My Twitter Spaces chat with 2 Black male educators

I tried something new today and on a whim.

I hosted a Twitter Spaces chit-chat. One, I wanted to see what it was like. Two, I wanted to speak with a few Black male educators about the positives of this past school year. For this "let's see what this app can do" convo, these two brothers, @MrFlemmingMEd & @pastorsalis, joined me.

Tweet to @TwitterSpaces

Some of the takeaways about the positives of this past year?

• The ability to still establish and maintain those crucial student:teacher relationships
• nixing the "Do Now" in favor of "Temperature Checks"
• Morning Meetings/Town Halls/Community Meetings
• Being able to travel the world virtually with students
• Trying new things like...launching a podcast with students😉

The moral? Try something new. Find the light in darkness. Relationships matter.

What a kid said to me about foster care

As I reflected on this past week and a particular moment in the classroom, I tweeted this out.

GM! Trying to figure out a way to share how a student got my tear ducts to...you know....'duct'...they didn't fall, just ducted🥺 pic.twitter.com/UvH6dIfaGF

— Dr. Stephen R. Flemming (@kellygrade6) January 24, 2020

That moment came during the closing credits of "The Help", which we watched and analyzed in our drama class. This is the song that plays as the credits roll...



As the song played, the class was completely quiet, taking it every moment of what they just saw and the lyrics of this song. As the song was playing, one 10th grade brother, reflecting on Aibileen's extreme disappointment at having to leave Mae Mobley, whispered to me, "That's how it be in foster care. As soon as you be with a family you love, you gotta leave."

If the song and its lyrics weren't already to getting to me, his whispered words while it was playing sealed the deal. "That's how it be in foster care. As soon as you be with a family you love, you gotta leave."

This isn't the first time a student said something to me that agitated my allergies. One year a 3rd grader bear-hugged me and cried. He, too, was in foster care and missed his mother. Another year, a 6th grader, cussed me out and stormed out of the room. I didn't respond. He came early the next morning and read me a long apology letter. In it, he detailed all of the male family members who were locked up and how his aunt didn't understand him. He ended that long letter with, "And Mr. Flemming, you the last one I got left to look up to!" {insert extreme pollen in springtime}

We must build up enough of a rapport and relationship with our students such that, if they so choose, they can come to us and help us better understand their outbursts, absences, perceived apathy, and ___________. Sometimes the content must give up its seat to just some listening, no advice, no suggestions, just listening.

"That's how it be in foster care. As soon as you be with a family you love, you gotta leave."
"And Mr. Flemming, you the last one I got left to look up to!"

Authentic Teacher-Annotated Texts

"You writin' in the book really helped me a lot!"

One of my approximately 16-year-old Black male students said this to me today as we were beginning class. He borrowed a book from our class library last week. Apparently, it was a book in which I annotated quite frequently. I didn't realize that I placed my annotated edition out for them to borrow. When Sean (pseudonym) said this to me, however, he gave me insight into how best he and others may learn.

As English teachers, we show our students how to annotate including how to organize their annotations. Of course, we provide examples on the screen or may even distribute examples we've prepared. But this wasn't that. I wrote in the book for my own personal reasons.

Actual personal annotations from The Soloist by Steve Lopez

Sean got me to thinking. Annotations on a cold read where a student is reading a text independently and not in preparation for our traditional interrogation of the text? I think he may have given me, because I know you've already been illuminated, some insight into literary practices that could be helpful for struggling teenage readers.

1. Create authentic teacher-annotated versions of short texts (i.e. newspaper clippings or poems) in addition to making non-annotated versions available. Note: this would NOT be for the purpose of showing students how to annotate text, per se, as this was not my purpose in the example above.

