For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood by Grace Ardelean https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2 Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education en-us 2017-09-05 23:17:33 UTC 2026-02-11 15:12:54 UTC hello@padlet.com Part 1 - “…educators learn “best practices” from 'experts” in the field, deemed as such because they have degrees, write articles, and meet other criteria that do not have anything to do with their work within urban communities.” gardeleana https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/184956594 There is an evident disconnect between “specialists” and the realities of what teachers face along with what urban youth experience on a day-to-day basis. Proficient descriptions and explanations of what will make students successful follow the fact that they are removed both geographically and psychologically from the schools and students they so eloquently speak and write about. Modeling the experts’ distanced behavior and implementing their rigid teaching methods, teachers often find themselves failing in engaging their students. By removing themselves and viewing school as a discrete space, students lives and experiences are trivialized and seen as irrelevant to their education. Students cannot comfortably engage unless they have a teacher who is willing to go beyond the walls of a physical place and enter into an emotional space. As seen in the photo below, “experts” barge in accusing the teacher of failing her students while displaying their privilege and ignorance of students’ experience.]]> 2017-09-05 23:23:19 UTC https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/184956594 Part 1 - “There was no way that the teacher or the principal could ever understand what I was feeling in that moment unless they had experienced it, and so I coolly grabbed my jacket and books, put a smile on for my friends, winked at the teacher, and walked out of the classroom.” gardeleana https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/184957225 Having jumped underneath his desk due to a loud noise in the hallway, the author writes that his reaction was beyond what either the teacher or principal could understand. Experiencing a traumatic event the week before, his reaction was one of fear and self-preservation. Rather than vulnerability, he put on a mask and took on the title of “trouble maker.”  And rather than trying to understand the situation or talk to the student about it, the teacher assumed the label, and their perception of the student is now misaligned with the student’s reality. This mask is a distortion of the student’s authentic self. It is our job as teachers to learn how to enter into their emotional space, understand their realities, see them for who they are, meeting the specific needs of the children sitting in front of us.]]> 2017-09-05 23:28:34 UTC https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/184957225 Part 1 - “Somehow the stories about angry and violent urban youth who did not want to be in school and did not want to learn stripped them of their humanity, erasing the reality that they were just children on the first day of school.” gardeleana https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/184957715 Negative stereotypes and labels placed on children effect the way teachers treat them (consciously or subconsciously). Often times labeling students causes teachers to overlook students’ positive attributes, and only perpetuates the title given to them (especially if it is picked up by the child). Hyper-analyzing, the teacher waits and expects failure, and since there isn’t much the student can do to change the image, they reaffirm the characteristics given to them. Rather than the initial goal of positively influencing the child, he is now a label. This dehumanization of students quickly backfires onto the teacher as it removes passion from teaching and positions teachers as “automatons” working to maintain discipline and school structure. ]]> 2017-09-05 23:32:38 UTC https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/184957715 Part 1 - “When teaching doesn’t connect to students, it is perceived as not belonging to them.” gardeleana https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/184958393 Teachers have become test-prep machines that are more focused on testing and passing a standardized test than on teaching and ensuring that students are benefitting from their knowledge. Teachers refuse to incorporate personal stories into lessons and deprive the students of needed interactive and hands on experiences due to fear and perpetuated stereotypes. However, these same teachers are still complaining that the test scores are subpar. This notion eludes to Freire’s banking method - the teacher knows everything and must deposit information into the student. The information is then presented as “above” the child, or irrelevant. If a teacher doesn’t expose the relevancy of the topic in their own lives, how are students supposed to take it and apply it to theirs? They need to learn to make these connections, and that begins with someone modeling that skill. This linear and mechanical approach makes knowledge and information seem as though it doesn’t belong to them. Therefore, it is good for nothing except passing a test. Teachers have to teach kids to use the information as a way of changing and interacting with the world around them. ]]> 2017-09-05 23:38:30 UTC https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/184958393 Part 1 - “…and most importantly, ‘understanding that cutting a dude’s hair is different than cutting a black dude’s hair. I had to take time out to learn how to cut white hair. I needed to get new tools to give haircuts to people who weren’t black because the texture of their hair was different. I really had to go practice a new approach.’” gardeleana https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/184959084 Emdin explains that in order to reach students of color, their culture must be understood and respected. Attending a Pentecostal church, Emdin is exposed to what engages and grasps the congregation’s focus. It’s not about the information presented and its structure, but about the style, flexibility and the context at large. Emdin continues by explaining the effectiveness of a barber in his conversation with a client, fostering a community environment in which individuals are comfortable to open up and share. Both pastors and barbers use their context to feel out the next appropriate step. They guide the experience, and allow others to voice out their feelings. The personal experience at the barbershop supersedes the haircut, and this must be true in the classroom as well. In order to effectively teach and engage urban students of color, an entirely new approach must be taken in creating a flexible, guided and family oriented route. Just as the barber uses the necessary tools and tactics to cut hair of different cultures, the classroom must also be aware of its students’ culture and make any necessary changes.]]> 2017-09-05 23:44:13 UTC https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/184959084 Part 2 - The Cypher gardeleana https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/193704028 "These were students who seemed highly incapable of forging connections because of how different they were. However, because of their shared neoindigeneity they found a platform for engaging with each other. In this space, they were able to use the same mechanism (the cypher) to describe very different realities."

