Expert: Mariah AS - 4/8/2010

Question
Hi there,

I'm an elementary teacher in a low-income African American community. I am a young, white, female. I recently have been having trouble motivating my students to do work at all. They tell me they don't care and school is something they just have to get through and it won't help them in the future.  I've read all the research: I've tried showing the statistics about those students who actually make it as a rapper or famous sports player, I've set up my room to be a place that invites discussion and hands-on teaching instead of teacher instruction. I've given points based on group effort and individual effort and a combination of the two. I've have prizes everyday, every week, month-long goals and year-long goals. I've had food and other prizes, I've made phone calls home....but I cannot reach some students. I was speaking with a fellow teacher who is African American and she suggested that I need to find a way to blend my "white" upbringing with the culture that I work in. She told me, as an example, that her students know when she's angry and serious, because she starts speaking, "neighborhood" language-- like she would speak with her own children. I, however, feel that I would coem off as a fake and trying to be "black" and the students would resent me.
She also told me that the African American culture sees white women as weak and I need to find a way to break that view.
My questions are: what suggestions do you have that can blend my seemingly "white" upbringing and goals with the goals that African American families have. And are they that different? Don't we all want our children to be successful, ethical members of society? Don't we all want our children to reach their potential? How can I break the white-women stereotype?

Thanks so much!

Answer
Hmmm...Well, I would say that you really have been having a hard time trying to make them understand that they need a education. I believe that most of them don't have a strong influence at home. Many of them don't see people in their families that finished high school or went to college. So they don't have a example. You showed them statistics and I know the majority of them want to be famous. But, I still think you should push that. Tell them that no matter what they want to be in their lives they will need a education to succeed. If you become a famous rapper or basketball player you will need good reading and math skills. You need to know how to read contracts to make sure you are getting what you want. You will need good math skills to make sure you know how to take care of your money. You can't trust everyone who says they will help you. They might be the ones that steal from you.

I also think that they don't take you to seriously. You don't have to be someone you are not but if they won't do their work or listen then yell and make a example out of one of them by sending them to the principal.

The goals of blacks and whites are similar, we all want our children to grow up and be successful. But, in the African-American community that is hard to do outside of music and sports because we really don't have any role models in other areas that are successful. My mother is a teacher and she said that after the election of Barack Obama many of them changed their attitudes about school. You could use this to your advantage. Tell them that he came from a low income single parent household and that he became successful because of doing his work in school. The majority of black people that live in those big nice houses are not rappers or athletes, but they are doctors and lawyers. They have a higher chance of being a lawyer or doctor than a superstar rapper.



I hope I answered your questions. You can always ask more questions if needed.