Bad Boys

I thought the article "Bad Boys" was a really interesting view into education. I think that it can be very dangerous to judge students on their culture, dress, language and identities. Although it cannot be avoided some times it really does impact the education that the student will receive. I thought the importance of reading an article like this is to become aware of how a student can be perceived and from there work to avoid using it in your classroom. Considering that a student can be deemed "unsalvageable" is really sad. To consider them not worth limited resources is also sad to think about. If they are not considered to use these resources and hopefully become suscessful, how will they ever break the cycle of being unsuccessful in school. The black male student is in a vicious cycle and in order to break it resources are going to be needed and used because obviously what we are offering to them now is not working and creating more problems socially.

Identities in School

The one article that really stood out to me was "Free for Some, Discipline for "Others": The Structure of Inequity in Education". I thought the comparisons of the two Chicago area schools really demonstrated how unfair our school systems are set up. The rules and regulations set up at Groundview Techinical High School were very strict. The students are set up to be alienated the second they walk into the door by being searched. I am torn on this issue because of the saftey concerns. My question to the schools would be what made them put the metal detectors in place? Were weapons an issue in the school or is it only for precaution? If weapons were being brought into the school then I think it is a good thing but if not it makes the students angry that they are being treated like they have done something wrong without even doing anything.

One thing that really bothers me about the militaristic approach is the fact that students at Mountainview had a lot of freedom. From roaming around the school grounds to picking out class, these freedoms allowed the students to feel important in their own education. Groundview was complete opposite. Thinking back to my own experiences if I didn't have any freedoms in picking classes or felt restrained I would have retaliated and been bitter about education as well.

I think schools taking this strict military approach need help. From what the article expresses this approach is not improving student's achievement. It would be interesting to research if it would be possible for a school to move towards a more open environment for students. This would require a lot of trust in the students as well as giving them responsibility to handle it. I don't think a lot of schools are willing to take this risk, however, if nothing is done where will all these students go in life? It is obvious this approach is not working.

Research

Misbehavior is an issue that every teacher deals with and that every future teacher dreads. My research has focused on ways to address misbehavior in the middle school classroom. I have found some very interesting approaches. One of the most interesting approaches is using student interventions in order to promote good behavior. Using school wide approaches and giving teachers the tools to handle behavior issues is key to not having problems in the classroom. With less problems in the classroom, more learning will take place.

For the past school year I have been working at Custer High School in Milwaukee as a tutor. I spend a decent amount of time there and have been able to the dynamics of the school. It has been really interesting to see through my research how behavior issues are best addressed as well as how to prevent them. The rules at Custer do not reflect these strategies at all. It is a school that is struggling academically and I feel like part of this is because of the huge amount of behavior issues that happen both in the classroom and throughout the school. My question is whether teachers and administrators at this school are aware of these approaches or have attempted or considered them. It is a school that continues to fail so it is interesting whether or not proven strategies that improve behavior could help a school like this.