Some how today was one of the longer observation days at school even if the day was shorter than usual. In the first hour it was just crazy. The kids are out of control. They so clearly dislike the teacher and the room is just so out of control that no learning is happening. I feel like every time I talk to DR I am tattling, but I feel terribly for the students. They of course make it worse because they are getting in their own way. CW is angry and sullen, doesn't want to be bothered. I told KW that I would be following him after break. I wanted to talk to CW but he just doesn't want to talk. Khal. was in class, sitting in back, quiet as usual, to bad he is in the class he is so quiet and studious. I will enjoy following him. He is cute and wants to learn. I found out WKT is on an IEP. So he might not get in too much trouble for the incident. Yes I have not written about it yet that I know of. On Monday two boys, WKT and CD made an explosive and put it in the locker room. This was not the first time they did this this year, but last time they were not caught on camera. This time they were. So both boys got suspended for at least a week, but what they did was a felony so they could be taken to court. I would like to get in contact with the two, but not sure how to do it. Also got a new student today Brittany she is a 9th grader. Her mother is afam and her dad is euam. She said that she has a not so great relationship with her grandmother. she has a number of half siblings, all of her father's children are mixed, and one of them did something bad or wasn't successful and so she feels like her grandmother judges all of them in the same fashion. She also mentioned she had started a discussion in her English class. I will have to ask her about that more.
RPT had a plastic mouse today. I made some comment about how hungry I was and how it would really hit the spot. He said something about that being like me and not surprising. BS was sleeping in class. KA asked me what he should do about the first hour class. Izzy was happy to see me today as usual. Nothing big on that front. I was so tired toward the end of the day that I can hardly remember what happened.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Daily thoughts
I had lunch to day with a good friend and colleague of mine. It is always lovely to have someone to talk to about my research. I know that a lot of people are interested in my topic but it is hard to read peoples real interest. My brother is patient and listens. My son like the stories that I tell after I come home from a day of observations. But I only truly have 3 friends that I talk to in depth about the research. You know who you are and thank you for taking the time to listen to me babble on about my little buddies at SW.
I didn't go in last week, the school had make up testing for the state exit exams, and most of my students have not completed the grad standard. This in of itself is rather telling, but there are more and more things that have popped up that sadly mimic what you read in books about the modern education system. One thing that I struggle with is the notion of silence. The high school is quiet except during passing time and at lunch. In the classroom there are constant reminders to be quiet and listen. For me that seems so oppressive, I know I am old and used to much louder and busier environments. (I got in trouble while teaching at the college level for having a loud classroom). Where did knowledge production and learning become synonymous with silence and stillness. I don't think that rooms should be loud or too chaotic, but these are still children, they are on the cusp of adulthood, these are the last moments they will ever have to be children in their lives, at least until they are old. Soon responsibility will knock at their door, and for some students it already has. A few times in the office students have come into register address changes because they are living on their own. I am so amazed these kids are still going to school, what a hard and strong thing to do. (I am not surprised that these children exist, I have housed a few in the same situation.) There are homeless (highly mobile) students, who have a support system in the school.
I am hearing a lot of different things from the teachers I am meeting as I follow students through their school day. First, thing I have to say is the day is physically and mentally exhausting. When I get out at 3.30 I just want to take a nap or watch tv for hours and turn off. I know I am focusing pretty hard, but the kids do this everyday. Six hours of sitting still in a room listening to others, focus on learning. No wonder it is hard for them to be good but 5th hour (after lunch) let alone during the last period of the day. Then they are expected to go home and spend more hours working, and if they are involved in after school activities if they get home before 5 it is amazing. Some kids get up at 6 am to take 2 or more buses to get to the school.
Yesterday an English teacher told me that there was a significant difference between the academics in the AP/IB (Advanced Placement/International Bac) programs and the "regular" classes. She felt that the classes were not "regular" at all but mostly remedial. Often students can't borrow the required books from the library, because they haven't returned other ones, or have a big fine. Many of them can't take the books home, if they do they don't do the reading for class. She mentioned that the last book they had read Sherman Alexie's "Confessions of a part time Indian," a large portion of the book had been read out loud in class because of the students who didn't have the book or didn't read it. Yesterday they walked down to the 'Media Center' the modern word for library, to pick up Othello. The teacher then had them work on skits based on the 4 primary themes of the play without any discussion of the play itself. I liked the focus of active learning with the students. She went over a list of vocabulary words. Only one student consistently shouted out answers, most of the students didn't bother to pay much attention. This room was not nearly as quiet as other rooms I have been in, but there was work going on, while they were chattering and laughing. The teacher circulated to make sure people were staying on task.
