Jam Packed Fun

This afternoon began with a drive through a tunnel in East Ridge, TN. After leaving the tunnel, Kathryn and I headed to downtown Chattanooga. Where I surprised her with

Coolidge Park Carousel. 

Where Kathryn rode a 

 

It brought back such grand memories of being in Chattanooga with Josh as a youngster. After our trips around and around on the carousel, we walked over to a Soda Shop. Josh and I were friends with this girl named Tiffany.

Her shop River Street Makery  creates all kinds of organic, natural things including soda. Kathryn tried the root beer, and I had the lemon creme. Both all natural and handmade. Then we switched. Both were delicious. Unfortunately, Tiffany was away at a song writing contest with her band, The Cumberland Band. 

 Kat and I wondered around River Street and saw lots of fun crafts and fun signs. Including this one: "Bacon makes everything better."

Too hot to keep wandering around the streets, so we head over Suck Creek Mountain and ended up at Foster Falls: hiking, swimming, and catching tadpoles. 

Sharon G. Flake’s I like White Boys

In Sharon G. Flake’s I like White Boys, the protagonist of the story, Erika, is facing a constant battle with the effects her race have on her.

        It is clear from the beginning that Erika is not your stereotypical black girl when the story starts out with her telling her best friend, Winter, “I like white boys.”  (pg. 90). Winter replies, “I only like boys that look like me. Brown. Black.  As sweet as cho-co-lat.” (pg. 90).

        Flake wrote these stories based on people she knew—experiences she had witnessed and had been a part of. Because this story happened in the early 2000s, race was (and in some cultures/regions STILL) still an issue under many circumstances including biracial relationships. Erika is looked down upon by her peers at as not following the norms—liking “her kind.” She only sits with them (the black kids) every third Friday of the month, because that’s when Winter gets to choose where they sit in the cafeteria.Most of them think she’s a snob because she corrects them when they call her “Er’ka” instead of Erika. (pg. 96). Melvin, one of Erika’s black peers mocks her after she corrects him when he says, “It’s Erika. So say it the right way—the white way. (pg. 96).

But even Winter, her best friend, talks behind her back about the idea of her liking white guys and acting “white” because she finds it so unusual. Winter even insinuates to Erika that she knows she wishes she were right; she corrects reminds Erika that they are “ghetto girls” after Erika tries to fix her grammar. Winter says, “Ain’t ain’t a bad word, anyhow, we’re from the ghetto, right?” (pg.91).

Erika never ends up being with a white boy, maybe it’s because she’s black, or maybe it’s just because the boy (Johnny) she was chasing after already had a girlfriend. Either way, her race was against her.

Realization

Shrouded by the veil of white privilege in the 1950’s segregated South, Hiram Hillburn, Chris Crowe’s protagonist in, Mississippi Trial 1955, is constrained by love and bigotry. Through the eyes of a child, he sees nothing amiss, but the scope of his vision broadens as a young man.  The horrific context of murder and betrayal in Greenwood, Mississippi forever tarnishes his idyllic childhood memories. In the midst of loss and confusion, Hiram finds his own voice, and a willingness to speak for the truth.  Framed by the turmoil of the 1960’s, Doug Swieteck struggles with poverty and class distinction in Okay For Now, by Gary D. Schmidt.  Familial dysfunction and trouble at school leaves Doug bitter and angry.  He is weary from the weight of it all until an unexpected cast of townspeople show him his own talents.  Both protagonists come of age with small towns as vivid and powerful backdrops.

 

The view of small town life shifts for both Hiram and Doug.  The shift, however, is in opposite directions.  Hiram’s glowing view of small town life is formed in the early childhood days he spent in the care of his well-to-do grandparents where everything is in the normal order, according to his grandfather.  “Gramma and Grampa lived in a big white two-story house… tall and wide.” (Crowe, pp. 9-10)   On the other hand, Doug is forced to leave the city, due to his father’s job issues.  Doug refers to their rented house on the wrong side of the tracks as “the dump.”  Doug sees the small town as yet another place he will not gain acceptance.  “Here are the stats for stupid Marysville … I hate that we had to come here.” (Schmidt, pp.14-15) It is no surprise Hiram is oblivious to his advantageous position, while Doug is acutely aware of his subordinate status.  If we have never experienced hunger are we truly aware that it exists?

