Special classes for teachers to learn to teach to African American children?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of the comments on this thread really show why we need to be more sensitive to all of those around us. In the DC area we live with many racial differences, cultural differences, etc. The DC area is fast become majority minority. Maybe we don't need teacher training - but as a community we do need to deal with reality. I am sure there are teachers with biases that perhaps they don't even realize they have. However, I am frankly more worried about the commuity as a whole when I read some of the ignorant comments on this thread.

Yes lets all be sensitive and bury our heads in the sand and pretend that there are not serious problems in classrooms caused by minority students. Ask ANY teacher who causes the most disruptions in their classrooms and who are the most difficult to deal with. Why do you think that when there is an opening at schools like Poolesville, Churchill, Whitman, Quince Orchard or their feeder schools that there are hundreds of applicants? Why? They want to get away from the jungle that the east side of the county has become.

Since hundreds and hundreds of white teachers are leaving town to avoid teaching minority (black) students, what about the ones with predominately black classrooms who remain? Are they just going through the motions until they land a better position?

Who said anything about leaving town? Ask any teacher (if you know one) where he/she would rather be teaching if given the chance.

I've been given many opportunities to teach in some of the schools perceived to have the better reputation. And while I did open up a new high school, I stayed for only two years before moving back to a downcounty school. I've spent the bulk of my teaching years as the "minority" in my own classroom.

While I am free and comfortable in having discussions about race - as I do have plenty of friends who are not white - it does become difficult at times hearing a lot of blame placed upon white teachers. There will come a point where some of the better teachers - who avoid confrontation at all costs - will leave. And sadly, I've seen fewer and fewer minorities enter the profession. So there are no role models for our students of color.

It would be very helpful if a white teacher(s) shared how they're bending over backwards for the black boys that they teach. Yes, it is unfortunate that fewer minorities are entering the profession. My DS has been quite fortunate in that he has been nurtured to excel by the majority of his black teachers. His classroom relationships with his white teachers have been cold and impersonal with the exception of his wonderful preschool teacher. DS is in high school now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of the comments on this thread really show why we need to be more sensitive to all of those around us. In the DC area we live with many racial differences, cultural differences, etc. The DC area is fast become majority minority. Maybe we don't need teacher training - but as a community we do need to deal with reality. I am sure there are teachers with biases that perhaps they don't even realize they have. However, I am frankly more worried about the commuity as a whole when I read some of the ignorant comments on this thread.

Yes lets all be sensitive and bury our heads in the sand and pretend that there are not serious problems in classrooms caused by minority students. Ask ANY teacher who causes the most disruptions in their classrooms and who are the most difficult to deal with. Why do you think that when there is an opening at schools like Poolesville, Churchill, Whitman, Quince Orchard or their feeder schools that there are hundreds of applicants? Why? They want to get away from the jungle that the east side of the county has become.

Since hundreds and hundreds of white teachers are leaving town to avoid teaching minority (black) students, what about the ones with predominately black classrooms who remain? Are they just going through the motions until they land a better position?

Who said anything about leaving town? Ask any teacher (if you know one) where he/she would rather be teaching if given the chance.

I've been given many opportunities to teach in some of the schools perceived to have the better reputation. And while I did open up a new high school, I stayed for only two years before moving back to a downcounty school. I've spent the bulk of my teaching years as the "minority" in my own classroom.

While I am free and comfortable in having discussions about race - as I do have plenty of friends who are not white - it does become difficult at times hearing a lot of blame placed upon white teachers. There will come a point where some of the better teachers - who avoid confrontation at all costs - will leave. And sadly, I've seen fewer and fewer minorities enter the profession. So there are no role models for our students of color.

It would be very helpful if a white teacher(s) shared how they're bending over backwards for the black boys that they teach. Yes, it is unfortunate that fewer minorities are entering the profession. My DS has been quite fortunate in that he has been nurtured to excel by the majority of his black teachers. His classroom relationships with his white teachers have been cold and impersonal with the exception of his wonderful preschool teacher. DS is in high school now.

