintaining students in the transfer program because these schools recognized and acted on the need to provide supports for these transfer families. This study is a clear example that race and culture have a role in the classroom setting. The first thing noticed when meeting someone is the race of the individual, which is used to provide clues and insight into an individual’s character and behavior (Omi & Winant, 1994). These clues come from the knowledge and experiences one has with a particular racial group. When an individual of one racial group enters a place or institution designated for another racial group, beliefs, and assumptions are tested (Evans, 2007). These beliefs are racial interpretations that are from an individual’s experiences. When African American students enter suburban schools consisting primarily of European American students, beliefs and assumptions are made – racial interpretations. Race is a social construct that represents conflict and individual interests in society based upon one’s identity and historical beliefs and actions (Omi & Winant, 1994). Critical race theory identifies race as a normal part of American society that must be addressed (Omi & Winant, 1994). How one allows their beliefs or racial interpretations to impact how they view behaviors leads to cultural perceptions. The deeper challenge this theory offers is to identify parts of society, such as educational institutions, that assume the role of the dominant European American culture as the norm within its structure and ignore other groups (Ladson- Billings & Tate, 1995; Parker, 1998). Suburban school districts can no longer ignore cultural groups and focus on the majority culture. State test mandates require teachers to now focus on subgroups of minorities for academic achievement in order to address the increasing achievement gap with minorities. Schools are the place where students define themselves (Romo, 1997). Educating factual information about cultural groups and engaging in positive dialogue improves intergroup relations that impact students’ willingness to learn and promote academic achievement (Romo, 1997). Public schools are organized in a manner in which race and power are realized contextually. Assimilation occurs when individuals are forced to give up their cultural
6 differences in response to the role and influence of the dominant culture (Tatum, 1987). The dominance of European American culture in a suburban setting signifies the expectation for African American students to assimilate into the dominant European American culture. The culture of suburban schools is to exercise power over African American students with the expectations for them to assimilate into the dominant culture and when they fail to do so, the African American students are rejected socially and labeled inferior academically. In another study of three suburban high schools with changing demographics, the issues of the challenges with race were explored (Evans, 2007). The numbers of African American students were rapidly increasing in this district and faculty efficacy and agency, school identity, and power and politics were being tested (Evans, 2007). The issues of racial interpretations and cultural perceptions by the staff and administration tied directly to the decisions and actions taken with regard to African American student concerns (Evans, 2007). Educators made professional decisions based upon personal judgments of African American student behaviors and actions. The suburban school teachers had difficulty understanding the behaviors of African American students which resulted in negative perceptions regarding the academic performance of students (Evans, 2007). For example, European American teachers described African American students as being loud, not motivated or prepared for high school, and as being more confrontational than European American students. The African American students who did not assimilate into the dominant school culture were racially interpreted as having a subordinate culture. Teachers alleged African American students were ill prepared for the level of work required and not capable of meeting academic expectations. The staff’s racial interpretation of African American students was that the presence of these African American students created disorder and limited progress academically. Therefore the staff culturally perceived the African American students could not learn. Additionally, the African American students failed to “be whitened” – a term meaning individuals of color failed to be perceived as exceptional, articulate and clean through assimilation (Collins, 2009). Schools are public institutions whose decisions are a direct impact on the people whom they serve, the public (Connelly, 2000). This is a highly political context for schools and boundaries are often drawn in managing interests and control. The complexity of a school’s organizational structure precludes change from happening quickly and decision making is complex (Connelly, 2000). Thus, addressing issues of racial interpretations and cultural
7 perceptions is slow and ineffective unless a concerted effort is made to do so. Additionally, political ramifications will cause hesitation and reluctance from leadership (Connelly, 2000). The sources of assumptions are unknown but are very relevant to understanding how to address them. The impact of these assumptions affected the decisions and actions taken by educators in the school environment. Ralph Ellison, author of Invisible Man in 1952, wrote: I am an invisible man… I am invisible; understand, simply because people refuse to see me. Like the bodiless heads you see sometimes in circus sideshows, it is as though I have been surrounded by mirrors of hard distorting glass. When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination – indeed everything and anything except me. (p. 1) The metaphor of invisibility characterizes the hegemonic discourse of minorities in society. Ellison’s (1952) words speak emphatically and their implications are astounding. Simply due to denial or rejection, a person can be deemed invisible and not worthy of being. Historically, African Americans have been legally termed as less than an individual or unworthy of human rights (Collins, 2009). The phrase “distorting glass” describes the misrepresentation by one group of people about another. While one’s external self is one way, the dominant culture can chose to act based on the external self, the reflection of the surroundings, or the limited understanding of a group of people. This is the premise for the transformation that is necessary to occur in the educational setting in order to address curricula, academics, and social misrepresentations and misunderstandings that only perpetuate the cycle of increasing the achievement gap negatively for African American students. This study was very important to African American families because it provides clarification to the process of how minorities can find a space for preservation of identity through cultural practices when being in a majority European American cultural environment. It is important to educators because it reveals the role of race and culture in the classroom and the implications for impacting the academic engagement and learning of African American students. This study gives voice to the educators in suburban districts who either struggle or are successful with integrating the role of race and culture in the classroom.
8 Chapter 2: Literature Review Patricia Hills-Collins (2009) uses a framework to explain what she refers to as color- blind racism to reflect the historical implications of racism in the United States. The framework she uses examines the domain of power from four perspectives – structural, disciplinary, interpersonal and cultural. Structural domain of power is racial practices through social institutions that exist and provide services to the public such as schools, hospitals and governmental agencies. The disciplinary domain of power represents the rules and regulations that uphold or challenge the racial hierarchy. The interpersonal domain of power involves one to one race relations between individuals that occur through personal choice. Cultural domain of power is the idea of race as defined or interpreted by ideologies that create a community of colorblindness. It exists when a community sees issues of race as a thing of the past or as nonessential and not a current issue. Examining the influence of power using Collins’ framework is essential to understand the barriers and challenges that preclude educators from recognizing the limitations of practices that reinforce negative racial interpretations and cultural perceptions. Schools in this position need to examine the racial and cultural barriers preventing academic and social progress. Barriers include resistance to change, systems of oppression, and a sense of privilege and entitlement (Lindsey et al., 2003). The lack of a culturally responsive staff impacts the challenges of educating a diverse population of students. It is important to examine culturally responsive pedagogical practices in place to meet the growing needs African American students. Racial interpretations and cultural perceptions are relevant to understanding how to address disconnects in the classroom environment. The impact of these phenomena affects the decisions and actions taken by educators in the school environment. The racial and cultural environment in the home impacts the dynamics of the school environment. The more culturally responsive the educator, the better she will be able to transcend the home and school environments to develop an effective and progressive culture in the classroom environment. When school culture is considerably different than home culture, teachers can misread student aptitudes, intentions, or abilities resulting from a different style of language used and interactions (Delpit, 1995). The differences can also be confusing and misleading to students and their choices in behavior is impacted by this confusion. For example, an African American student was invited to participate in learning on the carpet area each day by his teacher and each day he declined to do so - instead he chose to draw and color. The European American teacher
9 interpreted this behavior as immaturity and lack of interest and ability to do the carpet area group work on level with his peers. When this information was shared with the parent, the parent explained in the home environment the child is told to do things and not asked. The child’s interpretation of the request by his teacher was that it was a choice and when given the choice his preference was to do what he enjoyed doing more – draw and color. While this is a small example, its implication could have had huge consequences had the behavior of the child continued. When cultural differences exist, teachers can and will utilize styles of instruction and discipline that contradict community norms (Delpit, 1995). If African American students possess a different style of language and ways in which they interact with others and teachers’ styles of instruction contradict African American community norms, conflict arises. The conflict is critical to the academic and social development of the student and the value the teacher feels in facilitating the process and the responses from the African American students are affected. Keeping culture in its historical context means not segmenting culture into certain times and spaces but instead realizing that culture is a process of ongoing activity that is both within and outside of the school environment (Gutierrez & Rogoff, 2003). Educators have to learn the important histories and valued practices of their students and avoid teaching in a prescriptive manner, under-examined generalities about groups. Cultural regularities are the actions that individuals engage in to make meaning of their world with the people to whom they come into contact with daily (Guitierrez & Rogoff, 2003). It is critical for teachers to not interpret student culture as an event or an incorporation of stories, but to see student culture as the starting point in framing and shaping the educational structure and practices that are embedded in the daily learning that occurs in the classroom. Additionally, to only observe the cultural activities of students without understanding the meanings and goals behind the activity renders the observation meaningless. We should examine our own cultural frameworks to recognize our culture is not necessarily shared or embraced by others (Howard, 2010). Displays of culture are in response to the environment in which an individual is seeking to thrive and survive within that setting and outside of that context the cultural activities may not look normal (Howard, 2010). This display of culture is also based upon a person’s choices about the appropriate or correct social actions and interactions. To include one set of cultural norms and exclude others would validate one set
10 of beliefs and invalidate another set of beliefs. When students walk into a classroom where the existence of a dominant set of norms and beliefs are practiced and their norms and beliefs are not considered, valued or incorporated – cultural conflict may arise. This conflict sets into motion the perpetuation of exclusionary practices that impede African Americans and other students of color from accessing the curriculum for learning. The literature is rich on race and culture and what is means to have culturally responsive pedagogical practices. By focusing on race and culture in the classroom, the implications of racial interpretations and the role of cultural perceptions in the classroom become part of the process of obtaining more culturally responsive practices. When educators learn accurate information about African American culture and then they witness events that support this learning – once understanding is clear then the incorporation of this knowledge in the classroom environment can impact the learning and engagement of students. (See figure 2 as an overview of how the Literature Review is being organized in this study.) Figure 2: Race and Culture in the Classroom
Racial Interpretations (Beliefs about a racial group)
Cultural Perceptions (Behaviors based on beliefs) Culturally Responsive Teaching (The use of accurate racial/ cultural information about students to design and implement meaningful instruction)
Figure 2: This figure shows an overview of the literature examined regarding race and culture and the implications of interpretations and perceptions for culturally responsive teaching in the classroom setting.
11 Racial Interpretations – Beliefs About A Racial Group There are many perspectives on racial interpretations and its impact on race in America. Howard (2010) describes racism as being: the belief that one group is superior; the perceived superior group carries out racist actions; and the ability of racist acts to affect multiple racial groups. Racism is a system of ignorance and exploitation where power and position is used to suppress minority groups based on mannerisms and color (Marable, 1992). These systems of oppression in the education setting have ranged from intelligence tests to inequities in curricular access for students of color. These institutional practices in place serve to maintain racial subordination (Gotanda, 1991). This racial subordination is a means to reinforce the hegemonic discourse and position of power for the majority culture while ignoring the importance of the subcultures in the classroom. Howard (2010) uses four tenets to describe the impact of race in American. The first tenet is “race is nonessential” to mean by some scholars - the failures of people of color in the United States is based on individual choice and has little to do with institutional or historical structures or policies. Another tenet is “race is essential, but we have overcome the vestiges of racism” in which race becomes a thing of the past and the presumption being we have collectively as a nation moved on beyond this ugly period in our history. A third tenet includes “race is the determining variable in all that ails schools and society” approach which suggests that academic gaps and differences is a direct result of racist structures, educators, and issues of exclusion. The final and fourth tenet is a more balanced approach to the topic of race and deals with “institutional responsibility – individual accountability” which translates to mean institutions must remain vigilant and mindful of the need to continue the progress made in race relations and consider the historical impact of race when examining hiring practices, work environments, leadership approaches, and promotion opportunities. The interrogation of race and racism remains critical to the future in education within the United States. While progress in race relations has occurred in the United States the struggle for racial equity continues. Because racial interpretations give life to beliefs, behaviors, and actions; educators who have negative or low expectations of students of color could allow these expectations to impact pedagogical decisions causing bias in perceptions of student abilities, misinterpretations of decisions about curriculum biases, and the allowance of exclusionary practices (Howard, 2010). Thus the role of race in the classroom can further marginalize minority groups. The failure to
12 authentically engage educators on the topic of race and racial meaning can lead to instructional racism (Webb-Johnson & Larke, 2002). Howard (2010) conducted a series of interviews with sophomores and juniors in high school who shared their experiences with teachers’ beliefs about them - racial interpretations and meanings as being: presumptuous about the minority students’ abilities to learn; exclusionary in allowing minority students access to higher level classes; and displaying ignorance about and disinterest in minority students’ race and ethnicity. The teacher postures from a position of power in a classroom setting and he has the ability to make decisions that directly influence and impact the learning of all students. The absence of the inclusion of race and culture in the pedagogical practices of teachers leads to incomplete information to inform their instructional decision making. European Americans tend to explain away race by minimizing or neutralizing racism – viewing it as individual prejudice or cultural deficiencies (Sleeter, 2013). They tend to fail to acknowledge the structures in place that have allowed European Americans such a position of power and privilege. Social stratification for European Americans is justified by an individual’s ability to use self-discipline to work hard towards upward mobility in an individualistic system in society (Sleeter, 2013). Meaning, “you get what you work hard to achieve and if you don’t get what you worked for then you haven’t worked hard enough.” This is deficit-based thinking because the idea that social structures have no role in the academic success and achievement of educating African Americans based on historical events in our society – is an unrealistic view (Howard, 2010). The historical events in America around race have embedded structures that have systematically created barriers for people of color (Smedley, 2007). Cultural Perceptions – Behaviors Based on Beliefs Culture is the actions and behaviors that include style, language, beliefs, norms, values and ways of knowing and being (Howard, 2010). Bullivant (1993) describes culture as the manner in which a social group survives and adapts to its environment. Erikson (1986) coined culture as “learned and shared standards for thinking, feeling and acting.” It is the manner in which individuals uses what they know and understand about human development, social interaction and learning to navigate their surroundings (Howard, 2010). There are many dimensions of cultural relations in the classroom. There is substantial disparity in the equity of education between European American students and African American students (Lleras, 2008). Research shows evidence that African Americans are more suited for
13 vocational and trade schools (working class) and not academic educational settings (Morgan, 1995). This perception is not unusual and it makes it increasingly challenging to break defined barriers and limitations placed on African American students in public schools today. The structural domain of power in public agencies keeps these barriers and limitations in place (Collins, 2009). Cultural practices are organized and systematic in perpetuating institutionalized racism in our schools. Educational institutions struggling with issues of race need to examine the cultural barriers preventing progress. Barriers include resistance to change, systems of oppression, and a sense of privilege and entitlement (Lindsey et al., 2003). There exists an implied elitism by public schools because the African American students are perceived as inferior academically and socially in settings based on European American, middle class values (Evans, 2007). Evans (2007) discusses the barriers most applicable when the dominant culture exercises resistance to change and have a sense of privilege and entitlement. If a school’s perception of itself and the need to change is seen as a negative reflection on the current practices - this is problematic for many schools, because this type of change is often resisted. For example, the dominant culture’s desire for change applies to the African American students and not the school’s system or processes to address concerns. There is a need for schools to embrace change and engage in historical discussions as one way of exploring issues of race and culture. If public schools approached cultural difference openly through educational means the personal nature of the topic of race and culture can be allayed. Jennifer Obidah and Karen Teel (2001), an African American and European American teacher respectively, describe personal cultural biases revealed in a research study they conducted. The study explored the impact of an individual’s experiences and beliefs (racial interpretations) and behaviors based on these beliefs (cultural perceptions) when interacting with students of color. The study showed conflicting beliefs - racial interpretations - about student performance and events that occurred in the classroom as well as each teacher’s response to explicit curriculum concerns (Obidah & Teel, 2001). Despite the low academic performance of African American students, Obidah saw the students as multi-dimensional – their academic struggles as only one aspect of who they were as students (Obidah & Teel, 2001). Obidah leaned on her cultural knowledge of students from growing up and living in an African American environment. Obidah understood the cultural behaviors, language and social interactions of
14 African American students. Teel admits she saw these same students through limited experiences and understanding of the culture of people of color as well as the biases of the media’s interpretation of African American culture (Obidah & Teel, 2001). Teel proceeded to diagnose the explicit instruction with this in mind. Teel’s beliefs about her African American students (racial interpretations) are an example of an individual’s interpersonal domain of power – how race shapes their everyday life – acts on the decisions and choices one makes daily based on these beliefs (cultural perceptions) (Collins, 2009). The existence of different racial interpretations had an impact on the cultural perceptions in the classroom and the instructional decisions made by both teachers. Obidah understood African American culture and instead of accepting the low performance of African American students, she pushed their thinking and increased classroom expectations with racial and cultural norms in mind. Teel chose to modify curriculum to meet the needs of students and lowered her expectations. The most interesting dynamic was with the social interaction both teachers experienced. Teel interpreted situations when students “talked back” as moments of defiance and would enact some form of verbal reprimand whereas Obidah encouraged this method of “talking back” as the students were engaged and their thinking was being challenged (Obidah & Teel, 2001). Both teachers used their position of power to identify and interpret cultural responses in the classroom. Teachers have the power to eliminate or perpetuate exclusionary practices and their personal cultural perceptions or misperceptions are a part of the decision process. Ideologies that create a community of color-blindness exist when a community sees issues of culture and race nonessential. Schools cannot be a place where colorblindness is practiced, the implicit curriculum will ultimately impact the school culture and eventually impede upon the explicit curriculum. Exposure of teachers to other cultures to learn formal and informal cultural norms of different groups is one possibility. Obidah and Teel (2001) were culturally different teachers working in the same school district and they sought one another out through a common thread and utilized one another’s strength to build upon the other’s weakness. This type of collaboration creates autonomy and mutual professional respect for individuals in the educational environment. Racial biases affect the decisions and actions taken by European American educators who are not familiar with working with African American students. “In a race-conscious society, the development of a positive sense of racial/ethnic identity not based on assumed superiority or
15 inferiority is an important task for both White people and people of color (Milner, 2003, p. 174).” As educators we are shaping the lives of children through the implications of instructional practices we either eliminate or incorporate. How we chose to use our academic privileges either further perpetuate exclusionary practices or eliminate them. It is the responsibility of educators to develop a classroom culture that gives breath to the voice of students and promotes democratic practices that value students’ choices and challenges to the status quo. We make decisions based on our experiences and beliefs – racial interpretations – and when then use what we believe to base behaviors – cultural perceptions. How accurate and thorough we make our cultural knowledge tool kit will determine how successful we can become at being a culturally responsive teacher for all of our students sake. Culturally Responsive Teaching Ladson-Billings (2009) describes culturally responsive (relevant) teaching as a means to empower students on multiple levels – intellectually, socially, emotionally and politically. The role of the teacher goes beyond just bridging gaps in the knowledge, skills and attitudes between the dominant culture and subcultures but to make aspects of the subculture part of the curriculum directly (Ladson-Billings, 2009). She uses the example of a lesson on the U.S. Constitution where a teacher uses the organization of an African American church or civic organization to teach bylaws and articles of incorporation. This lesson serves two fold – they learn about the power of the documents used to form the organization while also seeing African Americans as builders of institutions that may serve and support them directly. Culturally responsive pedagogy challenges teachers to think about their instructional practices in an effort to successfully serve the needs of their students of color (Howard, 2010). It is not just about lessons and units but culturally responsive pedagogy embodies multiple realms – cultural, professional, political, ethical and ideological dispositions and it is more than teaching lessons through activities that have multi-cultural content (Howard, 2010). Teachers must learn to appreciate and value the cultural knowledge, skills and beliefs that students bring to their classroom. Being culturally responsive in instructional practices means embracing cultural difference and incorporating this knowledge into the dynamics of teaching. There are scholars whom Howard (2010) describes as identifying with two ways in which teachers see their students - as either being “deficit” or “different”. Cultural deficit thinking focuses on transforming the individual child by seeing the child’s culture as abnormal or unusual
16 and their language as inferior. Deficit thinkers believe that the home environment is pathological and genetics influence the student’s performance in the school setting. Cultural difference scholars focus on embracing the uniqueness and complexity of language, beliefs and values. Different thinkers see the home environment as connected to the school environment and both environments as impacting the learning of the child - additionally the focus is on transforming the school not the child. The discrepancies that exist between non-minority teachers and students of color lead to cultural discontinuity – the idea that the teacher’s beliefs and practices are in conflict with the student of color’s cultural contribution (Irvine, 2003). Cultural discontinuity reveals the imbalances that exist between teachers who fail to implement culturally responsive practices in their classroom and the voices of students of color are denied access to the classroom culture. Unlike the position that John Ogbu (1994) takes in which he suggests that the cultural disconnect comes from the student rejecting the dominant classroom culture - not from the student’s culture being disregarded. Ogbu (1994) conceptualized that upon rejection of the dominant culture - minorities with a negative defeatist attitude toward success and pessimistic of opportunities, develop an oppositional culture which he termed “secondary cultural discontinuities.” These practices arise as means of building a collective identity in response to contact and/or domination of one group over another. In this context, it becomes logical for minority students to resist the dominant culture’s vehicle of reproduction - schools. Because schools are instruments of the dominant culture, they offer limited opportunities for advancement and minorities act in ways that will work against the likelihood of their school success. Ogbu’s premise is an excellent example of cultural deficit thinking in which the focus is on the student having to respond to the environment and not the environment having to respond to the student. Culturally responsive pedagogy is based on five key principles: 1) eradication of deficits- based ideologies; 2) disruption of Eurocentric, middle class forms of discourse as being normative; 3) commitment to challenge injustice and oppressive practices; 4) authentic culturally informed caring for students of color; and 5) recognition of the complexity of culture and incorporate students’ personal cultures (Gay, 2000). Teachers have to examine their classroom practices and critically question how cultural differences impact their instruction and the learning of their students. The academic learning gap for students of color will continue to widen unless we engage in different instructional practices that engage and incorporate the culture of our students of color. Eurocentric worldviews and ideologies continue to dominate the discourse and
17 shut out the voices of the marginalized – people of color (Howard, 2010). The student of color needs to see their part of the story being told. We should not be afraid to discuss the racial tension that America has been built upon. As long as we continue to avoid racial tension, we will only generate more tension to be dealt with through incidents versus constructive discussions. Teachers, like some scholars, must start challenging and questioning the epistemological views on the origin of public school knowledge and teach our children to do the same so that change can occur and learning becomes more accessible. Gay (2010) further describes culturally responsive teaching as validating, comprehensive, multidimensional, empowering, transformative, and emancipatory. When educators legitimize the cultural heritages of different ethnic groups and connect academics with lived sociocultural realities using a variety of instructional strategies and learning styles, they validate self-concepts and pride in one’s ethnic group (Gay, 2010). Giving life and space to individual student culture in the classroom shows the value of respecting and embracing difference. Culturally responsive teaching that is comprehensive includes teaching to the “whole child” – working with not just knowledge and skills but also values and attitudes (Ladson-Billings, 1992). What we believe and value impacts how we respond to the outside world. Providing this opportunity in the classroom setting allows students to feel a part of the social structure and not exempt or inferior. The multidimensional aspect involves the content, classroom climate, student-teacher relationships, instructional methods and assessments and how the teacher facilitates the process of conflict and varied perspectives based on the ethnic groups represented in the classroom environment (Gay, 2010). The process of incorporating and building academic competence through knowledge and personal confidence through liberating methods and techniques – leads students to feel a sense of empowerment (Gay, 2010). Students become problem-solvers and learn the value of their cultural capital and this enhances the classroom climate. Banks (1991) suggests that for education to empower marginalized groups, it must be transformative – meaning students must learn to analyze issues of inequality and become social critics who challenge decisions that affect them personally, socially, politically or economically. Transformative practices in the classroom raise the social consciousness of students and combats racism and other forms of oppression. When students began to work together as a community in cooperation in mutual aid, interdependence and reciprocity – these practices replace the typical individualized, competitive
18 nature that are known to be found in a conventional classroom setting (Gay, 2010). Emancipation occurs when students find their own voices and began to participate in their own learning while being able to recognize and value the position of the cultural stories being told by their peers. Culturally responsive teaching is developed through stages and levels of engagement and can only be actualized when the educator explores his/her racial interpretations and cultural perceptions and how they might be impeding the academic freedom and learning of his/her students. Culturally responsive teaching involves a self-awareness; reflection and deconstruction; reconstruction of expectations; and interactions along with knowledge, skills and values (Gay, 2010). Understanding your position as the teacher with regard to race and culture is crucial to beginning creating self-awareness so that you understand how it impacts others around you. If your experience has been from a position of privilege then reflecting upon what that means and being open to examining and understanding how your experiences have influenced your actions is critical. The challenging part comes when you have to wrestle with how this knowledge affects your values and beliefs about others. As educators, we have to examine how our actions affect others and how those practices need to be changed. We have to reconstruct this knowledge of who we are and how that affects our role as teacher/facilitator in the classroom. Figure 3: The Cultural Proficiency Continuum
Figure 3: Source - Adapted from Lindsey et al. (2003). Cultural proficiency a manual for school leaders. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press (p. 85). The figure shows the order of the continuum and the definitions are provided.
19 The Cultural Proficiency Continuum The continuum is a means by which organizations can monitor and assess where they are in terms of cultural relations and work to achieve a more ideal situation for the organization (Lindsey et al, 2009).
