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Lawrence responds to feedback from you

Page history last edited by PBworks 15 years, 10 months ago

Re: Lawrence's Talk

 

Caren passed on some feedback from our class. Lawrence's response is below:

 

 

 

peace caren,

 

your students make some very valid points... ones which i have to deal with on the regular.  please pass along my sentiments so as not to be misunderstood or even to clear up some things...

 

about the ice cream truck incident and the speech at CFJ:

the ice cream boycotts came from the students, GENUINELY...

what had happened was a result of our talks prior to ways people made changes and got their voices heard.  half of that class had also participated in a Coalition for Educational Justice Rally against the CAHSEE (ca hi school exit exam), which parents also came along and deepened their understanding of movements, unity building, etc... (it put their biography on dolores huerta and the UFW into perspective).  so when the issue came up, the students gravitated towards action based on what they knew (letter writing, and demonstrating).  I didnt even bring up the issue... the students brought it up and all i did was ask "what should we do about it?"

that sparked class dialogue and planning... so you see, i will say that my influence is ALWAYS present, i am not denying it... but i do not choose the paths... only give my students options and support

 

again, its easy for folks to point to the influence a teacher has on a student... and i do not deny that (and have even mentioned it in the talk), BUT i do not initiate student actions (especially on those levels)... what i have done is given them examples of movements, people, etc... throughout the year.

 

i also do not speak to my students the way i presented at the presentation... and despite the fact that i threw out some profanity to my former students (who are in 11th grade... and experience far worse)... a lot of that comes from 1) the frustration i have for the system and my sense of urgency towards changing it, 2) that i am fed up with the rate at which i see and hear, kids getting screwed by schools...

 

yes, i do appeal to my students with a lot of home language, slang, etc... yet i code switch ALL THE TIME and get into some real talk about delpits, codes of power, etc...

 

so rest assured, i could not do what i did if i did not have a foundational background in solid academics...  that definitely came as a lesson during my first year (which i brought up) about letting kids slide if they were conscious thinkers, but were bad academic english writers.

 

lets be very clear... my curriculum is VERY INTENSIVE and RIGOROUS...

in 5th grade, we do:

--high school algebra and sometimes (if they are ready pre-calc) integrating how 5th grade standards are foundational tools for later math (which has been evident in seeing, tutoring, and helping high school students and TAs with their math)

--high level research and academic work in their biographies, powerpoint presentations to other classes, creation of their documentaries, etc...

--very critical/high order/abstract thinking in breaking down trends (historically, etc) to create conclusions based on patterns, similiarities, and differences...

--they always reflect in various ways (ultimately creating a final exam for culmination where they have to write a reflective essay around 80 paragraphs, including a persuasive letter to me on why they are ready to culminate, grading me as their teacher, etc...)

 

so dispite all the projects, and youth culture thrown into the mix of critical conscious and action building... they also get to be heavily involved in technology (through many grants i write), and rigorous academic discourse that in many cases "over prepares" them for the rigors of middle school and sometimes high school.

 

with the whole 5E's, i will spend a lot of time "playing the game" and doing my role in making my students intellectually competent so their voices will be heard and taken seriously.  my kids achieve because they have bought into a program which involves "doing what we have to do" (open court, math, etc) knowing that i will do what i can to modify and adjust.

 

i will say that i am completely HONEST with my students, and i dont just come out and say "YOU ARE ALL OPPRESSED"... however, throughout the year, we will look at trends in history, currently, etc... and they will come to these conclusions on their own (minus the language).  kids are very savvy and pick up on things quite naturally...

 

especially coming from experiences such as poverty, violence, struggle, etc...

 

i will not excuse myself for being real with my students and having them make sense of what they are already experiencing daily!!!!

 

and while i too am a fan of r. charney (still have my book from the TEP days), some of those kinds of pedagogy and practice is not practical where i work, with whom i work with... because

 

my students are from WATTS (history shows that it is the lowest average per capita income in all LA... and on top of that the schools in that area are exposed to high teacher turn over rate, lowest test scores and high school disappearance rates, etc...)

 

the urban schools in LA are drastically different than that of SD even tho there are some comparable areas...

so basically... if you understand where i teach... what the students go through daily, and how things are treated... than heck yeah i get very frustrated and am only more motivated to do more.

 

what my personal choice in what i do... is that teaching is not a job for me.  it does not begin and end with the bell ringing for the simple fact that i was raised and shown (by my parents) to build with folks, create family (and familial networks), and in doing so...

 

when you invest in the very people you build with 180 days or more... i can no longer stand for the atrocities that they are exposed to without trying to do something.

 

again, the students are already feeling like "victims" way before they get into my class... all i try to do is give them skills and build them up to stop being victims (no different from other teachers who view education as the social equalizer... however i give a twist to that).

 

case in point...

when we did poetry... even on a free write, knowing that we presented it as a tool for inspiration, expression, and change...

many of my latin@ students wrote about immigration issues that they had witnessed first hand... THEY KNOW

others talked about violence in the communities and constant troubles with the police... TRUST ME THEY KNOW

 

yet we would be foolish to think that they dont...

i always start with what they come in with... these conversations where i may be making them think they are victims... come from them and their experiences... if they feel like victims, which i never get that sense from them or their families, its from their experiences with folks, community, other teachers... people who tend to silence them.

what we do all year long is build up their self esteem, tool bag for maneuvering, inner strength and voice... so that they dont feel like the victim

 

through it all... i always reflect and try to check myself... and thats why i encourage dialogue and sentiments.  hopefully i clarified a bit, maybe even raised a few more eyebrows and concerns.

 

on thing i am sure of... is my privilege.  as a person who already went through college, and someone, even if i was fired... have many more options than those students i serve.

 

when i was transferred, and people were telling me to get out... i personally stayed in this corrosive environment because of the families and students of the community i serve.

 

to that extent, the people i am always going to be most concerned about... are the students and famililes, which i have never had any major problems with, other than the fact that i am too strict on them (which they say is good for my students).  another tell tale sign is the numerous times students stay connected past the 5th grade year.  i was able to bring a few 11th graders (first years) but there are others in the mix.

 

but again... i merely wanted to bring up 1 approach... as i have other colleagues and friends who i see do it differently.

 

i apologize if i truly offended folks because it was never my intention to burn any bridges... maybe next time i will tone some things down (if there is one...).  but in the context of urban teaching... i was just coming at everyone REAL...

 

as always... i had a blast being there.  my students enjoyed the whole thing and would love to come back again.

 

please share my thoughts with others as you see fit, and know that if others would like to keep building with me, than i am always open...

 

peace and respects

laurence

 

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