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"these girls saw the 'attitude' as a response to suggestions (overt or implicit) that their identity was an inferior one" - Morris, p. 86 Instead of blaming/shaming/judging/ignoring/dismissing/punishing Black girls with "attitude", can I dig deeper to hear/see what is triggering their response, validate what is coming up for them?

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We as educators can be better at helping foster different identities for Black girls vs. assuming/labeling identities for them.

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I can think of so many occasions in which peers used black girls as a source of entertainment.  Deliberately starting drama to see how they would react and get in trouble.

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Her strengths are she was joyful, very engaged, had good friendships, she loved reading and read books that challenged her. She wasn’t served by the fact that the classroom was very noisy, and very little opportunity was taken to discuss the craft of writing and text analysis at all. The books she ended up reading were whatever she found on her own but with no framing from school. 

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Her strengths are she was joyful, very engaged, had good friendships, she loved reading and read books that challenged her. She wasn’t served by the fact that the classroom was very noisy, and very little opportunity was taken to discuss the craft of writing and text analysis at all. The books she ended up reading were whatever she found on her own but with no framing from school. 

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I have observed a lot of judging the child's behavior rather than hearing what they have to say. Often times what I hear is a child who has a need not being met, and she is trying to advocate for that need. The girl I am thinking of was an amazing self-advocate, and yet she got kicked out daily, and suspended constantly.

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there is nothing we do that is intentionally tailored towards making sure black girls are successful like there is with every other type of student we have. every student has space to react and be upset and there are guidelines on how to have proper intervention in certain situations but it is very obviously modeled after what to do when a white male student is acting out. way too objective and almost always harmful

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The book mentions and I have also witnessed how young people will become what people tell them they are even if they feel that is not who they really are. I have talked with families, teachers, and admin about how the way we talk about students affects how they student will act. If they hear a staff member or even another student in the hallways or classroom talking about them in a negative light they are very likely to act in that manner even if it is something they are not really into doing or being. Its the fine i will show you what you think I am.

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If we keep in mind that all behavior has a reason and serves some purpose it may help us to view behaviors and therefore consequences in a different light. 

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If we keep in mind that all behavior has a reason and serves some purpose it may help us to view behaviors and therefore consequences in a different light. 

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I think that we tend to focus too much on punishments and not nearly enough on restorative practices. Even our not hats/hoods in the hall rule seems to me to be more for policing students and catching them on camera and just another way to set our students up to fail. When teachers have asked for help in managing behaviors in their classrooms and the response is that "well we can't suspend students anymore" it kills me because I don't understand why suspension is the option to begin with. I also think that by focusing so much on punishments like suspensions we create a culture of negativity where we focus on the "loud and disruptive" students and end up losing the quiet students that still need our help and support. No student is helped with this mentality

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I had a student here in 2008 that was in 9 fights in one year. Including going into a class she didn’t have in the middle of the period to fight a girl. She was actually one of the more successful students  in my computer class because it was self-paced so she could keep up in spite of her frequent suspensions.

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I had a student here in 2008 that was in 9 fights in one year. Including going into a class she didn’t have in the middle of the period to fight a girl. She was actually one of the more successful students  in my computer class because it was self-paced so she could keep up in spite of her frequent suspensions.

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I coordinated with Carly/Counselor to establish a Counseling option/Community Outreach(Country Doctor?). Even though there was not parent follow through, we at least have this an an option.

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I coordinated with Carly/Counselor to establish a Counseling option/Community Outreach(Country Doctor?). Even though there was not parent follow through, we at least have this an an option.

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The section about Black girls and "attitude" made me think a lot about a student I had last year. She was strong academically, but acted disruptively for reasons I had a hard time understanding. This section of the book helped reframe that for me: I started thinking about how she may have felt like she needed to assert her presence in our space because we (and probably I) weren't showing her the respect she deserved.

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Black girls being subjected to a collective identity interferes with school &  academic performance.Impacts how they allow themselves to be scholars

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The student I am thinking of was CONSTANTLY suspended. Over very minor infractions.  She never learned anything from her suspensions because there was no lesson to be learned. Other than her education can be withheld for petty reasons.

She missed so much class time and was behind on so much work and yet always maintained her grade. No matter what, even large projects, she would get them turned in.

It always amazed me how positive she remained despite constant harassment from students/teachers. Also, very cool how strong of a relationship she had with her mother and siblings.

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So many "norms" that are set regarding expectations/rules/etc. are very much based on neurotypical, white, middle/upper class ideals on how things should be done. So when that goes beyond the baseline of what you are used to then it is labeled as something that is not normal, or bad, etc. Not enough time or energy is spent on acknowledging and learning how different cultures express themselves. So when a child expresses or communicates in the only way they know how and then get disciplined for doing it, it is incredibly damaging to their pysche.

