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What If You’re A White Teacher Teaching Black History? [Some Examples]

by Jose Vilson on February 4, 2013

In my last post, I put down some thoughts on Black History Month, something I’ve written about at least once for the last four years. Every so often, I get a question that I ought to put in an FAQ section. For instance:

“What if you’re a white teacher teaching about Black history?”

I often reply, “Go right ahead, as long as you do it right.”

Of course, you want to know what I mean by “right.” Besides the aforementioned article, I’d like to point you in the direction of some of the comments made in that article, too. For instance, here’s my respected colleague Mike Kaechele:

As a social studies teacher I really don’t like all of the special months and days. I try to teach the various viewpoints of history holistically. I will not be singling out blacks in February, just like we didn’t talk about terrorism on 9/11. We did spend three weeks on 9/11 and terrorism when it fit where we were as a class. We have talked about African Americans in the context of all of the wars and foreign policy that we have discussed. I feel comfortable not focusing on Black history in February because we do integrate it all year in context and we will spends weeks on the Civil Rights Movement starting in March.

I do appreciate the need to still have these months because too many people and teachers still neglect them. But for me in my classroom, I choose to ignore the “calendar schedule” knowing that I will give the topics due diligence when it fits our scope and sequence.

We have something here. Here’s another one from my colleague Laura Sexton:

Having our school on a college campus means that I get to walk my Spanish 2 class over for the college’s Celebrando America Latina series featuring afrolatinos in Peru, Mexico, and Cuba this month, but we’re not going to even start the unit about afrolatino experiences in different countries (which you helped me out with a few years ago wiki style, and for which I owe you part of my National Board certification) until the end of the month, so it’ll go well into March too. So over 1/3 of the course is approaching Woodson’s goal, right?

Right. For now, I don’t want anyone thinking Black / Latino / LGBT / Asian / Women’s / Native American / Any Non-Dominant Group History Month should go away, but eventually, whether we have mainstream views on America or not, we do have to do more than acknowledge these groups’ roles in American history, and until we do that, we’ll continue to need them.

It starts with those of us in the classroom, but we can’t do it alone.

Jose, who needs non-educators to jump into the fray too …

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Short Notes: Comments On Suicide From Bill, Heather, And … Anonymous

by Jose Vilson on October 14, 2012

Unbeknownst to me, October 10th was World Mental Heath Day, a day after I wrote my post on students and suicide. Rather than reflecting in meta, I’ll share some of my colleagues’ comments to the post, all of which moved me in a profound way.

First, Bill Ivey:

One of my former students, then a Senior at another local school, killed herself two weeks ago. Though she only passed through my classroom for a few weeks before she and her mother agreed she would return to her previous school (where the mother worked), I remembered her well and was (and remain) deeply shaken. Her funeral was last Friday, and my colleague (who had previously worked in that other district) and I were talking about it. All you can do, she said, is work your hardest to support them and give them a sense of their own wonderful intrinsic worth, and maybe work even harder to help them when something like this happens. You reinforce the fundamental importance of caring and reaching out, even when we have no clue where that strength is coming from. I need that today. Thank you.

Then, Heather Wolpern-Gawron:

Just last week, something similar happened to me with one of my most unique and innovative students. he’s a quirky girl who has a darkness about her behind her smiles. He’s popular because she’s straightforward, but it’s clear how well she’s like doesn’t trump the darkness going on at home. I just happen to overhear a conversation she was having in whispers at a table during passing period. I heard words like “I tried to once” and “deep sadness.” It didn’t take Sherlock Holmes to put it together. I thought long and hard about mentioning something given that she hadn’t come to me with it, but rather my ears had intruded on her private dialogue. However, something of that nature, and what I suspected was her call out to someone, I felt, could not be ignored. The “What if” game is just too terrible to think about. I messaged her on our campus Facebook-esque site, My Big Campus, in much the same way you spoke to your student. She never responded. Yesterday, she came up to me and said, “Mrs Wolpert, you remember what you wrote to me the other day?”