Cultural Destructiveness The elimination of other people’s cultures Cultural Incapacity Belief in the superiority of one’s culture and behavior that disempowers another’s culture
Cultural Blindness Acting as if the cultural differences you see do not matter, or not recognizing that there are differences among and between cultures Cultural Precompentence Awareness of the limitations of one’s skills or an organization’s practices when interacting with other cultural group Cultural Competence Interacting with other cultural groups using the five essential elements of cultural proficiency as the standard for individual behavior and school practices 1. Accept and respect differences 2. Attend to differences 3. Assesses own cultural knowledge and beliefs 4. Expand cultural knowledge 5. Make adaptations to own beliefs, systems and resources policies and practices Cultural Proficiency Esteeming culture, knowing how to learn about individual and organizational culture, and interacting effectively in a variety of cultural environments
Cultural proficiency is the ability to effectively respond to and plan for issues that arise in diverse environments (Lindsey et al., 2003). Schools seek to understand and address the academic and social needs of African American students but often fall short due to the deliberate omission of racial and cultural considerations because of unfamiliarity. The Cultural Proficiency
Continuum (See Figure 3) identifies the spectrum of positions on cultural tolerance range from cultural destructiveness where individuals seek to eliminate one culture over another - to cultural proficiency where individuals work together to educate themselves and be proactive towards cultural differences (Lindsey et al., 2003). When districts ignore the discrepant cultural experiences within the school environment this is cultural blindness which falls in the middle range of the spectrum. Educational environments have an awareness of cultural conflicts and discrepancies that exist but struggle with ways to move forward in a positive manner to resolve them which places them between cultural blindness and cultural precompetence on the spectrum
(Lindsey et al., 2003).
The following quote is the voice of a teacher who demonstrates cultural precompentence. The teacher recognizes his/her role in the cultural experiences of the students in the classroom
20 and the impact the students’ voices can have on the classroom culture when it is different from the teacher’s own culture: As a teacher I recognize that students….enter classrooms within institutions where their voices have been neither heard nor welcomed, whether these students discuss fact – those that any of us might know – or personal experience. My pedagogy has been shaped to respond to this reality. If I do not wish to see these students use the “authority of experience” as a means of asserting voice, I can circumvent this possible misuse of power by bringing to the classroom pedagogical strategies that affirm their presence, their right to speak, in multiple ways on diverse topics. (Milner, 2003, p. 179) The teacher is suggesting that the voice of students’ experiences matter and the control is with the teacher to either embrace the experiences of the students as theory or reject it. Many times the easy approach is to reject the student’s voice out of the teacher’s own ignorance about culture. Teachers often feel the need to be the smartest person in the classroom, the one who holds the power to knowledge and fear admitting to the absence of knowledge in front of students – particularly about sensitive subject matter such as culture or race. The world is not finished. It is always in the process of becoming. The subjectivity with which I dialectically related to the world, my role in the world is not restricted to a process of only observing what happens but it also involves my interventions as subject of what happens in the world. My role in the world is not simply that of someone who registers what occurs but of someone who has an input into what happens. I am equally subject and object in the historical process. (Freire, 1998, p. 72-73) When considering the ethical response as individual, educator, researcher – one is reminded that humans and human nature is involved. The conviction to be just in the area where injustices exist and fair in the paths where fairness is overlooked, Freire reminds us that we are ever evolving and growing and being challenged to see the world in which we live differently. His words elicit hope for reform and possibility that change can happen. A harsh reality that the subconscious knows exist but has repeatedly fought is this sense of a double consciousness of addressing issues of racial inequality and injustice in education while operating within the very system that perpetuates the injustices being fought against. The knowledge of social injustice must be used to cause movement to change situations or circumstances. Ignorance or a lack of a consciousness of true humanity which has led to continued struggle for people of color is no
21 longer an excuse. People of color are disenfranchised socially, psychologically, emotionally, economically, and educationally – something must be done to challenge these marginal practices. Chapter 3: Research Design & Methodology Theoretical and Methodological Lens Cultural proficiency development equips individuals with knowledge to recognize and understand biases in racial interpretations (Lindsey et al., 2003). These racial interpretations and cultural perceptions are based on individual experiences with minority groups and include how we racially identify others. These individual racial experiences can be direct experiences or the interpretations of the experiences of others. Indirect interpretations may lead to misrepresentations of a particular racial/ethnic group and cause biases to form –cultural perceptions. These biased cultural perceptions impact how individuals of one group might interact with another. The staff members in a suburban school district serving predominantly European American students with staff members who have little direct experiences working with African American students might have negative racial interpretations that impact biased cultural perceptions. An interpretivist approach was the theoretical lens most appropriate for this study. The study focused on the impact of racial interpretations and cultural perceptions on culturally responsive teaching practices for the academic growth of African American students in a suburban school district. It is important to look at how knowledge is constructed and produced as interpreted by individuals working with an African American population in a predominantly European American cultural setting. There are elements of this study that explore tenets of critical race theory impacted by multiple realities and the issue of inequities between groups of people through the study of race. Critical race theory is a means to interrogate and analyze the practices in education that: form oppression in school curriculum; challenge dominant ideologies; offer a counter-story for examining racial oppression; and incorporate other knowledge and studies to better understand discriminatory practices (Ladson-Billings, 2009). There are currently many omissions and distortions in school curriculum today (Kozol, 1991). The curriculum presented is done so in a color-blind or race neutral manner and it was written by and for European Americans for the purpose of maintaining this sense of superiority. European Americans, as a historically dominant group of people have obscured the knowledge of less dominant groups such as African
22 Americans which is part of the challenge in understanding biases. The absence of the story of African Americans and the exclusionary practices that continue to block access to the enriched or gifted classes for African Americans continue to perpetuate oppressive practices. The cultural biases in the tests that identify students that allow access are still in practice today. So while oppressive practices continue, where are the educators who need to be challenging the dominant ideologies? Why do we continue educating all students the same when we know that the achievement gap is continuing to grow between our African American students and our European American students? Gay (1010) suggests that while there are critical race theory scholars writing about these dominant ideologies – there is a need for additional research to study the legal implications of the problems of racism and social injustice because radical measures are needed to really address the issue. The counter-stories need to be told in order to bring light to the struggle. This study’s purpose was to first seek to understand the stories of participants who have demonstrated success in their classrooms with African American students, as defined by the bureaucratic institution that houses the oppressive educational practices when working with African American students. Nevertheless, this study engaged teachers in discussions to discover if educators consider the race and culture of their African American students in the classroom setting - and if so, what does that look like? This study had multiple truths and realities based upon individual perspectives constructed through interviews, observations and individual interpretation of behaviors, expressions and responses. I looked at cultural behaviors and responses in the project’s setting because it was critical to be open to the variety of individual interpretations of events/situations. While the input of others was significant to this study, the analysis of the information collected was explored using the critical race theoretical lens to critically analyze ideologies that deny the role of race and culture in the classroom. I explored the knowledge of the group and individuals’ projection, reception and interpretation of shared experiences. I was strategic in studying the cultural understanding of the teachers’ experiences and decisions. The methodological approach was dialectical through interviews and general conversations as well as interpretive through observations. Research Design The methodological approach to this study was a collaborative inquiry through a focus group setting. I explored a social problem within a system (school district) and involved the
23 individuals (teachers) of that system in the process of reflecting upon questions about their pedagogical practices. The study involved suburban school teachers examining how they consider racial interpretations and cultural meanings in their teaching of African American students. The suburban school setting was selected because as the researcher my experience has been that the need to understand a changing population based on race/ethnicity plays a large role in teacher professional development and is often the most difficult and unlikely discussion to take place. A suburban school district also is faced with how do students from a different cultural experience find success in a new cultural environment? There are fewer studies that look at race/culture in a suburban school setting – so this work is important to contribute to the field. Participants in this study explored ways in which they challenged or reproduced colorblind ideologies when teaching African American students. Participants worked me in a small focus group to understand race and culture in the classroom while identifying if and/or how participants view and use their knowledge of race and culture in their culturally responsive teaching practices. The study’s focus was the interpretations of the input of participants involved in the educational process of teaching and interacting - making connections to personal pedagogy and experiences while considering racial interpretations and sources of cultural perceptions. Additionally, the research includes an analysis on the use of the strategy displaying the inter- subjectivity between the researcher’s voice and the participants’ voices. This strategy was similar to the analytical lens in which researchers find themselves developing interpretations about the ideas that surface in the participants being studied (Glesne, 2011). I examined the racial experiences of the teacher, how these experiences impacted pedagogical decisions and the relationship of both to the learning of African American students within the participants’ classrooms. The material was treated as a distinct form of discourse in looking at the impact of cultural interpretations in terms of the social construction of race and cultural understandings. The discourse examined reflected the racial and cultural experiences of teachers and their relationship and response to teaching African American students within a suburban school setting. Location of the study. A suburban school district in Ohio was selected and approved for this study. Guaranteeing academic excellence via a progressive curriculum, state-of-the-art facilities and a dedicated staff, is how the North School District (pseudonym) describes itself.
24 Conveniently located just north of the birthplace of aviation in Ohio, North School District is nestled in a middle-class community of more than 13,000 residents. North offers a full range of K-12 educational services to students from five small, local surrounding cities - that make up the school district. North’s high school serves students in grades 9-12 where there are approximately 1,800 students and the middle school has over 900 students in 7th and 8th grade. There are six elementaries of varied sizes from as low as 350 students to as high as 630 students located throughout three of the five cities totaling approximately 3,000 students in grade K-6. The high school, middle school, and one of the six elementaries are located in the sixth city. Per the last district demographic report of residents without school age children, the number of nonfamily households was approximately 72% of the homeowners. This is very challenging in a time of financial need for the North School District. When the district is in need of local funding, all of the households are directly impacted financially but only one fourth of the households benefit educationally by having a child attending school. The demographics of North have changed over the last several years. The North community has historically been a population of European Americans families with minorities making up a very small, single-digit percentage. The numbers of minorities have grown more rapidly in recent years. Though when comparing the current district population numbers, they do not appear to be significantly imbalanced, the perceived rapid change in the move in of African Americans has been felt more in certain schools in the district than others brought up as a concern by families who have grown up in the North area. (See Chart 1). Chart 1: 2012-13 North School District Population by Race
2012-13 North School District Population by Race
2% European Americans 0% 2%
6% African Americans
19% American Indians and Alaska Natives
Asians 71% Multiracial
Hispanic/Latino
25 Historically, traditional North students were raised in the area and matriculated from their neighborhood elementary school through their high school years to graduation. However, today there are many more minority students who enter North schools during their latter elementary years and even at the middle or high school levels. This change in the racial make-up of the district has greatly impacted how the school structures its curricular selection and practices. No longer can the district make assumptions about the learning of all of its students because North cannot guarantee access to information when students are not home grown by North. The school population has appeared to change more rapidly than the community. Despite the slower perceived change in the demographics by the local community – the community at large has had difficulty understanding and embracing these changes as demonstrated through questions raised during public board of education meetings. Despite the change in the demographics in both the school and local community, the demographics of school staff remained stagnant. At present, North School District has less than ten minority staff members throughout the entire district. In current economic times, the district is seeing an increase in the number of enrollments and withdrawals lending the population to be more fluid than it has been historically. While the student population has become more transient in certain parts of the district the overall enrollment is going down by approximately 100 students over the past five years. The study shares the background and experiences of the teachers selected. I examined curriculum strategies, pedagogical practices and racial interpretations and cultural perceptions through experiences and interactions with participants. The discussions of classroom instruction, student relations and interactions and classroom culture will give insight the teachers’ practices that connect to the learning of the African American students. I met with the group of teacher participants and conducted a reflective analysis of information collected and observations made. Once consent to participate was obtained, there was an audio recorded interview with the teacher individually to obtain background information and establish rapport with the participant. The focus group meetings took place over a 2-3 month period. The group meetings focused on research questions each week and involved discussions and some reading. (See Figure 4 for an overview of the research study steps).
26 Figure 4: Overview of Research Design
STEP 1: Identify Suburban School Districts - Get Approval for Study
STEP 2: Meet with STEP 6:Provide building feedback to participants, administrator(s) to building administrators identify 4th-8th grade and districts teachers
STEP 5: Conduct interviews, STEP 3: Review State observations, focus Value-Added data for this group meetings with group of 4th-8th grade teachers teachers
STEP 4: Invite list of teachers to participate
Process, procedure and sample. I contacted the North City School District and obtained permission to conduct the focus group project with district personnel. Upon district approval, I contacted the administrator at the building level and obtained permission from the building administrator to invite the prospective participants. Teachers in the North School District in grades 4-8 were invited to participate in this study based upon the growth performance of their African American students as measured/determined by the state of Ohio’s value added measure for the previous school year. This is how the data is collected – a year in arrears. In Ohio, the annual tests mandated to be completed by districts now measure achievement and growth. Value added measures academic growth in reading and math whereas passage of the Ohio Achievement Assessment (OAA) measures achievement. Because many students enter a grade level with different abilities based on past learning, value added is a way to determine if students are growing a year’s worth of growth even if they do not achieve by passing the OAA. So while the two things are different – growth vs. achievement – the measure used for both is the same and students in Ohio have only one opportunity to take the OAA each year - that data is used to determine their growth and achievement. Using the scores from these tests, Ohio gives every student, teacher and building a score for growth. This growth measure for a school district can be disaggregated further by ethnicity. The growth is only measured in 4th-8th
27 grades, which is why participants in this study are from those grade levels. Growth is important because there are times when students come to schools more than a year behind academically so while they may not pass the state test, to make at least a year’s growth is important feedback to teachers working with students who are behind. There were thirty-two teachers invited to participate from five of the seven possible schools in the district where teachers in grades 4-8 were assigned who met the criteria (25 females, 7 males). There were ten teachers who showed interest and attended the information session where they were asked to make a commitment to participate in the study. The informational meeting provided participants with an overview of the study, the purpose of the study and the commitment of time and work (reading, journaling, meeting sessions) associated with the study. One teacher was unable to participate because of the time commitment. The focus group for the study was formed with nine out of the ten teachers (7 females, 2 males) who attended the informational meeting. During the informational meeting, as a group we determined the proposed eight session dates/times and each participant signed a consent form to participate. As a group we decided to conduct the meetings in a home setting for comfort and convenience and to include a light snack. As the researcher, I agreed to hosting the meetings in my home and providing the light snack for participants. We met eight times over a three-month period – once with the researcher and each participant individually (for 30-60 minutes) and seven times as a focus group for 90-minute sessions. The sessions were recorded and transcribed for research use. In addition to involving the participants in the sessions, I asked an additional person to join the focus group and be the process observer. This process observer took notes as well as helped synthesize information after each meeting session. The observer’s role was also to assist with monitoring my input as the researcher and being sure to richly capture the ideas and thoughts of participants. Her background and experience as a classroom teacher and elementary counselor afforded here the understanding of the educational discussions as well as knowledge of instructional pedagogy. She demonstrated strength in listening, observation, and documentation techniques. As the researcher, I also participated in the dialogue and activities. My background and experience as an educator and licensed public school administrator allowed me to engage in meaningful dialogue with the participants over the course of the study. In addition, serving as an
28 African American administrator in a suburban school district was beneficial to conversations throughout this focus group study. The focus group sessions were weekly meetings and mostly consecutive with the exception of holidays and breaks. The focus group questions focused on racial interpretations and cultural perceptions and how they impacted culturally responsive pedagogical practices and the learning of African American students in their classrooms. The focus group questions were as followed: Session 1, 2 Focus Questions: 1) Describe the types of curriculum strategies and pedagogical practices you have incorporated into your classroom. 2) What teaching strategies or methods do you feel work best for you when working with your students? Session 3, 4 Focus Questions: 3) How do you include the background and experiences of students when designing and planning a lesson? 4) How do your students respond when you include information about them when teaching a lesson? What does this response look like? Please describe. Session 5 Focus Questions: 5) How has your own cultural experiences influenced teaching? 6) How has that impacted how you work with students, specifically African American students? Session 6 Focus Questions: 7) How do you include the racial and/or cultural experiences of African American students when deciding or choosing a learning activity? 8) How do African American students respond when a lesson includes their personal racial or cultural experiences? Session 7 Focus Questions: 9) How might you define culturally relevant teaching? 10) Describe what culturally relevant teaching looks like? Participants were asked to voluntarily share personal reflections throughout the study. Teacher reflection has been a focus for theoretical and empirical research because it is essential to leading to a deeper understanding of cultural context in terms of socio-economic realities,
29 values systems, knowledge dispositions as well as ways of knowing and communicating these understandings (Milner, 2003). Reflection alone is a challenge for most teaching professionals because it so easy to become focused on the many daily tasks that have to be completed and avoid reflecting because of the implications of having to change one’s practices which requires a great deal of effort and doing. The challenge of moving educators to reflect on race and cultural context is even more difficult because of the uncomfortable nature of the topic and its implications for pedagogical practices that are impacted by individual perceptions and realities that exist among educators (Milner, 2003). Additionally, the reflection process is difficult when the majority of teachers are European American, middle class females who have had limited to no experience with individuals outside of their own race and class category and they practice colorblind ideologies (Milner, 2003). In short, many educators lack the skill set as well as the ability to draw upon reflective experiences in order to access this deeper thinking. Chapter 4: Research Findings Understanding the role of race and culture in the classroom setting and how educators include or exclude the value of the incorporation of these factors is the focus of my study. Bringing a group of teachers together to review and discuss how they manage differences based on their student interactions helped better dissect the role of race and culture in this group of teachers’ daily pedagogy. The process of critical reflection and meaningful dialogue and focusing on answering some key questions as a group set the groundwork for this study and allowed for a deeper understanding of the dynamics of the classroom setting as well as the importance of the teacher-student relationship. As the researcher, I have chosen a narrative format to deliver the experiences of the participants and the observations and data collection for this study. I will walk you through the experiences and responses of each focus group member and share the overall themes that came from these discussions. Focus Group Members The participants in this study represented teachers from all the grade levels possible for the study (4th, 5th, 6th 7th) in the North School District and included staff from four of the seven possible schools in the district. The nine member focus group represented 30 percent of the possible eligible participants invited. The focus group was balanced in representation, gender,
30 experience and age. (See Table 1) The participants from the study have been given pseudonyms which will be used throughout this chapter. All the participants had graduate level education and most had a significant number of years of teaching experience. Only three had taught outside of the North School District unless it was student teaching. There were two males, one of which was African American, and the rest of the participants were European American. None of the participants had indicated any formal training in culturally responsive/relevant teaching nor had any had any professional development with culture or race in the classroom. Table 1: Focus Group Members’ Demographics
# Pseudonym Gender Race Age Degree(s) Yrs Yrs@ Grade School Educ North Level Bachelors of Science in European Elementary 1 Shirley Female 34 Elementary Education 10 10 6th American A Masters in Reading/Literacy Bachelors of Science in European Education Elementary 2 Bella Female 45 18 9 4th American Masters in Educational B Leadership Bachelors of Science European Elementary Education 1-8 Elementary 3 Dale Male 41 18 18 6th American Masters in Educational A Administration Bachelors of Science in Elementary 4 Christina Female European 28 Education 4 2 6th C American Masters in Education Bachelors of Science in Middle Elementary 5 Randi Female European 30 Childhood Education (Sci/LA) 7 7 5th A American Masters of Education Bachelors of Science in European Education Math Elementary 6 Rebecca Female 38 17 17 American Masters in Technology Coach A Education Bachelors of Science in European Education Elementary 7 Sheila Female 41 21 20 5th American Masters in Educational A Leadership Bachelors of Science in African Middle 8 Gary Male 29 Education 5 5 7th American School A Masters in Education Bachelors of Science in European Middle 9 Natasha Female 38 Education 14 14 8th American School A Masters in Teacher Leadership
Many of the participants were puzzled by the research question and did not feel that they intentionally did anything different with their African American students than their other students to help their African American students demonstrate growth on the state assessment in value added. Most reported that they were curious to learn if others in the group did anything
31 different than what they do to achieve the same outcome. While there were no obvious answers to their questions, the discussions during the sessions were intended to get at these very answers. The following narratives are what focus group members contributed to the study during the focus group sessions.
1. Shirley. “Learning about the deficit model was very interesting. I think everyone falls into this at some point, but it’s those who get stuck there that are a concern.”
Shirley is a graduate of the North School District and has worked there all of her teaching career. She has grown up middle class and while she does not live in the school district, she lives in a neighboring school district nearby that is very similar to the North School District community. Shirley was not very talkative during sessions, but she did contribute to the overall input of the group. She admitted to having very little experience working with different cultures and there was a small degree of discomfort with participating in the focus group because of the topic. Shirley teaches 6th grade math and language arts and her classroom is highly structured on most days. She commands the room when she enters and students respect her on sight. She is very tall and her stature works well for her with 6th grade students – especially in May. When you enter her room you would observe her checking homework, reviewing a lesson with her whole class and her students participating in guided practice. She assigns her students different practice work and often will spend one to one time with students who need help. During language arts one might observe more open discussions going on and some small group work. Students are rarely off –task and they know exactly what to do. Shirley uses cooperative learning strategies for problem solving, investigations and inquiry based labs. She often models and demonstrates methods for her students as well as opportunities for repetition. She does daily re-looping to show students how their previous knowledge and learning is being used for a new skill. Shirley tries to think about how she can relate the concept or skill she is teaching to something in which her students are interested. For example, some of her students play football so using positive and negative integers; she relates them to the gaining and loss of yards and total yardage in a football game. It allows her students to connect the concepts to something they
32 enjoy instead of just a skill they are learning in school. Her students are also better able to explain the concept through an example that is meaningful to them. Shirley felt that when she first came to Elementary A, she was afraid her lack of experience with working with African American students would affect her teaching. She feels it has not affected her teaching and she works with African American students in the same manner as she does with any other student. Shirley has never really sat and thought about teaching a lesson because it would appeal to a certain group of students. Her classes read stories about different cultures and biographies about people of different cultures just based on how the curriculum is structured. She does admit that now that the question has been asked and from our discussions that she sees the value in considering this for her students. Shirley believes that culturally responsive teaching means finding a way to relate and connect with students of every culture and teaching using examples from those different cultures. Having high expectations of respect and performance from all students, no matter their background, is her role as a culturally responsive teacher.
2. Bella. “Learning about the single story was very eye opening ad now that I think about it – it’s so true in many aspects of our lives. This idea of a single story is truly where prejudices come from.”
Bella is comfortable talking about race and enjoyed contributing to the discussions. She grew up in a very transient household and has taught in a poorer school district with students of great need. She grew up poor and is now middle class. Bella believes that it is possible to work hard and move from being poor to having more opportunities and education is the key to this movement. Bella teaches 4th grade language arts and her students are reading and writing for the majority of the class time. The first thirty minutes of class involves students doing independent activities that include silent reading, computers, and grammar and comprehension/genre studies with the teacher. Students read novels at their independent reading level in a small group setting through literature circles. Students are allowed to choose a book to read. There are usually at least four novels being read at one time in her classroom. Spelling and activities are worked in
33 three times a week using a structured program. Each day students are engaged in a mini-lesson with the teacher that focuses on a skill or concept that the class is learning. You will see students working independently, in groups, in pairs, and in a large group setting. They are engaged and know the routines. Bella tries to incorporate lots of modeling for her students so they know her expectations along with the use of “I can” statements as a way to reinforce these expectations. She does a lot of practicing before grading on a skill. Her students are involved in a variety of self and peer assessments and she uses multiple means of formative instructional practices daily. Bella’s class is leveled so she is able to meet the needs of each class better by giving more attention to small group instruction versus whole class. Most of her students in her lower level class are visual and hands-on learners. She uses more activities that are of interest to her students and engage them actively in their learning. The majority of the time, Bella includes her students in the lesson and students love when she does this. Their faces light up and it’s nice to see students participate in something they know a lot about. Bella grew up in an African American neighborhood and felt her experience has been different than that of her colleagues. She values education as a way out of a poor/lower class area and as a way to make the quality of life better. She feels her experience has impacted how she works with all of her students and not just African American students. She however, can relate to students who come from different school districts and try to fit in socially as well as academically. This is a challenge for transient students especially. Bella’s grade level curriculum focuses on the Civil War, slavery and the Civil Rights Movement. These activities are embedded naturally and focus on great discussions for her African American students. Most of her African American students respond very personally usually telling stories about what happened to their grandparents and how they were treated. Culturally responsive teaching in a classroom is where many cultures are addressed by a variety of literature being read aloud, books for independent reading, authentic discussions with students and allowing students to share their backgrounds, experiences and traditions with one another.
34 3. Dale.“I learned about the difference between deficit and resilient models of thinking. It’s good to be reminded of how important it is to remember that kids want to be what they think you think they should be. Kids’ perceptions aren’t always correct, but they are important.”
Dale has taught in the North School District but grew up in a rural community. He comes from a family of educators. He has a lot of comfort with working with other cultures and yet limited experiences with doing so. He contributed lots of rich discussion to the conversations and offered varied opinions based upon his understanding of concepts. Dale teaches 6th grade language arts and social studies and while he uses a very traditional approach to teaching (lecture), you would observe his students engaged and holding on to every word he is saying during that lecture. He has a strong affinity for telling stories and connecting content to real life and/or current events for students to connect to more meaningfully. Dale is very open with his students and promotes them sharing their opinions and ideas. He also takes advantage of teachable moments by involving students in deeper discussions about topics of interest to them. He models respect and his students reciprocate respect back. Dale includes personal information about his students when designing his instruction. He works hard to get to know his students so that as he discusses or approaches the topic, he can help bridge gaps in student learning. For example, he has a student with severe behaviors who is Jewish and has a strong interest in the religions studied in Dale’s class. So he allowed the student to do a project and present information regarding his knowledge of the historical information surrounding the religions. His students respond very positively to information being included about them in the instruction. They seem honored that the teacher actually remembered a personal fact about them. It helps motivates students to do better. Dale feels that his cultural experiences have influenced his teaching of African American students by keeping him very aware of differences in a positive way. In his work with African American students, he always tries to emphasize that we are all different but that does not have to be an obstacle to maximizing potential and meeting expectations he sets for all students to better themselves.