Most of the rooms are over crowded with desks, not leaving much space for reconfiguration and movement in the room. In some classes I know that is good, but there is even space in math to change the seat configuration. Most math rooms have paired desks, or orderly rows. So far all of the math teacher have been guys. Both of the history teachers were male as well, the language teachers are women, the English is a mixed bag. The math teacher I observed yesterday was actually quiet good with the students exploring their thinking on the math and going over the solutions carefully, discussing different ways of solving a problems, showing the students the theoretical basis for why there were different ways to solve the problems. Delving into the more depth are of math. The teacher I have been in contact with regarding WKT, has been really negative about him without my having even met him. The geometry teacher last week, who works with KW and TF told me that KT was not working at all, had given up. In the English class yesterday he acted the same way, like none of this mattered. The geometry teacher also said that TF had no ability to remember problem solving from one moment to the next and seemed to have relied too much on tutors who did the work for her. The dance teacher talked about the way there was a divide between the black students and the mixed race students. That during a review of a performance the black students had dismissed the mixed students as not counting as black students while dealing with the topic of AfAm ballet dancers. I noticed at lunch that TF was sitting with a group of darker skinned girls, while IP floats around to various people, she is a touchy feely girl, hugs and pets everyone even me. Her friends tend to be more white, but not always. The sports guys hang with the guys from the team, it reads a lot like a play book.
I didn't go in last week, the school had make up testing for the state exit exams, and most of my students have not completed the grad standard. This in of itself is rather telling, but there are more and more things that have popped up that sadly mimic what you read in books about the modern education system. One thing that I struggle with is the notion of silence. The high school is quiet except during passing time and at lunch. In the classroom there are constant reminders to be quiet and listen. For me that seems so oppressive, I know I am old and used to much louder and busier environments. (I got in trouble while teaching at the college level for having a loud classroom). Where did knowledge production and learning become synonymous with silence and stillness. I don't think that rooms should be loud or too chaotic, but these are still children, they are on the cusp of adulthood, these are the last moments they will ever have to be children in their lives, at least until they are old. Soon responsibility will knock at their door, and for some students it already has. A few times in the office students have come into register address changes because they are living on their own. I am so amazed these kids are still going to school, what a hard and strong thing to do. (I am not surprised that these children exist, I have housed a few in the same situation.) There are homeless (highly mobile) students, who have a support system in the school.
I am hearing a lot of different things from the teachers I am meeting as I follow students through their school day. First, thing I have to say is the day is physically and mentally exhausting. When I get out at 3.30 I just want to take a nap or watch tv for hours and turn off. I know I am focusing pretty hard, but the kids do this everyday. Six hours of sitting still in a room listening to others, focus on learning. No wonder it is hard for them to be good but 5th hour (after lunch) let alone during the last period of the day. Then they are expected to go home and spend more hours working, and if they are involved in after school activities if they get home before 5 it is amazing. Some kids get up at 6 am to take 2 or more buses to get to the school.
Yesterday an English teacher told me that there was a significant difference between the academics in the AP/IB (Advanced Placement/International Bac) programs and the "regular" classes. She felt that the classes were not "regular" at all but mostly remedial. Often students can't borrow the required books from the library, because they haven't returned other ones, or have a big fine. Many of them can't take the books home, if they do they don't do the reading for class. She mentioned that the last book they had read Sherman Alexie's "Confessions of a part time Indian," a large portion of the book had been read out loud in class because of the students who didn't have the book or didn't read it. Yesterday they walked down to the 'Media Center' the modern word for library, to pick up Othello. The teacher then had them work on skits based on the 4 primary themes of the play without any discussion of the play itself. I liked the focus of active learning with the students. She went over a list of vocabulary words. Only one student consistently shouted out answers, most of the students didn't bother to pay much attention. This room was not nearly as quiet as other rooms I have been in, but there was work going on, while they were chattering and laughing. The teacher circulated to make sure people were staying on task.
Most of the rooms are over crowded with desks, not leaving much space for reconfiguration and movement in the room. In some classes I know that is good, but there is even space in math to change the seat configuration. Most math rooms have paired desks, or orderly rows. So far all of the math teacher have been guys. Both of the history teachers were male as well, the language teachers are women, the English is a mixed bag. The math teacher I observed yesterday was actually quiet good with the students exploring their thinking on the math and going over the solutions carefully, discussing different ways of solving a problems, showing the students the theoretical basis for why there were different ways to solve the problems. Delving into the more depth are of math. The teacher I have been in contact with regarding WKT, has been really negative about him without my having even met him. The geometry teacher last week, who works with KW and TF told me that KT was not working at all, had given up. In the English class yesterday he acted the same way, like none of this mattered. The geometry teacher also said that TF had no ability to remember problem solving from one moment to the next and seemed to have relied too much on tutors who did the work for her. The dance teacher talked about the way there was a divide between the black students and the mixed race students. That during a review of a performance the black students had dismissed the mixed students as not counting as black students while dealing with the topic of AfAm ballet dancers. I noticed at lunch that TF was sitting with a group of darker skinned girls, while IP floats around to various people, she is a touchy feely girl, hugs and pets everyone even me. Her friends tend to be more white, but not always. The sports guys hang with the guys from the team, it reads a lot like a play book.
