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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781934155110 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | African American Images |
| Publication date: | 10/01/2008 |
| Pages: | 120 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.40(d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
100 Plus Educational Strategies to Teach Children of Color
By Jawanza Kunjufu
African American Images
Copyright © 2008 Jawanza KunjufuAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-934155-11-0
CHAPTER 1
FRAMEWORK
Over my almost 35 year career providing school in-service workshops, I have been asked countless times to provide solutions to the problems teachers are encountering in their classrooms. It's as if teachers do not want to understand theory, philosophy, values, or culture. They just want a quick fix pill. In essence they're saying, "Dr. Kunjufu, in this one-hour workshop, if you can just give me ten solutions, I'll be satisfied. I don't need to understand the history, culture, values, and challenges affecting my children. I just want a ten-step process."
In fact, I offer many solutions but only after providing some context about children of color. I insist on providing context because I believe that to teach children you must know them. If you don't know them, chances are you won't like them. I can offer all the solutions in the world, but if you don't like or respect children, if you don't want to teach in a African American or Hispanic school, or if your first choice was to teach in an affluent school in a White suburb, you won't be effective in a classroom with African American/Hispanic students.
You'll find that the strategies and activities I offer will not be effective if you have a negative attitude toward children of color.
In several of my earlier books on education, I mention that in low achieving schools the most negative room in the school is not where the students are. It's the teachers' lounge. Ironically, the same teachers that make derogatory comments about our children in the teachers' lounge are the first to ask me for quick fix solutions to their students' problems.
Primarily I wrote this book for White female teachers. Eighty-three percent of elementary school teachers in America are White and female. The future of children of color lies in the hands of White female teachers.
Since the 1954 Brown vs. Topeka school integration decision, there has been a 66 percent decline in African American teachers. Only six percent of America's teachers are African American, and only one percent are African American males. Thus, I spend around three days a week nationwide primarily working with White female teachers.
I have grown to understand and have compassion for their plight. It's not fair to blame a White female teacher who grew up in a predominately White neighborhood, who attended a college where the education department offered few if any classes on Black/ Hispanic history, culture, or learning styles. The same teacher then student taught in a predominately White school, but unfortunately (for her) she was not given her first choice to teach in a predominately White school district. Now she's working in an inner city school with a principal who did not properly provide her with culturally sensitive in-service training. Nor was she assigned a mentor.
This White female college graduate is now teaching in an inner city school, and she's not prepared. It's not her fault. Over my career, I have spent an awful lot of time working with White female teachers. I really appreciate that many sincerely want to make a difference in the lives of African American and Hispanic children.
Several years ago I wrote a book entitled Black Students, Middle Class Teachers. Note the title was not Black Students, White Teachers. It's sad, but many African American teachers are not connected with African American students. It's amazing how some will send their children to private schools but are against choice for low income children. There's a lot of self-hatred and hypocrisy.
The issue is race and class.
Many middle-class African American teachers have forgotten from whence they came. They need to be reminded that they are DuBois'Talented Tenth. DuBois challenged the Talented Tenth to give back to the least of these.
Types of Teachers
Over my career, I've observed six types of teachers:
1. Custodians
2. Referral Agents
3. Missionaries
4. Instructors
5. Teachers
6. Coaches
Custodians. Custodians often tell students, "I have mine and you have yours to get." They tell colleagues, "I have one year, four months, three weeks, two days, and I'm out of here." These teachers graduated 30 years ago and are using the same lesson plans 30 years later.
Custodians are the most vocal seekers of quick fix solutions in my workshops. They sincerely believe they can implement my solutions while keeping their same old negative attitude and beliefs about children.
Referral Agents. Referral Agents are always seeking ways to reduce the student-teacher ratio. They've found that the most effective method is referring students to special education and suspension.
Twenty percent of teachers make 80 percent of the referrals to special education. Why is it that a child who was not labeled ADD or ADHD by a previous teacher is, all of a sudden, labeled as such by the current Referral Agent? Is the problem with the student or the Referral Agent?
Missionaries. Usually trained in elite schools, Missionaries mean well, but deep down they believe African American/Hispanic students are culturally deprived, broken, and need to be fixed. Of course they have the solution: teach them European culture and values. This is reminiscent of how Africans and Native Americans were force fed European culture. If they were caught enjoying their own culture, they were beaten or killed. What these well-meaning classroom Missionaries do not understand is that they impose a kind of death sentence upon our children when they refuse to teach them anything about African American/ Hispanic culture or history.
Ironically, some Missionaries have visited Africa and made the decision to teach in an inner city school because of their experiences there.
The most zealous Missionaries seldom ask for my assistance. They're not interested in my strategies because they believe their Eurocentric curriculum will save African American/Hispanic children.
