Becoming "C"

            The student I chose for my case study, “C”, never discusses her religious thoughts or beliefs in class, therefore, I decided from the beginning that this chapter really wasn’t going to have any impact on my case study.  I could not have been more wrong!  Although C doesn’t discuss her beliefs outwardly, through reading this chapter I could see that some of the conversations she has do center around her trying to figure out who she is and what role she is supposed to play in society inside and outside of her current living situation.

            In a recent conversation with the managers at the house, I discovered that when C came to live at the group home she would go “on pass” on Sundays to go to church.  Her mother would come and pick her up, they would go to church and sometimes to lunch, and she would return early Sunday afternoon.  Overtime, this became a point of contention for the managers, staff, and other residents at the house, because C would frequently misbehave during the week and then automatically get to leave the house on Sundays, because it was for religious purposes.  One of the consequences in the house is that when you misbehave during the week, your weekend passes are taken away.  Many individuals felt as though C was abusing this privilege and getting away with inappropriate behaviors without consequences.  After losing her passes (based on her behavior) to go to church a few weeks in a row, C now no longer leaves the house to attend church with her family.  Initially it was due to her behavior, but now it’s a mutual decision between the house and C’s mother.  In response, C states that she, “doesn’t care and doesn’t want to go anyway.”

A few weeks later, I found this book in C’s stack of personal reading books that she keeps in/on her desk in the classroom.  Initially, I didn’t say anything about it, but now I’m thinking this might provide a good opening for a conversation that I wasn’t previously willing/equipped to have.  As Nakkula suggests, "if we open spaces for adolescents to begin to answer existential questions in ways that make sense to them, we help them to develop intellectual and spiritual pathways out of unqualified relativism and into greater clarity (220)."  By continuing to coauthor C's story and attempt to help her to make sense of some of these issues I think I can help her navigate through some of the difficulties and 'big questions' she is facing right now.

 

After reading this chapter I am torn about the decision that was made for C about not attending church.  I realized last week that everyone who C (as well as all of the other girls in the group home) interacts with on a daily basis is paid to be with her.  The few hours a week that she was able to spend with her mother and doing something to help construct who she is becoming as a person were so valuable!  To take those away from her and stifle this aspect of her identity is very disheartening.

Nakkula Ch. 9

The first part about this chapter that really grabbed my attention is on page 179 when Nakkula states, “All too frequently we hear stories of sexual trauma that shatter the innocence of childhood.”  This statement is very true in my experience of working with the girls who are in the group home.  Students come in with extensive sexual histories that are some of the saddest and most disturbing stories I have ever heard.  Due to the trusting relationship I have formed with many of my students, some choose to share personal stories with me.  After reading this chapter I realize that these students are trying to make sense of “roughly knotted or merely clumped together (177)” experiences they have been through.  Out of all of the lenses that we have explored so far, this is probably the area that I find most difficult to discuss with my students.

I think that part of the difficulties that I find are not having a curriculum or a guide as to how to talk to my students about these topics.  Sexual reproduction is briefly addressed in one of the chapters in the Health book and in the Biology book that we use, but that is the extent.  This chapter discussed Michelle Fine’s suggestion of using meaning-based discussions based around “violence, victimization, and individual morality(188)” and this made a lot of sense to me.  Due to the fact that many of the students in my classroom are “low-income girls of color” (189), I was able to look at this topic as having a different level of significance.  Now, I feel like I have a better understanding of my role as an educator when it comes to this “lens” in my classroom.

After reading this chapter I decided to look online for some resources that are available for teachers on the topic of sex education or how to address these topics in the classroom.  As I was looking I found the site, For teens, by teens that I thought discussed many topics that my students might be able to relate to.  This site features a blog, polls, forums, articles, and an "Action Center" that contains a variety of information for students.  This seemed like a site that many of my students would benefit from and enjoy accessing for important information. 

Antonio or Tony?

