All posts by Lauren Smith

Avoiding Public Shaming

Creating Classroom Community

“‘Don’t cross the line into insulting a student by the way you talk to them–the line can be fuzzy.’ – Alexis”

– Cushman, “Classroom Behavior” (p. 50)

I found the quotations throughout this book chapter to be spot on representations of how I experienced middle school teaching. I was thankfully trained and certified in middle school methods during my undergrad, so I was very much so aware of the ramifications of publicly shaming a student. Still, some things you don’t really understand until you are in the trenches and experiencing it for yourself. I found out it’s possible to insult or embarrass a student by accident, so not only did I have to remember not to actively shame a student, but I had to be hyperaware of my word choices and responses to ensure they always contained a positive reinforcement and could not be misconstrued by a sensitive ego.  Continue reading Avoiding Public Shaming →

Mentoring Between Race and Class Barriers

Reaching Adolescents and How to Respond

“Similarly, some young women complain that their mentors seem out of touch with their experiences and problems. This problem sometimes stems from the social distance that exists between middle-class volunteers and urban adolescent girls. [ . . . ] Adults who live or work in urban communities, and who are familiar with the circumstances confronting youth, are likely to be better able to give advice that is consistent with the cultural norms, options, and constraints of a given setting.”

– Rhodes, Davis, Spencer, & Prescott, “Caring Connections:
Mentoring Relationships in the Lives of Urban Girls” (p. 151)

This is a quote that applies not only to mentoring, but also to teaching in general. This passage stuck out to me because it captured my own experience as a full-time tutor and, later, a teacher. As a tutor, I developed a close relationship with one of my students, an 8th grade girl. One problem from the very beginning was my struggle to understand exactly what she was going through. There were times when she would complain about something, get in fights with other students, or fight with teachers and get kicked out of class. It was incredibly hard for me to get on her level and understand why she was doing these things since they behaviors that I never even got close to doing when I was her age.  It was difficult for me to act as a mentor to her when all I wanted to do was tell her to grow up and knock it off (but I was wise enough not to say that). Continue reading Mentoring Between Race and Class Barriers →

Are We Doing Enough to Build Character?

Friendship, Love, & Sexuality, Urban Adolescents

“While the role that New Ventures Academy plays in shaping perceptions of school remains somewhat ambiguous, in an ironic twist, early pregnancy and parenting emerge here as instructive rather than destructive events. New Ventures Academy provides the space for these youth to redefine themselves as subjects of their own lives, weighing their experience as a defining moment of their educational development.” A. Proweller, “Re-Writing/-Righting Lives: Voices of Pregnant and Parenting Teenagers in an Alternative School”

What fascinated me about this article was the energy this school put into character development and how well the students responded to this type of education. It also gave me hope that character development lessons can be effective. Thinking back on my years teaching as well as my years as a student, I always found character development to be cheesy and unproductive. Nothing we talked about ever left an impact. However, this school is clearly leaving an impact on these young ladies. Continue reading Are We Doing Enough to Build Character? →

Fragile Masculinity

Gender Socialization & Identities, Urban Adolescents

“Homophobia is far less about the irrational fear of gay people, or the fear that one might actually be gay or have gay tendencies, and more about the fear that heterosexuals have that others might (mis)perceive them as gay. The terror that others will see one as gay, as a failed man–the fear that I call homophobia–underlies a significant amount of men’s violence.” – M. Kimmel, “I am Not Insane, I am Angry”

This entire article made me do fist pumps because it articulated everything I’ve been trying to tell people for years. The first time I came across this was in undergraduate, when I told my mom I was thinking of joining the GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance). Her response was, “But won’t people think you’re gay?” I remember at first thinking, “Oh yeah, you’re right,” and then halting and thinking, “So?! What would be wrong with that?” That moment had a huge impact on my relationship with gay rights and being a proper “ally.”  Continue reading Fragile Masculinity →

Racial Identity Stratification

Newcomers & Perpetual Foreigners, Urban Adolescents

“Caribbean-origin individuals may distinguish themselves from African Americans in an attempt to ward off further disparagement (Waters 1999; Zéphir 1996). In conducting her research with second-generation Haitian youth, Zéphir (2001) found that those youth who had migrated at high school age and who thus retained their French accents bore these as a point of pride because they felt it distinguished them from African Americans.” – Doucet & Suarez-Orozco, “Ethnic Identity and Schooling”

The school I taught at before this year was the most racially diverse setting I’ve ever been in. Watching the students discuss racial distinctions and segregate themselves accordingly was astonishing. In one instance, I had one student (of Dominican origin) announce to the entire class that he “hated” his classmate in the desk beside him because that student was Puerto Rican. In another case, a young sixth grade girl (of Haitian origin) told another teacher, “I’m not black; I’m light-skinned.”  Continue reading Racial Identity Stratification →