Prejudice is alive in both novels.  Racial prejudice creates a familial wedge in Hiram’s family, whereas class prejudice ricochets back and forth between Doug’s family and some of the townspeople.  Hiram is at a loss to understand why his father and grandfather are so alienated until the murder of a young black man.  As the investigation unfolds, the dark under-belly of Greenwood is exposed.  “It made me sick, and all I wanted to do was get out of there, out of Mississippi, and back home where things and people weren’t so crazy.” (Crowe, p. 192)  Hiram itches to leave the place he once felt most at home.  Doug finds refuge at the library and develops his ability to draw, as he discovers that his family’s status does not matter to everyone.  On his delivery route, the town opens up before him with unexpected acceptance.  Doug comes to feel that he has finally found a home. “Do you know what it feels like when you think you know just where you want to go and maybe you’re already there?’ (Schmidt, p.353)  One boy cannot wait to separate himself from the small town, while the other reluctantly embraces it.

 

Both Hiram and Doug witness a slanted vision of the world through the eyes of a male role model. Hiram’s grandfather views blacks as inferior and strives to pass that perception on to Hiram.  Doug’s sleazy father portrays the world as an unfair place where everyone is out to get everyone else.  Through keen observations and first-hand interactions both protagonists journey toward forming their own opinions and beliefs.  While Hiram’s conclusions take away his innocence regarding the decency of his grandfather, they do not change his love.  Doug’s father, although still far from perfection undergoes some realizations of his own, showing Doug the potential for a closer, more honest relationship.

Both authors take readers on a journey of realization as seen through the eyes of young men in small towns.  The depictions of the characters look like people we might actually know or have known.  They are stories in which misconceptions are shattered and long-held opinions of societal pecking orders are forever dispelled.  Hiram emerges with a firm grasp on the importance of following his own conscience, while Doug learns the importance of grasping the hands which are extended in friendship along life’s journey.

Personal note:  Like both of the characters depicted, I have learned that even the people I love may have imperfections.  Some of the flaws are superficial, while others may test the bounds of our relationship.        

Race in The Watsons Go to Birmingham

The title of The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963, by Christopher Paul Curtis, immediately signifies the topic of the novel to the reader: Race. Though most of the narrative is devoted to describing the familial ups and downs of the "Weird Watsons" - from the perspective of ten-year old Kenny - the subject of race is not one the reader, or the protagonists for that matter, can avoid confronting. In fact, the reader knows something the Watsons do not: that this family's road trip from Flint to Birmingham will take them to the epicenter of events that will alter their lives and the course of the Civil Rights movement.

For a majority of the novel, Kenny remains seemingly unaware of his race and the pervasive racial tensions in his country. As he says, recounting the conversation between his mother and grandmother, "They talked about how much trouble people were having with some white people down here, who got  married to who...a bunch of boring junk like that" (p. 166). By juxtaposing racial issues with mundane family matters, both Kenny and the author, Christopher Paul Curtis, intentionally downplay the significance of race. And yet, race pervades the narrative and Kenny's life in subtle but powerful ways. Within the first few pages, Kenny's father makes a lighthearted joke about the "Coloreds Only" bathroom in downtown Birmingham (p. 5). In school, Kenny reads a poem by Langston Hughes, a Harlem Renaissance poet who was unashamedly black and was criticized by some intellectuals for his less than idyllic portrayals of black life. Kenny's siblings both deal with identity issues centered around race - his brother, Byron, tries out a "Mexican" hair style and his sister, Joetta, rejects Mrs. Davidson's gift of a white clay angel because it doesn't look like her. On the road trip, Kenny is afraid to urinate in the woods because of Byron's warning: "They got crackers and rednecks up here... If they caught your ass out here, they'd hang you now" (p. 146).

Despite the very real presence of race in the novel, it takes a true historic event - the Birmingham church bombing that killed four young girls - to change Kenny into someone who understands the injustices his people face in American society. When he looks at himself in the mirror at the end of the novel, he begins to cry because racial prejudice is no longer "boring junk" to him but reality. He asks his brother "why" people would want to kill innocent children and Byron does not have an answer for him except to "keep on steppin'" (p. 203). And while Kenny may "keep on steppin," it will now be with the burden of his race on his shoulders and the resolve shared by those who stood up for equality in the Civil Rights Movement.