2.  Make teacher-annotated books available in the class libraries and indicate that they are annotated. I'm going to have to figure that one out because I love my books and the notes I've taken in them. {insert Black thinking emoji and a hmmmmm thought cloud...no lightbulbs yet}

3.  Create an atmosphere where students, and in this case a Black male student, feel comfortable:
a--borrowing the books that are for them, as books, in my opinion, should be 'please touch and take'
     Note: He saw, he asked, he took...no problem
b--letting you know that they are reading and enjoying the book, and
     Note: He approached me, unsolicited
c--letting you know how they are thriving with the book
     Note: He approached me, unsolicited

Just how do you a, b, and c?
1.  Allow them to borrow the books. If you don't want to lend them, don't display them.
2.  Allow them to approach you. Let's stop with the feigned, "I feel threatened" stuff. Sean wants to tell you about the book he's reading.
3.  If you really care about them, they'll know it and neither a, b, nor c, will be an issue. If you don't care about them, they'll know that too. Thing is, students, especially today, have this funny little way of showing you how they feel about you. Just sayin...

I'm not perfect, I'm striving. I'm also still learning everyday that teaching is not a simple algorithm!

Never Not A Teacher

It’s the summer. The heat and humidity of the mid-Atlantic chase us to the nearest pool, beach, or water ice stand. Teachers aren’t teachers in the summer, right? It’s our time off, right? Student-free until the fall, right? Wrong!

Being a teacher is not something we just turn on and off at will, no matter how hard we try.  I can tell you from experience, being a teacher is as much a part of me as my brown skin and curly hair. It creeps up every now and then when I see a child rolling on the floor in a fit of rage in the store or when I am giving directions for someone downtown and repeat them twice to be sure. I witnessed a teacher, who is also a close friend and one of my brothas from anotha motha this past week at our church, in action!

This past week was VBS or Vacation Bible School at our church. VBS for us is a week-long event full of Bible lessons, fun, and games every summer. Add in food, crafts, and some hype and it really is quite exciting! As the evening’s activities wind down, participants are given an opportunity to recall for all of us what they remember from the lesson. One of the students was an 18-year-old young man with autism. One night as he was recalling what he remembered in class, he found himself struggling. Publically. My brother and friend, who was not this young man’s teacher, decided he would just softly shout out (is that possible?) key words or phrases from the lesson. The young man would repeat the key word or phrase and his memory would be jarred. All he needed was a word or phrase and he would recall the evening’s lesson and share it with us. This cycle continued for about 2 minutes or so; the young man struggling to recall, Andrew softly shouting a word or phrase, the young man recalling what he learned without hesitation or trepidation for the next few seconds.

I had a chance to ask my good buddy ‘Drew about it a couple of days later. I asked whether that was something he learned, supplying signal words, or whether it was just his teacher instincts. I was particularly interested if that was something he learned while working with students who have autism. He described it as his educator instincts having kicked in because he didn’t want the young man to be standing up there, stuck and embarrassed. It worked.

There are a few lessons we can learn from my friend and colleague. One, we should really get out of the business of embarrassing our students, not that this was the case with this young man. But, just in general, let’s chill. I get it. Sometimes we want to see who was really paying attention or we want to put a student on notice that we know they kept running their mouth while we were giving directions. Being stuck and embarrassed is not fun. Truth be told, that young man, or any of our students at school, could have given up and shut down. While the young man did volunteer to review the lesson, I think, his public struggle could have been the source of psychological or emotional trauma. Rebuilding that trust again could take twice as long as it took to co-construct it initially.

Another lesson we can learn is to take risks. Andrew didn’t know if his educator instincts would work. That not knowing did not stop him from trying. We have to be allowed to take academic and intellectual risks, the same risks most of us expect of our students. Fear of being wrong cannot paralyze our attempt at a strong effort. As teachers we should want to take those risks and school leaders should create a culture in schools where we can take those risks without fear of reprisal. The risk could work and if it doesn’t, okay. It didn’t work. Onward!

Maybe the most important lesson of all is that we are never not teachers, whether it’s in our formal role or in the way we go about our daily lives. We are teachers! It’s who we are! It’s what we do! Every single day we should strive to become better versions of ourselves! Who knows, you may be the next person to say something that could have a lasting impact, for better or for worse? *shrugs*

"Can you be my dad?"