35 Dale makes conscious choices when teaching social studies and language arts to include information about all cultures/backgrounds. He does this especially in novel choice. He asks students to read books that have African Americans as the antagonist and also select books that have other groups represented such as Latino and women so all students are exposed to all groups. Students respect him for acknowledging differences and Dale feels when they respect him, they work not to disappoint him. Dale believes culturally responsive teaching looks like a place where students and teachers alike embrace cultural differences rather than shy away from them. Teachers create lessons and build relationships with students that celebrate different backgrounds, not hide them.
4. Christina. “Students need to feel a part of the created systems to be successful.”
Christina has a multi-cultural family and felt very at ease with discussions. She was a North graduate and has lived in the community for several generations. Her family is very well connected in the North community. Christina felt strongly that commonalities exist between cultures and we should look for those common things. Christina teaches 6th grade language arts and her classroom is a community of readers. Students are working independently and in pairs or small groups. She teaches in small groups based on student needs. Christina uses individual readers and notebooks to respond to each student meeting them on their current level. She communicates biweekly to each of her students to personally discuss their reading and learning. Christina tries to take things from popular culture that most students know. For example, when doing a compare/contrast lesson she had students vote on superheroes or Disney Princesses for her to use as the compare/contrast example. Her students generally like it when she uses them as an example. They get really excited. Christina is married to an African American and this has given her a personal African American experience because her family represents diversity in its own way. She has found more similarities than differences because their families come from similar socioeconomic levels. She likes to start on common ground and grow from there with her students. Christina uses music in the classroom to talk about literary devices or making sure students are exposed to diverse characters through literature. Christina believes that her students
36 increase their participation because they see themselves in the lesson but she is not sure her students notice they are doing this. Christina sees culturally responsive teaching as a classroom that models mutual respect and intentionality when dealing with and creating multi-cultural environments for our students to learn and grow.
5. Randi. “The values continuum brought out some good points – our values can be different in different situations. Our core values will always remain the same but can be expressed differently.”
Randi was very quiet during discussions. Her reflections were meaningful and well thought out despite her limited input. While she was very comfortable with people of other cultures, dealing with conflict was not comfortable for her. Randi grew up in the North community. She enjoys her job being different each day. Randi teaches 5th grade language arts and science and she describes her science classroom as having a chaotic look because students are often talking and moving around or working with equipment. Her students are on task but are usually working in small groups trying to figure out a solution to a problem. Randi often has her students working in a variety of ways - whole group, small group, partner work and independent work - to keep students interested. Her classroom is laid back with discussions flowing between the teacher and students. Randi encourages her students to ask questions and be curious. They look up questions together and discover answers together. She uses a variety of strategies and methods to prevent students from being bored. She uses a lot of hands-on, small group learning. Language Arts is usually whole group instruction. Randi tries to incorporate the interests of her students whenever possible. For example, she has a student who enjoyed learning about space, which is in the content she teaches, so he shared some of his own knowledge of space during those lessons. She also has projects or assignments that allow students to opportunity to choose how to show what they have learned. For example, she has a student who likes drawing comics, so she incorporated that into a book report project. Her students like being incorporated into lessons. Sometimes it is as simple as
37 using their name in a spelling test. They get excited to hear what she will say about the next students. Randi thinks she has always been a very open person when it comes to diversity and so this is evident in her classroom. All her students’ ideas are accepted. Her African American students respond positively to her because she shows respect to all students and their differences. Most of Randi’s teaching materials include pictures and references towards different cultures. Students like to see themselves or be able to connect with the material on that level. In reading she makes sure to choose novels that will appeal to her African American students as often as her European American students. It allows more meaningful conversations in the classroom when they can see their own cultural background in the material. All student opinions and backgrounds are listened to and accepted is how Randi describes culturally responsive teaching. Meeting the needs of students by not only getting to know them but also bringing their interests into the classroom is a common practice for her.
6. Rebecca. “Stereotypes are only part of the story. We really have to seek out the balanced story if we want a true picture. True understanding is time consuming, takes effort and openness.”
Rebecca was very interested in the group discussions. She was very analytical in her approach to understanding many of the topics discussed. She is a thinker. She has grown up and worked in the North community and lives in a neighboring community. Rebecca has experienced the demographic change in the North School District most directly. She works on a lot of teams that looks at data to directly address the impact of changes. Rebecca is a 1st-6th grade math coach and her days involve working with many small groups of students using a variety of resources. She includes technology whenever she can. She likes talking through thinking with her students and meeting them where they are. Rebecca likes working in small groups with students and incorporating all adults in the classroom to help with learning. Rebecca’s main methods are repetition and practices using a variety of ways until you find a way that works for students (paper/pencil, technology, groups, and projects). Rebecca likes to keep her students interested and she pushes them to do their best.
38 Rebecca incorporates her students’ background and experiences on the fly in her class. When she plans to use student information, it is about getting the timing laid out and making sure she meets standards. When she teaches, she pulls from what her students know. She uses this time to connect with students and learn what they are talking about doing. Some of her students enjoy being included in lessons. She feels it is a good way to call someone back to paying attention in class. Some students don’t like being singled out. Students like to hear their names in problems. She feels they especially love it when one of them gets to win, earn more money, or out shine someone in the example. Sometimes when students struggle you have to put information into their world for them to understand. Rebecca is not really sure what she does differently with her African American students. She has a deep desire for all students to do well and she tries to connect with each one as a person. She thinks being willing to learn from others allows her to be more influential and she wants to hear and discuss/debate ways to further others and herself. Rebecca tries to think about activities and interests of her students. She listens to their conversations, looks at their reactions to activities, and invites them to share their ideas on what they do in class. She thinks most of her students of all backgrounds like to be recognized in class so she tries to do so in an inclusive way through responses, projects and graded work. Culturally responsive teaching for Rebecca is knowing your students and seeing and hearing their interests and engaging in conversation with them. It is also when the teacher’s goal to expand students’ knowledge base and stretch them by offering opportunities to learn about others. It is connecting with students then once you have their respect you can take them deeper.
7. Sheila. “Stereotypes aren’t necessarily wrong, just often incomplete – really stuck with me.”
Sheila has lived and worked in the North School District her entire life. She grew up with a family that had challenges and she struggled in school as a child. Sheila has a lot of success with troubled children and she enjoys working with them most. She recently went through a serious medical issue and it has grounded what is important to her. She is a family person and has a lot to say about many different things. She was very philosophical throughout the discussions.
39 Sheila teaches 5th grade language arts and math. Her classroom looks friendly and sometimes busy during down times while structured and focused during instruction. She enjoys discussions with students both as a class and individually. She has a sense of humor that she uses a lot during her instruction to keep students engaged. Sheila likes for her students to feel welcomed and comfortable in asking for her help or the help of others. She believes in developing a relationship with her students and communicating helps her work best with her students regardless of the content she is teaching. Sheila considers the learning styles, academic ability, student interest and content of the lesson when planning a lesson for her students. Sheila includes information in her teaching that is meant to be funny, silly or entertaining to her students. Her students usually enjoy being included. Sheila recognizes that she is different than most of her students and exhibits comfort in understanding and appreciating difference. She feels that her personal experiences have allowed her to relate to some difficulties that her students experience and the ability to form relationships from a place of understanding is meaningful and beneficial when working with African American students. Sheila doesn’t really think of it as race or culture – she thinks about each individual student and her class as a whole. The reaction of her African American students regarding personal or cultural issues is usually an open invitation for her input, reaction or response. She believes her response to them affects their reactions to her. Culturally responsive teaching means responding and meeting the needs of all learners and including their voice and experiences in the process so that it is seamless where they begin and the content ends. It is making instruction more meaningful and varied to show all points of view. It is challenging herself and her students to think differently about every new experience they share.
8. Gary. “We all have prejudices. It’s important to make sure we know that so they don’t control us. We also have a responsibility to not act on our prejudice in the classroom.”
40 Gary was a North graduate and he has grown up in the community his entire life. He too comes from a family of educators and is very driven. Gary is an author and he has self-published three books – two teacher books and one picture book. Gary is very passionate about the disconnect with understanding African American students in the district. He is interested in understanding more deeply ways that he can advocate for students of color. Gary teaches 7th grade language arts and he believes in giving his students lots of opportunities to work with partners in an orderly, respectful classroom environment. He gives clear directions and models expectations for his students. He also gives his students choice on assignments and projects. Gary’s classroom discussions are relevant to his students and he uses formative instructional practices daily to assess his students’ learning. Gary likes to use four-corner methods where students move to different side of the room to demonstrate their opinions. He works with students one on one and uses data to drive instructional decisions. Gary also likes to incorporate student reflections and ideas into future lesson using exit slips and surveys. Gary gives his students opportunities on a daily basis to answer a question he hears from several students and discuss how they arrived at their answer. He promotes the responses of those who agree and disagree. He uses news stories of interest and discusses them with his students. He thinks students appreciate it when you refer to their work or show you know information about them. He has students who make self to text connection to their silent reading books and often Gary responds to what they say to show his students they have things in common with their teacher. Gary is African American and he knows what it feels like to be a minority in a predominantly European American environment. He makes a special effort to connect with his students as he knows they may be overlooked and underestimated by others. Gary tries to allow flexibility with projects and reading choices. He presents diverse content and curricula throughout the year. In allowing students choice and also by providing diverse materials, students in general seem to connect and contribute. Allowing students to see themselves and their experiences in their learning is culturally responsive teaching. A book, discussion, etc. are examples of what this could look like. Also teachers can be in touch with the culture of their students and know questions to ask to increase participation and excitement.
41
9. Natasha. “I learned the importance of my own values in my classrooms and how important it is to consider how different they can be from my students’ values.”
Natasha grew up in the North community and is interested in helping figure out how to help her African American students more because she sees the challenges they face at the North Middle School. She is very quiet and cares deeply for all students. She wants her students to feel comfortable coming to her and she wants to be a good teacher. Natasha teaches 8th grade language arts and feeling welcomed when you enter her classroom is important. She greets her students and wishes them well when they leave her classroom. Her classroom is very structured and students know what to expect each day. Natasha likes to have fun with her students in a controlled atmosphere and students know when it is time to be serious. Natasha likes to use the Smartboard for her visual and tactile learners to manipulate quizzes, notes and worksheets. She also uses a combination of individual, partner and small group work with her students. Natasha gives her students an academic survey at the beginning of the year. This gives Natasha an idea of her students’ attitudes toward the subject. Pretests will also help give Natasha an idea of a student’s experiences with content/subject matter. Her students love it! She uses their names in vocabulary quiz sentences with their different characteristics. Natasha graduated from North in the mid-90s when the population of African American students was very small. Many people who have stayed in the area are not happy with the change and continue to say negative things. She finds it to be her duty to work hard in building relationships with her African American students and parents to ensure the students succeed and become positive influences to others. Natasha includes popular music during a lesson or work time. She also has students share experiences in their everyday lives through daily journal writing and sharing. Her African American students become more positively responsive and tend to work harder when they feel their culture is important.
42 Culturally responsive teaching looks like a deeply engaged classroom with many learning styles being addressed along with each student’s identity playing an important role in the everyday learning. Focus Group Research Themes The research focus group’s overall purpose was to explore ten research questions having to do with looking at classroom practices; reviewing ways of planning instruction; identifying how we incorporate student backgrounds and experiences; and exploring the role of race and culture in the classroom. The process of reflecting and discussing these topics were approached by asking participants to first explore their personal values and the role of values in decision making. Participants were asked to reflect on their personal cultural experiences and how these experiences impacted their decision making and responses to their African American students. The group was asked to compare what they did in the classroom to what culturally responsive teaching should reflect. (See Figure 5).
Figure 5: Overview of the Focus Group Research Themes
Exploring Exploring Values and Beliefs Values and about Practices Beliefs about 1. Impact of teacher beliefs/values Practices and experiences 2. Use of classroom strategies and practices Navigating 3. Incorporation of students' Experiences with experiences Race Navigating Experiences with Race 4. Exploring personal cultural Resolving Racial & Cultural experiences 5. Working with African Differences American students Resolving Racial & Cultural Differences 6. Looking at role of race/culture with instructional planning Culturally 7. Teacher response to African Responsive Teaching American students Culturally Responsive Teaching 8. What does it look like? & Where are you?
43 Exploring Values and Beliefs about Practices 1. Teacher beliefs and values. The group needed some parameters to help with having some difficult and open conversations about ourselves in relation to race and culture. We watched a video that talked about having what Glenn Singleton (2011) calls “courageous conversations” about race and culture. According to Singleton, race theorists believe that the cause of the academic gap in the United States is about more than just race but race is the missing element in the conversation because of the emotionality associated with the discussion. Singleton shared a chart with SAT data from the Historical Center for Educational Statistics in 1998 showing that regardless of income African American students remain at the bottom academically. Members in the focus group verbally acknowledged that they were astounded to learn that race took precedence over socioeconomics. Singleton suggests that if we agree it is not genetics and the data says it’s not socioeconomics – it has to be systematic because it is predictable. Race is a social construction that society has established systems around that reproduces oppressive practices that sustain racism. Singleton says we need to discover, examine, and take action. He teaches educators to do so through “courageous conversations” that include agreements, conditions, and the use of a compass. There are protocols on how you conduct conversations about race. Singleton presents the Courageous Conversation Compass (See Chart 2) that is used to help identify where individuals are situated when racial topics are presented. The compass helps individuals understand the source of one’s own lens by examining where you are and knowing where you want to go. The four areas or sections of the compass are feel, believe, think and act. The compass chart was discussed and some shared that feeling is often where we end up when a topic related to race or culture is mentioned. The idea is to move from feeling to incorporate other areas (think, act, believe) for more a balanced approach. Use of the compass helps you to gauge where you are and where you need to go in order to balance one’s thinking.
Researcher: All right, what about those words like “systematic racism”, “race discrimination”, “culture”? Bella: I put that in, like, emotional. Researcher: Feeling? Okay Gary: I put some of them in acting because I think we should fight it and do something.
44 Researcher: Do something about it. Okay, that immediately takes you to movement. Rebecca: I put it in thinking. Sheila: I had mine in feeling. I had to put culture in thinking; Bella: I put culture right in the middle; it kind of encompassed everything.
Chart 2: Courageous Conversation Compass
Singleton ends with talking a lot about what culturally responsive teaching is and briefly discussing why having a colorblind ideology - not seeing race -is not the best approach in education. We all see race – the key is to avoid making negative educational assumptions when you are looking at someone’s race. Culturally responsive pedagogy is about making student and family connections – so you must see the student to fully understand the student. Gary from the focus group commented that “the one thing we are reluctant to discuss (race) may be the most important way to identify for some of our students.”
45 School districts focus on socioeconomic groups but not so much on racial groups although the state of Ohio measures growth for both. We focused on becoming comfortable with discussions on race and culture by exploring personal values and how they impact classroom instructional decisions. We reflected on our own values and the values of others and what it meant to build self-awareness and have value based conversations with others in order to negotiate the importance of appreciating differences. We did the activity of “point and name” where three participants walked around the room and named objects. The purpose of the activity was to explore the impact of cultural conditioning and how being aware of how our cultural experiences influence how we see the world. The volunteers (Sheila, Gary and Bella) were asked to name identified household objects (chair, candle, curtain, etc.). They walked in a line of three and named each object one by one for the first round. The first round went by quickly and quite smoothly. Then during the second round the instructions were to name the objects using a different name such as calling a chair a dog. The second round took much longer and it appeared to be much more difficult for the volunteers to complete. We discussed how our own experiences help us to make sense of things around us.
Researcher: How did you feel about giving the items a different name? Was that comfortable? Bella: Not really. I didn’t want to sound stupid, I guess. Gary: It was harder---It was hard. Sheila: I was trying to come up with stuff that was a little bit more ridiculous. Bella: She was being very creative. Sheila: I need a little sarcasm, and that’s where I live, so that’s where I had to come up with it. Researcher: So what were your strategies you used when you were trying to figure it out? Bella: Thank goodness he went first! Researcher: So “wait time” was good; having the opportunity to wait. Gary: I tried to think of things that they did since I couldn’t say their name. Researcher: So that was the pattern you used. Sheila: Something descriptive.
46 Researcher: Did you use anything that the person before you said? Sheila: I think on one of them I did –yeah, for sure. Bella: And I tried; like, I didn’t want to take his either, I was trying to think of something different. It would have been easy just to say what he said. Researcher: Did you use anything from your own experience to be able to come up with a different word? Sheila: “Sheers” – what my mother referred to as that type of material underneath the drapes. Researcher: Why do you think I asked you to do that? What do you think this has to do with anything? This question is for everybody. Sheila: Probably some of the names that we come up with for them are based on our own experiences, like we would have no idea what “sheers” were, but Natasha said “that’s what my mom would have called it” and we both are similar in age. Researcher: Could have been---so it’s kind of how we’re conditioned based on what we understand and interpret and how we see things. Okay; and our backgrounds, our experiences, so it’s kind of that. Do you think that it’s normal for people to categorize things when we’re learning things---it’s very normal for us to put things into categories? (agreement) And it’s part of how our perceptions start to form: we categorize things. We put them into places based on how they fit with what we know. That was kind of the idea behind this activity. Interesting. Any thoughts? I thought it was interesting how you associated, Sheila. You said something that made me think of math a couple of times. Sheila: Oh—the “reflective rectangle”. Researcher: And then you said something over here, Garrett, about something with math. Sheila: It’s what I was doing all day today.
We observed how natural it was to name the items because they were a part of our daily experiences. For example, Gary commented that he did not know that the thin curtain was called a “sheer” until one of the other volunteers said it because that vocabulary was not a part of his personal experience. Bella said she used that word because she had heard her mother call them that as she was growing up. Part of how perceptions are formed is based upon experiences and
47 how we are conditioned to think a certain way as we learn new information and grow. We concluded with the idea that our experiences shape what we think we know or believe about something. This discussion was important because it is the basis of two major terms used in the study. What we know or believe, whether it is based on direct or indirect experiences, is how we interpret understanding about a topic or subject. If one’s experience with race or a racial group whether direct or indirect is limited and based on the media’s presentation of a racial group then that individual’s belief about that group – racial interpretations - will be the basis for how they will perceive appropriate ways to interact with that racial group – cultural perceptions. Cultural perceptions are what assumptions or understandings we form from what we know or believe which are our racial interpretations. If we believe African American students are inferior in oral language skills based on the media’s constant presentation of African Americans who speak improper English, then that racial interpretation leads them to understand that to be the case of their African American students in the classroom – a cultural perception. The examples shared helped the group members understand the terms more clearly. Becoming more aware of conscious behaviors and being more open to multiple perspectives help us learn the basis for how we interpret what we see and ultimately believe. If our behavior is connecting to what we have experienced and therefore learn, is our learned way the only way? We looked at two very different points of view of a fictional story from Berarado and Deardorff, Building Cultural Competence: Innovative Activities and Models (2012). The story was about the arrival of a European American male and his group of explorers to a village along the Congo River. One account was titled “That Was No Welcome” in which Henry Stanley the explorer describes his travel to a village as a murderous place filled with filthy people who attacked them making loud noises (shouting and blowing horns) while waving and throwing spears. They immediately prepared to defend themselves by drawing guns and shooting the savages to their death. The other account was titled “That Was No Brother” in which King Mojimbo ordered his warriors to prepare a feast and go greet the visitors with the white skin (who must be from the river kingdom) by putting on their ceremonial dress, and greeting them with the traditional songs and dance only to be greeted with guns and then being shot at by these strangers.
48 In starting the discussion, I shared the opposite story with half of the group and asked them to now discuss as a group what happened. Immediately the group realized the stories were different. Henry Stanley interpreted the event based upon his limited understanding and his association to what war looks like which is why he immediately responded by protecting himself and his men. The King interpreted the group of European American men represented based upon his limited understanding of their origin and responded based upon assuming they meant his village no harm.
Researcher: What’s going on? Sheila: Something that completely changed their lives; changed everything. Researcher: Who’s life was changed? Sheila: King Majimbo and his community and his people thought they were . . . Christina: They have something different. That was obvious. Dale: Yes, I’ll agree: the king’s life was changed. Sheila: The king as he spoke to a Catholic priest. Researcher: The king was talking to a Catholic priest. Who did you guys read about? Dale: Henry Stanley; he was a white man Christina: traveling the Congo. Researcher: Alright, so what happened? Sheila: He was a bad man who changed the life of King Majimbo and his people. Christina: We have one side of the story, and you have the other. Randi: You mean Stanley was the bad man? Sheila: Apparently, he is. Dale: I don’t know, though. He doesn’t seem like a good guy in our story. Randi: He doesn’t seem great but he doesn’t seem . . . Dale: He uses really vicious words like “the filthy people” “monster”. Researcher: Alright, how about we share---you guys take theirs/opposite. So you can see what they read and you can see what they read. Maybe understand what happened. (reading) Researcher: So what happened? That was interesting, wasn’t it? (agreement)
49 Natasha: They didn’t understand each other’s greetings. He took it as he was coming to kill. Researcher: Who is “he”? Natasha: Henry Stanley. Stanley took it that they were coming to kill them. Bella: and the king was there to rejoice; to celebrate. Researcher: But Henry was going from what he understood war to look like (agreement). He was pulling from his own context. Rebecca: Well, and the idea that not necessarily that it was war but that it was a large group coming upon them. Not necessarily that they were going to attack him but a large group of people coming toward them chanting and not sure of what that meant. I mean, if you were out on your canoe and all of a sudden there’s a big group coming at you, you might feel that fear. Researcher: But how did you feel from the perspective of the people; that was their culture, that was their way, that was . . . Sheila: “it was a murderous world, and we hated the people in it. Hunted them in the woods.” Dale: I think it’s interesting that the white guy’s account of the story he has in his writing, “Warriors threw their spears.” In the king’s account, that’s never mentioned. Shirley: Yeah, and they said that they shot first at them; like each one’s perception was “they started it.” Dale: That’s a minor detail that, depending on who’s retelling the story, it becomes the focal point; like was it an attack? Because this is portrayed like it was an attack. His portrayal is that’s left out --- or maybe not left out, maybe they put that in and it wasn’t true. But I think sometimes details are somewhat skewed, depending on the side you’re on. Researcher: Makes a difference. Rebecca: Well, neither one of them went into it with a notion ahead of time because he said, I mean I don’t know why he used some of the other adjectives in there, but we felt for the first time, so it wasn’t like we were coming upon this for the first time, and they weren’t coming upon it either, thinking that neither group thought that the other one was trying to hurt them or out to dislike them or harm them or anything. They both were
50 coming into it interested or whatever, but in the end both left with a very different perception of the other group. Researcher: Were either of them wrong or right? Bella: If you only read it from their account, no. But if you had the whole picture, somebody was wrong. Rebecca: You still don’t have the whole story, unless you watched it. Researcher: So did someone have to be right or wrong? Bella: I don’t know; I mean, I can see when it comes to different cultures, people, greeting one another, if this was a big---we had out our headdresses and our whatever, maybe that was overwhelming to see; that was misunderstood. Rebecca: It doesn’t have to do with culture necessarily. Think about the RTI meetings; someone walks in their classroom with what they’re thinking, their perception of what’s happening or what’s not happening; and from your perception as administration what’s happening or not happening and, phffft---fired. It has to do with your passion or what you are feeling in that moment. This story could take place anywhere with anyone. Researcher: But it was clearly about what one’s group of practice was and then the interpretation of it. It wasn’t so much that they felt passionate about one thing or another as it was it was about a practice, a way of doing that the other group did not understand. Which is a little bit different because the interpretation---Both interpreted one as something different; as an attack. They reacted in that way, so it has to do with not understanding versus how a group valued or responded or --- it wouldn’t be any different then like language barrier. It was practice, the group—do you know what I mean? Rebecca: Well, if you go back to that spear thing: were they really throwing it, or were they not? I mean, you don’t have that information. Then they said they shot their guns; we don’t know why they shot their guns; were they trying to scare them off? And they said they shot them the first time to shoot to kill. It’s like you said, you have to look— you don’t have the whole picture. Researcher: But we would agree that there was a miscommunication, clearly. And the two accounts they were different. They saw it very differently (we deal with that daily) but the point is that sometimes both perspectives are important to understand so that you have a sense of even what questions to ask. Like if you had the opportunity to talk to the
51 king or to Henry, you could ask the questions “Did they throw the spears at you or did they ….” Sheila: Did she really push you in the bathroom or did she just brush by you? (right) Researcher: So the point is that there are two perspectives. There are two people who are present but gave two totally different accounts based on their perspectives. And that’s the thing when you think about in terms of culture, how misunderstandings and things can happen, and it’s based on the perspective of the individual. That was interesting. Gary: Oh and I think, too, approach itself can be important as you get one group that was in a situation where they usually are; the other group was coming to them. So you have to be cautious and aware when maybe you’re crossing some sort of culture, because you don’t know the norms.
The focus group members wanted to identify who was most at fault by placing the responsibility on one or the other as the source of the conflict. The group also made an easy transition to incidents in school where students have two sides to a conflict as well as times when new students from a different background experience enter the classroom and behave contrary to the majority of students.