“Yeah,” I said.

“Well, I just wanted you to know I appreciated it. And I, well, I spoke to my mom about what I’d tried to do and, I don’t know what this means, but I’m seeing someone to talk to next week. It feels weird.”

I smiled and told her I was proud of her. That talking to someone could give her tools to get through a hard time. I also reminded her that she can also find her own tools: friends, mom, or even a teacher. We’re all tools for them, right?

Then, an anonymous comment:

This week, a 10th grader at my son’s school committed suicide. This is the third in five years. The school jumps up and down about its district-wide anti-bullying programs, but none of these students were bullied. My teenager hopes that they switch their focus to depression, how to recognize it, how to get help or how to get help for a friend. My twelve year-old just wants to be held and to know why.

A long time ago, I used to teach an advisory class. As a final question, I would ask the students, “What’s the worst thing that can happen if you do tell a counselor? Your friend gets mad, right? What’s the worst that can happen if you don’t tell?” Silence. “Let’s not ever let that happen.”

Thank you all.

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Comments To That Snoop Dogg Article You Didn’t See

by Jose Vilson on February 22, 2012

As I’m sure you’re aware, there will always be comments worth posting after reading an article like the Snoop Dogg post I wrote recently. Comments not only give us a glimpse of what the specific person believes, but the general mood of your readers. Thus, in the spirit of Jon Becker, here are the comments from Facebook, Twitter, and the EdWeek … kinda.

Random Commenter 1

For the love of Christ, this was good! You made such good connections. My only question is: what do you think about the song “Gin and Juice” and how can we as educators learn from that song. With my mind on my teaching and the teaching on my mind.

Random Commenter 2 (who I know)

Jose, you crazy bastard. You did it again. This is the type of voice we need in edu-discussions, not the same old from both sides of the equation trying to bore my Google Reader to death. Well played, sir. Well played.

LoveTheBeatlesCantStandRap

“Guess who’s back in the motherfucking house,
With a fat dick for your motherfucking mouth.
Hoes recognize, niggas do too,
Cuz when the steel get stainless, they pull a voodoo.”

Sorry, but I don’t see how I can learn anything from your post. Snoop Doggy Dogg or Snoop Dogg or Snoopy or Dogg or whatever you want to call him is not the role model I would like to have for my kids. It’s awful music. Plus, he’s a misogynist, and a rapper. Which is basically the same thing isn’t it? I mean, look at all the bling and the pimp culture. Yes, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones also had their issues back in the day, but it’s different. They … they … they didn’t curse in their songs that much. I have limits, and this was too much.

Jose Vilson

Look at your list. Check it twice. You better find out if your favorite people were naughty or nice.

IAgreeWithTheGuyBeforeYou

You’re such a snarky bastard. Why can’t you just agree with us and take down this article? I totally missed the point of this article because my world view is so small. Tonight, I’ll still be in the club drinking beers and listening to country singers do the same things rappers do, but I’m pointing my finger at you because … because … well, just because. Ugh!

DRavFan4Life

Why come you have to talk about teacherpreneurs? The market and democracy are incompatible. Diane Ravitch said so! I know you didn’t actually mention entrepreneurship here, but I just want to make sure that’s clear. In case Bill Gates shows up to comment here.

Bill Gates

No, I won’t. It ain’t no fun if the homies can’t have none. Nah mean? Chill, homie.

DRavRoxMySox

I don’t think any of this really matters until you cite something from Diane. You have to be a little more creative, more radical, more researched based. Like Diane is. I don’t even think Dr. Ravitch has met Snoop Dogg, so how is Snoop even relevant in education? We need to validate him and I think that’s the best way to do so.

Alex R. The Writer

Jose, you’re an edu-giant, a Goliath amongst the small straw men of the education reform world. So thank me, or else.

