Change the Narrative

Every year, I am enthralled by the students that pass through my door.  Teaching in an urban school district brings with it so many challenges. The socioeconomic differences, ethnicity and racial differences, and this year, it seems more than ever, students heavy laden with trauma, fill our hallways from kindergarten up to fifth grade. It has weighed quite heavy on my heart and spirit this year and affected me in a way I have struggled to deal with, both mentally and emotionally, mainly due to the fact that so much of what I see is out of my control and the pain my students carry is far beyond anything I can do outside of consoling them.

Each year, we are reminded that our population of students is challenged. Language barriers make learning difficult for our students new to the country. Poverty, abuse and violence, moving from place to place and from family member to family member are just some of the challenges they face. But imagine the impact any one of these may have on a child. They don’t understand much of what is going on, but they conform to it because this is the life they know. Understanding our students have basic needs to be met, each year, we find ways to get to know our students a little better in order to connect with them. We understand that relationships matter and impact students’ learning significantly. Still, some students allow you in just a little bit, some allow you in a lot, and others do not allow you to know who they or what they are dealing with at all. It’s no wonder since so many of them have been hurt by the loss of a loved one, transience, abuse, and so many other factors that truly make what we do a challenge. It also makes what we do quite meaningful. Teaching is by no means, for the faint at heart!

I’ve been particularly concerned with the future of many of my students. Many would think that fifth grade students are still very much innocent, naive, and impressionable. They are to a degree, don’t get me wrong. However, the fifth graders I have worked with recently carry much pain and anger and do not have the mental capacity to manage and cope with such emotions. Reaching so many of them has been a struggle, as I stated earlier, but I have committed to trying. My team and I find value in spending time with our students’ one on one in an informal setting (sometimes at lunch, maybe even during specials, or sometimes even outside of school). Especially, when there is a change in behaviors or affect. Being attentive to these changes is vital in helping to shift the narrative of these students’ lives. At least, that is what we hope.

Considering all of this, I am taken aback by a conversation held with one of my students. She had recently become increasingly disruptive and defiant during class. I couldn’t understand what was happening since she’d been doing so well early on in the year. I’d watched her the year before and knew coming into this year that she needed a lot of attention. She knew her behavior last year had been particularly challenging and upsetting too many, so, she personally began the year verbally committing to being a better person and student. At the beginning of the year, you could see how badly she desired something different for her life. She is bright, capable, and progressing academically, but, now, halfway through the year, it was clear, something was getting in the way.  My team and I begin to see some old behaviors creeping to the surface. In my class in particular, I began to see a decrease in participation, decrease in effort, an increase in disruptions, and an increase in disrespectful responses towards me and her peers. I’m so taken aback that I decide to have a conversation with her.

I had convinced myself that I could truly hit a nerve since I had taught her older brother several years prior and had a pretty good relationship with the family. When we sat down together, she looked at me and knew instantly what I would be inquiring about. She turned her head quickly so that our eyes would not connect. I asked her to look at me and asked what was going on because I had noticed some changes in her effort and participation. She unknowingly shrugged. I redirected her explaining that shrugs don’t exist in conversations; only words and explanations. While she didn’t share much, I could still sense she was holding back.

The math lesson that day had been particularly challenging and in her effort to make sense of it all, she became frustrated. VERY frustrated! I empathized and explained that I understood her frustration, but even with that, I needed her to trust that I was going to do everything I could to help her, but in return, she had to keep trying. I went on to share, that although things were challenging, math would be an important skill to have in her life no matter what she decided to do. Additionally, math is something she could expect as she advances through high school and college (should she chose to go to college). At that moment, she gave me this look! Something I’d said triggered this questioning look. So, I asked her, “What do you want to be when you grow up? Have you thought about it? Have you thought about college?” She quickly responded that she was not going to college. She was dropping out in the ninth grade like her family members had done. I really wanted to know how, at 10 or 11 years old, she had already made the decision to drop out, so I asked. Quite simply, it was because no one else in her family had gone on to finish, so why should she?  This is what her normal looked like. I challenged her. “Your life doesn’t have to go in that direction. You can be the FIRST to make a different decision. What do you think?” She gave a half grin and promised she would consider my words, but I sensed her mind was already made up.