The synonym for culture is lifestyle. Everyone has a culture, but arrogant people assume that if you don't have their culture, you are deprived.
Missionaries don't last long in the public school system. Most will teach one to five years.
Instructors. Instructors believe they teach subjects, not children. They sincerely believe they teach algebra and English. They don't realize that for Black and Latino students, there can be no significant learning until they first establish a significant relationship.
In several of my books I discuss the Fourth Grade Syndrome. From the fourth grade on, African American/Hispanic scores begin to decline. There are many reasons for this, including the fact that students are increasingly subjected to uncaring Instructors and departmentalization as they get older.
From the fourth grade on, students might have four to seven classes taught by four to seven different Instructors. Instructors do not value the role of self-esteem, motivation, and values in the learning process. They are solely concerned about delivering their subject matter.
I've found that Instructors seem to be concentrated at the high school level. Instructors do not seem interested in my strategies because their one goal is to deliver content. That there are students on the receiving end of their lectures doesn't seem to concern them at all. Thus, they are easily frustrated when, for example, they attempt to teach ninth grade algebra to students who have not mastered their multiplication tables or Shakespeare to students who are not reading at grade level.
Master Teachers understand subject matter as well as the variety of student learning styles. You cannot teach the way you want to teach; you must teach the way children learn.
In the first week of school, Master Teachers ascertain which students are left and right brain learners. This information will dictate what percentage of their lesson plan will be left and right brain. Unfortunately, many Instructors, Custodians, Referral Agents, and Missionaries use left brain lesson plans with right brain thinking students.
We could improve Black and Latino math scores if we provided more right brain lesson plans. I encourage you to read How to Teach Math to Black Students for more details.
I love working with Master Teachers in my workshops. They appreciate the role of history, culture, values, and social issues in learning. They have mastered the art of adapting their pedagogy to a variety of student learning styles. They are equally interested in strategies and solutions. My workshops with Teachers and Coaches are my favorites because we learn from each other.
Coaches. Like Instructors, Coaches understand subject matter. Like Teachers, they have mastered congruence between pedagogy and learning styles.
Most importantly, they understand that you cannot teach a child you do not respect, love, or understand.
Coaches understand that there can be no significant learning until a significant relationship is established first. The ability to bond with students is one of their greatest skills. I have been blessed to meet many fantastic Coaches.
The African American Family
It is important for White female teachers to understand that the Black family is not monolithic. In The Cosby Show, Bill Cosby played a doctor and his wife, a lawyer. Many people in White America had a difficult time accepting a Black family like the Huxtables.
The reality is that more than 25 percent of African American families earn more than $75,000 per year. Unfortunately, 24 percent of African American families live below the poverty line. And then there are the 51 percent in the middle.
Which Black family are you talking about: The Cosby Show families earning more than $75,000, the Good Times families living below the poverty line, or the Roc families of the middle class?
Many races view the Black family as monolithic. That's why we often hear the statement, "You're different!" This statement is made when a White person meets an African American who graduated from Harvard or who wants to be on the debate team or who does not fit any of the stereotypes of African Americans. When they say, "You're not like them!" what they really mean is that they're so racist they can only see African American people from one vantage point. When an African American does not reinforce their stereotypes, they're different from "all" other members of their race.
Of the 40 million Americans who live below the poverty line, 24 million are White. You'd never know this watching television. For some reason the networks can find the 16 million poor Blacks and Latinos who are concentrated in urban jungles, but they can't find the 24 million poor Whites who are scattered throughout rural America.
How can racists digest the fact that 76 percent of all drug users are White? Ironically, 70 percent of those convicted for possession are Black and Latino. Is there a war on drugs, or is there a war on Blacks and Latinos?
The Framework
Changing your beliefs, stereotypes, and attitudes about African American/Hispanic students can be a difficult process. The strategies and activities in this book may challenge your beliefs at the most fundamental level. Yet for the sake of our children, I encourage you to keep an open mind and consider implementing as many of the strategies and activities as you can.
The following four stages of this process of attitudinal change form a theoretical framework you can use to assess your own thoughts and feelings as you read the material and plan your course of action:
• Denial
• Admit
• Understand
• Appreciate.
Denial. I'll never forget when a White female teacher in Seattle told me, "I don't see color. I see children as children." Teachers can tell me anything in a sterile auditorium, but bulletin boards, library collections, and classroom décor tell me all I need to know about what teachers really think of their students.
After my workshop, I asked this teacher if I could visit her classroom. The racial breakdown of students was 60 percent African American, 20 percent Hispanic, 10 percent Asian, and 10 percent White. When I walked into her classroom I saw an all -White Dick and Jane library collection, pictures of famous White Americans hanging on the walls, and posters of White children. Yet she didn't see color. I believe she saw color better than anyone else!