If you deny that there is pressure to NOT send black boys out of class or to NOT fail them then you are lying. The old sup and the new one have made it clear that the suspension rate of black boys was unacceptable. Thus a wise teacher does not set any suspension related issue in motion unless its a bench clearing brawl in the room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of the comments on this thread really show why we need to be more sensitive to all of those around us. In the DC area we live with many racial differences, cultural differences, etc. The DC area is fast become majority minority. Maybe we don't need teacher training - but as a community we do need to deal with reality. I am sure there are teachers with biases that perhaps they don't even realize they have. However, I am frankly more worried about the commuity as a whole when I read some of the ignorant comments on this thread.

Yes lets all be sensitive and bury our heads in the sand and pretend that there are not serious problems in classrooms caused by minority students. Ask ANY teacher who causes the most disruptions in their classrooms and who are the most difficult to deal with. Why do you think that when there is an opening at schools like Poolesville, Churchill, Whitman, Quince Orchard or their feeder schools that there are hundreds of applicants? Why? They want to get away from the jungle that the east side of the county has become.

Since hundreds and hundreds of white teachers are leaving town to avoid teaching minority (black) students, what about the ones with predominately black classrooms who remain? Are they just going through the motions until they land a better position?

Who said anything about leaving town? Ask any teacher (if you know one) where he/she would rather be teaching if given the chance.

I've been given many opportunities to teach in some of the schools perceived to have the better reputation. And while I did open up a new high school, I stayed for only two years before moving back to a downcounty school. I've spent the bulk of my teaching years as the "minority" in my own classroom.

While I am free and comfortable in having discussions about race - as I do have plenty of friends who are not white - it does become difficult at times hearing a lot of blame placed upon white teachers. There will come a point where some of the better teachers - who avoid confrontation at all costs - will leave. And sadly, I've seen fewer and fewer minorities enter the profession. So there are no role models for our students of color.

It would be very helpful if a white teacher(s) shared how they're bending over backwards for the black boys that they teach. Yes, it is unfortunate that fewer minorities are entering the profession. My DS has been quite fortunate in that he has been nurtured to excel by the majority of his black teachers. His classroom relationships with his white teachers have been cold and impersonal with the exception of his wonderful preschool teacher. DS is in high school now.

If you deny that there is pressure to NOT send black boys out of class or to NOT fail them then you are lying. The old sup and the new one have made it clear that the suspension rate of black boys was unacceptable. Thus a wise teacher does not set any suspension related issue in motion unless its a bench clearing brawl in the room.

I've been asked to change grades for some of our AA athletes, and after refusing, the students were removed from my class and handed over to the "easier" teacher - also white, btw.

The comment about white teachers being "cold" fits into the "damned if you do and damned if you don't" category. There are many teachers who keep it professional with all students for fear of being accused of not recognizing boundaries. One of our teachers (not white) was called on her "behavior" b/c she hugged a student who was was upset.

So how are we supposed to act around students? Although white, I come form a European background where it was us and "the Americans." So I understand the comment about teachers being cold and removed. But again, we're trapped.

[Anonymous]

Who is doing the suspensions in the school system? What is the race of the suspenders? What is the race of the suspendees? What goes on in the school systems is a mirror image of what goes on in the greater American society? Certain races and groups get proportionately much stiffer penalties for the same "crime" (e.g., cocaine possession, free discussions with the teacher interpreted as debate or disrespect depending on who is doing the talking and who hands out the punishment or praise).

[Anonymous]

It would be easy determine, in any public school system, the correlation of teacher race and suspended student race. Is there positive correlation between white teacher race and black student suspension? How strong is this correlation after controlling for any confounders? If variables such as race of teacher and suspended student are available over a certain time period (e.g., last decade in MCPS) MCPS can easily do this analysis. I suspect the answer will mirror the results of similar studies in American society and culture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It would be easy determine, in any public school system, the correlation of teacher race and suspended student race. Is there positive correlation between white teacher race and black student suspension? How strong is this correlation after controlling for any confounders? If variables such as race of teacher and suspended student are available over a certain time period (e.g., last decade in MCPS) MCPS can easily do this analysis. I suspect the answer will mirror the results of similar studies in American society and culture.