Some years ago (I won't give the exact year), one of my students asked if I could be her dad. She was leaving for the day and just before walking out of the North doors of the school, asked me that question. Wow! Loaded question. Flem, think quick. What you say here could completely hurt or encourage her. VERY quick word of silent prayer.

"I can't be your dad, but I promise that as long as you're a student in my class, I will be the best teacher I can be for you! How's that?"

"Ok," she replied gleefully as she left the school.

Happy Fathers' Day to all the real ones out there, biological or otherwise!

Don't Sleep on Community Colleges

I'm not sure just how widespread the idea reached, but at one point in the "hood" (and perhaps beyond), many thought of community college as "13th grade", just an extension of high school. Where the idea came from, I have no clue. This post centers on a complete reconsideration of those past thoughts that many of us in the hood had. Forget whatever biases we/you may have had about community colleges as a teenager or even as an adult! They definitely have a place in the lives of young and older adults alike!

Recent events in the lives of two 20-something year old Black men in Philadelphia have put both their accomplishments and at least one common experience they both shared in the limelight. They both attended the Community College of Philadelphia. Those two young men are Mr. Quamiir Trice and Mr. Hazim Hardeman. Both in their early 20s, their experiences with some of life's toughest enigmas aren't unlike those of many other young people of color in the 'hood' and elsewhere. Also like many other young people of color, young brothers and sisters, they're winning!

The success stories of Quamiir and Hazim are circulating local and social media, print and digital media, the Associated Press, everywhere! They're taking the narrative by storm; that of the success of young Black men! Quamiir, in a reply to a tweet I mentioned him in, wrote,

Much love bro. I’m just glad we took control of our stories and shared them to shed light on our communities. Keep winning y’all✊🏾

— Quamiir Trice (@QuamiirTrice) November 23, 2017

If you're unaware of their stories, check out their twitter feeds. Nothing that I can write here will do it justice. Hear them in their own words.

Follow @QuamiirTrice

Follow @hazimhardeman

One of many salient points included in their narratives is the time they spent as students at Community College of Philadelphia, anything but 13th grade.

On Hazim's experience, Susan Snyder writes on philly.com, "...he went to community college, and his life as a scholar took off. He got into the honors program, for which he had high praise, and served as vice president of the student body." In an interview posted by Temple University on YouTube, Hazim speaks about how attending CCP allowed him the "opportunity to reorient myself and really focus myself..." He speaks of his learning how to be a scholar and how to interact with his teachers and professors. Hazim also makes it a point to note how the opportunity to attend CCP, knowing he could transfer to a place like Temple, was "something significant not only to me but to people in my community" This was, in his words, "an opportunity that not a lot of people in my neighborhood have."

He's Temple's first Rhodes Scholar and is headed to Oxford University.

Quamiir's road to and experiences at CCP also debunk previously held 13th grade mentalities!

In a Philadelphia Tribune report, Quamiir speaks of his experience in a program at the Center for Male Engagement at Community, “For the first time, I was watching four Black educators making a difference in my life and other students lives,” Trice said. “It was an eye opener for me. I was inspired by what they were doing, how they were carrying themselves, and how they were dressing." Kristen Graham notes on philly.com how Quamiir excelled at CCP, graduated and headed on to Howard University to complete his studies in education. Personally encouraged by former mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter, Philly schools superintendent, Dr. Hite and a man you may have heard of, Barrack Obama, "Mr. Trice" is now an educator here in Philly, a Black male educator with great promise.

More and more, students and families are finding community colleges to be viable, affordable, and meaningful postsecondary experiences in preparation for even more exhaustive postsecondary learning. 

In a cursory search for research on the topic, a few articles at the top of the search engines and databases yielded research on how several who start at places like CCP don't do well in 4-year universities, if they finish at all. I was a little disheartened, until...duhhhh...I'm writing a blog post about two brothers whose stories are counter narratives!! HA! How 'bout them apples!?!