This cypher is a perfect example of students showcasing talent and school pride. "HSC” is a platform for high school students to express themselves lyrically through scholastic rap music. Just as Emdin mentions in his book, cyphers allow for students to come together in an informal space to share their understandings, opinions and thoughts in a safe and supported manner. Often times, music lyrics promote negative influences such as sex, drugs, and violence, DrewStar Productions has worked to provide this outlet for students to be creative and expressive in a positive light. This gives students a platform to engage with each other and form community on a healthy foundation. Cogens, which are a form of cyphers, allow for teachers to pull students of different backgrounds together and allow each individual to have a voice, expressing himself in a relevant and comfortable environment. Teachers are able to learn from students and implement student-formed strategies in the classroom. These strategies are meant to improve the classroom environment and provide students a sense of belonging.

Find the full video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3-ULhbpOe4]]> 2017-10-04 04:20:26 UTC https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/193704028 Part 2 - Cultural Misalignment gardeleana https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/193707860 "I began to notice the ways that students spoke to each other, the terms and expressions they used, and the general familiarity that they had with each other that I was not privy to."

As Edmin describes his experience as a professor at a predominantly white ivy league college, he shares how his small experiment led to disastrous effects. These effects began with his class losing trust in him, breaking any student-teacher connection. As the semester continued, the white middle class identities created an even greater cultural divide in which he began to notice his “blackness and urbaness.” He began to grow hypersensitive to terms, expressions and norms of the white culture, and as the issues went unaddressed, they quickly began to multiply. He was not culturally aligned to his students. He later reveals that the key to becoming an effective educator is "acknowledging the differences between the students and teacher and adjusting one's teaching accordingly, which often requires nontraditional approaches." This video reminds me of Edmin’s book as this black substitute teacher is taking attendance of a predominantly white class. As the substitute reads the names off the list, the cultural clash is evident, and as time goes by his hypersensitivity increases.

]]> 2017-10-04 04:55:07 UTC https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/193707860 Part 2 - A Place to Call Home gardeleana https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/193709921 "For neoindigenous youth, the quest for some version of the socio-emotional stability that comes from the traditional family is a chief piece of what drives them."