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this since the conversation occurred months ago. Every day I look at her and see her potential and what she could do with her future. Unfortunately, she seems unwilling to change the narrative of her story. Sometimes I wonder if it’s truly because she doesn’t want to, but then I think it’s because she doesn’t know how to. In my reflection, I wonder…”How do we help her see that she does not have to allow her circumstances to define the person she is or can become? Are we failing her as educators or are we doing all we can for her? How much can we do and where do we access the resources?” These questions leave me feeling helpless, but to her, it seems more hopeless!

It is my strong desire to truly help her “change the narrative”, but where exactly do we as educators even begin? I think it is important for us to remember that there are just some things that are out of our control. We can only impact that which is in our control. We have control over 6 hours of our students’ day, 180 days a year. The rest of that time, these students are home in the environment in which they are being raised. There are influences there that sometimes negate the content and skills we are teaching at school, simply because academic insecurities and inappropriate social skills have been passed down from generation to generation. What I mean is…our families do the best they can with what they have and sometimes what they have just isn’t enough to adequately meet the needs of their children. They raise their children based on what they have been taught themselves, passing along stereotype threats, fixed mindsets, and learned helplessness to generations that follow.

My strong belief is that in order to change the narrative of one’s life, you need to help them change their mindset. There is so much weighing heavy on these students that it seemingly infests the way they think about things; the way they receive and process information. Helping them to see and think about things differently has, in the past, helped our students reject what their environment has taught them to be true.

It won’t happen overnight, believe me. Helping students shift their mindset is a long term process. It requires persistence and consistency. Students will resist and that becomes frustrating. Just know that the resistance is a manifestation of the insecurities and instabilities that are ever present in their daily reality. Before you question one of your student’s behaviors, be it effort level in class or reaction towards peers and adults; check the narrative of their story. Help them edit, revise, shift, change the narrative, and create a new ending to their story. Each and every one of them deserves that opportunity.

Victims of Circumstance

I’m sitting in a leadership team meeting listening as team members engage in conversation regarding student data. District wide, we are monitoring student progress in two significant areas, reading and writing. The data shows growth within the district, however, our students continue to perform low comparative to the norm. The question is posed, “Why would some teachers implement a strategy and others not?” I took a moment to reflect. My summation, stereotype threats are real and it is with these threats that our students unknowingly fall victim to their current circumstances.

Stereotype threat refers to an individual being at risk of confirming a negative stereotype about their group (Steele & Aronson,1995). We’ve encountered many stereotype threats in our day. Threats like, boys are stronger in math than girls, Asians are stronger in math than whites, blacks are better athletes than whites; all are examples of stereotypes that threaten the success of the individuals that identify with these particular groups. I couldn’t help but stop and think about this in the context of our current conversation.

According to our district’s state report card, approximately 66% of the district is identified as minority, 49% are Hispanic students, 17% Black.  Of equal importance, 98% of the district is economically disadvantaged (2015-2016 Ohio Department of Education Report Card, retrieved November 24, 2016). Stereotype threats are looming throughout the local community. We hear some of them from parents during conferences and sadly even within the halls of the schools. In a district where language is a constant barrier and education lacking, at best, our students unconsciously inherit the limitations that have stunted the success of their parents. This is important to know because it speaks not only to the level of confidence our students come to us with, but also the level of efficacy we as teachers have to address these threats.

It’s a fact that our students are faced with challenges. Our perception of what it must be like to live in poverty is our students’ sad reality. But, are their circumstances truly indicative of their ability to be successful students? What is our role in ensuring that our students do not fall victim to their unwelcome circumstances?

As educators, it is my opinion that we first look at poverty differently. It is not a disability, it’s an obstacle. It’s a mindset that exists because the people in and around our students lives have yet to figure out how to change their circumstances or are unaware of the resources available to assist in changing them. Once we ourselves believe that our students circumstances are systemic rather than defining in nature, we need to be purposeful and intentional about working to change their mindset. Their mindset has been fixed on stereotype threats for much of their schooling already. I imagine it is difficult for them to think of anything different. Many of our students that are struggling readers come to us already years behind their peers. Place on top of that, being a non-English speaker. Some of our parents didn’t finish high school or get past the 8th grade for that matter. Think about the conversation happening in these homes. The fears and failures of the parents are now threats that hinder our students growth and progress. But it doesn’t have to.