Even though the church bombing takes up fewer than eight pages of the story, Curtis' message is clear: race is a fundamental part of a person's history, family life, and identity; it cannot be ignored. I think this is an important message for me as a teacher as well. In the past, I have chosen to deal with race by being colorblind and this has not always been the best approach. Once, after a lesson on the Atlantic slave trade, one of my African American students came to me upset at the use of the word "Negro" in a primary source and, defensively, I brushed it off as "history." I wish I could go back and change that conversation to one about her own struggles with racial identity in an almost all-white private school. Decades after the Civil Rights Movement, race still has transformative power in the lives of young adolescents and it is a topic that needs to be discussed in the classroom, with or without a book like The Watsons Go to Birmingham to serve as a catalyst for this conversation.

Racial Identity in "I Like White Boys" by Sharon Flake and Mississippi Trial, 1955 by Chris Crowe

            Race and its effect on identity is prevalent in several of the texts we have read this semester. In “I Like White Boys” from Who Am I Without Him by Sharon G. Flake, there is obvious racial and social tension among the black students, the white students, and even within each of those racial categories. A similar tension is evident in Mississippi Trial, 1955 by Chris Crowe, and through these stories, we gain insight on how these tensions shape young adults.

            In “I Like White Boys,” Winter, a black female, judges her friend, Erika (also a black female), because Erika tends to be attracted to white boys. Winter and Erika attend a fairly affluent school where “we don’t really belong” because they are some of the few non-white students and are therefore seen as the “Ghetto girls.” The other black students at the school tease Erika because she acts “the right way—the white way,” speaking Standard American English and going after white boys. Others see her like an Oreo cookie—black on the outside and white on the inside. I think the tendencies Erika has to “act white” make others from her racial background feel betrayed, like she is trying to break away from them and have a separate identity. Many people feel proud of their racial heritage and cannot understand why others may not feel that way. This is especially true for Winter, who says she only likes boys who look like she does in regards to skin color. Winter feels the need to pick on Johnny while working in his group and nags him, saying their story should include a black girl who takes away a white boy from his white girlfriend. Winter feels a need to make the character of her race socially powerful. She and the other black students can’t understand Erika’s attraction to people of a different skin color and constantly try to make her feel inferior for this.

            Similarly, in Mississippi Tiral, 1955, R.C. cannot understand why Hiram would be friendly to a black boy, much less share his lunch with one. Like Winter, R.C. thinks people of different races should stick to their own colors. Of course, in Mississippi Trial, 1955, R.C. is talking about people fraternizing with their own race on a basic friendship level and is not discussing having romantic relationships that are biracial. He says, “White folk don’t share nothin’ with colored.” Even those in the book who are not racist, like Hiram’s grandfather, understand the unspoken social rule that “There is no friendship between whites and coloreds, never should be, never will be.” In both Mississippi Trial, 1955, and “I Like White Boys,” characters struggle with the question, “But do I only get to like boys that look like me?” For Hiram and Erika, skin color is just a color. But for R.C. and Winter, it’s much more than that; race, for them, represents a set of social norms that are to be followed.

           

Random connection to my life: Race shapes and defines characters’ identities in these stories, and adolescents can easily relate to this. I went to a boarding school, and our student body was diverse. I had a black friend who told me he was often harassed by other black students at my school for “acting white,” so I feel like Erika’s story is very real to many of our students.

Is the "perfect" life really so perfect?

In Beastly by Alex Flinn, the protagonist, Kyle Kingsbury is a popular, handsome, rich, perfect fourteen year old boy. He is given privilege because he is white and wealthy. In the beginning of the story, Kyle calls himself "special (2)," "exclusive (4)," and "a lot better than average looking" (10). He is pompous, but knows that his looks and social status provide him opportunities to be popular in his school. He recognizes that society values money and looks, and his father's job proves that theory. He tells the witch in class, "my dad's a network news guy. He says people shouldn't have to look at ugly people" (5). His father's favorite subject to talk to Kyle about was himself; there was nothing selfless about his father. Unfortunately, because Kyle's mother was not around, his only role model was his self-absorbed father who simply gave his son money as Kyle pleased.