Final draft
Since the civil rights movements in the 1960s, the multiracial population, in the US, has risen by 500% (Currently there are 6.1 million mixed race people in the US). The election of our first visibly multiracial president makes this gap in knowledge about a newly acknowledged portion of society, a field, which needs to be explored. More and more social figures espouse mixed race identity. Tiger Woods is usually the first to be mentioned in this context, but others notable figures like James Waters and Kerri A. Rockquemore belong to growing group of writers, academics and researchers focused on biracial identity and experience.
My thesis uses critical ethnographic methods to examine the myths surrounding mixed-race identity, its instability, mulitracial social unfitness and the tendency to label all students mono-racially. I examine how multiracial/ multiethnic high school students construct identity in school settings by looking at how race, socio-cultural norms and economic status affect students' development. The project seeks to give these students voice and to gain a deeper understanding of how they see themselves and how they understand other’s perceptions of them. It explores the implications of identity for academic achievement, post high school aspirations, and students social environment. I hope to not only gain insight into students' thinking regarding their identity but to engage them as integral researchers. By developing a deeper understanding of who they are and by explaining to others who they are, the project develops students’ self-authorship, by encouraging self-reflection, discussion and reflective writing.
An individual's identity is constructed from many pieces, including gender, race, family structure, and the student’s home neighborhood, and the culture of the schools that she attends. The time students and teachers spend together affects student maturation, intellectual development, social skills, academic achievement and identity development. Since students spend the largest portion of their waking lives in schools it is important to understand how they see themselves as budding adults. Current research on mixed-race minorities focuses on how they perceive themselves and believe they are perceived by others. As their identity matures and they develop a cohesive persona, understanding students perceptions and perspective in educational contexts and the impact this has on self-identification and success is still a developing field of inquiry.
This project includes an auto-ethnographic component since as both a researcher and a parent, I work to understand cultural issues related to ethnicity and race. Growing up in a mono-racial culture as a bi-cultural child, I struggled as an invisible outsider. The skills I developed as a child and an adult carried into my research interests leading me to combine auto-ethnography with ethnography. My interest in understanding the US racial divide began when I became the parent of a mixed-race child; the US racial divide is not normally experienced by a European American. However, my real wake up call came when my son began having academic issues in school. I realized that the problems he had been experiencing were not due to a deficiency of his home life or his ability to learn, but rather, based on how he was perceived in his school community. The parents of other mixed race children described similar experiences supported this conjecture. Suspecting a much greater problem, I decided to study this at an institution level. By focusing on multiracial teen identity, this project seeks to inform educators, administrators, researchers and parents on how students experience school, which can help to develop more appropriate educational environments for all students. Ultimately, this not about race or social fit, but developing a better and more just environment for students regardless of race, creed, color or gender.
My thesis uses critical ethnographic methods to examine the myths surrounding mixed-race identity, its instability, mulitracial social unfitness and the tendency to label all students mono-racially. I examine how multiracial/ multiethnic high school students construct identity in school settings by looking at how race, socio-cultural norms and economic status affect students' development. The project seeks to give these students voice and to gain a deeper understanding of how they see themselves and how they understand other’s perceptions of them. It explores the implications of identity for academic achievement, post high school aspirations, and students social environment. I hope to not only gain insight into students' thinking regarding their identity but to engage them as integral researchers. By developing a deeper understanding of who they are and by explaining to others who they are, the project develops students’ self-authorship, by encouraging self-reflection, discussion and reflective writing.
An individual's identity is constructed from many pieces, including gender, race, family structure, and the student’s home neighborhood, and the culture of the schools that she attends. The time students and teachers spend together affects student maturation, intellectual development, social skills, academic achievement and identity development. Since students spend the largest portion of their waking lives in schools it is important to understand how they see themselves as budding adults. Current research on mixed-race minorities focuses on how they perceive themselves and believe they are perceived by others. As their identity matures and they develop a cohesive persona, understanding students perceptions and perspective in educational contexts and the impact this has on self-identification and success is still a developing field of inquiry.
This project includes an auto-ethnographic component since as both a researcher and a parent, I work to understand cultural issues related to ethnicity and race. Growing up in a mono-racial culture as a bi-cultural child, I struggled as an invisible outsider. The skills I developed as a child and an adult carried into my research interests leading me to combine auto-ethnography with ethnography. My interest in understanding the US racial divide began when I became the parent of a mixed-race child; the US racial divide is not normally experienced by a European American. However, my real wake up call came when my son began having academic issues in school. I realized that the problems he had been experiencing were not due to a deficiency of his home life or his ability to learn, but rather, based on how he was perceived in his school community. The parents of other mixed race children described similar experiences supported this conjecture. Suspecting a much greater problem, I decided to study this at an institution level. By focusing on multiracial teen identity, this project seeks to inform educators, administrators, researchers and parents on how students experience school, which can help to develop more appropriate educational environments for all students. Ultimately, this not about race or social fit, but developing a better and more just environment for students regardless of race, creed, color or gender.
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