A special and unique way of dealing with educationally deficient at-risk students in a mixed classroom
BarkGrowlBite | March 14, 2016
When I was posting “Arrests and Suspensions Are Out of Control in Baltimore Schools” on BGB (3-13-16), I was reminded of when I was a high school teacher during the 1954, ’55 and ’56 school years.
I taught American History and General Science at South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas when the school district was segregated, so that my students were all white. Because of my background with the Galveston Police Department, thugs and troublemakers from the slummy Lisbon neighborhood were assigned to my classes. Today they would be referred to as “at-risk students.”
Most of the thugs were larger than me and could have made mincemeat out of me had we gotten into a physical altercation. Some of them had been previously suspended for kicking the shit out of shop teachers.
I had an unconventional way of handling these students. When they first appeared in my classes, or when they transferred in after having been kicked out of other Dallas high schools, I would sit down and have a private one-on-one with each of them. I asked them what they expected to get out of my classes. And I told them what I expected from them. I told them that I hoped they wanted to learn something about our history or about since. I promised them that if they were willing to learn, I would meet with them during homeroom period, after school, or even at nights. And that’s what I did!
I had a few of the troublemakers who told me they were not interested in learning and were in school only long enough until they could legally withdraw. I made a deal with those students if I couldn’t persuade then otherwise. I told them I didn’t give a shit what they did in class, so long as they did not interfere or interrupt the teaching-learning process in the classroom. I told them they could sleep, read comic books or jack off as long as they remained quiet.
I also had a very unconventional way of grading those students that wanted to learn, but who had been victimized by social promotions. When students who could barely read and write, tried their very best, they received an ‘A’. That encouraged them to continue their efforts to learn what I was teaching.
Now, I also had some students from middle and upper class families who were not educationally handicapped. As could be expected, when the social promotion victims got that ‘A’, they would brag about it in class. That thoroughly pissed off some of the well-to-do students who received a ‘B’ or ‘C’. Several of the parents went to the principal’s office to complain about my grading system. I made it quite clear to them that when a student who could barely read and write, tried their very best, they deserved an ‘A’. And I told them had their darling daughters tried their very best, instead of being too lazy to do so, they too would have received an ‘A’. Fortunately the principal, Ben Matthews, backed me up every time.
My unconventional approach worked out well. I had a few students who went the sleep or comic book route, but most of them went on to learn what they possibly could about our history and science. None of them ever threatened me physically, even when I chewed them out. And I never had to send any of them to the principal’s office.
When I announce that I would not be returning, the thugs and troublemakers all got together and bought me a very nice desk set. I was flabbergasted! That was one of the best days of my life.
Of course, all those students were white. Would my approach have worked with black thugs and troublemakers? I don’t know, but I certainly would have given it a try, even at the risk of getting dusted off by an at-risk kid..
When I left for greener pastures in California, the Assistant Superintendent for Instruction made it a special point to come and see me. He told me that if I ever wanted to return, they would always have a teaching spot for me.
Unfortunately, I subsequently learned that, by mid-term, they had run off the woman teacher who had replaced me.
Which brings up the matter of who can do what I did. You can call me a chauvinist pig if you like, but I do not think a woman can deal with thugs and troublemakers using my approach. A lot of men couldn’t do so either. You have to have the right personality and you have to have experience in dealing with thugs and troublemakers, experience that I gained as a police officer.
And above all, you have to communicate with the thugs and troublemakers on their level. If the ‘F’ word is the word of the day, so be it and you use it too. Communication is the name of the game!
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