LIFE AS AN ORANGE
LIFE AS AN ORANGE
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Imagine for a minute that your name is Smiley and you are an orange. Yes, that's right, an orange. Now let us also imagine that everyday you attend Tree University. Within Tree University, there are not a lot of oranges. Maybe there are two or three other oranges that you have seen, but mostly apples attend Tree University. In your classes at Tree University, you noticed that a lot of the professors are also apples. You have also noticed that a lot of these professors also tend to pay more attention to and call on other apples. How do you feel? Do you feel isolated or maybe overlooked? Chances are a lot of black students can relate what you are feeling as an orange; lonely and overlooked. Below I will elaborate on the needs of black students and what we as teachers need to do to improve.
Teaching Black Students
Teaching Black Students
By:Kaitlyn Batts
LEARNING TARGETS
At the end of this lesson, the students will be able to...
1) List at least three ways teachers can help black students feel comfortable in the classroom
2) Identify and explain the role teacher preparation programs have on teaching black studdents
3) Define the black student achievement gap
"How as an educator can I make my black students feel comfortable in the classroom?"
"How as an educator can I make my black students feel comfortable in the classroom?"
1 SAY THEIR NAME
1 SAY THEIR NAME
The first thing the article stresses is the importance behind a concept so simple such as saying black students' names correctly (Watts, 2021). As a current black student, I appreciate that this issue was addressed because I have witnessed so many teachers not even attempt to pronounce a name. The reason they did not bother was because they thought it was too hard. Seeing this was confusing and damaging to me as a student, and now as a future educator. Put yourself in their shoes as an educator and imagine how offended you would be if someone did not bother learning your name correctly.
2 BE CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE
2 BE CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE
As a teacher with black students, you should practice culturally responsive teaching by embracing, learning, and understanding each student's background and where they come from (Watts, 2021). Bettina Love, a co-founder of the Abolitionist Teaching Network, argues that white teachers are not trying enough for black students (2021). While I do not believe we can place the blame on one group as to why black students are not feeling welcomed, I do believe we should make an effort to make sure we are not contributing to the issue of isolating black students.
3 DO NOT DWELL ON THE NEGATIVE
3 DO NOT DWELL ON THE NEGATIVE
Watts’ third suggestion is the most interesting suggestion in my opinion: make black students feel welcomed by addressing the student’s history from a positive perspective (2021). From my perspective, the only thing I remember learning about my race in class was slavery and the civil rights movement. Both of these moments in history were not great for black people. From my experience, teaching about lows for a particular group can isolate these students.
4 IT'S ALL IN THE DETAILS
4 IT'S ALL IN THE DETAILS
Next, the article proposes teachers to positively and accurately represent their students' culture through classroom decorations and images from lessons (Watts, 2021). For example, do not pick an image for an activity that shows little to no diversity. Try to find a picture that represents your class, so each student feels seen. This is something I wished I saw more in my classes growing up.
5 DO NOT MAKE THEM A SPOKESPERSON
5 DO NOT MAKE THEM A SPOKESPERSON
Lastly, Watts cautions teachers from isolating black students to discuss an issue simply because of their race (2021). For example, if you choose to discuss slavery, do not make your black students a spokesperson. Do not ask them speak about it and ask them how they feel about it (Watts, 2021). This will most likely put immense pressure on that student, along with feeling uncomfortable.
"What role do teacher preparation programs have on teaching black students?"
Teacher preparation programs:
cause teacher burnout (Coffey, 2016)
aim to teach “all the necessary knowledge and skills” for teaching (Coffey, 2016)
lack preparing teachers for how to teach and connect with black students ( Coffey, 2016).
drop inexperienced first-year teachers at high-poverty title one schools (Coffey, 2016).
Based on personal experience, my teacher preparation program does a great job at preparing its students for teaching in any classroom. Not only does it provide many hands-on observations inside classrooms, but it also requires me to take classes that challenge me to think critically about teaching and what it entails. What about you? Do you think your teacher preparation program is adequately preparing you for teaching black students? Write your opinion above in the Padlet!
"The Black-white Achievemnt gap: What is it and how to close it."
(Center for American Progress, 2015)
The video above does a great job explaining what the Black-white student achievement gap is.
