What's it like to teach black kids?

Marty Nemko ^ | June 16, 2009 | Marty Nemko

[cyberella]

Despite almost 50 years of large and accelerating efforts to improve the school achievement of African-American students, the gap between their achievement and that of whites and Asians remains about as large as ever.

Yet proposals for what to do about it seem basically unchanged: Spend more money and divert existing money to reduce class size and train teachers better, have more students take a rigorous college prep curriculum, work on improving self-esteem, eliminate ability-grouped classes, use cooperative-learning techniques, and reassign top teachers to schools with a high percentage of African-American students.

I have become especially doubtful about whether those approaches will work better in the future than they have in the past when I read this report from the trenches. Usually, we hear only from politicians and education leaders (who also are politicians) spouting lofty rhetoric. Occasionally, we hear of a promising program, but which never turns out to be scalable. Or we see a Hollywood movie about some amazing teacher.

We rarely, however, hear from a more typical teacher who, day to day, teaches low-achieving African-American kids. So it was with interest that I read this truly depressing account from a teacher. I've edited out a couple of unnecessarily snarky sentences, which are irrelevant to the issue. Nonetheless the essay is long yet, I believe, worth your time.)

The essay does make me feel uncomfortable because while it presents an eye-opening report from the trenches, it is just one person's report and one that feels more extreme than what I experienced when I taught in a heavily African-American school. Also, while the author made passing mention that not all Blacks behaved as he described, those comments felt, to me, too parenthetical.. Of course, many black students are high-achieving and motivated.

But I decided to post this teacher's essay on my blog for the following reason. The much-needed women's movement was triggered not just by measured academic tomes but also by passionate statements that, even though often excessively male-bashing, shone powerful light on women's plight. Similarly, I believe we need to hear passionate (even if deeply frustrated and overly drawn) reports from the trenches on this issue. For decades, we've certainly heard plenty of the lofty rhetoric from education leaders and academics yet the achievement gap remains and little new is being proposed. I hope that my posting this will make a small contribution toward a more full-dimensioned view of the problem and thus in turn, toward identifying more promising approaches and not be used to justify racist behavior toward African-Americans. That is the last thing I want.

After you read this essay, I hope you'll post your thoughts on what if any implications you believe this has for what we should do differently to better serve the needs of African-American kids, their non-African-American classmates, and in turn, the nation as a whole.

Update, July 4, 2009: I have reviewed the over 150 comments on this essay, updated my knowledge of the research on what works in reducing the racial achievement gap, and drafted a plan for doing so. Here's the link.

What is it Like to Teach Black Students?

by Christopher Jackson

Until recently I taught at a predominantly black high school in a southeastern state. contined at http://martynemko.blogspot.com/2009/06/white-teacher-speaks-out-what-is-it.html

[patriot08]

u guys are too funny

[dennisw]

Freepers are cheating themselves if they don’t read the whole thing

http://martynemko.blogspot.com/2009/06/white-teacher-speaks-out-what-is-it.html

[patriot08]

Right. Very informative and vital read.

[wintertime]

and the Libs came out and ATE ME ALIVE
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

They were likely PAID PROFESSIONALS. They will make almost any nonsensical complaint to the moderators to get a thread pulled. Their ultimate goal is to get a poster banned.

Remember...The Marxists would kill us if they could. They just can’t get away with it...(yet).

[I Buried My Guns]

There is nothing in this story that did not strike a chord with me; I have lived it. Every concept, stereotype, and action detailed in this story is spot on.

The ignorance, laziness, hostility and the just-plain-hatefulness-against white-people are things I witnessed daily when I worked in the schools.

I decided back then that if I won the lottery I would use the money to identify the good kids (who actually wanted to learn) and pay for them to attend private schools, as the environment of the public schools (that I worked in) was rife with violence, disrespect, and anti-white hatred.

Due to a series of eye-opening experiences (many of which were touched upon in the article), it was at this time in my life that I began to seriously consider the viability of a civil war. I think it may be the only way to turn our once-great country around.

[Chi-townChief]

bump

[Tired of Taxes]

Marking to comment later.

[Tired of Taxes]

I have no doubt that the students in his classes behaved the way he says they did. But, growing up, almost everyone across the color spectrum in my town talked, walked, and behaved that way. It's a matter of class and culture.

One reason we homeschool is to keep our children out of these types of toxic environments. Outside the school system, they only come across bad behavior here and there, not six hours a day.

But, I'm not impressed at all by this teacher. Based on his observations at ONE school, he draws broad generalizations. Then he misses the real point: that the public school exists only to protect jobs (like his). Without it, the private sector would offer education only to the students who valued one.

[airborne]

Thanks for the link.

What's really interesting is the comments posted. The discussion gets very nasty and racist.

It's a video of a black teacher teaching black students about the importance of proper pronunciation, and how it helps with getting a job and “first impressions”.

A good lesson, you would think. But the idiots who posted comments are horrible! Such racist comments from both sides! No wonder our schools are in such a state of disrepair. No one takes any personal responsibility for their actions anymore.