Researcher: That’s a good point; that’s a good point. And oftentimes, how would we apply this throughout our classrooms and how there are students that come in and have different backgrounds and experiences, and they come into a set way of doing things. How many people have had that experience where you have a new kid? Bella: It takes so long just to get them adjusted to the expectations and how things are run, what’s acceptable and not acceptable in the building or in your classroom. Sheila: Or even a new teacher. For example, I was out and [a colleague] came in as a long term sub —and who doesn’t love [colleague]? I mean, seriously, who wouldn’t want to be there? And [a student], a girl in my class. . . [the colleague] said, “she’s bad” and I think she’s awesome. I couldn’t see the difference and finally I asked at conference what the deal was; you seem to not like [colleague], and she said “She just touches me all the time; just makes me uncomfortable” because [colleague] is real touchy-feely,
52 “honey”, and she was uncomfortable with it. I’m pretty affectionate with the kids, but I think in a different way, and she said “it just makes me uncomfortable” and I think [colleague] didn’t see that at all; that’s not her way. Little ones, being a first grade teacher, are very receptive to that, but not when they are older, and I think that some of that’s culture and some of that’s the age, too. Researcher: Anyone else? We have a kid that comes in they have a difficult time fitting in? Bella: I have a little boy from Lexington, KY and he’s been here since the first week of December. And just the thing that he’ll come in like “HEEYYY” or he’ll sit there and he sneezes “A-CHOOO!!”---just the things he does just cracks me up; just the things that he’s accustomed to, used to; I don’t know if it’s trying to get away with … it’s just kind of funny when he walks in a room, when he introduces himself or what he says. If someone comes into the room---Mrs. [colleague] came into the room the other day: “Mrs. [colleague], you look like New York”---just the things he says out loud that most kids would only think or whisper to their friends, he just makes sure everybody knows what he’s saying. Researcher: How in the past, if you’ve had a student when they come in that way where you’ve helped them; how do we help them? What do we do when they come into an environment and it’s very different, and they stand out or they have problems adjusting? Bella: Patience---baby steps. I really think that’s the biggest thing with him. He’s come a long way, but he still has his moments where he reverts back to when he first walked in the door. Natasha: Yeah, because you don’t want to pick on him right away; accommodate to an extent---what could we have done better in that situation? What can we teach them? Researcher: By . . . . Natasha: Showing them; by quietly working with them; lots of conversations. Shirley: Say, “have you seen anyone else act that way?” A lot of times they’re not even aware that that’s different. In saying “did you see anybody else act that way when they sneezed?” well, no; that’s something that we need to work on. And just bring it to their attention sometimes. This is what they need. Bella: Yeah—bringing attention does not always help.
53 Researcher: You bring up a good point, because what if it’s very much a part of who they are and you’re asking an 11-year-old, a 10-year-old to change and do we try and find and understand where it’s coming from or do we just ask them to….. Bella: I think there’s a balance, too. There are times when he can do that and it’s okay; and there are times when he shouldn’t be doing that. He has to know that line there, I think, and I think that’s a big thing---to know where he can, and when it’s not acceptable. I think it’s part of his personality, which is really cute and whatever, but he doesn’t know when to tone it down. Researcher: Because what happens with his friends? What do the kids do? Bella: Oh, they start to make fun of you. Sheila: It’s acknowledging when you did it well; whether it’s quietly or whatever the situation is better, but not just pointing out when it’s not good, but “hey, you did that really well.” Rebecca: Then you can take it to the opposite where a kid with a personality takes it and everybody loves him, everybody follows right along with it and thinks it’s great, and just kind of feeds it on, too. Then you have to figure out where who they are as a person kind of balances with that and how you let that affect the rest of the dynamics of the group. Researcher: That’s true, because that …. Dale: Sometimes it depends on where they come from. I know there’s a big difference between kids, for example, who just transfer from North elementaries as opposed to coming from say, out of state, or come from ….. I notice a big adjustment from rural districts to North. Smaller classes, a lot more individual attention; everybody in the class looks the same, coming into a larger class, much more diverse. I know a lot of times with kids after a couple of days if they look like they’re shaky, that’s when I sit down with them and say “hey, I moved when I was younger; I went from School A, which was completely different from School B” just try to let them know this is not new. You fitting in is not new---you’ll be all right. And then in elementary school at least, in seating arrangements, sit them next to a kid who pretty much follows what they’re supposed to do all the time as opposed to sitting them next to the person who is going to teach them everything they can get away with. Researcher: Peer models are good and important at times.
54 Rebecca: It’s always been what I learned the first day I taught at Elementary A that that was the gift of Elementary A. That from day one we’re not all the same or different; we’re just who we are because it’s such a hodgepodge---you have everything from the kid who’s medically fragile to the kid who is in ED to every background. So the kids I think a lot of them --- they just, whatever, go with it. The kids who start there --- that’s always been one of the things I love about it –it’s just they don’t even really seem to think that they should question someone being a little different. A lot of the ones who start there just, that’s just the way it is. Christina: I was thinking about that, too; because I was thinking about when we had [student] coming from Africa, and I think she just ---I think it’s kind of the same way at [another elementary]. It’s a very diverse group to begin with; I think she just came in and “Oh . . .” you know. There were certain little adjustments, but for the most part, when you’ve got a lot of crazy going on, it’s hard to focus on details. Dale: But somebody like her… somebody that’s unique like that; one thing that worked with her is “Tell us what it’s like, tell us where you’re from, it’s so different, we’ve never had somebody from Eritrea, show us on the map.” You kind of learn, are you willing to share, and that gives her an opportunity, because it took her a while to catch on to what was going on; but at least she felt like she was important and part of the group. I guess that’s what I’m saying: you can’t treat every new kid, every situation all of the same. Researcher: But you would agree that their backgrounds and their experiences would be very good to understand and know because then it could have ….it could explain. Maybe in his Lexington school they did that; that was rewarded. (laughter) Dale: I can’t remember if it was her or not, but she was genuinely super excited when the first snowflakes fell. We literally took the whole class outside. Whereas with my class now, if they acted like that, I’d be like, “Sit down; we’ve all seen snow; we’re from Ohio.” (laughter) But it was like “Wait a minute; that’s right---you really have not seen snow, so let’s---they made a big moment out of that and everybody; it was a huge deal. Sheila: That was good for them to experience (agreement) to see someone never having seen that before. That was exciting for them as well to see her reaction to it.
55 Bella: My little girl from the Phillipines, she did the same thing two years ago. She’s like “Mrs. [teacher], I’ve never seen snow.” I was like “Well, there ya go!” (laughter) So she was thrilled about seeing the snow. Researcher: Gosh, the things we take for granted. Ah, snow…..so over it. Well, good point—these are very good points that not every situation is the same. You have to consider the experiences of the students and what the basis is for that. Good point. Rebecca: Some families it takes a while to get to the point that they’re willing to share that stuff. I mean we’ve had some we’ll get from [ESL teacher] where they’re not going to, don’t ask them; let them get there, and then over the year, or years, whatever it takes then we finally get to hear some of their native language, some of their customs and culture. Some of them, that’s a no-no; you don’t talk about that, so we have to respect that as well, and just help them to get accustomed to what we are. Acclimated to where you are now, let’s help you figure this out the best we can. Sheila: I think it’s when we get kids from charter schools, from schools that are not performing well and they come to [Elementary A] or wherever, it’s like they don’t know how --- all they did before was survival basically, and they come to school they don’t know how to be a student. They’re still learning this is how you behave in a classroom, this is how you study and do your homework and this is how you interact with adults. You don’t say “You better not write my name in that book.” Which is what someone told [a teacher] on Friday. She said, “Well, you didn’t really show your work, I’m just going to let [the teacher] know this is not very organized. She was nasty, and she’s improved 100 times since school has started; but the whole body language, and the head at her, she was just nasty. She just doesn’t know that interaction with the girls; some of the 6th grade girls might kill her if she’s not careful. But she’s trying to find a way to fit in and doesn’t know how. So she’s observing what other people are doing and it’s like a defense mechanism, because you just don’t know what to do. I think it can be culture from another country, but sometimes it’s just from 20 miles away. Randi: I ended up writing a lot about that in my journal; about judging students right away. And that’s the first thing we always ask when we get a new student: where are they from? (agreement) – to make that quick judgment. If they’re from [urban district], if they’re from [another suburban district], it’s going to be more work. It might be a
56 behavior problem. It’s not necessarily based on race, but I had to admit to myself that I am judging based on something; lower class; I’m assuming they’re lower class students; it’s going to be more of a struggle. Rebecca: The conversation we had during those meetings was that part of those days of saying “I’m not going to look at the student---I’m not going to look at what I got” and know about it. But also as a teacher you do have to make those quick judgments; that’s part of our job: getting in there knowing those things, deciding stuff, then it’s what you do with it from there. OK, now can I adjust---now I’ve met the kid, now I’ve seen some things, how am I adjusting that quick attitude? Because that’s what we’re doing all day. We’re making quick judgments; what do I need to do here? How do I need to get in and fix this? How can I help this kid? What do I do? …. I mean the amount of decisions you make in a day are monumental. I don’t think people outside of education understand that. And so it’s not making a judgment necessarily is bad, then what do you do with that judgment? Are you willing to change it? Are you willing to see the kid or the family or whatever and then adjust: Oh, well I was wrong there; and say “I was wrong.” OK, then I’m going to do this now. I think we’re afraid when there was that mentality: “Oh no, don’t tell me anything about my students.” Well, those days are kinda gone, and we really have to know everything. We just disregard so much of what other people have already learned. I don’t know---I guess figure it out for ourselves for some stupid reason- ---I don’t know. Researcher: But I think the two things or one of the things that I think is important is that we have to trust the information we are receiving is based on concrete information and not judgments. And then the other piece that even if you say “I’m going there”, don’t stop there. Like you said, what do you do with it beyond that? OK, even if I think that might be the case, don’t let it limit what I see or what I understand to be happening. And I think it’s ….. Sheila: You think it can be a tool too, though, because if that’s your immediate reaction, then that’s probably what everybody else’s reaction is going to be, too; and that could be your opportunity to --- I don’t know; like when school starts, the kid that I don’t want to be close to, the one that my inclination is to put in the back of the room cause he’s driving me crazy, is probably the one that needs your attention. So, if that’s your
57 judgment right away, that’s where everyone else is coming from, so you can use that to help you work with that. (agreement)
The group really thought deeply about the implications of forming assumptions based on limited information about their students. Sheila later wrote in her reflection that “learning to focus on recognizing your initial reaction to someone or something (or how you feel) can be a powerful tool we shouldn’t avoid.” When we get students who are not like the other students we are familiar with serving, we need to check that bias and understand its source while considering there could be another point of view we need to consider. Initial reactions led us to discuss how we manage our prejudices. We watched a short video, “Cultural Competence: Managing Prejudices” by Gail Price Wise (2009) of the Florida Center for Cultural Competence on this topic. The founder and President of Florida Center for Cultural Competence, Gail Price-Wise, received her Master’s degree from Harvard School of Public Health and has spent much of her career improving communication among people of different racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. She had developed on-line and in- person training curricula in cultural competence, language access, and health literacy for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Florida Department of Health. In the video she pointed out that we all have prejudices against one thing or another and that the problem is when we don’t manage those prejudices and we allow them to determine what we do and how we respond. She suggests that most of our impressions about groups of people form before the age of ten. Wise’s personal example is that she has a prejudice against people dressed in all black with piercings and tattoos. She gets uncomfortable when she is around people dressed in this manner. Wise says we should acknowledge this discomfort but then push through it by working to help ourselves become more comfortable with the things that cause us uneasiness. She then shows how she shared photos of different races of people and asked what reaction do we have to the person, were they perceived to be lazy, trustworthy, hard working.
Researcher: Thoughts? Reactions? Do you agree? Disagree? Christina: I don’t know that I would use any of those adjectives, right off the bat, and I don’t think it’s fair to put a half-naked man up there with all the other people ….
58 Dale: Prejudice against naked men (laughter) I think we found yours, Kristen. Bella: I think her point was what is your first instinct when you see ….. Christina: I can’t say I ever look at somebody and say “Hmm… are they honest?” Sheila: But I did have an assumption about all of them when I saw them (agreement). The first man that was on there I thought he must be retired and he had a nice tan going on, he was hanging out at the beach somewhere and the black man that was sitting there looked angry and like he was in marital counseling was the first thing that came to my head; that he was being counseled by someone and the other guy was retired. Gary: I liked that she challenged everyone to be honest. Because, you know, we’ve all heard people say “I don’t see color and I don’t see this” and well, yes you do. You might not act on it, but to say that you don’t see certain things is not true. Sheila: I like that she gave an example of her own that she made people more comfortable with that. Researcher: Do you agree that everyone has prejudices? Sheila: I think we all make assumptions about people. Researcher: How does that affect, or how do you feel that has an effect on your classroom, or can affect your classroom? Sheila: Well it can if you don’t use it or be willing to change your perception of things based on what’s happening. If you only keep that in mind and you don’t step outside that box and you keep those assumptions going and that’s how you behave from here on out, then that is bad; that’s …… Rebecca: I think about it, I think a lot about the assumptions we make, not always, sometimes between teachers with their students, but with their families. Like, they’re OK with the kids, because they’re there for the kids; They let all the other stuff go; they might be irritated about that, you might hear it in their voice occasionally, but overwhelmingly the sense that “this is my job, I care, and I have a passion for the student, and I want to do those things” but then when you hear them talk about their family, there are the judgments; you hear more of that prejudice come through. I think a lot of older grades, if that’s still true, as they move into high school, if you still see that, or if they take on the perception of their family, and people can’t get past that. A lot with the little kids, you just want to care for them, you just want to help them; or whatever you see is
59 wrong or right in the judgment of their life or family, you step in and “how can I fix this”. But then when you’re talking to the adults in the situation, that prejudice is a little more obvious. Researcher: When you say “adults”, do you mean the families of the children? (agreement) So do you think that has an effect on the children in your classroom, if that does come through? Does that have an effect? Rebecca: I think your relationship with the child in a lot of those situations is different, the day-to-day relationship is different. The frustration is with the adults, in general, with the situation. Gary: I think it’s different in the classroom because you have so much interaction with all of your kids. It’s not like this one-time thing where you are in the mall, you see somebody, you think this, and then you never see them again. Like, you get so many chances to see them in a different situation and in a different light that it challenges you to change your perception. (agreement) Rebecca: You get to know them, and you can let some of the other stuff go. You hold the adults accountable for things that you do perceive that you don’t perceive with your kids. Researcher: Any other thoughts? Dale: I feel like in the classroom, prejudices are more behavior related, not necessarily by a race or a---there are certain types of kids or behaviors that kids exhibit that I have a hard time overcoming; that I have to actually remind myself of what my job is and even though it’s repeated behavior, I am prejudiced against. I’m not prejudiced against the person, the kid at that point, I think the prejudices I have would be with an adult. But, for example, kids that smell and do not bathe, and even though you call them on it, or you ask them, or you talk to parents---that’s one for me. Christina: It doesn’t bother me. Dale: You want me to help you – and I use the word “usually” and, see, that’s a prejudice, a lot of time in my career, those kids are generally the kids who need the most attention or the most assistance with their academics. So that’s a type of prejudice I think teachers a lot of times have to overcome. It’s not “oh, your Asian, or overweight” it’s not anything like that. It’s certain behaviors.
60 Researcher: Part of actions and behaviors are based on experiences, which can sometimes be connected to practices or cultural practices, too. So, even though it may not necessarily be race or ethnicity, depending on ---because I think someone said earlier that it really is more associated with socio-economic status. Like, certain behaviors, certain practices might be common to a certain populations, based on that. But that’s a good point, that’s a good point to bring out. Christina: Sixth grade—you don’t bathe. Rebecca: When you were talking about that I was thinking we were at Kohl’s yesterday and there were some ladies shopping and they were obviously of Indian descent and there’s a very distinct smell that goes with that, and I thought, I smelled it, and I thought “Oh” and I looked and (talking over one another). That’s what I’m saying, it’s not a prejudice against that, it’s a prejudice against the parents: why are they not caring, why are you not involved with these kids? It’s your anger against them not doing --- it’s not against the culture; this is more like “what’s wrong with you? Nobody’s caring about you; you’re not caring about yourself.” Dale: No, that’s right---I wasn’t saying ---it’s not a cultural or an ethnic smell, ….. Rebecca: Those kinds of things I can get past that. Dale: That plays into your experiences. The fact is I lived in India in 6th grade for a while and had a bucket and a hole and no plumbing ---- like, don’t tell me you can’t get clean living here in [city]. That’s the prejudice I fight but, to me it’s my thing. There is no excuse. It’s a choice you’re making not Sheila: But you do what you know …. Dale: Right, I understand, but… Rebecca: That’s what we have to consider; the prejudice is against the family, the choices that they’re making that lead down to the other children. Dale: Right. My point is overcoming that; don’t get me wrong; I mean, I still love my kids and teach them, it’s the problem with these groups of sharing …. Sheila: When they get older it’s a little bit harder, too, because puberty hits and they start to stink. When they’re little, it’s just dirt but when they get older, they smell. And it’s bad, bad, bad.
61 Dale: Well, it’s experience with that---I think when you’ve taught a certain amount of time, you think “Ahhh, I’ve been through this; I know where this is heading” You do things that you think work and …. Rebecca: At what point does your experience and prejudice---like where do they overlap or cross? When does one become what you know and experience and trust as a professional vs. your prejudice? Researcher: Well, one of the things I think she talks about – and honestly, when I first read/listened to this, I kind of poked at it because I don’t necessarily agree with her; and as I listened to it over and over again I understand her point is to say that we all have biases. I don’t like the word “prejudice”; I like the word “bias.” I don’t know why. And I think for me that makes---if we allow those biases to stop us from loving our kids or from associating or connecting, I think that’s when we’re allowing the prejudices to manage us. That’s what she says: We need to manage it and not allow it to take over with us, because we all have it. I thought it was really interesting that she made the comment that first impressions happen before 10; I mean, by 5 you probably have most of them. And when I thought about that --- what did you guys --- would you agree or disagree with that statement that really a lot of things are embedded into what we believe and think by an early age? And then as we become an adult, we validate those things or we say they’re not the case based on our experiences? Or do we just maintain them? Christina: I thought a lot about that when you said that because I was just trying to think about what kind of people did I deal with before I was 5. And I think for the most part I’m pretty open to lots of different types of people; and I was thinking that was based a lot on my experience when I was young. I spent a lot of time with my great grandparents, spent a lot of time with a different types of people than when I was with my mom or dad, so I spent a lot of time with very different people. Bella: My daughter was in second grade and Martin Luther King Day or something came up and she asked me “What color am I?” She had no idea – and she was 7 probably or 6. She had no idea; she was “am I black; am I white?” She had no clue; she said “What is this thing about color?” She had no idea, and that’s second grade. I don’t know if that’s weird or strange, she’s an odd kid.
62 Researcher: Well, that depends on experience; I’m of the opinion that kids at a young age don’t recognize or realize unless someone tells them. Unless it’s brought to their attention. I think African-American kids tend to, or maybe Asian --- I think they tend to, but I don’t know if they recognize it in the sense that we as adults do until someone brings it to their attention. Like a child. I’ve had first grade experiences where kids don’t want to play with other kids --- I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had that --- and that’s hard because they are completely clueless about it being different. Or someone would say that they would not play with them for that reason. But it happens. But that‘s a good point about when you’re young, depending on what your experiences are, it does have an effect. Natasha: Or if you grow up and you live with intolerant people and you hear all the negatives, and you decide when you grow up you’re not going to believe what they believe. Researcher: Yes. Yes. Sheila: That’s hard to do. That’s hard to get past that. Because you do what you know. My husband’s family is from the south, and they --- I was not raised with any of the negative opinions and prejudices that they exhibited, and I was –we visited Tennessee, and I was rendered speechless, which is really hard to do. My eyes were like this the whole time; I couldn’t even say anything. I was so offended just being there; it didn’t matter what the group was, there was a lot of ugly. [My husband] just looked at me like “I’m sorry about that.” And it’s hard to take my kids there and let them be around those people because they just think I am some uppity---I’m like “you can’t talk like that. You can’t use words like that; my kids don’t know. The questions that came out of family visits were rough. (agreement) Researcher: Any other thoughts or comments? Well, I think this was a good conversation. I hope I talked less and you guys were able to talk more. I think as we move along and have these discussions, the more we can tie them into the classroom, the better; our experiences with parents, the better; so then that way we can get a sense. But the idea being that it’s our experiences we’re talking about; it’s not a right or wrong answer; but it’s how it’s helped us to get to this place and space to be able to even think about it and consider what is the role of culture in our classroom and race. And seeing if,
63 in fact, in our mind we’re doing it and just don’t know it. Or maybe it’s a part of who we are. But I do think that there were good things shared here.
Sheila from the focus group added that sometimes the bias or prejudices are not just about race but about weight, lifestyle or gender - we shouldn’t allow our biases or prejudices to interfere with our work in the classroom. Many agreed that bias or prejudices should not interfere with our work in the classroom but admitted that the struggle is not always with the students but instead with parents. The impressions of our students are likely based upon our parents’ or family members’ views. This led to a full conversation with the group about feeling biases or prejudices towards parents but not necessarily towards students. The rationale is that teachers can spend time with their students and get to know and understand the reasons behind their behavior and choices but sometimes when encountering parents the absence of a relationship allows perceptions and interpretations to win over the understanding. I was very surprised at how the teachers could disconnect the relationship with the child from the relationship with the parent. They truly felt the parents were adults and they needed to be held accountable for things whereas their students were just children and could be understood for their differences when they needed help with them. Another point made in the group was the disconnection of behaviors to a particular race. Dale shared with the group an opinion about prejudices. He felt that while prejudices are more behavior related, the behavior is not necessarily based on race or culture. He used the example of students who deliberately don’t bathe or wear dirty clothes. He felt that while this makes him uncomfortable and is a behavior of the student, his bias is with the parents for the student’s behaviors. Shirley later reflected that it is difficult to respect parents when they don’t value sending their child to school but will instead keep them out of school to get their hair done. This was the first of multiple times that the parent-disconnect arose in our group discussions. As we continued to explore what influences our behaviors, our discussions led to values playing a major role in our decision making in the classroom. We decided to identify our values and explore the values of our students to better understand if or how they differed and what this might look like in the classroom. As a group we felt values show up through our beliefs, choices, interactions, communication, and experiences and they are very important. Dale even commented that “our values have a direct impact on working relationships as well as with our
64 students and parents.” So values are important in the work setting in multiple ways. We agreed as a group that while most of our values remain the same, our experiences as we grow older can cause our values to change. As a child your values are based upon your family’s experiences but as you grow older and encounter experiences of your own, you may decide to move away from a core value you have grown up believing.
Researcher: Well we’re going to shift gears just a wee bit. And we’re going to start talking about the next two times we meet, we’ll be talking about values and understanding how our values impact culture. Just so we’re on the same page, what are values? What do we see values as? What are values to us? Not necessarily examples of them, but what are values? Shirley: Things important to you. Things important to you. Researcher: Yes. Anything else, want to add anything else? Bella: The foundation of what you believe. Researcher: Beliefs, so it's based on what you believe, good. How do they show up? How do our values show up? When, when do values show up? Sheila: Choices that we make. Researcher: So when you get ready to make a choice is one way that it shows up. Dale: How you interact with other people. Researcher: So the interacting, it comes through your values. Dale: Your communications, how you, I mean you know what other people value so then you’re sure to make sure their needs are addressed. Unless you don't really want to work with them. You do the exact opposite of what their values are. It can be used both ways I guess is what I’m saying. Bella: I think your values can come from your family too. Like I mean not just good things, but seeing bad things and going I’m not going to be like that or I’m not going to do that. You know I think I remember growing up like oh my gosh I’m not going to do such and such, such and such, such and such. And so for me I’ve always held that you know true to the heart, you know and will never be like such and such. You know what I mean? I think about when kids are growing up like how do they not see that? Like how do they go I do not want to be like my mom or I don't want to be like my uncle? Or you
65 know what I mean you see those bad qualities in people in your own family and you’re like how do you not take a step back and go that's not the way I want to be. I don't understand. Sheila: Sometimes you don't know that that's not. Bella: Really? I don’t know. I just think that kids have so much today like TV wise. Whether it’s reality TV or TV shows, there is so much to watch on TV to go oh my gosh I'm not you know like my daughter, who would have a baby when they’re sixteen? Are they out of their mind? Look what they have to go through. You know I’m just saying even that. Sheila: But if that's what you know and that's what you grew up with and nobody that you respect or love or people that take care of you all those, all of that around you, if nobody is shocked by that or thinks it’s okay then they might see it completely differently. Why is that? What’s their problem? Why are they so worked up about that? That shouldn't be a big deal? They might not…I think they just don't see it that way. Unless they have even a personal experience with it. Researcher: Cause sometimes maybe, what you’re thinking is they might see TV not connecting with them as compared to the people they know and their lifestyle. Sometimes they may not mature enough to see that TV is an example. I mean I was one of those kids. I saw the Cosby Show and I was like I want to be like them. Bella: Yeah. Researcher: I mean I want to be smart like those people, you know some people may not make the connection that it’s possible because of what their world is like. Rebecca: Well the opposite happens to you grow up with those values that are so important and you go out and meet other people and things change, things that have been core values aren’t for you anymore and you watch people in your family or that you're close to or and you're like how are they there? Like you’ll talk to people and their families and there will be one sibling that’s on way and one sibling that’s another way - how does that happen? Like how do you get so far away from where you started, so that's kind of like that perception that your things are set just doesn't click with me because people are constantly changing and looking and you look back at your own self 20 years ago and 10 years ago and whatever. I surely hope I’m not who I am necessarily now in
66 20 years from now. You know like, there should be growth and change and look at a family the total opposite could happen. You look at it make the purposeful decision I’m going away from what had been a very solid foundation or core values and I’ve made totally different decisions. Sheila: Based on people you interact with and people that have… Rebecca: Things you experience. Sheila: …a profound effect on you for whatever reason. Researcher: Are personal values different at home than at work? What you personally value is it different at home or work? Rebecca: I don’t think so. I think how you have to be verbal about it, it has to be controlled a little differently. Researcher: So how it manifests…But I don’t know that it necessarily is gone or changes. Sure, sure. Alright well I’m going to read a couple of quotes and you guys can nod or shake your head whatever you like. Affirm it or say no that's not the case. “Your values are your current estimations of truth. They represent your answer to the question of how to live.” Does that accurately sum it up a little bit? No, yes? Dale: Your head was rocking back and forth but your face was not, it was kind of yeah but no. Researcher: No that's not a good summation of, do we agree with that statement? Sheila: Read it again. Researcher: “Your values are your current estimations of truth. They represent your answer to the question of how to live.” [PAUSE] Okay well let’s go to the next one since no one is like feeling that one. Christina: It’s true, it’s just deep. [Everyone talking over each other] Dale: There are values in that. Rebecca: It makes you assume what is true has to be changed. You know because it’s an estimation of what you currently believe like that you’re going to constantly be, so we all got tripped up in the same spot there. Researcher: So estimation was the word you weren't feeling? You weren’t feeling that, cause your values are who you are and what you know?