During a recent trip with my students to CCP, one of the faculty members and I were chatting during lunch. He spoke of his long career there and I spoke of my coming up on my one year anniversary with Delaware County Community College as an adjunct reading professor teaching at night. He spoke of the whole 13th grade mentality. I asked this older brother very frankly if from his experience, people still think that way. He said "no". I echoed my agreement with that sentiment based on my experiences as an adjunct and based on conversations with youth and adults alike!

In a separate, unprovoked conversation with a fellow church member, who had no idea what my thoughts were, she commented on the quality of education she is receiving at a local community college. She already has at least a Bachelors, but decided to take (or took) a course in business. She commented how she likes it and how courses, overall, are being taught by experts in their fields and PhDs. (Note the *and*, because a PhD does not necessarily make you an expert)

In another unprovoked conversation, this time with a local school superintendent, we spoke of our support for the education that community colleges have to offer. She spoke of the dual enrollment program her district offers and the increasing success of such. I spoke up Quamiir and Hazim.

The mentality towards community colleges is changing. From my view, many no longer consider it "13th" grade but the next logical step to their long term goals in life. At the end of the day, whatever post-secondary goals our students have, whether community college, 4-year universities, trade school or otherwise, let's encourage them in their pursuits! Let's help them see the forest for the trees, the certificates, and the degrees!

Conscientious Ear-hustlers

According to the U.S. Department of Education (2014), Black boys are suspended and expelled from school at higher rates than boys of other ethnicities. The scholarship is also rife with the fact that Black boys are also overrepresented in special education (Bryan & Ford, 2014 and many others). Speaking of special education, one research study suggests that some teachers make judgement calls about special education for Black boys based on how they walk (Neal, McCray, Webb-Johnson, & Bridgest, 2003). Yes, you read that correctly. Walk.

As we embark upon a new school year, let's rethink what we know about teaching and learning as it relates to our young Black male students. While it would be nice to see an increase in the number of Black male educators in our public schools (a notion I embrace, advocate for, and work behind the scenes with brothers on), this as the sole solution to the problem oversimplifies the complex and systemic nature of the problem that exists, that being the other 'r' in our school systems, racism. Sometimes it's subtle and at other times it's right there in our not-so-subtle policies and practices (ahem, Zero Tolerance) in schools. While I am a huge proponent of a diversified workforce, especially when it comes to Black men who will be effective in the profession, we cannot sit and wait. We cannot wait because some of our well-meaning colleagues may feel absolved of their responsibility to even try to work with our young Black brothers if we do so. No ma'am, no sir, no absolution here.

Want to know how Black boys learn best?

Ask. Do not believe for one second that they do not have opinions about how they like to learn. Ask them. Working together? Listening to music in the background? Alone?

Observe. Be conscientious in your ear-hustlin' (eavesdropping) and in your overall observations. You can learn a lot by sitting in the cut, shutting up, and watching. 

Make meaning of what you see and hear. When making that meaning, however, you must converse with your students, with their parents, with other adults who know them and are familiar with the culture and customs of the students with whom you work. Making meaning in a bubble may only solidify incorrect interpretations of what you're observing.

In short, be a student of your students!

Even for me, being a "brotha" and fully invested in this calling, I found myself asking my summer high school students questions about language, music, and ways of thinking. In a subsequent conversation with my sister, who also teaches, we spoke about how I made attempts to incorporate my new found knowledge into the classroom. Because of the nature of the summer work, the conversation with those young men was the way that I incorporated it into the classroom. I was their student for 10 minutes.

We've been rehashing the same trite pedagogy long enough. We've been narrow-minded in our chase of test scores and those ever elusive and mutable levels of proficiency long enough. Let's stop the insanity and learn how our young Black boys learn best and adjust accordingly. Yes, there may be pushback. But if a little pushback is the worst that can happen and we teach using a paradigm and pedagogy that is liberating and relevant for them, let them push! 