Although dave was able to talk about this issue in a lighthearted and humorous manner, the issue at hand is by no means one to be mitigated. The incarceration of black men in the U.S. has been a serious injustice. As many teachers have the tendency to blame parents for the student's lack of engagement, the truth of the matter is that these children come from homes where often times the parents are tackling more than 3 jobs, have no transportation or have fathers that have been imprisoned. When there is a breakdown in the family life of a student, there is often a breakdown in academic achievement. Students look to fill that void, and try as best as they can to re-create a family structure. This is where we as educators must come in to provide students a second home - a family. If not, they will turn to others for an identity, structure and commitment. ]]> 2017-10-04 05:18:54 UTC https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/193709921 Part 2 - Cosmopolitanism gardeleana https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/193712607 In the book, Emdin stresses the concept of cosmopolitanism in which students are full citizens, “responsible for how well the class meets the collective academic, social and emotional goals.” Students have specific roles that help the class function properly. While helping the class, students are to know their importance and how essential their jobs and roles are to the classroom.   These functions also help them connect to the classroom. This model causes children to desire to support each other and their community. When reading this, I couldn’t help but think of Kid President and his role as a leader. His encouragement and positivity is one that each class would be greatly benefitted by having. His attitude is one that reminds me of Emdin’s push for support and responsibility within the community. ]]> 2017-10-04 05:48:58 UTC https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/193712607 Part 2 - The Handshake gardeleana https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/193715265 This satirical video is one that shows the differences of norms within different cultures. For the black community, a handshake is perhaps one of the most powerful forms of communication. What one culture may see as aggressive, another may embrace as norm. President Obama, knew the ways that the neoindigenous communicate and the “meaning behind gestures that go unnoticed to those who are privy to the nature of their non-verbal modes of communication.” When done authentically, handshakes are a form of touch, communicating a positive message – almost one of brotherhood. When established correctly in the classroom, a handshake can further deep and personal connections to the classroom, moving the classroom from a place to a space.]]> 2017-10-04 06:12:47 UTC https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/193715265 Part 3 - Context & Community gardeleana https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/200265479 “The negative consequences of being to wedded to particular networks play out for educators when they fail to recognize the value of connecting to the contexts in which students are embedded.” Teachers must provide a classroom that is similar in context to the student’s community. For teachers to be effective, students must see that they are “one of them.” In order to do so, teachers must be familiarized and engaged in the community of the students. This video talks about the importance of teachers living and engaging with the community they are teaching in, and getting to know the contexts students are in. It is about a program called STEP UP that puts student teachers in homes within the urban community that they will be teaching in. A quote that stood out to me was that teachers ought to not have “the savior mentality. They are not coming in here to save people. They’re here to be a part of the community, and they really have to get to know where the kids are coming from in order to be able to teach them better, to reach them, to inspire them.”
 
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L3RZn2hPQE
]]> 2017-10-25 03:50:30 UTC https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/200265479 Part 3 - Collective Effervescence gardeleana https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/200270044 Collective effervescence as described by French sociologist Emile Durkheim is when a community comes together and simultaneously communicates the same thought and participates in the same action. In the classroom, collective effervescence takes place when teachers and students are in the same place AND space when learning/discussing material. It is fully reached when “the joy of teaching matches the joy of learning.” I decided to choose this photo because collective effervescence often occurs in churches as members “catch the spirit,” and are able to fully express themselves by moving, walking, singing and dancing. The classroom equivalent would be when” the teaching is free-flowing and unbridled.”]]> 2017-10-25 04:40:17 UTC https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/200270044 Part 3 - Under Pressure gardeleana https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/200272861 Because of the huge divide between the neoindigenous and traditional education, school becomes a stressor that students must endure – inflicting symbolic violence. Symbolic violence refers to “the violence which is exercised upon a social agent with his or her complicity.” This does not refer to physical violence, but rather a socioemotional one. Through this violence, one’s spirit is often broken. I chose the song Under Pressure written by David Bowie to represent this concept. It reinforces that often times people “adhere to a structure that runs counter to [their] worldview.” When watching the music video, you will notice traffic jams, trains packed with passengers, explosions, riots, cars being crushed…etc. as a portrayal of people under pressure that only wish to fight against the political machine that causes them to be ‘under pressure.’ In order to cope with the stressors, neoindigenous people delve back into cultural practices like the battle.]]