Kyle's life changed for the better, ultimately, when a witch transformed him into an ugly beast. Kyle's life became one of isolation and loneliness. His father, desperate to get Kyle's looks back, spent time and money seeing physicians with Kyle, however to no avail. When it was obvious that Kyle was going to be ugly forever, his father bought him an isolated mansion and sent him to live in it with only a maid and blind tutor. Kyle quickly learned that in a society (and school environment) where physical appearance is so highly valued, that not even money can buy people's acceptance and true friendship.

In one chapter, Kyle decided to walk the streets and eavesdropped on his "old" friends at a party. He found that, even only hiding partially behind a bush, he was "invisible" (116). His best friend, Trey, even thought negatively of Kyle: "He always thought he was so big when he was here- Mr. My-Father-Reads-the-News...I'm glad that guy's gone" (117). After hearing this from a guy Kyle believed was a good friend, Kyle realized "it had all been a lie-my friends at Tuttle. My whole life" (118). From that very moment forward, Kyle developed and grew as a character. The light bulb turned on. As the novel continued, he looked for ways to better himself as a human being, rather than just a good looking blonde teenager. Money and good looks influenced the protagonist's entire existence until another character decided to change things up. And in the end, the witch's actions made Kyle a better person with a better character, and he even got back his better looks.

Poverty: From Detriment to Catalyst

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie features a freshman boy named Junior (Arnold) as the protagonist. Not only does Junior have conflict with fate in that he has had to deal with physical defects throughout his life, but he has had to face conflict from society with both his ethnicity and class. You see, Junior is a young man on an Indian reservation, which means that because of his ethnicity and belonging to his native tribe, his family has suffered many economic setbacks throughout his family’s history that still influence him today. They have experience generational poverty, as he puts it, “It’s not like they [his parents] gambled away their family fortunes. My parents came from poor people who came from poor people who came from poor people, all the way back to the very first poor people” (p.11).   

He discusses in great depth what it is to be poor on the reservation. While describing the health services that he could afford, Junior tells the reader about when he needed ten teeth pulled:

I went to the Indian Health Service to get some teeth pulled so I could eat normally, not like some slobbering vulture. But the Indian Health Service funded major dental work only once a year, so I had to have all ten extra teeth pulled in one day. And what’s more, our white dentist believed that Indians only felt half as much pain as white people did, so he only gave us half the Novocain.” (p. 2)

This above section describes an instance where his development was stunted in that he needed dental work done in order to eat normally. However, due to the economic situation that his tribe had been forced into over the last two hundred years by the American government, he was unable to gain the services he needed when he needed them. As the story continues, Junior’s acute awareness of his situation pushes him to eventually reach out for better things. Because he is aware that his situation could be better, it (his situation) pushes him to leave and get a better education and more life experiences. As a result, his class and ethnicity could be argued to have been a detriment, or you could look at it as a catalyst that took him to a new journey to what will hopefully turn out to be a better life.

“Black Holes and Basketball Sneakers” in 13 by James Howe

Malik represents countless adolescents excluded by race, social class, and gender.  Malik, a black boy, son of a hard-working, minimum wage mother, brother to several siblings.  Malik, wearing worn out, unpopular sneakers.  Malik, who is beaten up and bullied for breathing.  “They would follow him just a baby step from his apartment if they had to, follow him and make his life miserable.” (p.115)  The bullies put down Malik because of his tattered clothes and signs of poverty.  The bullies take advantage of Malik’s passive demeanor, mocking his mother’s lack of resources.  “I-I-I don’t want to fight you,” Malik said, shaking violently.  “Just lay off of my mama.” (p.119)  These boys are of the same race, but demonstrate a sense of entitlement.  Perhaps the rankings in this neighborhood outweigh the boundaries of race and class. 