OneOfTheCoolKids

I gotta be honest, Jose, I didn’t even think about that. Snoop Dogg came from a church background, and his gangsta turn would be disappointing to anyone who understood that. While he’s still up to the same nonsense, you took a hilarious look at a guy whose music I might not always agree with, but I dance to anyways. This was pretty good, Jose. I’ll be sharing this with my co-teachers tomorrow.

Ghostface Killah

Yo, son, you the illest, my G. This joint was so tough, it was HD MMA NFL Mario Manningham Catching The Pigskin While Getting Kicked in The Ass Out Of Bounds type shit, yo. I’ma start calling you Mr. Wicked Wallabee X-Wanderer, son, word is bond!

SMHiswhatIDo

So, you’re still going to have Pedro Noguera on your site? Really?

DRavFan4Life

No we’re not Alex. Why use a pseudonym like we can’t read what you’re writing? You’re such an instigator. Why don’t you go back and read a book … like The Death and Life of The Great American School System? Now on paperback with more Ravitchy goodness!

Diane Ravitch

Umm, even I think this is a little ridiculous.

TheAwesomePhilosopher

See, Jose, the problem is, you write with nuance and conviction. You inject humor and parody. Plus, a lot of eyes rest themselves upon this blog. Rather than try to actually read what you’re saying, they rather attack you with ad hominems and inuendo. Those of us who love your writing want you to keep doing so. The LBC rapper would definitely approve if he read this. If he wasn’t so high up (see what I did there?).

Jose Vilson

Oy vey!

Jose, who parodied this whole thing for effect. No, EdWeek did not reject this. Yes, I was actually making fun of myself. No, I don’t want you to take my critiques seriously. Yes, if you think it’s about you, it probably is. No, Diane didn’t actually comment on this, but if she did, I’m sure she’s crack the hell up. I understand she has a sense of humor.

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This Means War For These Educators, Too

by Jose Vilson on June 1, 2010

The commenters to my blog simply rock. Bivey’s whole response to my posit about education’s ulterior motives is a must read, but here’s a snippet just for you:

I mean finding the right balance between acknowledging the power you and others have (e.g. at the end of the road, you still get to write the progress reports that go in their permanent record), figuring out how far you can go in sharing that power, helping kids decide which battles are worth fighting, helping kids decide how best to fight those battles, helping kids learn the difference between having your say and getting your way, and helping kids learn how to judge when it might make sense to push beyond merely having their say until they actually get their way.

But here’s the deal. If you don’t engage in that struggle to find the proper balance, you’ve got a bunch of students who feel powerless and that they have no voice. That is simply unacceptable – the reality even more so than the feeling.

NYC Educator adds a little perspective about the purpose of charters:

With all their posturing about charters, charters on the whole don’t outperform public schools. With all the advantages of charters, 100% proactive parents, the ability to require things public schools can’t, the ability to “counsel out” troubled kids, the ability to dismiss entire grades that don’t work out, and in the case of Geoff Canada’s schools, the ability to involve ourselves with the parenting of prospective students–public schools and public school teachers would kick their asses. The notion that these folks could deal with 100% of city kids is laughable, as is the notion that these hedge fund folks give a golly goshdarn about the welfare of the kids real teachers serve.

Chris Lehmann ends this beautifully.

Or as I like to say… it’s the difference between education and training. We’re real interested in training the students in the bottom half of the socio-economic spectrum, but I’ve never been sure that we’re really that interested in educating those students.

That’s the problem with teaching kids to think… they just might do just that. And if you’re coming out of the South Bronx, and you learn a lot of critical thinking skills… and you are taught economics and sociology and history… you may come to some conclusions that other people don’t like.

Chilling.

Three comments in the whole post, and three worth acknowledging.

Jose, who’s seen fire and rain …

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A Semblance of Acceptance [What Organized Chaos Looks Like]

January 5, 2010 Jose

As most of you are well aware of, I’ve been officially developing my new website for 7 months the last couple of months. Within that time, I’ve become a little more relaxed about promoting the content of the site and moderating the comments. Thus, when searching for phrases like “fuck mexicans” and well, “fuck mexicans,” [...]

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