References

United States Department of Education. (2014, March). Civil rights data collection: Data snapshot: School discipline (Issue Brief No. 1). Washington, D.C.: Office for Civil Rights.

Bryan, N. & Ford, D. (2014). Recruiting and retaining black male teachers in gifted education. Gifted Child Today 37(3), 156-161. doi:10.1177/107621751453011

Neal, L., McCray, A., Webb-Johnson, G., and Bridgest, S. (2003). The effects of African American movement styles on teachers’ perceptions and reactions. Journal of Special Education, 37(3), 49-57

When the Students Become the Teachers

I honestly believe that the longer I'm in this game, the more emotional I get. There are highs and lows of this (and any) profession. I choose not to focus on too many of the lows when I tweet, blog, and post. I choose to change that narrative and let the world know all the good that comes out of my very public neighborhood elementary school. Today, a student from another class had to come and spend time in my classroom. To see some of my guys assume the role of big brother, that did something to me just a little bit.

The kid made his way to one of the carpet areas (eventually) and laid down. One boy put a jacket over him, got a book, pulled up a chair and started reading to him. He was calm. Two more boys came and did the same.  I continued to teach and learn with the rest of the class, pulling them over to another section of the classroom so that we wouldn't disturb each other in our literary experiences.

Let that marinate.

I want to be a teacher just like you

Consider this a post script to a recent post that concluded with my being proud to be a Black male teacher in public schools.

Today, a few moments ago, I had three of my boys back for a little detention. As they were straightening up the classroom, one of them asked, "Mr. Flemming, when did you know you wanted to teach?"

Me: All my life!

Him: Since you was a kid?

Me: Yes.

Him: What you gotta do to become a teacher?

Me: Graduate high school, go to college, and major in education. You want to be a teacher?

Him: (nodding yes)

Me: That's good stuff, don't let nobody talk you out of it!

Him: I've been having dreams the past week about me teaching. In my dreams, I was you up here teaching and whatnot, except all that stuff (referring to a junky table off to the side). I was saying all your stuff and all that. And you was my mentor. But I know I gotta get a job and start saving now.

Me: That works. But also get good grades, because there are academic scholarships out there. That's why I tell y'all all the time to focus on school. Now you might change your mind between now and college and that's fine, but don't let anyone talk you out of it!

The Unseen Real: 2k16

Let's set the scene

The kid was throwing a violent tantrum, insolently incorporating single-syllable four letter words into a diatribe directed at a staff member who had just rejected his request. What I heard in my ears was louder than this profanity-laced vitriolic tirade, however. What I heard was a kid who was sick of adults making promises they, for whatever reason, did not or could not keep. He said as much. But before he indicated what the real issue was, I heard and saw that there was something deeper than what I was witnessing. So I sat and watched as he did....'him'. Another staff member stood and did the same. Just chilled.

Some teachers would have gone straight to labels, medicine, psychologists, psychiatrists, blah blah blah. After a few minutes, he turned on NBA 2K16 and invited me to play. I just messed up someone's theology with that one right there!! A game?? After what he did and said?? Yes. I cannot discuss it further.

But yes, he said, "Ayo Mr. Flemming play me!" Huh? Who me? Ha!! The last system I touched as Super Nintendo and before that, Atari!! Needless to say, I was a little intimidated. He offered to teach me, though. I sat. We switched roles. The teacher became the student and the student became the teacher. But there was something unseen going on. There was something more real than the obvious; the switching of roles and me learning how to play NBA 2K16 with this 14-year-old master teacher in charge. Unseen though it may have been, real nonetheless. This kid didn't need a diagnosis and subsequent prognosis. He needed calm-osis, listening-ear-osis, strong-older-brotha-osis! Before I left, in less than 15 seconds I encouraged him to "be cool", "chill", and to try not to explode like that again. He understood and in his way consented.

I wonder how many of our Black boys are being pushed through the school-to-prison pipeline because adults are being Tylenol, only looking to address symptoms.

Are you a Tylenol teacher?

Shoutout on Youtube! I'm humbled!