It is imperative that we raise our expectations. I understand that as educators, we don’t want to see our students fail. Their failures do become our own. However, we have to refrain from lowering expectations to meet our own needs. This is not about us. Our job is to provide all students with a quality education. That means we need to empower them. We need to continue raising our expectations and providing instruction that will challenge students thinking. We have to realize that when we show our students how much we believe in them, they will begin to not only believe in themselves, but, they will perform. So, raise the bar! As we begin to break down the threat barriers that are hindering our students, they will begin to reach for the bar where it has been set for them.

Continuing to limit the growth of our students by succumbing to the belief that they cannot perform at the same rate or level as their peers is so damaging. And think about it, if we cannot ourselves break away from the stereotype threats, then who are the real victims of circumstance? We should know and do better.

References

American Psychological Association (2006). Stereotype threat widens achievement gap. Washington, D.C.: author

Ohio Department of Education (2016). Annual District Report Card, 2015-2016.

Reducing Stereotype Threats. Stereotype Threats. Retrieved from ReducingStereotypeThreats.org on November 24, 2016.

Steele, C. M., & Aronson, J. (1995). Stereotype threat and the intellectual test performance of African-Americans. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 797-811.

Tyler, K. & Tyler, C. (2009). Stereotype Threat. Classroom Learning. Retrieved from Education.com, November 24, 2016.

Distractions

Time has flown by so quickly! I’ve been distracted in several aspects of my life in both positive and negative ways. I needed to take some time to reevaluate some things and gain clarity in others.

During my hiatus, I’d love to share that my business has grown and is now flourishing. Consequently, that is not the case. On the contrary, the business has taken a bit of a shift.  However, while I continue working to grow my business, I am still working to grow scholars to become critical mathematical thinkers and problem solvers.

I love working with my scholars! My babies! My passion and my purpose! And, quite obviously… one of the distractions hindering the growth of my business. See, it’s quite difficult to provide my scholars with the quality education they deserve if I am not fully attending to their needs. As long as I am required to be in the classroom, my scholars will receive all that I can give. I am reminded daily that these babies need me, whether by a colleague or past scholar, and as much as I would love to be doing what I feel is my next step in my professional growth, God speaks to me through them, reminding me that right now, they need me more. A distraction indeed, but a much welcomed one if I do day so myself.

Let me share another welcomed distraction I experienced during my time away. I had the incredible privilege of working with some of the most amazing, knowledgeable African-American Women educators and administrators, Ph.Ds, Ed.Ds, and Nationally Board Certified Teachers I’ve ever come into contact with. Together, along with the most amazing Project Director, we led the Delta Teacher Efficacy Campaign (DTEC). The opportunity to lead with these women, facilitating professional development for teachers around the country was such a humbling experience. I was able to share my knowledge on a different level with educators from different avenues of life and know that what I had to share was valuable and made a significant contribution to their practice. I also had the opportunity to learn more about myself as an educator leader and presenter, about teacher efficacy, and about what it looks like to step out on faith. I hope my DTEC family realizes how much they mean to me personally and professionally. Thank you for the distraction. Ubuntu.

Well, you know what they say….for every positive, there is a negative. Why is it that with all the positive experiences, the negative ones seem to linger the longest? I mean, I have received messages diminishing my professional worth. I’ve had my actions and words taken out of context in attempts to make me appear as if I’m instigating trouble. I have literally been looked at with scowls and grimaces for reasons I can’t begin to explain. Where is all of this coming from? Then I am reminded by so many people around me not to be distracted by those that may bring forth negativity and are working diligently to diminish the dreamer within. What’s more ironic is the fact that I know better! Having had the opportunity to share many of my life experiences with young people and adults on what it means to live within your GREATNESS, I’ve shared the debilitating effects that negativity can bring to one’s life. Negativity is all a part of the enemies plan (earthly and spiritually) to incite one’s demise. I am reminded to proceed with caution. The distraction that is negativity is always looming.

Here’s the takeaway from my realization of  negative and positive distractions. It is true…the good comes with the bad. The negative must coexist with the positive. This is a fact and there’s really no way around it or controlling it. What can be controlled is how one reacts to such instances. My experience has found that negativity feeds and nourishes a fixed mindset. You will seemingly begin to believe the innuendo that are presented with every negative word and action. You’ll find yourself wanting to give up on dreaming. When focused on positive people and things, you feed and grow your mind. You feel a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment and you will be pushed to challenge your own beliefs.