The repeated encounter with bullies send Malik over the edge.  He wants his life to be different.  Malik lost the plea with his mom to buy JC Jumpers, the latest sneaker fad.  In a desperate attempt to fit in, Malik accepts Carl’s invitation to meet up with his friends, commonly known as the Bullets.  Malik’s predicament leads him to find another group of friends to serve as protection.  Unbeknownst to him, Malik was walking in stride with the local gang.  Suddenly, instead of feeling isolated, Malik felt included.  “The boys weren’t frontin’.  They knew what it felt like to have to do without.  They had literally walked in the same raggedy sneakers as him.” (p.137)  Bullet members, T-Bone and Carl, take extreme and violent measures to collect Malik’s desired sneakers.  His conscience set in as the other boys beat up an innocent basketball player in exchange for the sneakers intended for Malik.  His desire to be respected and protected gave way to desperate measures.  Malik’s desire for survival lead to the stripping of dignity of another.  The basketball player was no different than his attackers, a black male in a low-income neighborhood, trying to make a name for himself. “The truth was, he was just like Orlando.  He had his mother’s last name, and he hadn’t seen his old man since he was nine.” (p.143)  Fear prevented Malik from intervening during the attack.  He may have shared the social class as these boys, but his “rank” was far beneath their power.  Even though Malik knew the boys were wrong, part of him still coveted those shoes.  “Malik felt scared and upset with himself about that, but what really botherd him was that a tiny part of him was beginning to think that maybe he should have taken the shoes.” (p.155)

Extreme desperation is evident throughout the piece.  The low socioeconomic class is portrayed in a negative light that leads to more violence and more depravity.  Malik’s desire to fit in is human and represents the reality of all adolescents, not just black males in poverty.  His needs and wants are so extremely different from his reality that it takes extreme acts to fulfill those desires.  If Malik were to resist the temptation to have the right shoes and wear the right clothes, he would have to defend himself through another avenue.  Unfortunately, the hate does not seem to disappear.  There are no easy answers for a complex problem.  If anything, education may allow Malik an escape out of the cyclical pattern of hatred, anger, and desperation.

Teen Angst in "The Ugly One" by Sharon G. Flake

Many of the texts we have read so far involve young adults who feel
isolated from their families, peers, or society. In "The Ugly One" by
Sharon G. Flake, Asia Calloway is an example of one such protagonist.

Asia Calloway is a recent transfer to Mulligan High School where she
is far from feeling popular or even included at all. Most high schools
are places driven by social statuses, which in turn are usually based
on appearance, and this is true of Mulligan. The boys call her "the
ugly one" while the girls refer to her as "Marbles," simply because of
the skin condition of her face. She says she is "still ugly, and all
by myself," showing the reader she feels alone. Her grandmother tries
to comfort her saying she "will grow up and be beautiful." While this
line is meant to comfort Asia, I think it further shows us her
feelings of isolation because it implies she is not beautiful now and
is therefore not yet fitting in with her peers.

In most young adult novels in which the protagonist feels isolated,
the protagonist usually finds at least one family member or friend
with whom she can confide. However, Asia has no one. The only "friend"
she has is her imaginary boyfriend, Ramon. He is not even real, making
Asia's story even more heart-wrenching.

What I find particularly interesting is that Asia also claims, "all I
want is to be invisible." She wishes to be invisible in the sense that
she wishes she could escape the stares of her classmates. However, I
think she also longs to be seen, just in a different light. She wants
to be seen as a human being and as the otherwise normal girl she is.
Asia, like many young adults, struggles between wanting attention and
not wanting it, especially if receiving it for negative reasons.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Alexie brilliantly explores the complex, and sometimes twisted, mind of an adolescent Spokane Indian seeking truth, answers, and hope.  Arnold Spirit Jr. was born an outsider in the Spokane Indian reservation, at school, even at home.  Because of his brain condition, glasses, seizures, and skinny frame, Junior was a walking target for teasing, bullying, and black eyes.  He was born an outsider and felt like he would die as one.  Living on the rez, Junior would ideally be surrounded by others who accept him and share similar values and experiences.  Instead, he was relentlessly bullied by fellow Indians and classmates. “Do you know what happens to retards on the rez?  We get beat up.  At least once a month.” (p. 4)  Even his so-called best friend gave Junior a going away gift of bruises and a beating.  Imagine what Junior must have felt when his only loyal friend treated him just like everyone else.  “What kind of idiot was I?  I was the idiot that got punched in the face by his best friend.  Bang! Rowdy punched me…” (p. 52)  In search of hope and a future, Junior chooses to leave his current school and attend the privileged white school outside of the rez, which isolated Junior even further from any sort of familiarity.  Junior’s family loved him as best they knew how, yet he was still very different from them.  When Junior asked to attend Rearden, his parents responded with “Okay… My parents love me so much that they want to help me.  Yeah, Dad is a drunk and Mom is an ex-drunk, but they don’t want their kids to be drunks.” (p. 46)  Upon Junior’s arrival at Rearden, his status as "outsider" followed him.  “Rearden was the opposite of the rez.  It was the opposite of my family.  It was the opposite of me.  I didn’t deserve to be there. I knew it; all of those kids knew it.” (p. 56)  A series of events lead to Junior’s gained respect and eventually acceptance at Rearden.