Don't you consider that a witch hunt?

And what about schools where 80% of the population, for example, is African American and the majority of teachers are white? Is that in the "confounder" category?

And to add to the complexity of the issue, many of our suspensions are due to repeat offenders. So Joe X could skew findings b/c he's been suspended 5 times in the past year. You'd have to comb through the data to extract that information.

In many cases, our suspensions are approved by administrators who are also African American. So while a white teacher may refer a handful of African American males, for example, for fighting, the administrator will decide upon the punishment. Disciplinary measures - at that level - are not a teacher's call.

[Anonymous]

The real issue is not "enlightening" the white person. FWIW, I think many of us are indeed enlightened b/c we can have civil and productive conversations about race relations and deeply embedded prejudices.

What I questions is this - why few minorities enter the field of education . . .

My daughter is friends with several children of high profile African American parents who have a great deal of respect for what we do. However, they would never encourage their own children to enter the field - opting instead to push them toward more prestigious careers.

Until society places teachers at the same level as a doctor or lawyer or engineer or architect, don't expect great results b/c the profession is quickly becoming a revolving door where new teachers step in for a few years and then move out.

So if you want strong AA role models, you'll be wise to encourage more AA young adults to choose teaching as their profession.

[Anonymous]

Don't you consider that a witch hunt?

And what about schools where 80% of the population, for example, is African American and the majority of teachers are white? Is that in the "confounder" category?

And to add to the complexity of the issue, many of our suspensions are due to repeat offenders. So Joe X could skew findings b/c he's been suspended 5 times in the past year. You'd have to comb through the data to extract that information.

In many cases, our suspensions are approved by administrators who are also African American. So while a white teacher may refer a handful of African American males, for example, for fighting, the administrator will decide upon the punishment. Disciplinary measures - at that level - are not a teacher's call.

No witch hunt. You are mistaken. The study is designed to test the hypothesis that the suspension of black students in MCPS is highly positively correlated with the race of those recommending and authorizing the suspension. This study would like at the race of the suspending persons (teachers) and the race of all the suspended students over the last 10 years in MCPS. All races for both variables. The aim or objective would be to explore potential correlations to test the hypothesis. This is not a witch hunt, rather a scientific approach (minimize any biases in the study design and blind those doing any analyses), to explore this observation outside of the biases exhibited by people like you and I.

If the data is available it is worthy of scientific investigation to get at the truth rather than this back and forth.

[Anonymous]

The real issue is not "enlightening" the white person. FWIW, I think many of us are indeed enlightened b/c we can have civil and productive conversations about race relations and deeply embedded prejudices.

What I questions is this - why few minorities enter the field of education . . .

My daughter is friends with several children of high profile African American parents who have a great deal of respect for what we do. However, they would never encourage their own children to enter the field - opting instead to push them toward more prestigious careers.

Until society places teachers at the same level as a doctor or lawyer or engineer or architect, don't expect great results b/c the profession is quickly becoming a revolving door where new teachers step in for a few years and then move out.

So if you want strong AA role models, you'll be wise to encourage more AA young adults to choose teaching as their profession.

You will be surprised to learn many blacks do not enter the teaching profession for precisely the same reasons whites don't?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who is doing the suspensions in the school system? What is the race of the suspenders? What is the race of the suspendees? What goes on in the school systems is a mirror image of what goes on in the greater American society? Certain races and groups get proportionately much stiffer penalties for the same "crime" (e.g., cocaine possession, free discussions with the teacher interpreted as debate or disrespect depending on who is doing the talking and who hands out the punishment or praise).

That is so much liberal crap. Crack dealers tend to be black and gun battles rage in our cities because of crack. White men tend to be powder cocaine dealers but there is hardly any violence involved and they do their business behind closed doors. Congress intentionally passed laws to stamp out the crack dealing in our inner cities yet those who demanded that are now whining that too many black men go to prison. You can't have it both ways.