67 Dale: I mean I live my life based on my values then yes. Sheila: But you’re not estimating, you’re not [everyone talking over each other]. I’ll go this way. Dale: I usually round up. [Everyone laughing] Dale: You asked me to be in the group. Researcher: Okay, alright I just said that to myself, I did. We can tell our values by looking at our checkbook stubs. Sheila: Say that again, Dale: I vote no on that one, no. Rebecca: Well based on your monetary values, where you spend your money. Researcher: Yeah I think that's what that person was getting at. Okay I have my values and if you don't like them well I've got some others. [Laughing] Researcher: Negative, alright. I just wanted responses. Rebecca: That's the group that's changing their clothes to match the person next to them. Shirley: Yeah, yeah. Rebecca: They don't know who they really are because they’ve never really been themselves, they’re just mixing with [inaudible]. Dale: Yeah. Researcher: So a good statement would be “your values are your current truth they represent your answer to the question of how to live?” Researcher: Okay I just changed the first one. Dale: You can ask me the last one in any grade, I would change it then. Researcher: That's a very good point. Shirley: And if you ask my kids right now depending on how much money is in my bank account, that would be what’s most valuable. Researcher: So it could, so our values could differ, so they do change. Dale: Oh yeah I think. Researcher: So they do change. I thought that's the reason we didn't like the first one.
68 Gary: Well I think some of your values change, but I think you still have like your foundational. Like there are certain things I might change as I get older, I’m like well you know but there are certain things at my core, like religious beliefs, at my core, that's not going to change. Researcher: Gotcha. Rebecca: It was that current truth that kind of was like, those things aren’t going to be never current, there always going to be current. So I don't see them changing or it's not a current truth, it is a truth.
So as a group we developed our own value wheel where we listed our top three work values on our wheel. We started by sharing one value and checking to see who had a similar value on their wheel. Some of the values shared were relationships, teamwork, communication, honesty, adaptability, versatility, flexibility, determination, ethics, passion, and listening. Some overlapped with others when shared by the group and sometimes for different reasons. For example, relationships and teamwork because of the importance of interdependence in the work place and adaptability and flexibility were similar because of being able to work with different people on different things.
Researcher: Alright well now that we have had the discussion on values and what they are and how we like them and where they fit, we’re going to fill out a value wheel. We’re going to do is identify the top three work values that you have and for each value you need to provide an example as to how these values show up in your work. They give you an example of honesty, for example is the value. Not holding back in difficult conversations but being open and direct even with the boss is the example. Don't you think that's a nice little example? Dale: Do you have a list of values to choose from? Christina: Seriously that’s what I was thinking I’m like… Dale: I’m the same way, coming up with my own words. [Talking over each other] Researcher: We’re going to do this so you can openly share if you desire to that's fine, but I thought we would do it by someone sharing and maybe if you have one that's related
69 or connects to that one, you can share. I’ll start since I said one out loud. Building relationships because I think that’s an important value. Because in working with parents, students, and staff being able to understand the people that I’m working with and giving guidance to, so I don’t think I can do that if I don't understand and know them. So that's one thing that's really big for me. Anyone else have something similar to relationship? Sheila: When you said relationships I sort of kind of made a face at you, but then I thought that really part of what we do at school is building relationships too. I refer to developing relationships that make me better, like to be better at what I’m doing or think differently to step outside my own box to go look at what other people are thinking. So I don't always, those are things I need to do and it’s like I’m better at it. Christina: I have teamwork and independence as and I know those seem like they don't really fit but I think it’s the same way like I need to be able to do things my own way and make it work for me in my classroom, but at the same time like I like working with a team and having other people to bounce ideas off and inform my decisions because even like we don't agree it still is going to inform my decision of what I do in my classroom. Sheila: Find a way to meet in the middle. Randi: Adaptability. Cause kind of the same thing, I value being flexible and being able to work with different people and… Sheila: And I appreciate that it’s working out okay. Dale: Did you copy that off my paper? Randi: No I didn't see yours. Christina: Versatility is my other, my third one so. Versatility. That was my character word at [another school district]. We all had character jerseys with different character words. Versatile was mine so I kind of still cheated. Rebecca: I have flexibility. Willingness to work with different people and whatever is happening when and for the best outcome of the majority involved. Dale: I put that on mine with the stipulation that if it doesn't go against one of my core values. Like I think sometimes people give in and give in and give in to be flexible which really is not the most beneficial quality to have, there’s a point. Researcher: That's a good point.
70 Dale: You know there’s a point where you say look this is not something I’m going to be able to do because of one of those core values, which not that that happens a lot but. Rebecca: Yeah it’s looking at what’s the best for everybody. Dale: If somebody comes and says to me they want me to do things during your social studies so you can’t pass your SLO you go with that because it’s not against like a core value. Researcher: I see, I see. [Laughing] Dale: But you stash that away somewhere and then. [Talking over each other] Sheila: and say Muse should be in May. Christina: We did it in October. Shirley: Or yeah September or October. Rebecca: We’re totally having a [Elementary A] conversation here. Dale: So my other value is communication. See how effectively I communicate. Researcher: That was very good. Dale: The ability to talk and listen both with colleagues and students. Because I’m the type I appreciate, even if you totally disagree with what I say, I appreciate that you at least listened to it all the way through. Sheila: And then tell you that it’s wrong. Dale: And then tell me and the go to my third part, which is honesty, and say I hate that and I’m not going to do that. I respect that. Sheila: Being direct and doing that area of communication. Although I probably, I think I’ve toned it down a little bit. I think I’m a little bit better. [People laughing] Sheila: I have haven’t I? Dale: Well of course. [Talking over each other and laughing] Rebecca: She’s just enlisted some new partners is what she’s doing. Sheila: Well even before I had to break up with [various colleagues] I still was learning to, to tone down a lot from that.
71 Researcher: Any other, any other values that we haven’t said? Gary: I had determination. With like OTES and just everything like at the end of the day we have to do our job. I’m going to get through. Do the best I can. Researcher: That's good. Rebecca: I had knowledge and passion in the job. Researcher: That's good I like that too. Shirley: Being open minded to change and what needs change. And looking at yourself and saying this is not working and I kind of need to change it. And being open to accepting help and, and changing it and not just that's what I’ve always done, it’s easiest so I’m just going to keep doing it. Researcher: That's important in this day and age. Ethical decisions, anyone have anything about that? Ethical? Rebecca: Well I originally said work ethics. Researcher: Ethics, okay yeah. And I kind of lumped fair, consistency, open, honesty all that under ethical. Alright, what happens when you’re in your classroom or you're in your building or you’re in a staff meeting, when your values are challenged or conflicted? Has anyone had that experience? Maybe that would help us kind of draw, draw onto some discussion. Sheila: I know that, [colleague] is not here, so you can tell later if you want to, but [this colleague] and I used to always, I wouldn't say butt heads. I am for the under dog and the bad kid who is up to no good that you know could be the next one and [this colleague] is the champion of the kid who’s always doing what they’re suppose to do because it's the right thing to do and we both, I wouldn't say we butted heads necessary, but it was always like now [Sheila] they really are and I’m like oh you know let’s maybe erase that one, just one more try. So we really had to come to a, it's okay we’re going to work on that one and let them slide by a little bit, where she would let me come on let’s go with that one a little bit and sometimes I would have to go back the other way and alright we’re going to go strong on that. I think she and I are still that way. I mean you and I (talking to Shirley) were with her together so I think that her main focus and mine is still alright you got in trouble at lunch today so let's see what we can do about tomorrow for example.
72 Researcher: So you kind of negotiate sometimes is what I hear you saying. And you kind of negotiate. Sheila: I remember [various colleagues] and I standing in the hallway and we’d have our little meetings before we’d go back into the classroom. I remember [a colleague] saying well girls if that's important to you, I don't really like it, but we can do that together. Or the next time would be, now remember we talked about this before and she kind of mothered us really and told us that we can all kind of find a way to meet in the middle together and the three of us couldn’t have been anymore different people and still be on a team together and still work really well together. Well it was about that well I kind of think that’s really dumb, but it’s important to so and so let's do that or. Researcher: Would you all agree that you negotiate sometimes what your beliefs and your values are when you’re working with colleagues? Bella: Sure. Researcher: You do. What about parents? Sheila: Definitely. Students, Researcher: Students? Sheila: Definitely. Researcher: Anybody different? Gary: I think one thing about being a teacher is you always want to be better. Like that next year, so if you hear a colleague say something or a student say something or a parent say something you know you’re willing to try new things, like as long as it doesn’t go against like, like if you don’t see it bringing harm. You know like to the kid. Like you’re willing to say like hey maybe I was too hard on this situation, like I’ll negotiate with you. Or maybe I was too soft and I need to harden up. But yeah I think it's an opportunity for you to maybe grow and you’re willing to try it. Cause you know none of us have all the answers, so you always need that from other people. Researcher: Do you think if we lived in another place our values would be different? (agreement) Sheila: Yes I think your values are developed based on where your experiences are, so if you lived in a place that was different.
73 Rebecca: That's kind of like when [a colleague] went on her trip [to Italy] and she came back and she was all like we’re just crazy, like we do all this stuff and we have all this plastic and all this and all about that and you know like just experiencing other cultures for even a short period of time the things that we take for granted that they would never. And the things they take for granted that we’re like oh my gosh if we only had, like it's just because you don't have those certain things or influences in your life then the way the country was developed and what you have at your fingertips is very different too. Researcher: So I think, I think we all agree that a part of what we believe and what we value has a lot to do with our experiences. It has a lot to do with our interpretation of our experiences and often times we’re negotiating that when we are at work in some way. If it doesn't essentially impact a core belief. Alright that's good I like that. Good information people.
Randi pointed out that it is difficult to work with colleagues with different values when they aren’t willing to compromise whereas students are easier to work with toward a common goal. When our values are challenged and it is difficult to compromise, respect for others can be damaged in some way. Adults are harder to forgive of this than students. We have to find ways to value and respect all adults we work with – colleagues and parents – regardless if we agree with them or not. While as a group this was an agreed upon statement, many admitted it is easier said than done at times. Part of what we believe and what we value has a lot to do with our experiences. It has a lot to do with our interpretation of our experiences and often times we are negotiating that when we are at work in some professional manner. The focus group continued to explore values more and did so through exploration of statements that represented two opposite points of view. We identified which statement we felt most accurately related to us personally and then identified the value that was associated with the statement. For example, one set of statements were “life is what happens to you” verses “life is what you make it.” Participants identified where on a continuum they fell with the two statements – they could fall closer toward either statement or somewhere in the middle. We put this up on a display and used post-it notes to mark where individuals fell. We then discussed what value(s) do these statements represent. We thought perhaps it could represent the value of how one sees change as either valuing tradition or being flexible or adaptable when change
74 occurs. We did this same process for several more statements. This activity was intended to help us be able to reflect on statements made by group members, colleagues, parents or students that might suggest what is important to them or what they value in order to help better understand perspectives. Members of the group had expressed the practice in their classrooms of challenging students to think differently than their parents, peers, and even the public at large. Chimamanda Adiche, author and storyteller, tells the danger of a single story. Adiche shares an enthralling narrative of her own personal experience in school and as an author where assumptions were made based on one version of a story about her perceived life in Nigeria. Adiche grew up as a middle class Nigerian in a two-parent home with a loving mother and father who were professionals – an administrator and professor respectively. She grew up reading British books and so initially her writing reflected the culture of those books until she discovered that she could write about her own African experiences. Publishers told her that her writing was not authentic when she portrayed her characters differently than traditional Western literature books, which told a very different story than what was Adiche’s experience. She encountered many meetings with people that felt sorry for her even before they knew her based upon different versions of the same single stories told about Nigerians – poor, uneducated, broken home, living in sparse conditions, single parent home, etc. In watching the video, “Chimamanda Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story” of Adiche (2009) speaking about how one single story became her story and how it “flattened her experience” as a human being was picked up by members of the group and the discussion centered around the power of the teacher in the classroom to make decisions on which version of story gets told. As the teacher we facilitate and guide as well as direct students to sources and perspectives. Bella commented that only having one side of the story is the source of where prejudices can form. Sheila also felt that the comment Adiche makes about “stereotypes aren’t wrong, just incomplete” brought a more positive and relevant meaning to stereotypes from its usual negative connotation. Rebecca felt that while it is true we have to seek balance to present a factual picture this takes time, effort and openness which in the classroom today with all of the mandates presents a challenge for educators.
Researcher: Any thoughts? Or initial reactions? [to the video]
75 Sheila: I like that she said the stereotypes, the problem with the stereotype isn’t that they’re not true, but that they’re incomplete. Cause stereotypes have such a nasty connotation to it when really most of them are true they’re just incomplete. Researcher: Good point. What is this thing of a single story and is it relevant to our classrooms? Bella: Sure, especially with our kids. We don't know the entire story, we only see what they bring to school or what you see maybe about their families, a snippet of it, so you don't see everything. Sheila: You only get the next part of the story in November for conferences or but that's always an eye-opening night. Randi: Or what you’ve heard about them since 1st grade in the hallway. Teachers say he’s bad but he does have other qualities. [Laughing] Gary: I liked her terminology of it flattens the experience, because I think that when we don't expose ours students to you know protagonists who don't look like them you know then we're short changing them. Christina: That's what I was thinking about too because we just started reading Esperanza Rising with my kids and we read At the Cave at the beginning of the year, which has all kinds of racial themes in it and they’re all like oh yeah whatever when it was about Black and White. But then when they found out the character was Mexican some of them were like [laughing] and it was like really guys. We’re going to need to talk about this. Researcher: Do you think it’s because they couldn't’ relate to the character from the story? Do you have students, Hispanic students? Christina: We do. Researcher: Oh okay. Christina: I just think it’s their experiences and what they some hear at home and what they see on TV and that stuff. Rebecca: Well she made the point you really have to seek out the other side. You see so much of what media wants us to see, if you really want balance you have to be the person who’s willing to seek it out. Or to talk to other people or to listen to the thing that's not
76 what you normally do or read the other editorial in the you know in the paper whatever because you, if you only go to one side you’re constantly hearing that and it's affirming what you already think without ever offering a challenge. You have to really look for it. Researcher: And that kind of goes with the comment you made about it’s important to understand but it's also important to expose the kids too. Which is kind of what you were saying. I think some others were saying that we need to still challenge them, know their history, know their story, but then still challenge them beyond just their story, their experience. What about this whole notion of power? Is there a lot of control that's left in the hands of the teacher or the whoever decides curriculum, I mean is a lot of that dependent upon who has the power to decide that? How the story gets told? Is there any issue of power whatsoever do you think? Sheila: Yeah I think so. I think one thing that comes to mind for me is when kids are in trouble. I can paint the picture anyway, really and it might based on perception of what happened but because I am the teacher really I may choose not to look for anything further and that's, that's what the story is going to be. Cause that's what I said. If we don't look for that a little but more and I know I’ve done that before and then kids will say but you know, you know later and I think well boy I really made a bad call on that one because I probably should have looked into that a little further. But because I have the control over that that's the story that got told. Rebecca: I think with curriculum there’s the, there’s the notion that we only hear the one point of view, cause people do that. And so that's where you have to be willing and open to let people talk and then really challenge each other about that. So you have a starting point you know like she said you have a place so let’s go back to what was before that. Let’s look at what was after that. Let’s look linear here and see what these people over here thought. What would their point of view have been about this same story, especially in social studies, if you’re talking about colonization or exploration or whatever, okay well here’s what this person saw. Okay now tell me what the person sitting over there saw and really challenge the kids to talk about it. So while you may start with a curriculum that comes from whoever’s perspective, whoever decided all that because no matter what you fight or argue there’s still going to be some social norms we all have to know. Can you see the other person? Can you and that's where writing and talking and
77 point of view and perspective come into play. And just in you know little things. Whatever literature you’re reading well what would this other person have said about that same story. So you may have that power and control there, but you also have the power to open it up. Researcher: Right so it goes both ways it’s just how we use the power, whether or not you choose to expand it or just let it. Rebecca: Or to give the power. I mean because you’re giving the power to the kids when you ask them cause I don't know what that other person thought. I don't know the right answer, but hearing what they think and then being able to bounce off each other oh well that's a good idea. Okay well let’s go here and here and here. This person argues with it, okay well why do you think they thought that? Researcher: So allowing it to happen freely in your room with the students contributing, not necessarily just one person or a source, one source is allowing the kids to contribute. Good point. Any other thoughts about the what she said? I liked her example about how you assume the character you know how she, she said the character that she wrote and making the assumptions that Nigerians, Nigerian fathers are like that and how she explained that and also sharing a different story of middle class Nigerians. And so that being her like focus and goal, she did a nice job with that.
The focus group saw the role of the teacher as having a certain power over curricular decisions made in the classroom, and the teacher as the controller of which part of the story that gets told. The focus group was then challenged to build an Utopianstan (made up place) by prioritizing a list of values. The focus group was divided into two smaller groups and each member was secretly assigned a specific role in helping to build this Utopianstan within the small group. None of the group members knew the role of the other and so the process began. The groups were made up of a leader to keep the group focused and on task; a non-offender to focus on maintaining relationships; a fatalist who feels much of life is out of our control; an individualist who believes strongly in the power of the individual; and a listener who wanted to hear everybody’s opinion. Because group members played their roles so well, groups made little progress on the prioritizing of the values before obvious frustrations ensued. The group members
78 quickly admitted that navigating differences of opinions and not understanding each member’s role was challenging and required some serious skills to be successful with the assigned task.
Researcher: First of all okay how was it? Sheila: Annoying. I did not like it whatsoever and it was not a fun game. Researcher: It was not fun. Shirley: No. Christina: Although her role was perfect. Sheila: Are you the “I don't mean to disagree with you?” person? Natasha: No, I'm the “non-offender.” Researcher: Okay well let's talk about the roles. Leaders what were your jobs? Sheila and Gary: We were supposed to facilitate the discussion. Gary: To take notes. Sheila: Which the notes were ridiculous to keep cause [Bella] kept not wanting to disagree and [Dale] had a ridiculous opinion about destiny and fate. I don't know what [Randi’s] role was, she seemed to have something reasonable until [Dale] would just shoot it down. Researcher: Okay so that was the role of the leader. Who was number 2? What was number 2? Bella: We were the “non-offenders.” Researcher: The non-offenders. Okay so what was your job? Natasha: We didn't want anyone arguing about anything. Researcher: Oh my gosh. That could not have been more perfect. So how was that for you guys? Bella: I didn't like it. Researcher: You didn't? Bella: Cause I really wanted to give my opinion. Researcher: What about who was number 3? What were your numbers? Dale: I was number 3. We were “fatalists.” Christina: Like everything is out of our control, we can’t do anything. Researcher: You said everything was what again? I’m sorry.
79 Christina: That everything was out of our control, so. Sheila: It’s all about destiny. Dale: There’s nothing you do about it. Life’s out of your hands. Sheila: You played that well. Dale: Thank you. Sheila: You’re welcome. Dale: I don't feel that way by the way. Sheila: Clearly but you enjoyed. Dale: But I enjoyed wearing the hat and playing… Researcher: What did you enjoy about it? Why did you enjoy it? What was it? Dale: I don't know. Sheila: Antagonistic? Dale: Yeah, yeah. Researcher: Alright number 4, who was number 4? Randi: The “individualist.” Researcher: Oh my gosh, [Rebecca] like played this to the hilt. Oh my gosh the leader and the antagonist were going to get it. Rebecca: You believe strongly in the part of the individual to make difference. You try to be the first one to respond and you start every sentence with I think we should or I feel that. Researcher: Yes and how did you do? Randi: It's very hard for me. [Everyone laughing] Dale: You started out strong and then [inaudible] and then it was like well maybe [inaudible] [Everyone laughing] Sheila: Which is what I was confused about, like wait a minute that's not where you were, where are we going with this list? Researcher: That was hard for you [Randi]. Randi: It was yeah. Okay these are all roles of people as we’re sitting here but that's not my role.
80 Researcher: [Observer] what were you? Observer: I was the “observer.” Researcher: And what was our job? Observer: We basically deferred to everybody else. You know our lack of experience… Sheila: Which is why we giggled when you said stuff like that. Observer: …and the fact that the observer was going with the most outspoken person, the person who seemed to be leading the group. Not wanting to make waves. Researcher: Oh that's right I was, we were only supposed to share our opinion if we were asked. Observer: And she didn't ask me. Researcher: And I just kept agreeing with the leader. It says you would agree with the leader’s opinion. So I kept overemphasizing how I agreed with you, the person in the role of the leader. Rebecca: That's interesting that you interpreted leader differently. Observer: Leader very differently. Researcher: Oh did you? Rebecca: And she said whoever was leading the conversation. Observer: Right I interpreted him to be the leader because he was very outspoken and very commanding and so like whatever you say. Whatever you say. Researcher: And I kept going - yeah I did do that. And also we were supposed to encourage everybody to give their opinion. Observer: Others to talk. Researcher: Yeah so that was it. So was that difficult? Easy? How was the whole process? Obviously you guys didn't even get the first one right? Bella: Nothing got accomplished. Researcher: Nothing got accomplished. Gary: It was very rushed. And I didn't know what [Rebbeca’s] role was but I could tell it was against me or whatever. So I kept trying to like slow things down and like what do you think about that [Christina] we haven’t heard from you? You need to speak up. Natasha: This was like way too fast for me. I like to think about things.
81 Researcher: Well the idea was do you get a sense of how sometimes when you have different values or how you’re different it makes you feel uncomfortable? Do you understand how that can all come from what your values are and how sometimes that could be portrayed, difficult to act out, or upon or even the reverse. You know how it affects the people that you’re trying to make come to a decision. Do do you think it would have made a difference if you knew what the role of the person was? Would it have made a difference in being able to prioritize? [Everyone talking over each other.] Sheila: I was just too busy trying to figure out what their roles were. Gary: Yeah. Rebecca: Although it’s interesting within the groups that the people that were in the same roles were very different. Maybe cause they were saying he was very vocal and you were very like whatever I don't care, whatever, nothing is going to change. It doesn’t matter. And she didn't really say much of anything until you pushed her to pick something and then she just picked. Christina: I actually chose sense of density and fate as last because I was like if we can't control it than it’s going to be last. Dale: See I wanted at the top because everything would fall under that like [inaudible] which she referred to me as Bob Marley. Sheila: You said, what did you say? “Don't worry be happy.” Dale: Yeah I was just like yeah just put that at the top. Our country will just be focused on “hey stuffs going to happen, it’ll work out.” Rebecca: So even our interpretations of these were all very different in how we acted those things out in the conversations. Researcher: Did, do you feel that any one of the roles kind of says how we are as a, as Americans or as, as teachers? Do you feel like any of the roles represented that? You know what were they the listener, you had the leader… Rebecca: I think they represent us in very different locations. If you’re sitting, at least in our building, I can’t speak for others, if you’re sitting in a staff meeting it sounds like we’re all listeners and paying attention and going with whatever it is. If you’re in the hallway it's very much number 4 - I think and I feel, this should be happening and that
82 should be happening and if you’re you know sitting in somebody’s room when they’re feeling defeated they’re like we can’t control it, we can’t change this whatever is going to happen I’m just going to go with the flow until the next cycle comes through. So depending on where you are during the time period I think all of them. Cause at some point you’re looking at the leader like just make a decision cause I got to get back to my room. You know so you have to go through all of them. Researcher: I don't think that's, that far off. So at any given moment we could be. Do you feel that as a country because you often hear about the American way - do you feel like the “independent” role is this whole idea of individualism and independence what we promote more so then as Americans? Randi: Kind of what [Christina] was saying earlier that's what we like to think and say that we’re promoting us as individuals we can get ahead and make our choices, but there’s a whole lot of people that don’t. Researcher: That not necessarily true for. Would you agree though that sometimes the same values could have different meanings? Sheila: For different people. Researcher: For different people. The same, so like honesty, if your value’s honesty that can have a different meaning depending on your experience. Gary: Yeah cause it could be more of the tell you how it is or the yeah taking your feelings into consideration. Researcher: It's not that one is right or wrong it's just that it, just how it comes out. Dale: Yeah the person who volunteers honesty and then the people who will be honest with you if you ask them. Researcher: That's a good point. Dale: They’re still both being honest, but their interpretation is different. I mean I’ve worked with people like that who if you ask them they will gladly tell you exactly what they’re thinking, otherwise they will not volunteer or confront anybody or honestly tell you things without being asked. Researcher: How does this affect the classroom in terms of what you do in your classroom?