So,  here are your choices. You can choose to let negative distractions cloud your dreams or you can choose to allow the positive distractions make you stronger and lead you to bigger and better opportunities. But while you’re making your decision, be attentive to your current distractions.

Check Your Approach

It’s 3:20pm on the Friday before winter break.  I’m driving home in complete silence, thinking. Every part of my soul wants to be thinking about the holiday parties I will attend, the fellowship with family I will enjoy, and of course, the rest I so eagerly have been longing for. However, this is not what consumes my thoughts.  A student has touched my inner core this week.  I will come back to this shortly.

As I drove along, encased within my own silence, I began thinking of the “Scholar Statement” I wrote over the past summer.  My students recite it every morning and it reads as follows:

I am a Scholar.

I can DO anything, LEARN anything, BE anything.

I cannot fail and WILL NOT fail,

because failure is not an option.

I am in control of my future and my destiny.

I am a Scholar.

I am the FUTURE.

I wrote this after spending some time thinking of ways to help my students change the way they think about learning.  I had recently visited a local charter school and done some research on the Uncommon Schools. I was drawn to the approach the schools use to help students focus on a future filled with success. I found that inside the walls of these schools, student classrooms are typically named for colleges and students referred to as scholars, thus committing to reinvent students’ thinking from that of a fixed mindset to that of a growth mindset. In a 2012 interview, Carol Dweck clarifies the difference between the two mindsets as follows:

In a fixed mindset students believe their basic abilities, their intelligence, their talents, are just fixed traits. They have a certain amount and that’s that, and then their goal becomes to look smart all the time and never look dumb. In a growth mindset students understand that their talents and abilities can be developed through effort, good teaching and persistence. They don’t necessarily think everyone’s the same or anyone can be Einstein, but they believe everyone can get smarter if they work at it (retrieved December 24, 2013 from onedublin.org).

So, the approach of the Uncommon Schools now became MY approach. The Scholar Statement became our daily affirmation. I needed to empower them. I needed for them to embrace the greatness that many of them had yet to realize was within them.  They are all Scholars and are referred to as such no matter where we are or what we are doing in the school.  The Scholar Statement is a reminder of my expectations for them and the expectations for themselves and each other. There is greatness filling the walls of my classroom.

With that, let me share this interaction I had with one particular scholar during our last week of 2013 together.  I will call this young man Victor. On the Thursday before break, the school attends the annual winter program. This year, K-2 students, with the exception of about 17 of my scholars, performed the program.  The music teacher asked if this select group of scholars would assist the kindergarteners with one song during the program, as well as greet parents and act as runners for other classes in between songs. Of course, like a proud mother, I agreed to allow the scholars to participate. Victor was among the chosen.

Now, Victor is one of six siblings. He’s the third oldest. He is known to cause mischief and to instigate drama. He is also very bright, athletic, and funny.  You see, I found in his academic records that Victor has the documented potential of performing in the advanced level on the state’s standardized assessment.  His scores have been on the decline since 3^rd grade.  His strength is in the area of mathematics, particularly with problem solving.  He especially enjoys the challenge of solving 6^th grade problems. Reading is not his best friend, but he trudges through it, only to pacify me. However, this can all change if Victor is having a difficult morning. There are times when Victor refuses to work and instead pouts in protest to the daily assignments. That’s quite a difference from the description above, isn’t it?  His inability to process frustration often times blocks his capability to complete his work.  There are times when he is confronted with something that pushes him straight to the point of giving up.  He doesn’t believe that there is more to his mindset. It’s fixed! So, rather than exerting more effort, he reverts to behavioral disruptions instead.

Today, the Thursday before break, Victor is in his all too familiar mischievous mood. He is all over the place, excited, off task, and in somebody’s ear about anything insignificant (albeit significant enough to get under anyone’s skin)!  He has become quite skilled at doing things under the radar. Normally, I can detect even his slightest thought of becoming disruptive, but today with so much going on, he is two steps ahead of me.

As we waited for the other grade levels to arrive for the performance, I noticed one of my girls crying uncontrollably. I had been sitting in view of them and hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary, so I was aghast at the sight. I knelt down and asked what was wrong. She proceeded to tell me through each crying breath that Victor had been calling her names and how extremely tired she was of him messing with her. Victor is avoiding eye contact with me at all cost as I speak with her, so I know…something is up.  He’s even talking to himself under his breath and I know he’s trying to convince himself that he doesn’t care that she is telling me what he has done. My stare has now become a glare and Victor’s eyes finally meet mine.  I motion for him to take a seat on the bleachers and allow the young lady to go to the restroom to get herself together.