So, it's a Saturday evening and one thing that I'm involved in had me looking for pictures of John B. Kelly School online since my phone was being all technological!! {angry emoji}

As I was perusing the Internet, I happened upon a video and recognized the parent of one of my former students on Youtube. So I clicked! I can't tel you how much this video almost "messed me up" in my eye area!!

It's less than four minutes, watch til the end!

Ms. Kane, you are more than welcome!!!
Aden was such a joy to have!! I wrote about him last year this time! He's THE resident historian of the class!!

Working with Adjudicated Youth Part 8: The Goodbye

Que the Boyz  II Men goodbye song...
"How could I say goodbye...?"

Like this,
DEUCES!!!
PEACE OUT HOMIE!!!
I'M BUSSIN' OUT THIS JOINT!!

I jest. It wasn't as simple as I thought it would be to say so long to these young guys with whom I had been working! Throughout the program, kids had come and go without warning. Some went back home while others went to more confined settings. Some came for a day, others for a week and a couple for the entire summer! So saying "peace out homies" should've just been part and parcel of the culture of the environment. But for me, it wasn't so simple.

No, I did the break down and tear up or anything like that.

I like to stay in touch, go to sports games, contribute to their causes, support presentations, talk to their parents, text parents back, and the like. Well...this was different. No parents, games, presentations, nothing. They are in a detention facility. I couldn't visit their homes, call home, meet parents/guardians or anything like that.

On the last day they were giving their counselor grief. I thought I'd attempt to bring them back to themselves by showing them the video presentation I'd been working on about my trip to Baltimore and Freddie Gray's neighborhood. I wrote something about that when discussing the type of teaching that went on. It worked to some extent. After that, we watched and analyzed "The Blind Side". Then it was time for me to go, for the last time.

I went around, shook everyone's hand, gave them my well wishes and all. But two of the kids' reactions stood out. Most just shook hands and that was that. One of them shot me a look that said, "but why you gotta go?" This was the same one who, in a previous post, told me that he liked writing and that it comes naturally to him. He was Donatello in the last paragraph of a previous post. He was one of the few who really showed interest in learning this summer.

The other reaction that stood out was from one who had given me grief every waking second of summer and who was on the short list of those who I'd call the bane of my existence but kinda grew on me! I'm sure we've all had those types. Tap dance on your nerves, but when the dancing stops, you're like, "but...huh...oh, ok." #confused As I was making my way to the door to leave, this kid made it a point to call out from another room, "Ard Mr. Flemming!!"

"but...huh...oh, ok." #confused

I stopped. Turned around. Went to where he was. Stunned.

First, this might have been the first time he said my name all summer. I was used to being called names like "ole  head". On other days I may have been "dis  n***" or someone who was "schemin", but rarely, if ever was I "Mr. Flemming."

Second, he made it a point to get my attention. He, of all people, was one I wouldn't peg for one to make it a point to say goodbye. I shook his hand and again encouraged him to do what he could to get discharged.

Making my way through the door, I looked to my left where there was a window and one of the kids pushes back the curtains and the pic below accurately captures the scene...

I looked back, held my solidarity/power/"right on" fist up and forced myself to keep walking.

Goodbye.

Working with Adjudicated Youth Part 7: On 7/27/15 I wrote...

Sooooo......

After class I often took notes and journaled, if you can't already tell by all of the previous posts of my summer teaching experience as an English teacher of adjudicated youth. Ha!

Here are the exact words I typed into my phone after class on 7/27/15:

The focus of this class has changed so much. I've really had to be flexible. What I thought would be a traditional English course has turned out to be anything but. No shade and no fault, just the reality and that's OK. Teachers are special people with a special skill set to be able to adapt, adjust, and still aim to be effective and that doesn't come with 5 weeks of "intense" training. I hate TFA and I hate this country's attitude toward the profession!


