Working with Adjudicated Youth: Part 2 - Teaching

Part 1 served more as an intro into the new teaching experience I had this summer, working in a juvenile facility with youth who allegedly committed various crimes---adjudicated youth.

You may have read in that prior post about how I quickly discovered that I would have free reign to design and teach, pretty much what I wanted. All of the lessons and the unit needed to be based on the PA Common Core (blah). I complied, submitting lesson plans weekly, a unit plan in the beginning of the summer and all of that jazz. Nothing came back disapproved, so I continued.

I titled the unit: African American Literature and History
Admittedly, I did not go in any kind of sequence or focus on a sharper theme. I tried to think of not-so-well-known-to-them facts/events/people for us to read about, discuss, etc.

Some of the topics:

• The Watts riots (article and discussion)
• Henry "Box" Brown (book and discussion)
• Peaceful v. violent protests (discussion)
• Ruby Bridges (discussion)
• businesses and their "serving" of colored people - in the basement or out back
• etc

Journal entries and discussions of quotes such as:

• "The whole world opened to me when I learned to read." ~Mary McLeod Bethune
• Why people riot (journal entry and discussion)
• Letters to the 5 year old me
• etc

Just some of the titles we read were:

• Mother to Son by Langston Hughes (I remember a GREAT discussion we had with this and how they applied it to their own lives!!! Warmed all my teacher insides! Good stuff!)
• Harlem by Langston Hughes
• The Day I Ordered a Cup of Coffee by Franklin McCain (lunch counter protests)
• etc

We also viewed and analyzed films in a way that the guys may never have analyzed or seen the films before. Films such as Amistad, Remember the Titans, The Blind Side, and The Butler. All were interested in the two football movies and contributed to the discussions. A few were interested in Amistad and The Butler. Those who were interested, did a great job of participating while the others slept.

Their summer project involved them developing questions about their top two rappers; questions about their life and questions about their music. The older ones seemed to like this better than the younger ones. I learned names I had never even heard of before. Lil Durk, PnB Rock among others.
(Listen, I'm more of a Gospel music/classical music guy. That's my flavor. But I listened, I researched. I learned. Intriguing.)

On my final day of teaching, the last day of the program, we talked about Baltimore, the death of Freddie Gray and the subsequent violence that followed. I was putting together a presentation that included pictures from the scenes as the looting and rioting occurred and on my trip down to Baltimore, this when the guys came in. I showed them my work in progress (90% complete, but complete enough, with music). This generated discussion and a continuation of our previous discussion on riots and why people do it.

So many great moments, they all cannot be captured here! They are some very intelligent boys and overall were great to work with. Many are very articulate and I had no preconceived notions otherwise. I didn't know what to expect, it was all new. (I hope you don't teach with preconceived notions about your students! I hope not!)

"Sir" "Mister" "Good morning" "Have a good afternoon". For some, this was how they spoke. For others, once they heard me use the terms, they adopted them as well.

There were some frustrating moments. Seriously. All guys. All believing they had street cred. All tough as nails. And each believing he had the biggest set. It comes with the territory and won't be the primary focus of my posts. (Although there was that one time that they saw the real Mr. Flemming, so much so it stunned one of the counselors. Two wanted to fight. Flem showed up, 6', 220lbs. Silence. Uhhh, the biggest set goes to....yup...)

lol

More to come...

Working with Adjudicated Youth part 1

This summer I had the opportunity and ultimately what I'm going to call a privilege to work with adjudicated youth, specifically "tween" and teen boys. As a summer English teacher for a School District/Department of Human Services/Non-Profit/Title 1/ / / / / / program, I was to teach English to youth roughly ages 13-17 who had been.....well.....adjudicated. Most any crime that an adult would commit, they allegedly committed.

Having discovered that there "may be some materials over there", I quickly realized that I would have free reign to design and implement my own unit/curriculum. Cool!! (Note: There were materials at the site, by the way.)

Title: African American History and Literature
This would be the focus of the teaching/learning experience this summer.

Because I found out about this teaching gig the day before I was to stand in front of students, I also realized that this would be a constant work in progress, a lot of thinking on my feet, constant---wait, how does Siri say it--"rerouting"?? Yes. A lot of that. Not a problem. I'm up to the challenge. Even if I start very traditional with worksheets, short reading passages, and discussions, all Afrocentric, this would be it for a day or so while I got a lay of the land, the conditions, the terrain and just how working in a detention-type facility works.

Uh oh!!
So, I know teaching and learning and consider myself a pretty good teacher who diligently works at being better, I was not prepared, however, for the mentality of some of the youth. Despite the fact that I've been a youth worker/teacher/mentor/program director, etc. since I was a youth, it was never in an environment like this.

I didn't even know enough to know that I wasn't aware of what of what I wasn't aware of. Ha!! Riddle me that!!

One example:
I wasn't prepared for their genuine beliefs that some of their wrongs (not crimes, but the in-class type) would somehow be my fault. Their "conversations" (more like a cuss the teacher out--literally and point accusatory fingers) revealed that they really believed their hurling various projectiles through the air (some directed at me) was really my fault when one of the counselors would call them on it. They really believed that signing aliases on official documents (which they had never done, but decided to do this on a particular day) and being called on it was really my fault.  I kid you not. Sounds ludicrous? Yes!

One session ended up being "group" (something like group therapy, rap session, talking, etc. for those unfamiliar with the term). I listened intently as they were given space to talk without fear of some punishment. What I heard, through all of the diatribes, was, "I really don't want to be here."

My 'listening tour' continued all summer and was weaved into the very fabric of the instruction. Whether they were conversing with me, each other, times when I wasn't teaching, with my partner teacher, with the counselors, at lunch, wherever, I listened. I wanted to learn as much as possible about them, their beliefs, and somehow use what I learned to better my approach as a teacher of adjudicated youth in a detention facility.

Why mention the "...of adjudicated youth in a detention facility" part? Because teaching and reaching these youth is a different experience. The overall culture, from what I gleaned as an outsider, seems to be naturally created when a group of students, most of whom allegedly/admittedly/supposedly committed serious crimes are put together in a space---that experience is different. Different from teaching and reaching youth in a typical classroom setting. More challenging? I wouldn't even draw that conclusion. Maybe I'll lay out the similarities and differences in part 2, 3, 4, or 5 (or later).

There are most posts that will follow.
Some will reflect on the positive teaching/learning experiences as we analyzed movies like The Butler, Amistad, The Blind Side, and Remember the Titans. 

Others will be things that I've heard them say or do that are really worth remembering.

One post will be dedicated to a former student (no face, no trace) of mine who surprised me and made me very proud one day!!

I took quite a bit of notes this summer. Some were my frustrations, but those won't be the focus of future posts. There were really positive experiences that came out of the negative circumstances that landed many of these young men to where we were and I hope to do well by them in writing about them. Again, no face, no trace. No names will be mentioned. I respect the privacy of these youth and their counselors.