I am SO upset with Victor and I begin to scold him. “Scholars are respectful to each other and to other people!” I scolded. Then, I stopped. I had to approach this differently. He’s been yelled at and scolded enough.  Probably more than imaginable but that is an uncertainty and is irrelevant at this particular moment. What is important right at this moment is the manner in which I choose to address Victor about what has happened between him and his peer. I waited a few moments before speaking with him. We both needed a moment.

Moments have passed and I think I’m ready, so I call Victor over to me and away from his peers. I ask him what that incident was about and he admits he called her names, but only AFTER she called him names first. Now, this next statement will seem a bit cliché, but I have to say it…she’s the student that never says a word and is never in trouble, so needless to say, it was difficult for me to believe this accusation. I shared my reservation with Victor and he understood my dilemma.  I thanked him for his honesty and understanding at that moment. It was at this point that I shifted the conversation from his admitted negative behavior to his positive and greater potential.

I told Victor that he was filled with greatness. I told him how smart he was, in addition to being athletic and humorous. I told him that he could do anything he wanted to do, but that he blocks his greatness with some of the choices he makes inside and outside of school.  I explained that hurting people is just a way of blocking the good that is inside of him.  I tell him that it’s ok to be smart and to show others that he is smart.  “You are and are allowed to be a great example for your peers! Don’t be ashamed of your ability.  Use your greatness to change the world around you.” I continued. Victor said nothing. Tears began to stream down his face instead.  I asked him why he was crying. He again said nothing.  I asked if he had ever been told that he was smart and filled with greatness. As he wiped his tears, he still said nothing. Only shook his head indicating he had not. My heart sank at that very moment. I have been thinking about Victor and that conversation ever since.

The following day, the last day before break, Victor was…different. This is the day we all expect shenanigans and over zealousness from our students, so I expected Victor to respond in-kind. This time, I was wrong. Victor came in reserved and stoic. Rather than sitting with the other young men that had congregated to work on a holiday packet, Victor sat alone. Don’t get me wrong, he did not withdraw himself entirely. I could, however, tell that he was making good choices, purposefully and consciously, throughout the day. It took my reflecting on the events of the day to realize what had happened. Victor had heard what I said and had begun thinking about his potential.  He even gave me a hug and wished me a Merry Christmas before he left. The best gift I could ever receive. I have to admit; I cannot help but wonder if this change in mindset will continue once we return from break. I expect that there will be more to be done with my Victor and more to this story after break, but for now, at least he and I both know that change is possible, there is hope, and there is a future for him.

My reflection reveals that our approach, as educators, matters.  What we say and how we say it, what we do and how we do it…matters.  Our choice of actions and words can have a transformational affect on our students’ lives. They can be interpreted as s/he cares or s/he doesn’t. One word, one phrase is all it takes to make or break them. One word, one phrase can change the mindset of our students in the blink of an eye. That’s quite a bit of power and responsibility, wouldn’t you say? I agree wholeheartedly. However, I also realize that this duty comes with the territory.   We have committed to taking the good with the bad. It is my opinion that we have changed the meaning of that statement. You see, what we frequently find ourselves doing is taking the “good” and the “bad” and using them to label our students as such.  Yes, you’ve done it! We’ve all done it.  “He’s good.” and “She’s bad.” But, let’s be clear, we should not consider “good” and “bad” to be definitions of a student’s behavior but rather an indication of a students inability to communicate their needs and/or the lack of guidance they may or may not receive outside of school.

As I conclude, stop and think about YOUR Victor…or Victoria.  Think about what s/he does and says, the choices s/he makes, the challenges s/he takes you through on a daily basis.  Now, think about how you have responded.  How did you intervene? What was your approach? Know that while you think you may be emotionally connected and have developed a trusting rapport with your students, there may be something buried so deep down that they don’t even realize there is pain inside. We have been charged with the task of helping our students work through their confusion in order to help them realize their potential and free their minds. It is imperative for us to keep this in the forefront of our minds when disruptive behavior outweighs productive behavior. So, the next time YOUR Victor is under everyone’s skin…take a moment…and check your approach.