Denial is probably my biggest adversary when trying to work with teachers, Black or White, male or female.
Admit. Teachers must finally admit that culture and race are factors in their students' academic performance. This may be difficult for some educators to admit. It's a humbling experience to admit when you're wrong or that you don't know everything about African American children. The classic statement is, "I don't see color. I see children as children." Many teachers think they're liberal when they make this statement. I believe the statement shows their naiveté and covers their racism.
Understand. Teachers must at least try to understand their students' culture. White female teachers are assigned African American/ Hispanic classrooms in the inner city, but they are not given one course in Black/Hispanic history, culture, or learning styles. Thus, it is your responsibility to learn on your own. My workshops and books, along with those of my peers, address this issue to help teachers understand the culture.
You must also stay abreast of developments in education. We work in a dynamic field, yet many educators do not subscribe to trade journals, magazines, and newspapers. What books have you read in the past six months on your subject or education in general? How can teachers call themselves educators and not read the literature in their field? Everyday a new scientific discovery is made, a new math formula is devised. Even in the field of history new discoveries are constantly challenging the Eurocentric view of the world. I strongly encourage all teachers to read Education Week, Journal of Negro Education, and Education Leadership. Also, you should read all of the books related to the psychology and education of African American/Hispanic children.
Appreciate. The third stage is to appreciate the culture. You can be African American and not appreciate the culture. I believe that people like Clarence Thomas and Ward Connerlly, who are African American, don't really appreciate African American culture.
Throughout this book, we will offer strategies and activities to help African American/Hispanic children appreciate their culture. For example, Black History Month should not be confined to the month of February. Hispanic month should not be confined to September 15th - October 15th. It should be taught 365 days per year. Appreciating the culture is more than asking Black children to wear native attire, bring in native music and food, and throw a party. Black culture is far more than dress, music, and food.
Immerse yourself in the literature of your students. Subscribe to Ebony and Hispanic magazines. Read The Destruction of Black Civilization, Before the Mayflower, America's Latinos and Handbook of Hispanic Cultures.
Watch two very contrasting television shows: 106 & Park and Tony Brown's Journal. This will clearly reinforce the reality that the African American community is not monolithic.
Visit a Black/Hispanic church. It is our largest institution and has the greatest influence on the African American community.
Also visit a Black college, especially Morehouse, Spelman, Xavier, Howard, Tuskegee, Hampton, and North Carolina A&T.
Pop Quiz
I'd like you to take the following multicultural quiz. Before I offer you my 100 Plus strategies and activities, let's ascertain how well versed you are in the history and culture of your students.
Multicultural Quiz
1. How do African American children define good hair and pretty eyes?
2. Why do many African American youth associate beauty with light skin?
3. What are the benefits of dark skin?
4. Name some classical Black/Hispanic musicians and writers.
5. Why do some African American/Hispanic youth associate being smart with acting White?
6. Why don't Whites associate being smart with acting Black or Hispanic?
7. At what age do Jewish parents and educators teach their children about the Holocaust?
8. At what age do parents and educators of African American children teach them about slavery?
9. From a multicultural perspective, what is the difference between a salad bowl and a melting pot?
10. Why did twentieth-century European immigrants melt into American society faster than African Americans?
11. What makes countries Third World? What are the first and second worlds?
12. Who built the Pyramids? When were they built? When was the zenith of Greek civilization?
13. What is Standard English?
14. Did Oakland schools want to teach African American students Ebonics?
15. What is code switching?
16. What percentage of the world population is White?
17. What is the one-drop-of-blood theory?
18. How many Whites live below the poverty line in America?
19. What percentage of drug users and drug convictions involve Whites?
20. Which day of the week and hour are the most segregated in America?
21. Do you have different opinions when you see four African American/Hispanic male teens in the school hallway versus four White male teens?
22. What is the difference between a group and a gang? Between being assertive and aggressive?
(Continues...)
Excerpted from 100 Plus Educational Strategies to Teach Children of Color by Jawanza Kunjufu. Copyright © 2008 Jawanza Kunjufu. Excerpted by permission of African American Images.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Title Page,Copyright Page,
Dedication,
CHAPTER 1: FRAMEWORK,
CHAPTER 2: BONDING,
CHAPTER 3: DÉCOR,
CHAPTER 4: MOTIVATION,
CHAPTER 5: HISTORY,
CHAPTER 6: LANGUAGE ARTS,
CHAPTER 7: MATH AND SCIENCE,
CHAPTER 8: DISCIPLINE,
CHAPTER 9: MALES,
CHAPTER 10: HIP HOP,
CHAPTER 11: PEDAGOGY,
CHAPTER 12: EPILOGUE,
NOTES,