A Problem Too Big to Tackle?

There are some major issues in our world that we have made great strides in overcoming; there are some major issues in our world that we are far from overcoming; and then there are some issues that fit somewhere in between. A perfect example of this, I feel, is the issue of racism. Sure our schools, churches, and businesses are no longer segregated, but racism is still very much alive and prevalent in today's society. It is even prevalent in our youth.

I tutor six 4th graders in English, and of those six students, five are black. So maybe it shouldn't have come as a surprise to me that two of my black students, in an urban school district, expressed their hatred for white people. The conversation went like this:
4th grade girl: "A girl in my class moved today, I was so happy cuz everyone hates her."
Me: "Why does everyone in the class hate her?"
4th grade girl: "Cuz she white and dresses like a hillbilly."
*At this point, a fellow student interjects*
4th grade boy: "I'm racist, I hate white people. I'll slap a white person."
Me: "I'm white."
4th grade boy: "Yeah, but you're my teacher."

I have to admit I found this conversation a little amusing, because I don't believe any ten year old truly knows what it means to be racist. And hey, at least my teaching status prevents me from getting slapped. But I would be lying if I said that I didn't find this conversation absolutely appalling as well. Here these students are, telling me (who is as white as white can be), how much they hate white people. I don't think they had any intention of hurting my feelings. I don't think they even realized what they were saying, who they were saying it to, and how it could be wrong. Obviously they are hearing this information from somewhere, and if it is from a mother, father, brother, or sister, it wouldn't do much good for me to tell these students what they are saying is wrong. After all, they hardly even know me. I don't have the connection with these students that an actual teacher has. I don't see them every day for 7 hours a day. I see them twice a week (if they decide to come), 4 hours a week. But teachers can help to show students that racism is wrong. But are they?

It is highly unlikely that the teachers of these students have never heard them make a racist remark if they are so willingly spouting their opinions to a perfect stranger. Are these teachers making any effort to put a stop to these conversations? My guess is no. Maybe this is too big of a problem for any one teacher to tackle on their own, but if every teacher every year made an effort to inform students of the problems of racism and the struggles black people have made to be accepted as equals, I am certain that the message would get across to most students eventually. Martin Luther King Jr. day has just come and gone, and what a perfect example of a black man who fought for freedom to make sure everyone was considered equal. He did not believe whites were better than blacks or blacks were better than whites. But how many of the kids that I tutor truly know that? Not very many. It's a problem, one that teachers can help to solve. But teachers have a problem of their own.

The problem with teachers today, those stuck in the public school sphere, is their struggle to meet strict content standards, to teach to the state-mandated standardized tests that are supposed to give a strong sense of how much students are learning, though it is more often used as a reflection of how well teachers are teaching, so they can't go into topics too far outside of the standards, for fear of their students failing the tests, or being deemed unfit teachers, thus they refrain from teaching their students values and morals, and drill their students with 2 and 4 point writing prompts.

Beginnings

I'm an aspiring teacher, and this year I have the opportunity to tutor, observe, and student teach various different grade levels. Currently I am tutoring 4th graders in English and observing a classroom of 7th graders. In March I will begin student teaching in a high school classroom. Many of the students I am dealing with are "at risk," meaning they are not passing their state mandated tests, are failing core subjects, are likely to drop out, and come from a vicious cycle of poverty.

The word "risqué" means "slightly indecent and liable to shock." Its origin is French, meaning "risky" or "to risk." So far I have learned that my students are slighty indecent in the things they say and the way that they act, and they are definitely liable to shock. But despite all of this, they are still good kids that can make me laugh endlessly...once I can get past the racist remarks and constant arguing.

At first it was difficult for me to understand why these kids were being the way they were--constantly speaking of violence and jail, yelling at each other, claiming to hate white people. I am a white, middle class female and most of the students I work with are black and come from lower class families. The differences we have are immense, but that doesn't mean I am unable to make positive mark on their lives. I realized this after talking with one of my education professors. She gave me some advice that made it much easier to realize what was going on with my students: "People are not the way they are for no reason."

It's a very simple quote, but it helped me understand my students a little better. People do not do things, say things, or act on things for no reason. These kids do not talk about jail, violence, racism, and not wanting to go home for no reason. They have family in jail, have seen violence, hear racist remarks on a daily basis, and hate their home life. And many times, teachers are so preoccupied with adhering to the curriculum and state tests that they are missing these things, or simply ignoring them.

Not everything my students say is heavy and heartbreaking; there are some very funny days and moments with them. However, there are problems I see (specifically in my 4th graders) that can be, and should be, fixed at home or in the classroom, but are not being handled. This blog is my way of working through thoughts about the students and school systems I work with.