The idea of acculturation is one that I have learned a lot about in my ESL cohort and have tried to be aware of and sensitive to in my classroom.  Last year I had a student who had been born in the United States and spoke excellent English, but spoke only Spanish at home with her parents.  One day a different student said something about her being "Spanish" and she immediately acted insulted and went off on that student about how, 'she's not from Spain and that she's Dominican'.  Even though this student was born in the United States, she had such strong ties to her family and community in the DR that she considered herself to be Dominican.  This story immediately came back to me as I was reading page 158 where Nakkula stresses that, "it is essential to find out from them what terms they use to describe themselves".  She was one student who was not afraid to speak up for herself and I believe at that time, she had achieved ethnic identity (pg. 164).

Currently, I am working with a student during my internship whose name is Antonio, but I have noticed that his classroom teacher calls him "Tony".  He responds to either name, but when I asked him about it, he told me that he prefers to be called, "Antonio, because that's what my mom and brothers call me."  He's a younger student and not yet an adolescent, but I couldn't help but consider the, "psychological well-being, self-esteem, and self-confidence" that Nakkula discusses on page 153.  I wonder if as this student gets older if he will feel more comfortable speaking up, or if he will continue to stay quiet.

I'm not sure if I have shared this website before, but even if I have I believe it's valuable enough to share again.  Culture crossing is a website that is designed to act as a guide to build cross cultural etiquette and understanding.  On the right side of the page is a drop down menu that allows viewers to select many countries from around the world.  Once there, the viewer can learn facts about other countries, basic communication skills, and information about schools (class sizes, socialization styles, and other information) about those countries.  I have found that this website helps to promote cultural sensitivity and gain a better understanding of students backgrounds.

Racial Identity Development

As hokey as I think the “scenarios” in this book are, I actually found value in the one at the end of Chapter 7 between Mr. Campbell and Ms. Petersen (p. 148).  In this vignette Mr. Campbell is trying to help Ms. Petersen to improve her relationship with Antwon, which has been rocky lately.  Antwon has learned that he can identify with Mr. Campbell, a black, male teacher in the same high school.  The part about this incident that I related to was when Mr. Campbell advises Ms. Petersen to have a conversation with Antwon in which she mainly listens and only interrupts when she has questions for clarification.  This will allow Antwon to get his side of the story out and feel like he has a true voice that Ms. Petersen values.  From there, Ms. Petersen was advised to summarize his story back to him, and continue the conversation from her perspective. 

While none of this is new information I thought that it was a good reminder for me, because sometimes I am quick to judge what’s happening in my classroom and only look at it from my perspective.  I have found that it helps to take a step back, have these important (although sometimes difficult) conversations, and continue to try to build relationships in the classroom.  I definitely believe that the students as well as the teacher benefit from this type of interaction. 

The following is a clip of an individual who discusses some difficulties he faced while growing up and how he dealt with them.  There is some inappropriate language, so consider yourself warned!!

This video, as well as the chapter we read, really got me thinking about one of my students, C, who frequently talks about her mother being white and her father being black.  She often shares pictures of her family and talks about her younger siblings (who do not have the same father).  I usually listen to her talk and look at her pictures, but I don’t often take the conversation much further, I think because I’m not sure where it might go.  I realize after reading this chapter that she is trying to construct her own identity and that she sees this aspect of her life as a big part of that.  As Nakkula suggests on page 141, I would like to, “see how (her) language may suggest the ways in which they are orienting themselves racially… and to engage what they say and do, and to find out how they understand and experience their words and actions.”  Now I believe she’s reaching out and trying to have a conversation, but I am the one who has been holding back – I’d like to change that after reading this chapter.

While reading this chapter I couldn't help but think of the Steve Martin movie, The Jerk.  Even if you aren't familiar with the movie, I think that after watching this brief clip you will understand why this scene continued to pop into my head as I was reading the chapter about racial identity development.  

 

Switching gears... I’m still struggling with who to choose for my case study.  Right now I have a few students who will probably be in my classroom for the remainder of this semester – which is a good thing I guess!?!  The “girl who was left on the stage” is not the one who I was originally thinking of, but after that exercise I wonder if maybe I should go in that direction?!?  She is very immature and more difficult for me to relate to than many of my other students, but maybe those are the reasons why I should pick her?!?    