83 Gary: I mean I think certainly you have to make sure that your students get a chance to take turns with the roles and not like always hearing from the same student. Like making sure you’re pulling people in. Like hey I haven’t heard from you yet what do you think about this? Researcher: So maybe creating opportunities for all students to express themselves even if it's not in the traditional way. That you know responding to a question but we need to think about it in those terms. Christina: I think it's important for kids to understand your values too and where you fall on some of these things. Like, like I think if you talk to kids in my room they would tell you that I’m going to tell them how it is a lot. They know that that's something that is a value of mine and they know I’m going to be honest with them, but that I expect that back. And that’s something that you know I lay out there right in the beginning. But some of those other things they might kind of have to figure out you know and feel their way on just you know from experiences in my classroom and that kind of thing. Researcher: So does helping, so you mean when students understand your values and they can have an insight into expectations which would help them be better in that setting. Bella: Right and be more successful in your room. You know cause everybody when you share you know like kids or whatever you might have different expectations. I might have different, the kids have to adjust when they go to your room versus coming to my room. Oh look I can get away with that with him, but I can’t get away with that her or vice versa.
The conversation ended with the group reflecting upon the difficulty that arises when someone (student, parent or staff member) does not share your own values nor considers them important – how this can be insurmountable and have an impact on your classroom environment. When students do not share or respect our values – we encounter resistant behaviors from them. Behaviors and values are connected – the individualist was very focused on himself and challenged other ways of thinking which made it difficult for the group to reach a consensus on building the Utopianstan. Our values influence our decision making process and as teachers we
84 have the power to make decisions within our classrooms but others can either make that process smooth or difficult for us. 2. Classroom strategies and practices. We talked a great deal about how our values and beliefs shape perceptions that impact decisions we make in our classrooms. We connected these discussions to the idea what we value or believe drives how we manage our classrooms instructionally. Our experiences shape what we do instructionally with our students as well. If I value relationships, then my classroom may involve a lot of discussions and group work and activities. It may also mean that I expect my students to contribute and participate, exchange information, and share their thoughts throughout the day. As the teacher, instructionally, I might include literature or material that promotes a sense of community or interdependence over literature or material that promotes independence. Teachers determine what information is shared with our students and how it gets shared. Participants described their classroom methods and how they incorporated the experiences of their students in instructional decisions by answering questions about their classroom practices. The focus group participants individually wrote their responses, handed them in to the facilitator and then we discussed their responses. The participants in the focus group demonstrated a high regard for doing whatever necessary to meet the academic needs of their students. They were well versed in best practices and were open to new ways of meeting the needs of their students academically. They also seemed very conscientious about engaging their students in meaningful activities that kept student interest and made sure students had fun in their classrooms. Overall, participants demonstrated a strong focus in best pedagogical practices. The teachers seemed to care about how students felt in their classroom as a community or individual. They each mentioned this as a part of how they described their class. Feeling welcomed or a part of their class was a priority for the teachers. In general, the participants felt they were attentive to meeting the needs of students and promoted an open and friendly classroom atmosphere for their students. 3. Incorporating student experiences. Participants were asked to respond to two additional questions regarding their classroom practices. They were asked to think about how they include the background and experiences of their students when planning instruction and how the students responded. The participants wrote down their responses and their sheets were collected and we discussed their responses. In almost every instance, they referred to either the academic ability or the personal interest of students. How students prefer to learn or what
85 modality of learning they prefer by far was teachers’ focus for consideration. In addition, the teachers revealed a strong desire to engage the students based on personal interest from a surface level perspective. For example, if a student played football or participated in an activity or event from the previous day or weekend, the teacher wanted to engage the student by connecting this interest to the learning in the classroom.
Shirley’s Response “I try to think about how I can relate the concept to something they are interested in. For example, positive and negative integers I relate to football and the gaining and loss of yards and total yardage. It allows them to connect concepts to something they enjoy instead of just school. The students are also better able to explain the concept through the examples.”
Randi’s Response “I try to incorporate the interests of my students whenever possible. [A student] enjoys learning about space, which is in my curriculum, so he was able to share some of his own knowledge during lessons. Also I often have projects or assignments that allow students to choose the topic or choose how to show what they have learned. [Another student] likes drawing comics, so I incorporated that into a book report “think-tac-toe” project. They like being incorporated into lessons. Sometimes it’s as simple as using their name in a spelling test. They get excited to hear what I’ll say about the next student.”
Getting to know and understand students on a deeper level was not reflected in the responses but was discussed by the focus group as being important to learning. Participants did feel the more we understand about who our students really are as individuals and what their values and beliefs are, the better we could help them learn and grow. But as a whole, group members dismissed the importance or the ability to make time for this level of engagement of their students. Many members commented that much of what they would learn about what their students thought would either be based upon what their parents thought or what the students felt their teachers wanted to hear.
86 By in large, focus group participants did feel that students liked the idea of being included in the lesson even if in a minor way (by name or as a part of a problem based on the individual student characteristics). Students in many cases responded positively and were able to stay engaged more as well as understand concepts or content more deeply. The incorporation of students in instructional planning was a practice by all the members of the focus group. The focus group members decided they wanted to know if their students’ values differed from theirs, so as homework from one of the sessions, they asked their students what they valued most about school. Some focus group members collected the information from a simple discussion; others asked their students to write their responses. They were asked to monitor their African American student responses separate from their other student responses. Many of the responses from students overlapped for the racial groups but it was reported that African American students consistently valued grades, careers, and friendships at the middle school level. The African American students also commented that they valued free time and not being punished or getting into trouble. At the elementary levels, student responses were similar for African American students and other students but grades, education, and friendship were also repeated for African American students. As a focus group, we analyzed some of the student responses and compared them to the top values of focus group members to see if they conflicted.
Researcher: …And then we’re going to take kind of what we come up with from the kids or what the kids said and kind of list out their values and see how the two, two areas overlap or either how they differ and what the impact might be. And maybe as we talk about some of things that you found from your students let’s think in terms of what does that mean in terms of what they value, what is important to them. So then as you fill out your analysis you have a sense of you know they said this, which means they probably value this kind of sorta thing. Does that make sense? Sheila: I’ll just confess I forgot to do the homework. Researcher: Okay well you might have to guess. Sheila: Get my name on the board. Researcher: You might have to guess. Sheila: I’ll do my study hall.
87 Researcher: It’s alright. But I thought it might be interesting to kind of take a look at how it either comes together or is different. So that's kind of what we’re going to do. Anyone want to go first with a what they found and honestly if we could start by focusing on the African American students, what they said. Natasha: Almost all of my African American students said that they valued grades. That was probably their number one. And some of them valued friendships. I only had a couple say that they valued their grades because they wanted to go on and play basketball or, which surprised me because some of them are very into athletics, so that surprised me. But they all said grades which wasn't much different than my other students. Researcher: If they value grades does that reflect their grades in terms of how they do? Do you see that corresponding, it’s important to them therefore they do well? Natasha: Well yes, especially with one student because he wasn't eligible to play basketball this year and he’s really worked to keep his grades up so that he can play sports in the future. So that was, I see that in him. And the others are all good students anyway, but it’s just nice to know that they value that. And really when they come into 7th grade they have an all new appreciation for grades because they can’t go onto the 8th grade unless they get certain grades. So they all value their grades at that point because they don't want to be in 7th grade again. Christina: Grades and friendship were my top two, but it was my top two for my white kids also. I had a couple black kids who said teachers, one lunch, specifically chicken and potato roll and Chinese chicken. Teamwork and leadership. Gary: Mine more or less overlapped as well. Grades, getting a good job, careers. I did have one mention athletic scholarship and then one other, something I noticed I heard from a few black students who said they’re motivated because of like free time or not getting punished as far as like getting good grades. But like some of my white students said like they get paid if they get good grades, so that was like a slight difference in motivation, like punishment versus reward. Researcher: Oh I see, okay. Natasha: That's the dumbest thing paying kids for grades. Researcher: Others.
88 Shirley: I had the gamut. Christina: I had lots of other things too. Shirley: Friends, [inaudible] and told me I value nothing here at school. And to be kind, caring, be happy, homework, BFFs and then she listed them all. Grades, friends, being polite, showing respect, friendship, getting good grades, being nice, honesty, and no conflict. And then my one getting straight As, getting a good education, getting all of my homework done, studying always for tests. Researcher: Very studious. Sheila: Were yours reflective also of what they said versus what matches it? Shirley: Pretty much, all except for one and I told him I said don't you kiss my butt, tell me what you really think because when put on there that you value homework and you have 20 missing assignments in math alone I’m going to call you out on it. Cause I know you’re lying and you’re telling me what I want to hear. Dale: Do you do that before they filled it out? Shirley: Yeah. Dale: See I did mine after, I did call them out. [All talking over each other] Dale: I did I let them fill it our first and got the same thing, they almost all said one of three things like friends, education, or some combination of those two and then I waited until I read them and then I did that. Sheila: Cause that was fun too. Dale: Yeah. Because [inaudible] if this what you’re actually saying is most important to you when you’re at school and you do the exact opposite that's not what’s most important to you. Or if it is you need to start showing that’s… Sheila: You need to find a different way to go about it cause this isn’t working for you. Dale: Cause as annoying as like [a student’s] answer was that he values always being right he was being completely honest. Researcher: Okay. Dale: I know this is more than just the black kids, but I only had one kid who kind of said they valued teachers who care about them. And I thought that was interesting. It was kind of like as the teacher I think I would want more kids seeing that as a value. I had
89 kids who wrote teachers and they didn't really expand on what that meant, but then I had one who wrote I value teachers who care. I thought it was interesting that she distinguished between I don't value all teachers. It was I value teachers who care. Christina: I had three who put that. I mean out of 80 because I did all three classes, but I found it was a small number too. Rebecca: Were they all kids that had been [North] kids forever or kids who came from someplace else? Because we always talk about that with our surveys, like if they don't know anything else they don't know to know they value that. You know like when they do that [district] survey and the question is do your teachers care about you. Well if all they’ve ever known is adults who care about them they don't even know that there are people who don't, like they don't know that situation. So I think it’s interesting to think about who it was and who said that… Dale: The one who put teachers that care was [Student A]. I don't know how long she’s been at [Elementary A], but I know she processes everything at a more… Shirley: She’s a much higher-level thinker. Observer: She’s been here for a long time. Shirley: I think so. Natasha: I said students say that they value teachers who care, but I think there are kids that I think they are kids that went through [North] their whole lives and they’re my higher-level kids. Researcher: So then the absence of that experience might be, well again maybe that's why you get the lunch because if that your window or your sphere of influence, if that's all you, you’ve had experience with, maybe that is why you kind of… Christina: He just really likes food too I think. We’ve had multiple conversations about food. I’m a good one to talk to about that so. Rebecca: When I did my student teaching in [urban district] I would think the kindergarteners would have said that because the majority of the kids came into afternoon kindergarten not having eaten, which that was the expectation that they had, they hadn’t eaten. So anytime we served them food that was a huge value to them because even though we thought they had eaten they hadn’t you know so.
90 Researcher: Any other comments or thoughts about the values of your students before we move on? Dale: Alright I have one more. Researcher: Okay. Dale: At [another elementary] respect was always an issue when we did student surveys and I don't know, I don't remember or if I’m supposed to know what it was at [Elementary A] but it was like mutual respect among students was that identified as like a problem? Researcher: I think so, wasn't it? Or it was… Rebecca: It's the least of the things right, so when it says students respect teachers, teachers respect students, and then students respect students. That's the lowest category. Researcher: Yeah. Dale: Okay cause that's one that stood out I only had like three kids mention anything about respect. Researcher: Oh. Dale: And I know at [another elementary] that was an issue I kind of had to deal with was kids either didn't understand what the word respect meant or how you show it. So it kind of surprised me like if kids are saying I don't feel respected but then only 3 or 4 of them are putting down that that's something I value. Researcher: Oh I see. Dale: You see what I mean? Researcher: Yeah. Observer: You know I think one of the things, you know because of the nature of the job that I do and having taught before that I am amazed at really kids not understanding what those words mean. And I think it’s sort of indicative of this idea that you know we’re asking them what’s important to them but they almost need words to pick from. Words you know that make sense to them and I think one of the things that you both said is you know really values drive our behaviors and what you saw was discrepancies in what they say is important to them and then what their behaviors are. You know it just reminds me that maybe this is something that kids need to be almost taught. You know whether you call it values or not, what’s important to you and then actually giving them what we
91 would call values and defining them and then helping kids draw, connect the dots between what's, if it really is important then it's going to influence how you act and it’s going to have something to do with how you related to others. And I just think there's just this real lack of understanding about a lot of these things. Researcher: It's a disconnect. Observer: It really is. Researcher: It's a disconnect. Rebecca: They know what they’re supposed to say, what they think you want to hear. Observer: Because these are things we really don't talk to kids about very much anymore. Rebecca: Because they know they’re our values. Shirley: Yeah. Rebecca: I know that we value it because they see it from us so they assume they should. Dale: Or their parents, because I feel like a lot of mine answered based on what their parents have told them is important. Researcher: Okay so… Dale: I mean there are a lot of people like one put to pass the OAA. Well why would that be a value? That's not even really a pass/fail type of test at 6th grade. That's somebody telling them… Researcher: That that's important. Dale: …that it’s important or you have to pass it and so that I mean I find it hard to believe that that kid’s that's their value when they come to school, the most important thing to them is passing that. Sheila: I think sometimes they have things that are important to them but they don't want to try hard for, so like it’s really important but… Dale: Or it's a want. Sheila: …it’s a want that they don't want to work for they just want it. Rebecca: If someone says you got this, we need to go celebrate, so it's on their mind because that's all we're doing at school and then they know, “oh I get this recognition.”
92 Researcher: Because when you think about it and let’s just take homework for example, as an example. It appears that homework is not valued a lot by children because kids aren’t doing it as if their grades aren’t important. Maybe if you have students who aren’t doing as well grade wise, why do you think or how do we look at when there is a disconnect between what the teacher values as important and what the student values as important? I mean do we have to look at it? Like one of the questions from the last time we were together and it's on your handout is, do we take the time to teach what’s important? Because is that really something that's important to do? Well if you value homework because you value responsibility or whatever the value is that's connected to homework and your students don't and there’s this disconnect, how does that impact the classroom? You know what I mean? Sheila: They’re not going, they, if they don't buy into it then it doesn’t matter how well you dance up there, they’re not getting what you’re offering. Researcher: But do you just maintain that value? Do you just keep maintaining it then? Sheila: I think you got to do something to find a common ground with them. Shirley: I mean I think [Natasha] hit it right on it’s, they get to 7th grade and they have to get grades. Up until then if their parents don't value them and they don't set a precedent of you need to get these, why are they going to? They sit there and why do I need to work so hard because I’ve gotten Ds and Fs and I haven’t failed yet. Or you know some will even say I failed once you’re not going to fail me again. And I mean they know this, so they have no value in those grades because it means nothing to them.
There are times when the teachers’ values conflict with the students’ values. For example, Natasha said her students valued grades while she valued learning. We discussed if grades reflect learning and decided that because there were natural consequences averaged in with grades for not being responsible (missing homework or assignments), grades don’t necessarily reflect learning. Also, if a student would have a D average because of low test scores or poor performance, it would not mean that learning was not occurring for that student. So we discussed how do the two differences – grades versus learning – get communicated as being valued for both Natasha and her students. The group offered that in some kind of a way, Natasha needs to communicate and show this student his progress and while it still does not exactly
93 match the student’s identified value of grades being demonstrated as most important; it is a step in the right direction. Grades are feedback on student progress and providing the student with some form of feedback would be beneficial. In the end the focus group members also did not perceive the values of their students to always match their students’ behaviors. For example, students valued good grades but most students earned Ds and Fs. Unfortunately due to limited time we were not able to further explore this with students in order to gain an understanding as to why this was happening. Navigating Experiences with Race Our next phase of discussions involved looking at how we define ourselves racially and culturally. This led to the group reflecting on the racial make-up of the North School District. The district is much more racially and socioeconomically diverse and yet the staff population is mostly middle class and European American – less than two percent minority. The focus group participants felt in general that more needs to be done to change this makeup so that we can better understand how to serve the needs of students different from the majority. The district’s staff needs to reflect the change in the student body. A more diverse staff would bring new perspectives and different ways of doing things. 4. Cultural experiences. Participants were asked to consider how to respond to racial conflict between students and how they might resolve this conflict. Focus group members were divided into smaller groups and given a scenario to examine and discuss possible ways to respond to the situation. In doing so, they were asked to consider all sides and situate themselves in a space to either identify or not identify with the issue and discuss why. The scenarios were racially based and they involved conflict with students and/or parents. The scenarios were based upon real experiences in the North School District. Each scenario was assigned to a small group of 2-3 within the focus group to discuss and provide a recommended resolution by reporting out to the larger group for discussion.
Scenario #1. You have a 6th grade African American female student who comes to you in tears because she likes another 6th grade European American male student who says he is not allowed to “date” her because she is African American. The male student feels really bad but his parents feel strongly about this and they have talked with him specifically about this girl. What do you do and how does this impact your classroom?
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Sheila: We all said that we’d probably start with the girl and talk to her about it because she’s the one that's sort of in the wronged situation, but we would also talk with the boy about it and consult the counselor. And then [Observer] brought up some good points after [Shirley] said that they’re not old enough to be able to date. And it’s totally possible from a parenting perspective, I wouldn’t have used that but to maybe like to talk the child into that's the reason why you can’t date, that’d be a bad one to be able to use that but I would totally lie to my kids about something like that to get them to lay off of whatever it was that was important to you. Observer: I think one of the things that we talked about is you know kids are going to run into times when their parents values or beliefs are not the same as their own. And I think that even at an early age you can acknowledge and you can affirm the fact that that's frustrating for you and that as a boy or girl you know that it’s not necessarily that way but in our case we talked about the fact that you know sometimes you have to weigh the repercussions of that at their age, but also to bring up the fact that you know as kids get older they’re more able to make decisions that are in line with what they you know they think is important and they value. Researcher: So you would have a conversation with both students? Anything else? Sheila: I just think there’s not enough information (agreement) there that's what we all said. Also where would you go from there? Who knows what could really happen I mean it could just turn out to be like oh okay well we’re all good. It could be some sort of explosion of God only knows, you never know when you end up having those conversations, but I don't think you can ignore it. Researcher: Would anyone do anything else different or anything additional? Gary: I just think in conversation with the girl and I mean I didn't know like what it is exactly you would say to her but just to you know make sure she knows it’s nothing you know like wrong with her you know it’s just she’s beautiful or whatever you know the situation is so she doesn't go through the rest of her life thinking like because I’m you know this. Researcher: Would anyone call the parents and talk with the parents? Observer: That's a good question.
95 Sheila: I think I would probably call the girl’s parents. Researcher: Not the boy’s parents? Sheila: It would depend on the conversation. I think I would lean more toward hers automatically and concern for how she would react to that and to reassure them. Because she’s probably going to go home and have a conversation at home too, so to reassure them that yeah it happened, but here’s how it's being handled. And this is my perspective on the situation whether the boy is whatever the situation is with the kid. I don't know if I would call the boy’s parents. It would depend on how, I wouldn't be uncomfortable with it, if it seemed like it was a reasonable you know in that situation. Gary: And the boy could be an injured party too because he could get labeled by you know he’s racist or and that doesn't have anything to do with it. Researcher: That is the key point. This actually happened and that is what happened. There was a group, I didn't put that in there my bad, I left that out. But the point is that the student that was following the direction of the parents I, was just as injured. I felt talking to his parents was as important as the talking to the young lady’s parents. So I called both parties, I explained what happened. Sheila: And you made the phone call as an administrator… Researcher: Cause it came to me, cause the teacher, I can’t remember why it came to me. It might have been cause it was lunch time when it happened. I can’t remember why it came to me. Or maybe they just felt like this was a big enough issue because kids were saying things I think that's what it was because other kids got involved. Which is typical. Sheila: Well when that happens too though that leads into an opportunity to have classroom discussion with things like that too so you know. Shirley: You are growing up and you’re starting to form your own opinions and they could be different then your parents and you know that's okay and… Researcher: But the point, the thing to think about is that and I guess the point that I was trying to get at in this scenario, is that this child was responding to the value of his parents and do we. Is it important for us to communicate when that has an impact like this? Whether it’s you’re not making a judgment call but you’re just informing the parent of you know I need your help with how to help this situation because this is how
96 everybody’s feeling. It’s just a matter of informing them and sometimes because it's uncomfortable, not do it? Sheila: Yeah, yes I think people avoid that. Because you don't know how it’s going to be received. Researcher: Right, right. Sheila: And I think you have to be, have some experience at doing that and have some skill at doing that so that you are able to present it in that way rather than a judgment. And sometimes even if that is your intent you still come across as judging. Until you’ve had an experience where you’ve got dinged a little bit and you realized oh maybe I didn't come across that well. Researcher: Right. Gary: Did you say you called in this situation the boy’s parents? Researcher: Yeah I called both sets of parents. Gary: What was their reaction to you as an African American principal? Researcher: I think they felt embarrassed. I think they were embarrassed. But I assured them that I respect whatever your, whatever you are, whatever you’ve taught your child that is your right to do, the thing that I’m just needing help with is how do we deal with this situation. Because it’s upsetting to another student and I think he’s upset because he feels like his friends see him a different way now. And it wasn't intended, that wasn't the intent. And so I don't know quite what they said but I could tell from, I remember from the conversation they were embarrassed, so. And I don't know if it was reversed if I would have felt uncomfortable, if I was White calling you know and I don't know. I don’t know to say that, to deliver that. Rebecca: Or if it had been the opposite situation. What if there was a white girl being told I can’t date you because you're white? Researcher: Oh I see. Rebecca: The black boy said I can’t date you because you’re white and you had to call both families. Researcher: No that does not, the idea of that does not make me uncomfortable. I don't know why that doesn't. But this did. I was a little worried as to how the parents might respond…
97 Rebecca: Do you think it was because it’s a boy versus a girl. If it had been a boy and girl switched? Researcher: I think it’s because I’ve had experiences with African American people who’ve said that and I understand that might be your preference but here’s how, I think I just would have felt comfortable because I’ve had that experience only. That's the only reason. Not that I’ve had it as an administrator, but personally. Does that make sense? Gary: I’m just curious if he grows up and marries an African American. They’ve given him a complex for life.
The group discussed the scenario and started by saying that they would have a conversation with the girl because she is the one being wronged in the situation. They also felt it was important to have a discussion with the young man and consult with the counselor. This brought up a discussion about when the values of students differ from that of their parents and that perhaps this is a moment to help students start to learn that as they grow older this is going to happen. It was important to the group to speak with the students and not ignore the situation for fear that it could become a bigger issue and involve others. I asked the other members listening to the group if they would add anything different to address the issue and Gary added to be sure in the conversation with the young lady that she understands that it is nothing wrong with her. Gary connected this to an experience he had as a kindergarten when a European American student told him she would not play with him because he was African American and ugly. I asked if anyone would call parents and Sheila said she would call the girl’s parents because of concern for her but not necessarily the boys. Dale commented that the male student could suffer repercussions from peers and be perceived as racist (which in Dale’s opinion had nothing to do with the situation). I explained that in the actual incident both sets of parents were called. Members in the group responded that there would be reluctance to call for fear of conflict.
Scenario #2. You have an influential, African American parent who calls you, the{European American} teacher - racist - because their child is failing your class and the parent feels you treat their child differently because you don’t understand them and you make assumptions about their child’s ability to learn. You have had past issues with communication with this parent (disagreements about assignments, grading) and the parent has caused concerns of other black
98 parents in your classroom. The parent is very passionate when defending their child’s academics. The student is not a discipline problem but you feel he has the potential to be a better student academically. You and the parent can’t seem to see eye to eye on what this looks like. The parent wants good grades for the son and you the teacher want to see him working to his potential. What do you do and how might this impact your classroom?
