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Revolutionizing the English Classroom Through Consciousness, Justice, and Self-Awareness

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Revolutionizing the English Classroom Through Consciousness, Justice, and Self-Awareness Lyschel Shipp The author argues that, by Revolutionizing the revolutionizing the literary canon, we are revolutionizing English Classroom through the English classroom, and urges us to shift from focusing Consciousness, Justice, exclusively on required texts to equally acknowledging the and Self-Awareness urgent need for consciousness and activism from our students. r. Christopher Emdin once de- teenagers— laughing, dancing, and joking. I stood scribed a classroom setting where in my sixth- period class yelling at the top of my students were lulled to sleep by the lungs for students to pay attention. I often gave monotony of a lesson. Although the “education is important” speech— convincing the teacher was fully engaged in a rhythmic per- students that they needed to listen and learn to be- Dformance of teaching, “when [Emdin] looked at come assets to society. I was perpetuating “literacy the faces across the room, everybody was asleep in myth” conceptions that had for generations been different variations of what sleep should look like passed down. “What did it mean to, as our elders . Head on hand, nodding all the way back, just told us, ‘grow up and be somebody’? And what asleep.” As if by fate, a sudden rumbling noise precisely did this have to do with an education ren- somehow seemed to bring the children to life. “It dered as rote discipline?” (Coates 25). was the bass line of a rap song.” Emdin details the Before I ever stepped foot into a classroom, life and emotion that filled the room as the kids I knew exactly what I wanted to teach and how I awoke in excitement— the bass “permeating” the wanted to teach it. I had adopted the teachings of space, the lyrics all too familiar. Yet as the music Emdin. My teaching pedagogy focused on infus- moved down the street and away from the class- ing hip- hop culture and multimodal approaches to room, Emdin also describes the teacher, who still teaching and learning. Quickly, though, I learned engaged in his performance, missed the entire mo- that under micromanaged supervision teachers ment of something that had “captured [the stu- were restricted from the “close your door and teach” dents’] interest in a way that all his dancing and policy. I was afraid to stray away from the stan- pirouettes could not do.” dards, reject the canonized texts, and even incorpo- As a high school teacher, it is this exact ex- rate what I knew my students could relate to. I took perience that I dread—not the temporary moment the traditional route. I followed archived and ar- of excitement, but the other 45 minutes of class chaic lesson plans until they equally bored me and where students are disconnected, disengaged, and my students. I had so hopelessly reached the point disinterested in learning. The trembling anxi- where I began telling students I was obligated to eties of walking into a classroom full of students teach what was written for me in the plans. They whose eyes lack passion and whose ears are lis- met me with much resistance and frustration. I had tening keenly for the lunch bell, rather than the to make a conscious and radical decision to stand up sound of my voice, creates an unnerving frustra- for what and who I believed in— my students. Ta- tion. I remember my first year of teaching. I was Nehisi Coates mentions in his Between the World and blessed with the challenge of working in a Title Me, “black people love their children with a kind of I Priority school. I remember vividly, the hall- obsession. [They] are all we have, and [they] come ways were filled with energetic and expressive to us endangered” (82). English Journal 106.4 (2017): 35–40 35 EJ_Mar_2017_B.indd 35 3/15/17 6:14 PM Revolutionizing the English Classroom through Consciousness, Justice, and Self-Awareness These students— only a handful of those message. Many Black artists have been transforming who weren’t African American— were yearning for music with quite unapologetic and conscious lyrics. something more. Our curriculum, our rituals and Integrating Black music into the curriculum not only routines, and our purpose in allows for the teaching of figurative language and Analyzing symbols in the classroom needed to be literary elements but also an analysis of theme and the English classroom rooted in something deeper more importantly a critique of society. Beyond the becomes an extension than what had already been music realm, popular culture also offers a wide and of a literary analysis laid out for us. We needed a diverse range of new leaders and revolutionaries— spiritual, culturally relevant, whether they are implicit or explicit in their intent. of symbolism and also and intellectual connection to There exists a plethora of influential musicians a critique of societal the texts being used in class. who reserve the right