"Home"

As I was reading this chapter I received an email from one of my assistant principals about a new club that the administration and teachers are trying to start up at the high school.  According to this email, this group (named OneSmithfield) is, “an effort to improve student interactions and decrease negative and hurtful behaviors".  According to the email some of the focuses are going to include, but not be limited to increasing awareness in areas such as ethnicity, gender, sexual preference, social status, and disabilities – many of the topics that we have been discussing throughout this program.  The purpose of this group is, “to promote an awareness of tolerance, respect, and diversity throughout the student body at Smithfield High School.”

Later that day, as I was looking at various videos, I found an inspirational video about a high school student who started a Twitter account used to compliment people and fight cyber bullying.  I am really encouraged by this video and think that it would be so great in high schools everywhere.  

It sounds to me like the goal of the groups OneSmithfield and West High Bros is to start focusing on creating safe spaces or the idea of “home” where people can “explore options for healthy development.” (pg. 107)  OneSmithfield already has three co-advisors and is looking for one more.  Without being present in the high school on a daily basis, I can already theorize that the teachers who have agreed to be advisors are already the teachers, “where youth gather before school, at lunch, and after school.” (pg. 108)  These teachers likely have some similar qualities to Ms. Peterson, who is clearly a teacher who students feel comfortable with.  As a teacher, Ms. Peterson has worked to create these spaces where students feel comfortable and able to express ideas and opinions freely.  This isn’t something that happened by accident, but instead took careful planning and action on her part from the very first day of school.  By placing a focus on working to create these “homeplaces” for our students we will allow our students to continue to discover who they are as individuals. 

More co-authoring!

            I really enjoyed reading these two chapters and Nakkula discussed a lot of ideas that really resonated with me.  He continued the theory of co-authoring our students’ lives and I have found myself thinking about that (sometimes) throughout the day as I am teaching.  This thought of co-authoring was further enhanced for me at the end of chapter 5 where Nakkula was discussing the role of mentoring for adolescents.  On page 97 he discusses the “close, trusted relationships” that mentors use to do great things.  

Throughout my years of teaching in the group home I have seen the impact that mentors can have on individuals of this age group.  Many of the girls here are included in a therapeutic sports program that involves them with other same age peers and allows them to cooperatively play volleyball, basketball, or soccer.  These sports programs have many benefits to the teens, but one that I have seen over and over is the relationship that the girls form with their coaches.  The look up to their coaches, look forward to seeing them every week, and it means so much to the adolescents to receive compliments from their coaches.  I often hear stories about their experiences the next day in school.  This excitement illuminates the students and it’s obvious that they look forward to going back to their activities every week.  These chapters made me want to cause the same emotions in my students when it comes to going to school too!

A project that I always have my students complete when they first start in my classroom is one that I designed about seven years ago when I was teaching in Pennsylvania that I call Top Four Job Choices.  In the project I have students think about four jobs that they might like to have in the future and tell me the salary, job description, education required, why they would like the job, and what they might not like about the job.  The students then make a Power Point and get to share their findings with the class.  Students generally love completing this project and it helps me get to know something about their interests, from an early point in our relationship.  

The reason I mention this project now is because it always surprises me how many of my students choose Residential Counselor as one of their jobs.  Residential Counselors are the ‘staff’ who are in charge of monitoring these teen’s behavior, enforcing rules, providing general care for them, and putting ‘hands-on’ when a student needs to be restrained for safety reasons.  Typically, I would think that these teens would be resentful toward these individuals, and sometimes they are, but overall it seems that they respect them and even would consider having this job in the future.  On page 66 Nakkula discusses that many individuals in the mental-health field had challenging experiences of their own that they were able to overcome and turn into a positive experience by eventually helping others.  I believe that this same sentiment is what makes the role of Residential Counselor appealing to the students who are in my classroom.  Throughout my five years of being affiliated with this classroom, I have heard of at least four individuals who used to live in this group home (before my time here) who eventually applied for a job with Family Services of Rhode Island.  As Nakkula points out, it makes sense that these females want to take what was a difficult experience and turn it into a somewhat positive experience for others who are in the same position.