Click on a post to read:
Working with Adjudicated Youth part 1

Working with Adjudicated Youth: Part 2 - Teaching

Working with Adjudicated Youth: Part 3 - What THEY said

Working with Adjudicated Youth, Part 4: My Old Student

Working with Adjudicated Youth, Part 5: The Connections

Working with Adjudicated Youth, Part 6: The Research

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Working with Adjudicated Youth Part 6: The Research

Only in the dusk of my days this past summer as an English teacher in a program for adjudicated youth did I even think to go all "Geeky" and look up any research on the effectiveness of juvenile detention-type educational programs. It hit me like a ton of bricks one night, so much so that I stopped the eye-lid closing process, pulled my Samsung tablet to me and started looking to see what was out there.

Not much came of my cursory search that night. I did come across this (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3314708/#!po=20.1613) and started reading before I ZZZZZZzzzzzed!

I also started following the twitter account below. As a newbie to teaching and working in juvenile detention facilities, albeit for a month, I wasn't aware of any of the discourses surrounding these spaces nor of any possible sound pedagogy or even hints at implications for teaching in these spaces.

Tweets by @JuvLaw1975

Working with Adjudicated Youth, Part 5: The Connections

To reiterate what’s already been posted, this summer I was an English teacher for a program that served adjudicated youth. I’ve recalled the experiences in various "parts" which are available for you to read in the list of posts for August, 2015 all beginning with “Working with Adjudicated Youth…”

I believe excellent teachers are those who not only have book knowledge, but also those who are able to make and sustain, to some degree, connections with his/her students. I strive to be an excellent teacher, because each student I teach, deserves one!

This summer was no exception. Early on as I was still figuring out how this would work and testing the waters, we read a poem that my middle school kids of yester-year enjoyed. It wasn’t anything African-American related, but was on another “cool” topic, BUGS!!! The poem is titled, “Insect Logic”. We read it. Later I rapped it to their beats! We had a blast. I followed up a couple of days later by bringing in my class pets, four Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches!

Pics of our pets in my regular classroom (top) and at my home (bottom)

(((BAM))) A connection!! One kid was really looking forward to seeing them and another wished to God that I wouldn’t bring them! But all were at least curious and talking about these….roaches!

On the day I brought them in, the one kid who was looking forward to seeing them went all in! Opening the enclosure, he picked one up and handled it, observed it, and really wanted to engage in a conversation about it (them). The other hard core, macho, “thugs” cowered before the insects. They’re here for serious crimes but are squeamish around the class pets! LOL!!! I wish I could’ve take a picture of the reactions, of the hiding behind the teacher, of the “ayo dawg, put that jawn back in the jawn yo! They tryna sleep! They come out a night!” That was a good day!

UNfortunately, the kid who didn’t want to see them was due in court and was absent from class. Upon returning the next day and finding out that he missed out on the visitors, “Yoooo, I’m so *%&^ glad I wasn’t here yo!! NOW ole ‘head, can’t get me!”

I brought them back the next day.

He was there the next day.

He would have NOTHING to do with me!!!! LOL!!!!

Me, “NOW young bol, GOTCHU!!” lol

In addition to the bugs, I found that whenever they were a bit obnoxious on a particular day and I was determined to teach the few who were attentive, the discussions on Black History brought them right back in. Let me set up the scene. There may have been 9 or 10 in the class. 7 may have been in their bag that day. The 3 who wanted me to teach would be attentive and I would teach. The 7 would slowly come around to either calming down and doodling or even listening and contributing to the conversations, the writing, the film or whatever! I noticed that more than once.

It’s important to note that while the experience was new to me, I didn’t really take TOO much offense. They are in situations they probably really don’t want to be in. (The word "probably" is there for a reason.) And here comes a teacher who is insistent on teaching, in the summer, in their space, when some of them may not have sat in a classroom but a few times all year long. I get it. Which is why I had to constantly “reroute”, just like Siri. Establishing connections, and then new ones when new students came through (all. summer. long.), was the only way that I was going to be successful this past summer.

Previous Posts on Working with Adjudicated Youth (not advice, but my summer experience)
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4