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Hearing this segment on "super predators" was disturbing. The people throwing this word around, calling young black people super predators with no empathy, etc, were literally talking about children. These children that could be our students. I don't believe that these children were truly broken in the way they were described, but labels are powerful and those words did incredible damage.

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What I saw in "13TH" reminded me of scenes from "BlacKkKlansman" and another Spike Lee movie, "Do The Right Thing", in the ways that African American people are treated with fear or immediately judged to be the criminal in a situation.

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From slavery to mass incarceration, when you have money in the game you don't want reform because your business needs that system.

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Systematically stripping poor POC of their rights

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Systematically stripping poor POC of their rights

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Slavery →
Convict leasing →
Jim Crow laws →
Mass incarceration  →
???

What's next? We have to be vigilant.

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Just like when you order food from a restaurant menu, on any given day with different people you will order different things.

Be able to use the behavior "menu" to pick and choose one or a few various strategies to use in a given situation to resolve student behavior or negative attitudes.

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Use after trying both first and mid tier strategies. Makes use of reward system in place and helps the teacher better understand what the student behavior seeks to accomplish and where it's coming from.

Response cost = taking away privileges or other valued elements

Behavior consequence = brief meeting between teacher & student to discuss the problem

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Use after trying a first tier strategy. These take more energy and leverage with a student.

Warning = specific continued behavior will have a specific consequence

Time out = brief removal from the setting

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I wouldn't say this was a comprehensive list, but these sorts of strategies have been incredibly helpful when working with students.

Being able to defuse a situation is an important skill that can take many forms. Basically, anything the teacher does to defuse a situation or calm a student where the potential for escalation exists. Some students or situations can be volatile because of high emotions.

We can and should be ready to use these skills and strategies at any time. Reading student body language and knowing your students' triggers will be helpful.

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Simple, neutral ways to redirect and adjust student behavior. Always start here first.

Behavior reminder

Academic adjustment

Environmental adjustment

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We are more likely to keep kids invested in the classroom and in the relationship they have with us when we can vary our responses to student behavior. What's the underlying reason for this? Is it feeling respected as individuals?

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We must be aware of and reflect on our own background as being different from our students', and how the biases we hold can affect our relating.

Multicultural curricular materials and storytelling activities (e.g. Life Road Map & "Where I'm From" poem) expose us and students to different perspectives, breaking down barriers and building empathy.

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Don't take things personally. This is so important.

Know your own triggers and be able to respond to students with empathy rather than out of anger.

If you can't do this, you won't be able to do anything else.

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I've been part of problem solving meetings where we looked for student strengths in their negative behaviors, but it never occurred to me to use this as a strategy to connect with students face to face.

Every skill that students bring to the classroom is something that they practice in their lives. Why shouldn't we try to admire and respect what they bring, even if it shows up in a negative way at times? Help students reframe their skills.

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Understand your student by seeing with their eyes, hearing with their ears, and feeling with their heart.

Acknowledge what your students are going through. Communicate with them through this lens. It's rare to feel seen and understood, but our students deserve that.

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Middle schoolers will tell you to your face that they hate you, they hate your shoes, and they hate your class. They are good at putting up fronts and hiding their feelings. Developmentally, this is a time where they really do want and need that positive social interaction, limits on their behavior & attitudes, meaningful opportunities for participation, and opportunities for self definition.

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When I say I want to be a middle school teacher, literally everyone responds with a face and "Why would you want to do that?"

Students in middle school are going through a crucial time in their development. It's a turbulent time but it's also beautiful because they are figuring out their values and their boundaries.

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Positive relationships between students & teachers are good for everyone.