In the article “Far Too Many Educators Aren’t Prepared to Teach Black and Brown Students”, Sharif El-Mekki blames teacher preparation programs' inability to prepare its teachers about how to teach black and brown students as to why there is such a profound achievement gap (2021). El-Mekki suggests for teacher preparation programs to do more on their part to close the gap.
SO...HOW DO WE CLOSE IT?
have teacher prepartion programs teach its' students the needs and requirements of being a teacher with black students (El-Mekki, 2021).
focus on building relationships between black students and their teachers (Tuit, 2012).
address and understand black students' needs (El-Mekki, 2021).
WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME?
Surprisingly, It was my first time learning about this gap while researching for this lesson. If this gap was new information for me, then I could only imagine how many other educators were unaware of this gap. With that being said, it is my hope that you take this information and ask yourself "What can I do to close this gap as an educator?"
FROM A BLACK STUDENTS PERSPECTIVE
I was curious to hear from another perspective as a black student other than myself. So, I wrote down some questions and interviewed my sister who is nine years old and is also a black student at a perdominately white instution. Although she did not want to be on camera, I thought it would be important to hear what she had to say.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Considering the information from the sources I have interpreted above, I believe that everyone is responsible for black students' feelings and success. As pointed out in the article “5 Ways to Help Black Students Feel at Home in School”, teachers should make it their priority to connect with all students (Watts, 2021). Even though Love argues that it is specifically white teachers who do the most harm to black students, I believe it can be any teacher who thinks about a student's identity as an afterthought (2021). I also agree with how Coffey and El-Mekkin blamed teacher preparation programs for the lack of preparing teachers for how to teach black students (2016; 2021). As a person who is currently in a teacher preparation program, I was fortunate enough to observe in a title one elementary school this semester. This experience has allowed me to learn about a different perspective on a student's needs. For example, the school I am currently observing in a school that has a high number of English learners. This means that they need a teacher that will take into consideration their perspective as an English learner. However, some students may not have as much luck to get the same experience in my program. That is why this issue of teaching black students is so important. Because all teacher preparation programs may not focus on the importance and needs certain students require, it is my purpose to provide teachers with that new perspective. The perspective that I was fortunate enough to learn. overall, these sources above have taught me the importance of making every student feel comfortable and how to accomidate their needs . In conclusion, similar to how it takes a village to raise a child, it will take a community to celebrate and uplift black students.
2 MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1) Ms.Smith looked at the results from her previous class' SOLs. She, along with the other secoond grade students, noticed a trend of the white students scores outperforming the black students. What can this phenomenon be best described as?
a) a coninscedence that occurs all the time with testing
b) black-white student achievment gap
c) The Bell-curve
d) The second grade teachers not preparing the students adequately
Ms. Smith just got the list of her new second grade class. She has been told by her co-workers that a few of the students on her list are black studentss. Ms.Smith is conflicted. she has not taught black students before because this is her secind year teaching. What would you suggest to Ms.Smith for teaching her new black students?
a) ask the students what accomidations they want to feel comfortable
b) make the students speak about their opinion on black current events
c) Take the time to learn how to pronounce each student's name
d) Treat the black students no different than the white students.
REFRENCES
Coffey, H., & Farinde-Wu, A. (2016). Navigating the journey to culturally responsive teaching: Lessons from the success and struggles of one first-year, Black female teacher of Black students in an urban school. Teaching and Teacher Education, 60, 24-33.
El-Mekki, S. (2021, June 29). Far too many educators aren't prepared to teach black and brown students (opinion). Education Week. Retrieved January 27, 2022, from https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-far-too-many-educators-arent-prepared-to-teach-black-and-brown-students/2021/04
Love, B. L. (2021, August 5). Dear white teachers: You can't love your black students if you don't know them (opinion). Education Week. Retrieved January 27, 2022, from https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-dear-white-teachers-you-cant-love-your-black-students-if-you-dont-know-them/2019/03
Tuitt, F. (2012). Black Like Me: Graduate Students’ Perceptions of their Pedagogical Experiences in Classes Taught by Black Faculty in a Predominantly White Institution. Journal of Black Studies, 43(2), 186–206. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23215206
Watts, R. (2021, June 11). 5 strategies to help black students feel at home in school. Edutopia. Retrieved February 27, 2022, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/5-strategies-help-black-students-feel-home-school
YouTube. (2015, March 12). How to close the academic achievement gap that's hurting America. YouTube. Retrieved February 27, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJtMlS8Gk_I
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