Because of Junior’s “outsider” status, he fought harder than most to create a different life for himself.  He refused to settle for the lackluster life the rez had to offer.  The novel uses Junior’s isolation to propel his future in a forward direction.  His path toward hope took a turn for the better, with some bumps of disappointment and defeat along the way.  “All of these white kids and teachers, who were so suspicious of me when I first arrived, had learned to care about me.  Maybe some of them even loved… now I care about a lot of them.  And loved a few of them.” (p. 212)  I suppose Junior would say the saying is true, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.  What almost killed him (figuratively and literally), ended in positive change and strength, strength for even the wimpiest of all kids.

Father's Day Cards

Kat has been extremely busy making Father's day cards for her Papa (Josh) and her granddads. Here's what she did:

for Papa...

And because we are who we are, we will cite the resource from which we adapted our craft/card. We got this idea from: RootsandWingsCo.blogspot.com

for Doc (Josh's Dad)...

On the back, KB wrote "Thanks for being TIED to me! Love, KB"

We stole the idea for the tie bag from http://themoodyfashionista.blogspot.com But KB authored the back.

for Grandpa (My Dad)...      Front                           Inside Message

The front of this card originated with the help of http://ohsobeautifulpaper.com/ . The inside is all KB with a little help from me.

for Great Granddaddy (My Grandpa)... 

On the underside flap of the toolbox, we wrote, "Thanks for giving us some tools to live life." On the back of each tool, KB wrote something that Granddaddy has taught her. Back of the wrench: "how to sing Yankee Doodle." Back of the Hammer: "how to shoot baskets while opening Christmas presents." And on the back of the saw: "how to swing in a swing: nice and high!"

The toolbox idea originated from http://www.kiboomu.com/2011/06/03/kid-made-fathers-day-toolbox-card/

On a sad note, we had to make one less card this year. For KB's entire life we have made 5 Father's Day cards (KB's dad, Josh's dad and granddad, and my dad and grandpa). Josh's granddad lost a long battle to lung cancer and other illnesses on May 6, 2012. We learned an awful lot from him and miss him each day.

Happy Father's Day to the Best Fathers in the World.... hands down!

Memories

Yesterday I arrived at Music City Riding Academy at 2 pm to a little girl covered in mud and soaking wet. Snails in one hand a HUGE club in the other, KB ran to show me her treasures. So excited about her day and eager to tell me all that she learned.


Here's a list of the things KB learned on Day 1 of Horseback Camp:
1. Horses are awesome.
2. Horses are awesome.
3. One more time, horses are awesome!
4. You can ride a horse all day!
5. "Madam", the horse KB was assigned, likes a soft brush after a long ride.
6. Stay under the trees when it rains, so you will stay drier.
7. Manure is heavier than hay.
8. Bug sprays help keep flies away. And some flies like some horses better than others.
9. Being the strongest kid (even though the youngest) has its perks: you get to push the wheelbarrow.
10. Snails have important jobs on the farm, so you have to leave them in the soil.

Feed the Children (aka KB's Dolls)

Kathryn went out of town this week. She is visiting with Josh's parents (Doc and KK) and her cousins (Sam and Noah), and Aunt Emily. Every morning they are going to VBS and every afternoon the kiddos have basketball camp. Fun week!

Before KB left, she wrote out some instructions for me as I need to feed her dolls while she is away.

