Entry # 26: Asking all
the wrong questions
Like most teachers and parents, I watched in horror as the week's news unfolded.
Another young loner opened fire on his classmates in CA, a young girl shot
a peer in her school's cafeteria in upstate PA, a 3rd grader brought a gun
to school and threatened another child in Philadelphia, another rape has
been reported at a Phila. high school, and bomb threats continue to close
Pottsgrove High with eerie regularity.
This morning on a local call-in news program, three guests discussed the
growing problem of teen violence, its scope and its sources. Two of the
guests were doctors. One was pretty strange, he kept referring to adolescents
as "crazy" and incapable of rational behavior or decision-making.
I found his comments disturbing and unprofessional.
The other doctor kept steering the conversation away from the counterproductive
trap of trying to assess the blame due to parents, schools, the media, etc.
She challenged the first doctor's "crazy" label and focused instead
on the need to provide young people with supports and positive outlets for
both their talents and their frustrations.
The third guest was a young African American man, who got involved in anti-violence
work because he lost a cousin to a senseless act. He was by far the most
interesting guest on the short program. He's involved in efforts to empower
young people as individuals and as a group. He mentioned SHINE and its website
that was filled with information, activities and options for young people,
who want to make a change.
Two features on the site that attracted my attention were: "Choose
to Diffuse" and "Six Ways to Fight Racism." Both articles
offered sound, practical advice to teens who are looking for alternatives
to the kinds of antisocial behaviors they face daily.
Looking for someone to blame
As I watched the news show and read today's paper, I felt somewhat discouraged
by the positioning that is already in full swing. Everyone is raising questions
about the parents, about the schools (who should have seen the "writing
on the wall"), about the media, about everybody else. The TV host wanted
to know "who" we should be watching, which kids are dangerous,
which warning signs should alert us.
I thought he was asking all the wrong questions. We should be watching all
of our children, not to catch them as they give off warning signals, but
to support them as they grow into citizens. This week the talk shows are
focused on violence, next week they'll probably return to test scores. This
picture is all wrong.
School's supposed to be about learning and growing first, and measurement's
supposed to be secondary. Creating learning environments where all kids
are safe and can take the risks that deep learning entails should be our
number one priority.
I'm not talking about the risks that metal detectors help reduce, I'm talking
about the risks you take when you share your ideas, your questions, your
confusion. I'm talking about giving teachers the time to listen to all the
cues that our young people are willing to share.
Too many voices are being silenced in the rush to cover the curriculum and
master the tests. Too many teachers are becoming demoralized as they face
rosters that mean their students are faces in the crowd, instead of individuals
that they connect with in a meaningful way.
Building community cannot be an afterthought
Building community and giving students voice cannot be an afterthought and
it cannot be yet another curriculum that gets dumped on top of all the rest
of the learnings that are "supposed" to be going on in our classrooms.
Communities are forged and supported in an ongoing fashion across the board.
The second doctor on the call-in show talked about getting back what you
put into something. She spoke about making chicken stew and then wondering
why it didn't taste like beef. She seemed to understand the need for good
ingredients, slow cooking and careful tending.
There's no easy bake recipe here, no microwave short cuts are in order.
Like fine cooking, raising kids and teaching kids, takes time and care.
Unlike cooking, there's no such thing as "too many cooks"-- everyone's
needed. My mother called as I was writing this entry. She was upset about
the young boy who has been sentenced to life in prison. She wanted to know
how the authorities could just keep trying our children as adults and she
wanted to know who was going to stop this madness.
I spoke to my mother about her role, because I am thinking about mine. I
don't think we can continue to set boundaries that say this piece belongs
to the parents, the schools, the churches etc. I think we need to return
to the outlook that says these kids are "our" responsibility,
"our" future, or "our" failure.
Tired of statistics
I'm tired of the statistics, it's time for solutions. I've mailed the "Shine"
and some other "Anti-Bullying" sites out to the principals of
our twelve schools. I'm going to put together a packet of resources for
the schools this week. Building community has to become our top priority,
the one that sets the stage for all the other possibilities.
This summer we'll have a "Freedom School" in our Cluster. The
100 students who participate need to be groomed as ambassadors who will
return to their individual schools with a new outlook and new skills. We
need to prepare their teachers and their principals for their return. The
freedom and unity they experience during our six weeks this summer need
to spill over into all of our schools and plans for the fall.
[Editor's note: Deb is co-moderator of the
MiddleWeb listserve.]
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