Researcher: Let’s go to number two, since we’re going in order. And influential can mean just angry, popular one. It didn't necessarily mean they were like… Sheila: The mayor of [city]. Researcher: It's more like somebody who could wreak havoc. Dale: That is crazy. Researcher: Somebody who can wreak havoc. Not as influential, not someone who is like popular. Alright so you got this parent comes in calls the teacher racist and… Dale: We’re assuming the teacher is White? Researcher: Uh yeah. Dale: Okay. Researcher: Sorry I was trying to get all that stuff in there. Yes. And it's about you know the child’s making bad grades, you want the child to produce based on their ability and the parent disagrees, they need to get good grades period, academically. Dale: I think we said we would start with trying to build a case that's data, backed by data like here’s why we are saying your child isn’t performing the way we want them to, it’s not about anything other than student progress. Researcher: That's a good point. Dale: Now with that being said are they still going to be angry? We said if you can’t sit down maybe you have team meet with the parent. I’m a big believer in teams of teachers meeting with parents especially difficult ones. If you need to, have an administrator get involved. Just have somebody hearing everything that's being said. I would not, something I would not do is get into I’m not a racist. Researcher: Okay why not? Dale: Why not because I feel like… Researcher: The parent flat out calls you, you are a racist…
99 Sheila: I’m sorry you feel that way. Researcher: …Mr. [Dale] you are a racist okay and you say what? Sheila: I’m sorry you feel that way. Researcher: Okay. Dale: Yeah I mean I hear you, I hear what you're saying. We’re here to discuss your child and their academic progress. Here is the data to back up why I would, why I’m disappointed in their academics at this point. I would focus it all on the child, all on the academics. Even if you have to repeat it five times you know and then at some point you say, if this is all you are here to discuss then we need to set up another meeting so I can have my administrator here or, yeah whatever you do just don't, don't open that door to then get in an argument about whether you are or are not a racist. Sheila: Because I think that's probably the intention. Shirley: Yeah if they go in and that's how they start… Sheila: If that's the kind of parent who’s doing that. Shirley: …that's their goal. Dale: I mean we…You’re not going to change their mind. Shirley: We had a couple this year. Dale: We had one where it was everybody you know started with well everybody in the neighborhood knows you’re this and like you know it's kind of immediately I’m not here to discuss everyone in the neighborhood or anyone else’s child, we’re here to focus on your child and their academic success here at school. So I mean for me I would just keep it focused on the academics with data. I wouldn't say things that open the door to, oh so you're not really sure, or you don't know, those kinds of things. You want to be confident with your information. Researcher: Okay so then the person goes to your administrator and says okay I want to meet with you and talk to you about this teacher because I think they’re a racist. And so you come to the meeting with your administrator, and I’m not doing this just to [Dale], anybody and the parent wants you to address the fact that their child’s being treated unfair because they’re Black. They’re insisting on you addressing that issue. Dale: I would hopefully have proof that I'm not treating them differently. Whether that's a behavior clipboard or assignments or even how they’re handled in class I mean.
100 Researcher: So maybe the thing to do is to ask questions to say… Dale: I would hope my administrator before we got to that meeting said please give me some concrete proof that my teacher has been… Shirley: You know what is it, assignments or? Dale: What is your proof that they’re a racist in the classroom before we ever got to that meeting. Researcher: So you think the administrator should meet with parent absent of you. Shirley: When they request it. Dale: I thought you said the parent went to the administrator, I would hope the administrator… Researcher: Oh sorry - in my mind as an administrator I would never meet with a parent without a teacher if they were alleging that a teacher is racist. [Talking over each other]. Dale: I would hope if a person called up and said hey Mr. [Dale] is a racist. I would hope your first response wouldn't be well let’s all have a meeting. I would hope your response would be I’m going to need more details on why you are… Researcher: Let’s say the parent called and called the teacher racist, then the teacher went to the administrator and talked about it. The parent felt her child was being treated unfairly. Then the teacher, parent and administrator meet and the parent specifically demands that you address the fact that you the treated her child unfairly and it’s because the teacher is a racist. And so then you have a discussion. Dale: Yeah I think that's a fair place to start because then maybe it’s a miscommunication. You know I don't know how many times I’ve had parents well my kid says this happened, that's not at all what happened in class. It’s not what was said. Researcher: So clarify. Dale: It’s not how something was handled so if you can solve it right there… Sheila: I do think sometimes those instances occur because the children say my parents said this and they go home and say my teacher said this in order to keep that battle cause they figured out how they get attention. Bella: Or they’re trying to get away with something, you know. My teacher did this and this and this and I’m not showing this detention form yet until they have this…
101 Sheila: Yeah they know that. Researcher: So making that connecting with the parent is important to clarify and to verify why they’re feeling that way and to get at that. Sheila: What really happened? How did it turn out? Researcher: Okay the two that comes to mind that were kind of a big deal. The first one went really well because I think what I did was I made the parent pinpoint why are you saying that and then I even kind of called the parent on the whole definition of racist, do you understand what you’re saying? You're saying and I talked about a racist is this person who every single person of color they treat this way you know it's not based on anything that they know so would you unequivocally say that that has happened based on what we’ve clarified here and the parent actually backs down. The second time it happened I felt like the parent was clarified, but then the teacher point blank told me they were uncomfortable. The teacher was uncomfortable when the parent repeating it and I tried to help them feel better about it but the teacher was just not comfortable with how it went. Sheila: With the meeting? Researcher: With the meeting. Because I… Sheila: With you? Researcher: Yes because the parent kept saying it and I kept forcing the parent to clarify why they’re saying that and it just kept making the teacher feel uncomfortable because that is a strong term. I don't know that if it was being directed at me that I would feel so comfortable at challenging it. You know but what I was trying to get the parent to do, was to describe what happen to make her feel like the teacher didn't acknowledge her. Or things like she didn't give her child an extra copy of an assignment, but she gave it to somebody else. The key is that you do ask for evidence. You do ask for clarification, because this is often something that happens and even though people say racist the idea behind it was that my child is being treated unfairly and that's what you address. Why do you feel your child is being treated unfairly and why do you feel it’s based on the color of their skin? And I don't know that we have discussions like these with African America families to help them not assume that an individual is racist, because that is a strong term and it’s very offensive. So I think it's a fine line with that kind of meeting.
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In this scenario, the members discussed presenting factual data to the parent to show documented evidence as to why the teacher felt the child is not progressing on a level he is capable of performing. I challenged Dale who was presenting for his group by saying “so what the parent calls you flat out racist!” Dale said he would respond “I am sorry you feel that way.” He insisted that it is important to stay on topic and continue to refer back to the data and the purpose of the meeting to discuss progress. The focus group members all agree that the parent is intentionally trying to open up the door to discuss race. Dale (and others in the group) felt it was important to have an administrator present when discussing such a sensitive topic with a parent because at this point, the parent is just trying to argue. So as the facilitator, I suggested the meeting is taken to the administrator level and the parent insists that the teacher is racist and this is why her child is being treated unfairly. The group members at this point said they would yield to the administrator to address the issue of the teacher being called a racist. Sheila pointed out that maybe these types of miscommunications could be avoided if we improved teacher-parent relationships by beating the student to the parent when things occur. The student goes home and feeds their parents with inaccuracies that fester and then build until the parents become a momma or poppa bear and unleashes their frustration out on the teacher.
Scenario #3. You have an African American student who is repeatedly disruptive in class and you tell them you are going to call the parent if the behavior continues. You have said this several times but you finally decide you need to follow through with calling the parent. When you do decide to call - the child becomes visibly frightened and says the parent will beat them if you call. The child swears she will be better but you call the parent anyway. The parent comes up to the school visibly angry with the child and asks to pull the child out of class to discipline him. What do you do and how might this impact your classroom?
Researcher: Our final scenario, we got a bad student in class, you say I’m going to call your parents and then finally you do it after a few times. You call and the parent shows up at your door. Give me Johnny, Sally, Suzie, whoever and next thing you know okay they’re angry and they pull them out to discipline them. Hopefully it's not in the hallway. I think I’ve had that experience before.
103 Gary: Two of us had an experience something like that and open the door and…You know what I think it’s good parenting if it's not abusive but if it's gotten that bad and the student is not meeting expectations, we’ve given you warnings, things have been clear. You know now it's time for a spanking. Natasha: And we don’t worry if the child becomes visibly frightened because if this were [my child’s] teacher, if she told [my child] that she was going to call me he would, he would sob. He would become visibly frightened, but I don't beat him. You know what I mean so it's hard to, it's hard to tell. Sheila: That's a good point. Or is it a manipulation to get out of trouble. [Talking over each other]. Gary: We also thought a flaw in this scenario says that you said several times that you would call but you finally decided, we all sort of agreed we wouldn't threaten that several times you know. If you throw that out there… Sheila: If you can’t follow through or don't say it. Gary: Right. Researcher: Right. That's good. Yeah I gave up my office for use and I said don't leave any marks, that’s all I said, don't leave any marks. Yeah did that a couple times for parents and often times it will have an effect but not always. I remember my own child, so sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Natasha: And I think there’s certain people you know. I mean if you know their background. You know I think about [a family] that we had a long time ago, their dad was pretty over the top. So I mean you would know. Researcher: But would that stop you from doing it because you know if you would do it for any, are there only certain kids because you know it becomes that extreme? Sheila: I think you only make those phone calls based on what you know is going to be effective. So just like the same parent that you know thinks pro-wrestling is really a great goal you quit leading them, you quit involving them. Because they could stalk you after school if you offer to help her after school until 4:00 he might not leave your classroom for a long time. You might have to have somebody help you escape. But if you know that the kid is really going to get something at home then you find a way to make it work here. That's true though by the way. I did get a ten-dollar Kroger card out of it.
104 Rebecca: We had a family that the oldest boy got punished every time anybody in the family got in trouble. It was their culture, he got punished. And it wasn't his issue and it got to the point where we had to involve children’s services so no I’m not going to call. I’m going to deal with that, because that parent has lost control. They don't have a perspective that's acceptable to me with their child. So I’m not going to put that child in a situation that I know is dangerous… Sheila: Even if it's not even that severe. Rebecca: Right and I think that, cause I don't think that's emotionally okay either for that child. And with [a family] the same thing, I wasn't going to go there because what they were going to have happen was not going acceptable, it was dangerous. And I can’t put a child in that situation. Randi: And how effective is it I mean I’m thinking of one where you did give up the office yeah that made me nervous calling the dad and knowing he was going to come up there. It was effective that day. Yeah he was great for a day and a half. Sheila: Did you have to keep doing it over and over? Dale: I’m saying was it effective for your class to see that you called and then something happened? Did you ever have to make that threat again? Cause I see that as sometimes being effective for the other kids as much for that kid. Cause if I say I’m going to call home and then I call home and something happens. Well then if I toss out I’m going to call home if you don’t get this under control they know I will and they know what can happen. I mean it goes back to knowing your kids and what will happen. Cause you don't want to call and nothing happened, then it's like oh okay. Researcher: But it is, you bring up a good point. [Talking over each other]. But you bring up a good point. You bring up a good point and it's something to think about and it's something that is really interesting in terms of the connection or disconnection with you know what we value as appropriate parenting and what the parent feels is effective. And the other piece is that what my experience has been is that involving the parent whether we deem them effective or not, it’s not like we’re handling the problem independently of that and I think even if we don't necessarily agree that it's as effective. Do we not involve the parent for that reason? Or do we allow the parent to parent? Because what if someone, if it were reversed and your child was
105 doing something that the teacher took it upon themselves to handle, I mean would you want to know as the parent? Would you want to know and be able to address it or whether you think it’s appropriately addressed or not, would you want to know? If something your child was doing something and the teacher just took it upon themselves to address it and didn't call you? Dale: I think the word repeatedly is important, cause I know for me I like to give, if it's happening enough to I’m to the point where I’m going to call them, I call them before I have to use that threat. Like I like to contact the parent and say hey just a heads up your kids just been off the wall this week… Sheila: Is something going on? Is there something I need to know? Dale: Just to give them like a, hey I’m having trouble, before I toss that out in class. As a parent I would like to know. I don't know if you guys know [my daughter] I mean she is really bad. Natasha: That's what I’ve heard. Dale: I’ve tried to get her to be bad and she won’t do it. But I mean if she was having trouble with a teacher or teachers I would rather know something ahead of time where I can try to handle it first rather than it coming out of the blue like… Sheila: Well for you it also gives you the opportunity to get a feel for what the response is going to be before you lay yourself out there and say I’m calling home. Dale: Right. Researcher: I think that sometimes the decisions we might make may be based on our values and it may conflict with the parent value. So if we don't look at how we kind of meet in the middle with that sometimes it comes back to bite us I think. It’s been my experience. So those are just some thoughts. I mean I know we care about kids and we don't want to set them up to be harmed in any way cause we have a responsibility, but we are only limited, because we only have them at school you know. When they go home to be parented we don't know how that impacts them. It could be an aunt or an uncle that could have some kind of impact, better than the parent or something - so those are just things to think about.
106 The last scenario presented had actually happened to a couple of members in the focus group. They felt that the parent choosing to discipline a disruptive child was good parenting and did not perceive the angry parent to be out of line. Gary expressed his approval for corporal punishment for the student who had repeatedly not followed teacher attempts to redirect or change the poor behavior. Natasha added that students can become visibly upset but not because they are afraid of a physical response from their parent – it could be just because they fear the consequence from the parent. Sheila commented that her experience has been both good and bad with this type of situation and she has disagreed in some instances with the parent using corporal punishment because she felt it harmed a child versus helped them change their behavior. Rebecca recalled an instance where a parent came up to school to physically discipline a student and it was only effective for that day. The student’s behavior did not change but the dad was not called again to ask for help either. The group members talked at length about the impact of a parent’s involvement with the disciplining of their child for poor behaviors in the classroom. There was a reluctance to involve a parent too quickly to help change the behaviors of students. The focus group members enjoyed the scenarios a lot and it made them think about their role in racial conflict. They reflected that they are not comfortable with resolving the conflict with or between themselves and parents. It is topic they avoid when possible. The group members realize that by avoiding the conflict that will not make it go away and in fact it can cause it to grow. They would like a tool bag of resources to use when faced with racial conflict. They understand that the European American, middle class teacher operates in a different space than the African American, middle class parent. Race does matter but they want to treat everyone fairly – which in the minds of most of the focus group members - means the same 5. African American students in our classroom. As a group we shifted to look at how our personal cultural experiences or lack thereof have influenced our teaching and spent time examining our experiences working with African American students. Focus group members see themselves as being very open to the differences in their African American students. They show respect for differences in their students and embrace these differences in their classroom. Most members have encountered working with African American culture through teaching at North School District. Many of the African American families are middle class and some have lived in the North School District for some time. The challenges occur for staff when students move in from outside of the district and bring different school experiences to the North School District
107 school culture. Students are perceived as aggressive, loud, and fail to fit in with the traditional African American student in the North School District. Here are some of the comments focus group members had to about challenges when teaching African American students.
Bella’s Response “I really don’t feel that I encounter a ‘big’ challenge when teaching my African American students. I feel gaining trust with my students, being consistent and firm and showing that you care for them no matter what their faults or challenges are help with any challenging students, groups or cultures.”
Christina’s Response “My biggest challenge with any student is finding ways to keep students motivated throughout the year. I want to have help in keeping them motivated past the midway point of the year.”
Natasha’s Response “The biggest challenge is breaking through their attitudes or chips on their shoulders. Many of them come to me with a not very positive experience with other teachers. It takes several weeks for them to realize I care about them as a person and not just as my student. I just continue showing them how much I care and they eventually give in.”
Our racial experiences guide us to make choices and decisions that impact self and others. Teachers work with students and their families daily and teachers have to remember how we have formed our thinking may differ from how others have formed theirs. We also need to respect how others situate themselves in response to what drives us to respond or make the decisions we make with regard to students. Making a conscious effort to increase awareness of racial difference and negotiating through the difference to reach an understanding of that difference is important. In order to address the issue of racial difference we have got to acknowledge conflict exists. Our racial interpretations (beliefs about race) again shape how we decide to respond to our students of color based on these beliefs – cultural perceptions.
108 Resolving Racial and Cultural Differences We understand our values, coupled with our experiences with other races and cultures, shape us and how we identify with others who are different than us. This feeds how we make instructional decisions. When conflict arises and we need to problem-solve to resolve racial or cultural difference – what does that look like and how does this impact our classroom? Conflict with students can often show up through resistant behaviors. Students may withdraw or refuse to comply (i.e. completing homework, working in groups, collaborating on projects that require outside of the classroom help) and we often don’t know the source of the resistance or reasons why. 6. Race and culture with instructional planning. We watched a video of a doctoral student from the University of Minnesota - Brian Lozenski (2012), “Bringing Cultural Context and Self-identity into Education.” Lozenski quotes what Cornel West says about “the test of any democracy is its relationship to the most vulnerable among its population.” Lozenski suggests that we apply this test to education. Historically low income and students of color have been the most vulnerable population in education. Lozenski operates an organization that enables him to interact with students from a cultural context and he includes an ethnic, historical element. He tells a story of a student who resisted the traditional public school regiment and failed terribly at that model and yet the same student flourished in his program. When he asked the student why he was so successful in one space and not so successful in another his response was that school was not for him. Lozenski asked us to consider for a moment being successful in school is not about being smart or valuing education. Perhaps we need a more progressive model that is relevant to how teachers interact with students; how teachers broaden the curriculum to be more multicultural; how teachers teach students to be more critical; and draw from youth experiences. Student resistance is not always about what we teach and how we teach. He suggests we examine the structure mechanism of schooling. Also knowledge and skill acquisition is the goal of school in hopes of making students more productive. We retain habits of thinking and ways of participating. Some students do well if that works for them whereas others do not. Lozenski suggests we focus on ways of participation versus content knowledge and skill acquisition. We also need to be open to other evidence based models besides the traditional classroom model. Such as ecological education using the environment as a classroom to learn or youth action research where the local community becomes the unit of analysis for thinking and acting on real
109 world problems to allow multiple avenues of participation an take youth resistance more seriously. The focus group identified with having students who are smart and capable but not demonstrating their ability in the school setting. This is frustrating to watch and often disappointing when it goes unresolved. The group members felt that the models presented in the video would not fit struggling students. In their minds, more structure is needed for the majority of their students and the models suggested by Lozenski would not provide the structure and repetition needed. Both structure and other creative models are important but some of the responsibility should fall on the parent working with the school to motivate students and engage them in their learning. Rebecca thought that the local science, technology, engineering, and math school and a local high school that focused on the arts both represented incorporation of other nontraditional models for learning. Again, the group felt the balance was important and needed but did not see their role as being the one to make this change happen. Student resistance has increased and completion of assignments and poor grades show this over and over, but the group members were at a complete loss as to how we resolve this issue. In many ways, the group acknowledged that staff resists changing how we do school but because of parents being given choices when it comes educating their children, we have to look at ways to stay more competitive by meeting the needs of our students better. We begin to explore the terms deficit and resilience model thinking after watching a video “Deficit Model Thinking” from Dr. Tyrone Tanner (2011), Professor of Educational Leadership at Prairie View A & M University. He is an expert on parenting, leadership, diversity and urban school reform. Dr. Tanner has a Doctor of Educational Leadership and Cultural Studies from University of Houston and he has published in more than 30 peer review journals and presented at conferences on topics such as effective parenting, teacher efficacy, building on the resiliency of learners, best practices for diverse learners, and culturally responsive leadership. The video we watched presented the differences between a deficit and resilience model way of thinking about our students. Tanner describes deficit model thinking as the assumption that some students because of genetic, cultural or experiential difference are inferior to other children and have a deficit. Teachers working from the deficit mode tend to have low teacher efficacy. The deficit model paralyzes teachers because they believe that circumstances in the student’s life prevent learning. He explains that the resiliency model is the opposite - building on
110 strengths of students and focuses on high expectations for all learners and believes that resilient children bounce back and succeed despite the odds against them. Teachers working from the resilience model tend to have high teacher efficacy. As a group we discussed Dr. Tanner’s video.
Gary: Teachers that do have deficit thinking. I think it’s easy to have if you don't catch yourself and I think if you just hold the same expectations kind of across the board and carry them out and let your students know these are my expectations then you can kind of maybe avoid falling into your deficit thinking. Researcher: So staying consistent with expectations despite your students situation, but should we think about the student’s situation or background or experiences when we’re instructing or teaching? Do we not think about that? Christina: I think you think about it but you don't let them use it as an excuse. Gary: Right. Researcher: So it doesn’t come into play in terms of expectations for achieving or learning but that we have to understand that schools who have high instances of poverty may have to do things differently. They may have to address some basic needs of students before they can start with the educational needs but they don't let the education expectations fall. What about this thing about focusing on strengths instead of weaknesses when he talks about resiliency? Dale: I think that's difficult, especially all the data we get now tells us to focus on their weaknesses, you know. We don't get things that say here are the 5 strengths of all your students, we get here are all the yellow (intervention needed), red (urgent intervention needed), here are all the things that are wrong with them that we have to fix. Researcher: That's a good point. So the structures that we currently focus on are those who have deficits, not on the students’ strengths. Are there ways we could change that? Could we change that? Rebecca: I think we are to a certain extent. When we’re doing RTI we’re not just looking at who were the kids who need things let’s fit what their needs are and try and help them. I think we talk about how they work well in this situation or they work well with these people, they need technology, they need one-to-one talking. This group needs extension, we can give them extension. We can meet with them. We can talk with this
111 group. This group needs to do this in math. Okay these kids are struggling in math, but let’s give them something that still is fun and extend it for them. When we sit and talk in those meetings I don't think we’re just looking at those kids anymore. I mean we have all the data that tells us what they’re missing, but then you hear teachers saying well then that means they need this, this, and this. I know in 5th grade and in 6th grade math they need this so let’s go there. Researcher: So you feel like there’s kind of a balance because we’re looking not just at academics maybe at strengths and weaknesses in other areas, how they learn for example. You know who they respond well to and so it’s kind of a balance and you're looking at the whole gamut and maybe it's not happening in every single grade. Maybe it’s happening in certain grades a little easier than others. But this whole notion of focusing on strengths is the idea I think they’re suggesting. It is counter to what I think we have a tendency to do because we’re immediately looking at I’m a 6th grade teacher. I have students in my classroom ready to learn 6th grade and I have some that aren’t ready to learn 6th grade and so I immediately go from who’s not ready, because I’m trying to figure out how do I then progress forward. I think what the resiliency model is talking about is looking at where is everyone and then starting there, not saying I’m a 6th grade teacher I’m going to start teaching 6th grade. You just look at where everyone is and you just start moving them from there is the way I took it. Versus a deficit says I’m a 6th grade teacher this is what’s missing because they have to be ready to start learning so I have to help them play catch up. So it’s almost like you’re looking at building up on what they know, taking where they are to where they need to be versus having this expectation in terms of levels, but it’s not to say you don’t feel they can’t all progress it’s just they’re all at different places and you have to start at the different places to progress, that's the way I kind of took the differences to be. So any thoughts on doing that sort of thing? Or did you see it that way, maybe not? Shirley: I guess I took the deficit model being more the idea of - despite the fact you know how they live in those apartments, you don’t let that information cause you to think they’re always going to be low. There’s nothing I’m really going to be able to do for them about where they live. Researcher: I think that is a major part, I think it is.
112 Shirley: That the resilience was you know having those high expectations it doesn’t matter that you live in those apartments you know these are my expectations and I expect you to meet them no matter what, that's kind of where I took it, not the idea. Researcher: And I think that's accurate. I think I took it the step further simply because of the fact that if there are some, you know like those schools are 98% poverty, you’re going to have to address it differently. Which means you gotta start with what they got, where they are. Whether it’s academically, whether it’s socially, emotionally and you have to build upon that instead of looking at it and knowing that you still have those expectations. So I think I just took it maybe a little bit deeper and it may be because I saw his other videos. Gary: And even you know when we did get emails about like new students coming and sometimes it says coming from this place and you hear comments as soon as it's you know coming from [urban] or coming from [another district] versus transferring from [another district] or you know coming from [another district]. I mean and it's before you’ve even seen the student. Researcher: Right, right that happens a lot and there are assumptions. And it’s not to say that there hasn't been some learning behind experiences with students coming from these different places. But it doesn’t mean that you if you’re getting a foster child, assumptions should stop us from doing what we would normally do. But it does happen in reality. That's a good point. Any other take aways, thoughts? Rebecca: I think it's dangerous when a lot of people have that gut reaction, they see that, it’s dangerous for people who get stuck there. Some people have that gut reaction and they’re like okay so tomorrow we’re going to figure all this out. Like I think those are very different responses. Like you’ll hear people say things like oh my gosh they’re from you know they've missed this or this and this is going on and but the next day you see them and they’re like okay well we did this and did this and then I know that they know this and know that they know this and okay now we’re going to start here. Like that gut reaction was just because of their previous experience and their knowledge and the things that we have to do, give ourselves as professionals, okay we do learn from things and we make judgments on that, but then what do you do with that? And you see some people just who are stuck in it. Well they’re from there and they’re never going to know
113 anything. Other people are like okay I’m going to figure out exactly what they know and what they don't know and then we're going to go forward. So it's what comes after.
