Year II-Education of Black Male Youth

The second year of the Wheelock/Delores Walker Johnson Center for Leadership at Atlas Communities afternoon and all day sessions on the Education of Black Male Youth opened yesterday with a presentation by
Benjamin Wright Chief Administrative Officer of the Metro Nashville Schools and a leader in single sex education.
While the crowd of nearly 200 teachers administrators and students expected more specific talk about single sex schools and classes, Mr. Wright promised more of that for today's full day session and focused on specific issues in the education of Black male youth in any school.


Ben Wright told of his own personal journey from Mississippi to Palo Alto California where another transposed Mississipian, his math teacher, took special interest in him and provided a tutor so he could keep up with his studies. This taught him the efficacy of such tutoring. But America has changed since those times and young black men face special hurdles.
The talk focused on the de-traumatizing of Black male youth and also the de-traumatizing of their teachers.
As Wright sees it, Black boys come to class with a different experience than most teachers realize. They are not ready to receive them and perceive them as a threat. Black boys receive negative responses to their behavior early on, and by third grade many of them have given up on school.

Wright's message to teachers is avoid confronting these boys and instead empower them. Use them as active participants in the classroom. Make sure each has a job to do. Wright commented that "tough love" has nothing about love about it. Making kids conform for no reason creates problems.

Wright said that whether it's getting to school by walking in unsafe neighborhoods, or having long bus rides to comply with desegregation Black boys come with negative baggage, and they need to be de-traumatized before we can teach them. We also need to de-traumatize ourselves from whatever is bothering us to be able to be open with them.

Wright also pointed out that educating boys is a unversal problem and European and Asian countries find the graduation rate for boys below that of girls.

Every child comes to school ready to learn, but we are not at their readiness level.

Wright takes a different view on the issue of high school graduation, and feels we put too much emphasis on it. He feels we need to focus on getting a job and having good work habits. These kids see money as important, and do not see the connection with school. We should teach them to be entreprenaurs, with a strong work ethic.

4 points if you are working with Black boys:

1. You should have hope for them that goes beyond the neighborhood. Take them out of the neighborhood.

2. Be happy with yourself.

3. All parents do the best they can.

4. Know what resources are out there to help them besides you.

We want them to have the same hope for themselves as you have for them.

Q&A

Ben wright responded to the question " shouldn't these boys learn the system and operate within it i.e. sitting down when asked?" He feels the kids should boycott the system and not let it bring them down. De-traumatize the teachers and the justice forces. Don't expect what is unnecessary.

Single sex education."Most of our country's leader went to single sex schools without being the victims of stereotyping."

Don't teach kids to be black or white; teach them to be human beings.
As to feeling sorry for Black boys: Show understanding and empathy, not sympathy. Keep expectations high.
Wright also spoke of de-traumatizing adults so they can be more effective with kids.

He offered ways to keep parents involved in the school Have a good reason for parents to come to the schoo,l and when they get there be nice to them.

Wright prefers to have times available in the school day for kids to do homework. The school day should be enough.

As a school leader you should talk about a belief system: capacity to love and be loved. Create a family feeling with faculty and students and have no negative talk about kids.

Ron Walker closed the session by telling the prospective students in the audience that if they don't have a passion for teaching, they should not go into it. It's important but very hard and demanding, and kids need that passion from teachers.

Wheelock College announced it is committed to supporting this program for three years.

Next up: Gloria Ladson Billings "Teaching to Restore Black Boys' Childhood" November 13 & 14, 2007.

I solicit comments from anyone who attended today's all day session.