I recently read "Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools" by Monique W. Morris.
Morris discusses the way that many school policies and practices push students out of school preventing them from learning and diminishing their future possibilities. Morris focuses specifically on how these policies impact black girls.
Morris argues against policies that remove students from the classroom particularly when a student’s behavior is not causing harm to themselves or others. Morris gives many examples of black girls who had to leave the classroom because their behavior was viewed as being disrespectful. Removing students from the classroom prevents them from learning and does little to address the reason the why the student was removed.
One solution that stood out to me was Morris’ encouragement to try to understand students’ life situations and cultural backgrounds. Perceptions that black girls are disrespectful with a defiant attitude often lead to them being removed from class or school altogether and disregards their cultural history.
Morris explains: "Born into a cultural legacy of slavery, black American women have interpreted defiance as something that is not inherently bad. Harriet Tubman was defiant. So too was Sojourner Truth and countless other enslaved women who dared to reject oppression…. For black girls, to be ‘ghetto’ represents a certain resilience to how poverty has shaped racial and gender oppression. To be ‘loud’ is a demand to be heard. To have an ‘attitude’ is to reject a doctrine of invisibility and mistreatment…. The ‘attitude’ often attributed to black girls casts as undesirable the skills of being astute at reading their location — where they sit along the social hierarchy — overcoming the attendant obstacles. These lessons were learned through generations of struggle, and these lessons sit at the apex of what provided black women and girls the audacity to demand being treated with respect."
Morris continues, "However, when the way of the world includes a general lack of cultural competence and an aversion to valuing the unique considerations of gender, these survival characteristics are degraded and punished rather than recognized as tools of resilience. Under these circumstances, girls fighting for their humanity end up being pushed out of schools, jobs, homes, houses of worship, and other places where they might feel whole."
Understanding students’ backgrounds can help us develop empathy for them, and we can then respond in a more appropriate way. Morris gives an example of observing a new student being introduced to a classroom. She had been waiting for at least 20 minutes to be shown to her desk and was getting impatient. Additionally, school staff members kept mispronouncing her name. She became visibly upset and developed what might be considered an attitude.
Raising her voice, the student said "Y’all want to call me every name under the sun!"
Morris said "two teachers instantly responded to her. One quickly apologized for mispronouncing her name, explaining that her family was from a town in the South with a similarly spelled name, and that her inclination was to pronounce the name as it is pronounced in her hometown, ‘I’m sorry,’ she said after completing her explanation. Meanwhile, the other teacher repeated, ‘It’s okay…we’re all human.’ "
The girl relaxed and a possible confrontation was diffused. The teachers were compassionate and recognized the girl’s agitation and need to feel respected.
While Morris’ focus is on black girls, I can apply her solution to all my students and work on learning more about my students’ backgrounds and life situations. I can also follow the example of these teachers and respond to my students with empathy.
Last semester I had a few students who took care of ill family members which resulted in missed classes and incomplete assignments. I could have easily viewed these students as poorly-performing students, but because I knew the situation, I made allowances and worked with these students so they could complete their work. I frequently have students who are going to school while working and raising families. Understanding the many responsibilities these students have increases my empathy for them and helps me to be more encouraging.
We can also apply this strategy to anyone we interact with. Everyone wants to be understood and treated with respect. Instead of dismissing someone as distant, rude, or thoughtless, take the time to find out more about their background so you can respond with compassion.