These terms, deficit and resilience model, were new to everyone in the group except for Gary. He was very familiar with deficit model thinking from his own personal research interest. We discussed how important it is to set expectations and maintain high expectations for all students. It is still equally as important to understand the background and experiences of students but not allow that knowledge to dictate what you expect of your students – avoid deficit thinking. The group as a whole, felt they did this in their classrooms. Some members discussed the practice of making academic assumptions about the needs of students from a location within the city. For example, if a teacher heard the new student was from a local charter school, the teacher would assume the new student is coming with academic deficits. Rebecca commented that making that assumption or being prepared in that manner is not so bad unless the teacher does not allow the data collected once the student arrives to speak for itself or limit what she tries with the new student. We have to use the information given and move beyond it based on what we see and learn for ourselves. Rebecca also mentioned that focusing on what students can do is the goal and she feels in her building, the staff is working to transition their thinking in this manner. The biggest take away was that focus group members have high expectations for all their students regardless. Our way of thinking about our students is not the only obstacle that can prohibit students access to a fair and equitable chance in our classrooms. Sometimes students struggle against things that are larger, more embedded features of society that are not as clear or obvious to those not privy to the internal workings or knowledge of the system. The system structures in place that interfere with outsiders being able to have an internal understanding of the system thus preventing the outsider from having success within the system. We traveled into this arena of discussions because we realized there were students we work with over a period of time that never seem to figure out how to adapt and be successful as a minority in a majority situation educationally. So I thought I would toss out the notion of systematic oppression for the group to consider and discuss. I thought it best to let them feel the idea of oppression first then discuss what it looked or felt like. I used game-based learning to teach what systematic oppression might
114 feel like. So the focus group was divided into two smaller groups and asked to play the game “Jenga”. The rules given were simple, you could not talk to members, each move had to be completed in less than 10 seconds, and participants had to use their left hand (there were no left handed participants in the group). During the game it was very quiet and members worked steadily. The groups did impressively well with the game and we kept score. We discussed that playing the game was predictable but how they were scored was not. The group saw that they would gain and lose points but they were not sure why. They wanted to know why but did not want to break any rules by asking. I placed two score keepers in charge of determining points and what the groups did not know was that if they made a move in less than five seconds they got double points. When we shared this, the group felt the knowledge of this might have made them feel more pressure because they struggled with the time limit. Some participants admitted to feeling an advantage over others because competition was a push for them whereas others felt it was a lot of pressure and it worked opposite for them. They admitted to resisting and wanting to argue with the score keeper. The members of the teams talked about feeling pressure from the other members to not use their right hand or to choose a different piece – they could tell from breathing and stares. Playing the game placed both teams in an uncomfortable, disadvantaged position. We talked about if someone had been left handed or if others had been given freedom to have more time, how the rules would be to that person’s advantage in playing. When experiencing systematic oppression, there are spoken and unspoken rules embedded within system that put some individuals at an advantage and others at a disadvantage. The challenge is that all of the rules and how the points are assigned are not apparent to all members and it is usually a category of people who are immobilized or disenfranchised as result of not being privy to the predictability of the system. Being able to navigate this difference requires understanding and knowing how to skillfully navigate the system. Most adults would struggle with spoken and unspoken rules within a system let alone students trying to figure out how to make it work for them. Thus we have those African American students who continue to struggle culturally despite perceived efforts to help them succeed. I asked the focus group members if they had ever been “othered” – been singled out or made to feel different among a group who are all alike except you. I shared an example of being the only male in a group of all female. I immediately saw the nodding of some heads. Dale
115 shared a story of going to school in India where he was the only student who was European American, spoke English, had his hair showing and had ever heard of baseball. As a 6th grader, Dale described his experience as being odd to be unlike anyone else around him. In some classes he was the coolest kid and in others he was made to feel weird. He had a similar feeling when he first came to teach in the North School District, besides the principal and custodian, he was the only male in the building. Dale did admit in both instances, he did become more comfortable as he spent time in India and as the only male teacher but he remembers that feeling. Gary shared his experience – for him it was race that made him different whenever he traveled. He recalls being in places such as Arkansas and he was not seeing many people of color and becoming uncomfortable feeling like an obvious outsider to the people he saw. Christina recalled the first African American funeral she attended as having a similar experience. She wasn’t quite sure how to act or respond to what she saw. She was also the only one not dressed in all black and she felt others were looking at her trying to figure out why she was there. I shared my experience when I attended the blessing of a friend’s child at a German Baptist Church. The father of the child was African American and the mother was European American (and my friend). Everyone that greeted me asked if I was related to the father and I politely told them I was friends with the mother. During the church service, I assume in an effort to make me feel comfortable the music director chose “Lift Every Voice and Sing” – the Black National Anthem - and while everyone sang sitting down, I was so tempted to stand as tradition calls for when singing the song but thought better of it. It might have turned out to be a lesson I wasn’t prepared to teach. 7. Responding to our African American students. We were getting closer to discussing the intent and purpose of the study. We shifted to look at classroom practices again and thought about how we look at African American culture and race in our classrooms. Many of the focus group members reflected on how they incorporate the racial and cultural experiences of their African American students and how their students responded. In most cases, they incorporated literature or music into content as a way to engage the interests of their African American students. They found their students enjoyed and responded positively when they saw themselves in the lesson. Participants in almost every instance made a point to say they did this for every student, not just their African American students.
116 It is important to reflect on what we do but even more important is to understand why we choose to do the things we do in our classrooms. We must do so with our students in mind and understand that differences exist and will impact how our students respond to what we ultimately choose to do. We cannot get stuck on what we think we know about students based on their background. We have to stay open to what we learn about them and continue to maintain high expectations so that all of our students will learn and achieve. Culturally Responsive Teaching Being culturally responsive means knowing what to do and how to do it. It is not just about incorporating materials but it is also about navigating and understanding differences. Many members of the group wanted to be able to help their African American students who struggle with fitting into other groups and having this sense of belonging but teachers didn’t know how to help their students. This requires understanding and knowing their students on a deeper level. Participants admit that they are not knowledgeable in many aspects of cultural competency. Many in the group seem to share the belief that present educational systems are not designed for all students to experience success, particularly those who lack readiness for learning and those whose parents are not involved and/or who lack the ability to understand the educational process and how they can be involved in it. There was discussion about how different most educators in the North School District are from many of the students, making it difficult to know how to effectively teach students whose “cultural capital” (assets that are affirmed and shared) is very different from their own. 8. What is culturally responsive teaching and what does it look like? To continue the discussion on culturally responsive teaching, we watched a video by Gary Howard (2012), Teacher Consultant, on “Seven Principles for Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning.” He walked us through seven principles to having a culturally responsive classroom. He defined cultural competence as the will and ability to form authentic and effective relationships to make a difference in teaching. Howard goes on to define culturally responsive teaching as: teaching and leading in such a way that more of our students across more of their differences achieve at a higher level and engage at a deeper level more of the time without asking students to give up who they are. The principles Howard shared came from the collaboration of educators include: 1. Students are affirmed in their cultural connections. (Students get it that we get them - not just about content inclusion and material – students feel honored, recognized, and seen)
117 2. Teachers are personally inviting. (Students get it that we like them – we enjoy being in their presence, we like the diversity in our classroom) 3. Classroom is physically and culturally inviting. (School looks like me – pictures of diverse learners, honor diversity with displays) 4. Students are reinforced for academic development. (Catching students being smart – reinforce students in their academic ability – the belief in the intelligence of our students) 5. Instructional changes are made to accommodate differences. (Singing harmony to our student’s song rather than forcing students to sing to the teacher’s song – teach the way our students learn not the way we prefer to teach) 6. Classroom is managed with firm, consistent, loving control. (Respect begins with the teacher – establish and role model respect, discipline is instructive not punitive) 7. Interactions stress collectivity as well as individuality. (Mixing it up in the classroom – delivery systems need to vary, student centered learning)
Some in the group emphasized how they must determine some common ground with students not only as a way to connect with them but also to determine what motivates them. One participant pointed out that some teachers may chose not to invest in the effort of getting to know the students on a deeper level and instead may put effort into what is familiar to them. It was discussed that teachers will not be equally effective with every student. Some will connect better to certain students than others. A discussion took place on the importance of a diversified staff in order to provide more relational opportunities for students. Perhaps the most important comment was the comment about the importance of having conversation with kids even about the uncomfortable topics. It might even mean sharing personal things about ourselves in the effort to connect and find common ground. We watched the video on culturally responsive teaching.
Researcher: Gary Howard is going to talk about [the principles of culturally responsive teaching]. It's about 30 minutes long, so it's kind of a long video but he is very good at moving through it and giving lots of good examples for you to listen to. But the idea being that you look at yourself, you think about your classroom and you evaluate where you feel you fall. And these are the elements that he says are important to, to having a culturally responsive classroom…So you’ve heard the first three [principles], so what do you kind of
118 think they pretty much have in common? And you have a, I think you have a copy of what they are, those first three are the first three lines. Christina: They all kind of seem like they deal with the environment. Researcher: What do you think about the value or his point about creating an environment, I mean is this something you're doing? Have you ever thought about it? Sheila: I am aware of it when I put things out that have pictures of people on it. I that is something that catches my eye a lot. But mostly I choose things that are academically relevant and something that entertains me. I mean I put things up there for the kids and when I put pictures of people up there I want them to be things that are reflective of the kids but I don't always do that. I don't always choose to put people up. Christina: I don't have any people in my room. Researcher: Spoken like a true 6th grade teacher. Sheila: We make like a bulletin board or something that’s got people on it or… Dale: Just plain. Researcher: Do you think it makes a difference? Sheila: I think if it makes you happy then you’ll be nicer as a teacher. Researcher: If it makes the teacher happy okay, alright. Christina: My decoration is totally self-serving. Researcher: We’ll continue, any other comments or thoughts on the first three? Randi: Well I think they’re all just showing that you’re expecting anyone, not necessarily your decorations. I don't decorate for everyone in my room but I think they still know that they’re accepted by me by the things I say to them. Dale: I think it's cause we teach all different things too. I use the example of a science teacher, you know if I was teaching just science and then had these scientists all around the room yeah I would like to think that I would be aware that I’m not just all white scientists, because I think that does then communicate kind of, even if it's subconscious. You know like only these people can be well known in history or only these people can achieve. I mean I don't know what the status is of being on the wall in the middle school. You know I mean I think of that I remember as a I think of that as going back to kind of what we started earlier about athletes. You know if you're only showing kids one type of person can be I think of those got milk posters, you remember we used to put them up all over schools.
119 Christina: They’re still all over the high school. Dale: Yeah but those were generally diverse, at least the ones I saw. It looked like, now to me I looked at it and was like really that's just purposefully trying to, which I guess is a good thing. Researcher: Let’s hear about these others. Christina: I wonder why he chose dragonflies? (referring to the video graphics) Shirley: I was thinking the same thing, I’m like really? Researcher: Any other thoughts or comments on some of the things that he said? Four and five are about instruction. Students are reinforced for academic development and then instructional strategies are made to accommodate. Any of this sound relative to OTES by any chance? I mean he talked about differentiation. Even when you look at making your room reflective of your students that's about getting to know your students and your background knowledge of your students that's OTES. That's a way to demonstrate it, you collect all that data and you reflect it in your classroom. Any thoughts? Gary: Something he said in the beginning about how the student can sense from the teachers I thought that was important because I mean even the teachers who tried to fake it, like they were comfortable with this student, students can see through that. Sheila: Kids are smart they know. Observer: Can I just say absolutely, they do. The things that kids have said to me about teachers have I think probably been 90% accurate in terms of their perceptions and it’s a little bit scary. Not that teachers don't care but just that they’re struggling with that person or they don't get me. It's not, cause I think we have such good, caring teachers in our district, but kids know, they know when the teachers don’t get them. They often equate that with not accepting them. Researcher: They’re very insightful. They’re very intuitive that way. He talked about the student centered learning, that's very much a part of OTES. Is this something we’re doing in our classrooms? Does this sound foreign to you? Sheila: I think it's raised in a way that wouldn't have, once he explains it, it does not seem foreign.
120 I asked the focus group members to review the seven principles mentioned and the rank them in order – 1 being the area they feel they are strongest, 7 being their weakest area. In doing so, overall teachers felt they were inviting (principle 2), students are reinforced for academic development (principle 4), and teachers maintain a firm, consistent, loving control in their classroom (principle 6). The area that was the weakest across the board was making their classroom physically and culturally inviting (principle 3). When we discussed how teachers in the group decide how they organize their room, it was clear that each one did so based on their personal preference. The idea of creating a physically and culturally inviting classroom seemed to be a concept that the participants felt they didn’t focus on as much as they could. Chapter 5: Discussion The experience of meeting and talking in a focus group setting with teachers from the North School District was meaningful and enlightening. I found the sessions to be as mutually valuable both personally and professionally for the members and myself, as well as to the research. The focus group meetings centered around ten research questions essential to the study that looked at how values and beliefs drive curriculum strategies and pedagogical practices; navigating teacher and student experiences to incorporate in instructional planning; resolving differences and allowing the influence of African American race and culture in curriculum decisions; and the knowledge of and current use of culturally responsive teaching practices. These questions were directed at the overall research question of “How do suburban schools’ teachers take into consideration African American students’ race and cultural background when they teach?”
Research Focus Questions: Exploring Values and Beliefs About Practices 1) Describe the types of curriculum strategies and pedagogical practices you have incorporated into your classroom. 2) What teaching strategies or methods do you feel work best for you when working with your students? 3) How do you include the background and experiences of students when designing and planning a lesson? 4) How do your students respond when you include information about them when teaching a lesson? What does this response look like? Please describe.
121 The focus group arrived at a consensus that values and beliefs about race (racial interpretations) drive our behavior and influence our actions and attitudes (cultural perceptions). Values influence our relationships with self and others. While expectations for our students are important to have, we have to understand the source of these expectations. We have to take time to reflect on what that means to our students and be better at communicating on a level that is comprehensible to them. We also need more work with collaboration with parents and colleagues when our values differ so that students are not negatively impacted or conflicted. While we want to only work with our students, our students often mirror the values of their parents which means, we are really working with families whose values differ from ours at times. We have to allow room for difference and balance that difference so that progress and learning can happen in the classroom. Teachers have the ability to decide and determine what is taught in the classroom. They have the power to promote their own values and beliefs directly and indirectly. Their values are based upon their individual experiences and can be biased. Educators who have low or negative expectations of African American students have the ability to make decisions that include biases in perception of student abilities, decisions about curriculum access, and the allowance of exclusionary practices that further marginalize minorities (Howard, 2010). While the focus group members acknowledged having the ability to do this, the understanding of the depth of this power to make these decisions was not clearly demonstrated. It was described by the group as being a decision made for them by someone and not truly their decision. Even if the curriculum department at North School District was making these decisions for the teachers, they need not dismiss their role in continuing the use of materials that prevent their students from seeing themselves in the curriculum. The role of a culturally responsive teacher is to advocate for diversity and promote student individuality. Howard (2010) talks about institutional responsibility-individual accountability which is the need to remain vigilant and mindful in the progression of race relations and to always consider the historical impact of race when examining decisions and making choices. We discussed how adults in schools impose their own values and beliefs about topics on children. We need to talk to students so that they open up conversations and share more candid, personal, real views. The district staff development that was done several years ago (the Ruby Payne model) started out as a result of racial tension but ended up being about poverty because
122 of the avoidance of these uncomfortable conversations about race. The group admitted that race and culture are topics they would rather avoid as discussions because they never know where students are coming from and will go with the topic. The focus group participants demonstrated a vast knowledge and in depth understanding of the importance of using best practices when providing quality instruction for students. They indicated the importance of understanding content and knowing multiple ways and methods to use when delivering instruction to meet the needs of multiple types and levels of learners. The very reason this focus group of teachers has shown growth with African American students is because they provide good, quality instruction using best practices. It is just done so on a very surface level. They know and understand their students’ academic and interest levels. Teachers within the group demonstrated cultural understanding of students by providing multi-cultural content. They would make incredible gains if they learned to understand their students on a individual cultural level and embedded African American student culture into the current classroom culture through deeper, more meaningful methods than just curricular. The use of multicultural curriculum is a very positive step in the right direction and all of the focus group members mentioned this as a part of their practice. To be a culturally responsive teacher one must also include eradication of negative ideologies and a commitment to challenge injustice and oppressive practices (Gay, 2000). The teaching of critical thinking that pushes students to begin to challenge information presented was a practice started by some of the focus group members. These methods help teach students to be more social justice oriented and to think more deeply about subject matter. The African American students who are successful in a classroom setting not designed to be culturally responsive are successful because they learn to assimilate into the school culture. These students learn to do school the way their European American peers do school. They figure out the spoken and unspoken rules and learn to comply. Those who struggle do so because they resist the school culture or they fail to figure out how to fit into the existing structure. It is like the analogy of trying to fit a round peg into a square hole – it doesn’t work. It is not to say that good instructional strategies don’t work for these students. Students that resist the traditional European American school environment need to be engaged on a deeper level culturally so that they can relate and feel a part of the culture and not like an outsider to the cultural environment.
123 Research Focus Questions: Navigating Experiences 5) How has your own cultural experiences influenced teaching? 6) How has that impacted how you work with students, specifically African American students?
The focus group members lacked a foundational understanding of the implications of the deliberate promotion of inferior abilities of African Americans to the systematic oppressive practices as critical to understanding the source of deficit model thinking. The perception of the focus group members was racial disparities existed only during a period of time in history and our country has moved on from that time period. Collins (2009) talks about the impact of the structural domain of power in public agencies that set limitations and barriers in place that cause practices to limit freedom and progress. The focus group members failed to make a true connection to understanding that from those historical events, ways of thinking about a group of people formed and systems and laws were created to perpetuate the continued treatment of a group of people. This very process has lent itself to be in existence in our educational system today for African American students. To believe or think anything different is naïve and blatant denial on an educator’s part. There is an implied elitism in public schools where African American students are perceived to be inferior academically and socially in relation to their middle class, European American peers (Evans, 2007). Students are an extension of their families and in educating students the family plays a major role in the educational process. Beard and Brown (2008) speak emphatically about the importance of parent-school collaboration and how the perceptions of parent perspectives played a major role of success of African American student achievement in a suburban school district setting where African American students were the minority. The study looked at the relationship of academic optimism – faculty’s trust in students and parents - and its direct connection to a student’s academic success (Beard & Brown, 2008). The relationships established between school and home connections are critical to building trusting and meaningful collaboration in order to promote successful academic achievement. To think or believe that one can educate a child without regard for the parent or family is incredibly unrealistic. John Ogbu (2003) conducted a study of a suburban school district in the same state where this research was conducted and he found that the African American
124 community – behind what appeared to be a community of racial harmony – was a deep mistrust of the European American community. The distrust came from perceived inequitable treatment of African American students to explain the achievement gaps that existed and the two sides became combative and defensive. The focus group members felt that unless the parent’s role was supportive or in agreement with the school (meaning making sure the child did what was expected of the teacher) it was discounted or dismissed. When dealing with a student who is resistant, the teachers felt helpless and yet they wanted to dictate the parents’ involvement and help with the student. The parent-teacher interaction is a relationship, an exchange, and it requires a more invested and interested approach from both parties. Many parents don’t often understand how to help their child and educators are often in the seat as the expert to provide guidance. In doing so, educators should keep an open mind about the differences of students and respect families through the process.
Research Focus Questions: Resolving Differences 7) How do you include the racial and/or cultural experiences of African American students when deciding or choosing a learning activity? 8) How do African American students respond when a lesson includes their personal racial or cultural experiences?
Many of the focus group members had a very limited experience working with African American students. The incorporation of African American culture was difficult for them because they were limited in their exposure to the culture. There was an uncomfortable nature of the focus group participants as it related to dealing with racial conflict. Focus group members were not sure why behaviors might be considered unfair racially and were not real sure how to have a discussion about race. The points shared from personal experience were to ask questions and clarify, validate the feelings of the person feeling violated, apologize (not for being racist but for the person feeling you were being racist – there is a difference), seek to understand how to avoid the misunderstanding in the future, and end on a positive note. These simple steps have worked for me in the past and are a start when dealing with racial conflict. Essentially, the teachers in the focus group did not do anything unusually different in planning a lesson that made it unique to their African American students. In many instances
125 shared, the teachers were just being good teachers. They really didn’t consider culture but instead the interests of their students. They sought to make the lesson content multicultural at times but the embedding of the cultural experiences of individual students was not present. Time was a major factor for this and I believe the need to have to do it is not yet present. I believe that for culturally responsive teaching to become a priority, a sense of urgency will need to exist. Right now for the North School District – it is a concern on the radar. Unlike one neighboring district who experienced their students walking out in resistance to how they were being treated unfairly by staff. The media made a huge issue of the walkout for this community and their concern on the radar quickly became a sense of urgency. It is unfortunate but true that as long as the racial conflicts within the North School District are being managed – the need for culturally responsive teaching will continue to be a concern on the radar and not a priority. My hope is that the need will be teacher or classroom driven versus district driven. Often times when an issue with this level of sensitivity is driven from a district initiative instead of a classroom need – it loses its impact and meaningfulness. The need must drive the shift to a culturally responsive approach for it to make a difference for students.
Research Focus Questions: Culturally Responsive Teaching 9) How might you define culturally relevant teaching? 10) Describe what culturally relevant teaching looks like?
The focus group members examined closely the information about culturally responsive teaching and were asked to situate themselves where they felt they were professionally with this work. When exploring where on the Cultural Proficiency Continuum focus group members fell, it was a cross between colorblindness and cultural precompentence. The group had an affinity to treat all their students the same, which promotes the practice of colorblindness, yet they also were very aware of the need to address race and culture. However their limitations in racial conflict skills when interacting with other cultural groups in discussing race with parents was territory that was foreign and often avoided by focus group members. Much of this behavior, I felt was due to the limited understanding of African American culture. Gary was the only participant who had personally experienced African American culture from being emerged in the culture. Most participants had limited exposure to African American culture and relationships.
126 When the focus group members described culturally responsive teaching and what it looks like, they connected it a great deal with the selection and presentation of materials in the classroom. They emphasized inclusion of students’ backgrounds and experiences through discussion and examples. Making a priority of respecting and accepting differences and helping their other students mediate through these differences was also mentioned. The members of the group heavily valued the engagement of all of their students in learning and felt it a priority to ensure this happened for all students. The focus group was asked to complete a cultural competence self-reflection of themselves and members’ results showed the group overall had a high regard for respecting and valuing other cultures; being open to learning about people from other cultures; and a natural curiosity for discovering new things about others. What the group ranked lower in were culture specific knowledge; understanding worldviews; and withholding judgment. Overall the focus group members were open to learning new information about culture and race but were not bringing a vast repertoire of knowledge on the subject matter. In the individual meetings most members admitted being uncomfortable about discussing race and culture but at the same time very interested. They agreed to participate in the discussions in hopes of learning what they and others were doing to make positive growth with their African American students. Other Outcomes: Colorblindness and Reflective Practices Cultural domain of power is the idea of race as defined or interpreted by ideologies that create a community of colorblindness (Collins, 2009). It also exists when a community sees educational issues of race as a challenge of the past and not a current issue. The focus group members displayed some tenets of colorblindness in their view on race. With the exception of Gary, the other members recognized there was a difference in cultural perceptions of African American students, but felt the answer was in ignoring that difference to avoid the appearance of being biased. The members felt the answer was to not see color and to see all their students the same. Schools in this position need to examine the racial and cultural barriers preventing the academic progress of African American students. Barriers include resistance to change, systems of oppression, and a sense of privilege and entitlement (Lindsey et al., 2003). The lack of culturally responsive pedagogical practices in place impacts the challenges of educating a diverse population of students. This study demonstrated how successful teachers’ of African American
127 students cannot readily identify what in their current practices impact growth in African American student learning. This process of meeting and reflecting on such a sensitive topic was such a beneficial process to the beginnings of meaningful dialogue to lead towards change that is impactful to classroom pedagogy. Educators engaging in race reflection begin the process of being deliberate and intentional about racial matters concerning themselves as well as their students (Milner, 2003). It seeks to clarify or dismiss misunderstandings and misperceptions formed by the educators that create biases that impact the mistreatment of students and their racial heritage (Milner, 2003). Milner (2003) like many other theorists proposes that race is constructed and should be reflected upon with this in mind. The analysis of race is problematic in that the habits, dynamics, and behaviors associated with the historical stereotypes and generalized philosophies embedded in society, play a major role in influencing authentic reflection and individual assessment of racial relations. Reflective racial practices in the classroom include thinking about race and its impact on the learning of students and the instructional practices being implemented. When reflecting by focusing on the students’ racial beliefs and practices the teacher is persuaded to explore personal feelings and emotions about their position on race which guides questions to focus more on the teacher. The process of getting teachers to critically review the intellectual negotiations surrounding race in the classroom and to get at what is involved in pedagogical practices in order to develop changes to their classroom methods. The questions will challenge teachers to consider and separate their personal and professional philosophies about race to critically analyze its impact (Milner, 2003). The questions confront teachers to think about their position of privilege as the leader in the classroom and the influence their own race has on the decisions made and choices they give to their students. The questions are also focused on analyzing the impact of race to reveal reasons why students respond in a specific manner. Limitations and Future Implications of the Study The study was rich in qualitative data that provided a lot of input to the research. The organization of the data was a challenge given the enormity of the information. It required systematically organizing the data and synthesizing the information to arrive at research conclusions.
128 The focus group members were a diverse group to work with and they contributed a lot of information and examples that helped me understand some of their challenges and viewpoints. Of the nine members of the focus group – five were teachers working in the building where I am principal. While you might expect that to be negative, I found it to be beneficial in that the participants from my building shared in depth their concerns and emphasized the benefit of having an African American principal to support them in difficult racial conversations. The time we spent together helped bridge a level of respect and understanding on both parts for the challenges the building is facing. The overall effect was great with sharing of resources and information for all the members. The experience has created a unity of the members that will allow us to forever be a resource for one another. At this point, I believe it is important to develop a way of having culturally responsive pedagogical dialogue with teachers who are open to developing a more inclusive classroom culture. I would like to design a process of doing some of the activities from the focus group sessions and having the same dialogue in a formal professional development opportunity that is ongoing through a professional learning community format. I think it is important to have this dialogue in a small intimate group setting whether it is virtual or face-to-face. I think the interest for teachers and administrators will come by connecting the development of a culturally responsive classroom to the new evaluation system. Teachers and administrators will see the need when it connects to something that is meaningful to them. I think this would be valuable to other suburban school districts facing demographical changes. I think this study is only the beginning of more research needed in this area. In order to triangulate the data collected, the research needs include the perspective of African American students and parents. Their input into what culturally responsive teaching looks like for them is an important factor as well. Students know why they choose to be engaged in the classroom, they understand what they prefer in a teacher, and can articulate what is important to them personally to help them feel like they belong. I also think the parent component that I need to explore may help me understand this disconnect with teachers and parents of color. Parents play a major role in how students respond to their teachers. The exploration of the student and parent piece would complete the research and perhaps give insight to questions from multiple perspectives.
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