to be acknowledged as pioneers norms and stereotypes My responsibility, as a vessel in the area of consciousness through music. For the perpetuated by media. of mentorship and inspiration, purpose of engaging and relating to the interests of Symbols have also was to provide opportunities high school students, I like to incorporate current- been intentionally used for students to see themselves day artists. The shifts in music are dynamic and rap- reflected in texts and the les- idly occurring, but a few names have stood the test as political and social sons. My goal was to stimulate of the music industry and musical trends. Besides commentary. inquiry about social injustice, Tupac Shakur, one artist I use very heavily is Kend- spark interest in African American history, and cre- rick Lamar. His lyrical genius and activism qualifies ate a platform for students to share their own ex- him as an author to be studied and questioned in the periences, encourage and motivate each other, and classroom. Our most recent study of Kendrick Lamar engage in discussion about the new leaders of today. involved a close analysis of his album To Pimp a But- terfly. We specifically studied the songs “Blacker the Berry” and “Alright” in a situated context after Civic Engagement: A Critical Assessment viewing his 2016 Grammy performance. The lyrics of Popular Culture, Racial Ideologies, allowed us the opportunity to review poetic devices, and Self- Awareness but more importantly to engage in a critical discus- Education should move beyond the confines of stan- sion about past and present- day injustices. The visu- dardized tests and traditional rhetoric. This idea is als to the performance add a multimodal layer to the especially true in schools where the majority of stu- lesson and extend opportunities to discuss symbols dents are African American. It is too often the case as representation for blackness, heritage, culture, that students of color are unable to relate to what is America, and its justice system. taught in their classrooms. This lack of connection Symbols are important as they offer a host of and validation often affects the level of student en- connotative meanings and implications that amplify gagement and even academic success. Students tend the message of the texts. For the purpose of teaching, to display forms of resistance when they cannot lyrics in this case also function as texts. Analyzing identify the importance of what is being taught. symbols in the English classroom becomes an ex- On the contrary, by infusing ideas, arguments, and tension of a literary analysis of symbolism and also texts that are culturally relevant, educators create a critique of societal norms and stereotypes perpetu- and expand opportunities for students to think crit- ated by media. Symbols have also been intentionally ically about the world and themselves and to for- used as political and social commentary. Beyoncé’s mulate ideas that promote civic engagement. music video and 2016 Super Bowl performance of My starting point for these types of discussions her song “Formation” caused quite some controversy is through a critical assessment of popular culture. for its suggestive and, in some moments, obtrusive Students today are digital natives who have imme- allusions to Hurricane Katrina, police brutality, the diate access to media and entertainment. They are Black Panther Party, and the Black Moors. habitual listeners and even composers of music. As Both Kendrick and Beyoncé create platforms they are already entranced by hypnotic and captivat- for initiating discussions about race and injustice ing beats, my goal is to get students to listen to the and promoting social activism. An equally pressing 36 March 2017 EJ_Mar_2017_B.indd 36 3/15/17 6:14 PM Lyschel Shipp theme explored in the English classroom is the con- brutalized is not to comfort the bystander.” These cept of discovering identity. For Black students, this texts, these moments, cannot be excluded from the theme should be handled with a special kind of care. English classroom or kept from Black students. Where much of the literary canon fails to include The 2016 ESPY Awards opened with a similar positive messages that promote self-love— Black call to action. NBA players Carmelo Anthony, Chris self- love specifically— it should be considered by Paul, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James expressed teachers a nurturing and civic duty to supplement desires for social change while condemning recent such texts into the curriculum. I will later suggest cases of racial injustice and violence against black a few texts for “revolutionizing the literary canon” and brown bodies. Allowing students to watch that express themes beyond self- identity. It is useful the video in class invites conversations about soci- at this moment, however, to highlight lyrics from etal expectations, past and present history of Afri- “Blacker the Berry” and “Formation” that fit into this can Americans, and initiatives to create change.
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