"Free discussion with the teacher". Have you ever been inside a classroom? When the black male stands up and starts cursing and yelling at the teacher with every vile word that is known to man that is not "free discussion".

[Anonymous]

That is so much liberal crap. Crack dealers tend to be black and gun battles rage in our cities because of crack. White men tend to be powder cocaine dealers but there is hardly any violence involved and they do their business behind closed doors. Congress intentionally passed laws to stamp out the crack dealing in our inner cities yet those who demanded that are now whining that too many black men go to prison. You can't have it both ways.

"Free discussion with the teacher". Have you ever been inside a classroom? When the black male stands up and starts cursing and yelling at the teacher with every vile word that is known to man that is not "free discussion".

Ignorance is bliss. You must spend your days in your sweat suit at Starbucks and watching TV soap operas.

[Anonymous]

"Free discussion with the teacher". Have you ever been inside a classroom? When the black male stands up and starts cursing and yelling at the teacher with every vile word that is known to man that is not "free discussion".

NP. I have been in classrooms, both public and private as the class's room parent. I have seen many things including white boys off their ADHD meds jumping on the furniture and throwing things and cussing at their classmates and teacher. And I've witnessed smart ass white boys saying inappropriate things to teachers and given mild warnings,"Pipe down Jack."

So glad to say that I've never been in a classroom when a angry, white boy decided to come to school and settle the score by shooting up everybody within range.

[Anonymous]

This POV (the angry, white male) never occurred to me -- thanks for posting and making me remember that bad/inappropriate behavior has no race . . . or gender.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Free discussion with the teacher". Have you ever been inside a classroom? When the black male stands up and starts cursing and yelling at the teacher with every vile word that is known to man that is not "free discussion".

NP. I have been in classrooms, both public and private as the class's room parent. I have seen many things including white boys off their ADHD meds jumping on the furniture and throwing things and cussing at their classmates and teacher. And I've witnessed smart ass white boys saying inappropriate things to teachers and given mild warnings,"Pipe down Jack."

So glad to say that I've never been in a classroom when a angry, white boy decided to come to school and settle the score by shooting up everybody within range.

Touchdown!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Free discussion with the teacher". Have you ever been inside a classroom? When the black male stands up and starts cursing and yelling at the teacher with every vile word that is known to man that is not "free discussion".

NP. I have been in classrooms, both public and private as the class's room parent. I have seen many things including white boys off their ADHD meds jumping on the furniture and throwing things and cussing at their classmates and teacher. And I've witnessed smart ass white boys saying inappropriate things to teachers and given mild warnings,"Pipe down Jack."

So glad to say that I've never been in a classroom when a angry, white boy decided to come to school and settle the score by shooting up everybody within range.[/quote]


While a Columbine situation is nothing to sneeze at, we've had similar attempts at our school by minority boys. Thankfully, they were not successful.

It goes both ways. As a white teacher, I've seen white children ignored - those transitioning in from alternative schools - b/c they're not on the list that helps schools make AYP. So they're pushed to the side. Do you think THAT'S the right route to take?

Kids are kids. And anger knows no skin color. So this is not just a white thing. It's also a matter of socioeconomics. The poor, angry white child needs attention, too. Unfortunately, s/he is often overlooked. Don't think that it was easy for me to work with a child who freely threw around the word "colored" b/c her mother used it. But sadly, I saw teachers throw her away, thinking she was too ignorant to teach.

Unless we learn to deal with our anger issues and unless we push aside our damaging perceptions, the children will continue to suffer. I will not apologize for being white. I will not apologize for being tough on any child despite diffficult obstacles s/he faces. I am doing the best that I can to level the playing field for aLL students. And I'm not one to avoid having difficult conversations about race, prejudice and internal conflicts that threaten our attempts to move forward.

What I expect from myself as a white woman is what I expect from ALL people.