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I wonder what would happen if we saw behavior as a function, as opposed to a cause. Often the response I see to SOC acting out, especially Black girls, is one that is equally aggressive. The student I am thinking of used her behavior as a way to assimilate into the general education environment, despite having lower-than-average skills, in comparison to her same-age peers. When she was treated with respect, compassion, and was asked what she needed to help her be better successful, she became a fierce self-advocate and active collaborator in her own education. She was granted autonomy as opposed to being seen as somebody that needed their choices made for them. Our goal as educators should be to empower and to work with our students to make learning as accessible to them as possible.

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My first year at a school I worked with an exceptional young women who was absolutely being underserved by her school. From an outside perspective they didn’t provide supports for her to appropriate transition from a chaotic home environment to a structured school environment. She’d often times be written off for being too loud, too aggressive, etc. she once admitted to me that she hadn’t been taught math since the 4th or 5th grade. She was in 8th grade at the time. I wish I couldn’t have been more of a support to her but it’s hard when you’re the only one invested and aren’t in a position of power(teacher)

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I tend to notice our comments about student behavior tends to be towards: "They should know better." This ignores the fact that they are still adolescents who are growing, exploring, and taking risks. This means judging their clothing (I have heard students mention the clothes white females wear and saying, "If I wore that the school...", or students going into the hallway because the classroom is not a place they want to be. Instead of staying out of the hallways we must reflect on what, as adults, can we do to take down the barriers that cause them to get into trouble.

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One thing that happened a few years ago was that a Black girl in one of my classes got told that she couldn't wear the leggings that she was wearing. She was really upset because, as she said - "you see all these skinny little white girls walking around wearing this same thing, and they don't get told." And at that very moment, a " skinny little white girl" walked by, wearing tight leggings.  I had nothing that I could say except I'm sorry. I felt really bad. This girl still tried to do well in school (in my class anyway), but I think this really turned her off of Meany as a whole.

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In the first chapter of the book, the idea about how there is a lack of space for specifically Black girls to create different identities stood out to me. The idea that Black students, specifically girls, can be Black AND _______. There is not just one identity that they are and that we, educators know them as/judge them to be. There needs to be more space for this development/acceptance!! I see this in kids I have worked with. 

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In the first chapter of the book, the idea about how there is a lack of space for specifically Black girls to create different identities stood out to me. The idea that Black students, specifically girls, can be Black AND _______. There is not just one identity that they are and that we, educators know them as/judge them to be. There needs to be more space for this development/acceptance!! I see this in kids I have worked with. 

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Lack of programs specifically designed to engage and affirm black girls.   Lack of resources dedicated to these programs.  Lack of adults in the building who these girls can identify with and trust, who have access to them.

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Criminalization/stigmatization of young black women's appearance and choice of clothing

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often when a kid has a problem we remove them from the class or change their schedule rather than addressing the issue.

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Our school has a strong hallway culture.  It is clear that students do not feel comfortable in the classroom and would prefer to spend class roaming the halls.

These students get labeled as "bad" students.

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The book mentions how our expectations of young Black girls expect them to act more "adult" or more mature than other groups of students. I have noticed that this behavior of expectations among adults forces Black girls to act in ways that are not natural or inherent to their personality. I taught a girl last year who clearly did not want to be forced into situations or ways of acting just because the adults around her expected her to behave this way. In other words, she wanted to act her age, and she did so un-apologetically.

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I notice this a lot at our school. That we treat Black girls as older than they are.

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I taught a student a few years ago in NC. It was my first year teaching and she was VERY bright, athletic, outgoing, and a leader. She slowly got into some trouble and was getting sent out of class on a daily basis. She did not end 6th grade on a good note, she started to bully other students. Teachers were rude to her and gave up on her. The next school year, she entered 7th grade and repeating the same behaviors. One day she came to my classroom (I no longer taught her) and asked me to fill out a recommendation for her to participate in a mock trial. Now, this would be a great opportunity for her! I was so excited and I was sharing this with two other teachers who previously taught her. They laughed in my face. Telling me that I made a mistake recommending her and that she was a "lost cause". Throughout the year, teachers were shutting her out and labeling her as "difficult". She is now in high school and is THRIVING. She is on the soccer and tennis team. She is on the honor roll and spending time with her family. I keep in touch with her and remind her of how resistant she is for overcoming a system that was against her from the start.

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An idea from the book that stood out to me was permission to fail, especially the line "to be ignored is traumatic." This makes me think about...