"Wate to eat all day.
Mon: chickin and ornge gews
Tues: brochaly and milk with a browny with nuts in it
Wed: chockolet wafl and water
Thurs: salid, fruit, and ice crem
Fri: sasage with milk
Sat: stake with brochaly with milk shake (Kendyl) and cooky (Jeremiah)
Sun: anything"*

Phew.. very thankful that I did not have to plan menus for my grand dolls that I am taking care of this week. Apparently, Jeremiah doesn't need a milk shake!

Bless that child... always thinking about something.




*Translation for those who don't speak seven year old:

What to eat all day.

Mon: chicken and orange juice

Tues: broccoli and milk with a brownie with nuts in it

Wed: chocolate waffle and water

Thurs: salad, fruit, and ice cream

Fri: sausage with milk

Sat: steak with broccoli with milk shake (Kendyl) and cooky (Jeremiah)

Sun: anything"*

My First Class as Dr. Pendergrass

 

These students were an awesome first class in that they welcomed me to Vanderbilt and loved me through my steep learning curve. See, I was hired the day before classes started. Did you catch the magnitude of that statement? THE DAY BEFORE CLASSES STARTED. I knew teaching at Vandy was a possibility; I mean I had interviewed and everything seemed positive, but one never knows.  Well, I was cruising the streets of Atlanta on a Tuesday afternoon, when I received a most fantastic phone call from Vanderbilt. I was to be the newest faculty member of the Department of Teaching and Learning. YAY!

"Oh, my, class starts tomorrow. I will be there." I worked frantically to put together a partial syllabus so that I would have something to share with the students the first night of class. I didn't want to be completely unprepared. Vanderbilt is my dream job. Not only was I going to teach at the #1 Education/Teacher Prep School, but also I was returning to Nashville (that is another story).

And then came Wednesday, the first day of class.

I arrived in Nashville around lunch, found the Wyatt Center where the department is located, found a place to park, and filled out tons of new hire paperwork. It was a whirlwind of activity, and I still needed to make copies, find Payne Hall where I would teach, breathe, and find the bathroom!

Back to reason for this post... The students in the picture (L to R: Margaret, Lauren, Erica, Chen, Alec, Alex, Kate, Emma, Katie, Sarah, Jeuel, Libby, Zach, Dan and Raef --Tori must be taking the picture). They rolled with an unsteady syllabus; they smiled when I stumbled; they worked super hard, and they will make amazing teachers! Five of the masters students graduated in the Spring of 2012 and have jobs for this fall. The others are preparing to be seniors in English Education where they plan on finishing up their student teaching in the Spring of 2013. I am proud to be a part of their teaching, and I am proud of each of them.

Thanks, ENED 2320/3400 Fall 2011 Class!

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy Missed

The context of the school:

This K-4 urban elementary school is comprised of just over 600 students with these demographics: 81% African-American, 12% Hispanic, 4% White, and 3% Asian.

The story:

“Welcome to Fourth Grade. Today, we are going to learn how to properly correct sentence fragments. A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence. Usually, fragments are pieces of sentences that have become disconnected from the main clause. One of the easiest ways to correct them is to remove the period between the fragment and the main clause. Other kinds of punctuation may be needed for the newly combined sentence.” Sounds pretty swell, right? We all need to know how to correct sentence fragments. 

Here’s fragment number 1 on the worksheet for these 9-year-old students to correct:

 “Jenny never finished high school. Despite the fact that her parents were supportive and allowed her to stay at home after her arrest.”
 

WHAT? Really? These kiddos are 9.

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy Missed

CRP “recognizes the diverse cultural characteristics of students from different ethnic backgrounds and adjusts teaching methods to account for this diversity. Culturally relevant teachers display cultural competence: skill at teaching in a cross-cultural or multicultural setting. They enable each student to relate course content to his or her cultural context.”

While I applaud this teacher for trying to connect her students’ culture to grammar exercises, these fragments fail miserably. One, it is inappropriate content for elementary children. Two, even if some of the parents, cousins, siblings, and/or friends of these fourth graders have been to jail, this is not the way to connect students and content to their culture. Maybe, we as teachers should highlight the good in the students and their families.