> 2017-10-25 05:14:59 UTC https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/200272861 Part 3 - The Battle gardeleana https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/200278217 Rap battles are times of confrontation and reconciliation as groups meet on a common ground. These battles are strategic, take time to prepare and are not meant to divide the communities, but to draw them closer to each other to a place of understanding. Rap battles are a way to deal with stressors introduced by the dominant culture. They allow for individuals who participate to delve deeper into their culture and address larger issues. “Facing the opponent becomes a means to strengthen the physical, spiritual, and mental self and recognize that the battle is not with the person who stands in front of you, but with life.” These raps are word wars that consist of rhymes, complex metaphors, analogies, stories, and words. These rap battles continue in smaller battles until the entire community is convinced that they have the best person to represent them in the larger battle. The picture chosen, is an image into what a rap battle would look like. ]]> 2017-10-25 06:08:27 UTC https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/200278217 Part 3 - The Sneakers gardeleana https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/200284472 I decided to choose a picture of designer sneakers to represent the “power of wearing something that symbolizes something aesthetically significant to students.” Neoindigenous youth are especially reliant on artistic forms of self-expression. “The wearing of the matching outfits and the euphoria that comes with being recognized for one’s self-presentation serve as an escape from a harsh reality.” The less focused one is on aesthetic expression, the less social standing this individual will have in this community. By being mindful of aesthetics, a teacher can open up a new dimension of getting to know the students. When used properly, teachers may use aesthetics as a tool to invoke an emotional connection to the classroom. It may serve as a “powerful jumping-off point for rich dialogue with youth that opens up the space for powerful teaching moments.”]]> 2017-10-25 06:48:29 UTC https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/200284472 Part 4 - Hidden Rules by Ruby Payne gardeleana https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/202449396 Chapter 10 begins by stating, "Some of the most successful people in the world have an uncanny ability to fit across multiple social settings." After reading this statement, my mind couldn't help but think about Ruby Payne's concept of hidden rules. She elaborates on the idea of how each group has a specific code of rules they follow known as "hidden rules." Whether it be racial, socio-economical, religious, each group holds to particular set of unspoken cues and habits. According to Ruby, in order to be successful within an environment, one must learn how to negotiate the rules within it. She continues by talking about how one is in danger when taking their rules for granted and assuming that his/her group's rules are applicable to everyone they meet. In order to learn hidden rules, you must meet people that are different than you and learn to engage in conversations that give you insight into their rules. According to Emdin, successful people "read the codes or rules of engagement in a particular social field identify which ones have value, adopt them, enact them, and through this process form powerful connections to people." In other words, this is the gift of code switching.]]> 2017-11-01 12:06:04 UTC https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/202449396 Part 4 - Social Chameleon gardeleana https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/202450174 I chose a picture of a chameleon because it really puts into perspective what individuals that come from different backgrounds have to do in order to "fit in" a setting. A chameleon is perfect imagery into what code switching is. Code switching is the ability to "alternate between two or more languages or dialects in the context of a conversation or interaction." Social chameleons have to guide themselves through the rules of a particular group in order to be effective in forming relationships with the particular group.]]> 2017-11-01 12:08:29 UTC https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/202450174 Part 4 - Self Actualization gardeleana https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/202450842 The ultimate goal of reality pedagogy is that students reach a point of self-actualization, and it looks different for each student. "Some may leave the class feeling like their culture is worthy of being considered academic or intelligent. For others, this may mean that the classroom provides some affirmation of their beliefs about themselves and their intelligence. For others still, it may be that the class facilitates their starting to make associations between a particular subject that is being taught in the class and what they want to do with the rest of their lives." However, whatever it may be, it cannot be visible in the moment. "Its dividends are paid decades after the class is over." This makes me think of teachers as seed planters. Although we as teachers may never get to see the tree or fruit (self-actualization), we have the massive responsibility of planting that seed, watering it, and waiting.]]> 2017-11-01 12:10:31 UTC https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/202450842 Part 4 - Photosynthesis gardeleana https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/202451532 Within the book, Emdin describes the different ways photosynthesis can be explained. 
Sentence 1 - "The sun gets lyte and blings on the whole joint."
Sentence 2 - "The light shines on the whole leaf."
Sentence 3 - "Photons are emitted on the surface area of the leaf."
When it comes to these three sentences, we notice that all three of them are scientifically correct. However, the difference between them is not the meaning but the context within they are presented. Where would each sentence be most appropriate? In the classroom, it is important that student's neoindigenous culture and dialect are respected. However, it is also imperative that teachers provide exercises that enable students to see how different descriptions may all be correct, but only in specific contexts. In this way, students see the benefit of code switching and begin to appreciate the new skill as they enter new social spaces with comfort and confidence. They are able to maintain their own cultural identity as they employ socially constructed codes. This forces the world around them to "see past these same codes when identifying the brilliance of [these] young people."]]> 2017-11-01 12:12:50 UTC https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/202451532 Part 4 - Letting Go gardeleana https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/202452806 I chose to put a picture of a very structured lesson plan as Emdin reminds and inspires his readers that "Planning for your lesson plan is valuable, but being willing to let go of that plan is even more so." We as teachers must see lesson planning as only a start or "base" of where we want to go with our students. We have to understand that as much as structure is needed, learning is a natural and organic process. "It is only on the path away from where you started that you can get to where you want to go.]]> 2017-11-01 12:17:10 UTC https://padlet.com/gardeleana/v3rw0jhlpzn2/wish/202452806