“Stop With The Labeling And Get To KNOW Me!”

Many adolescent African-American males have fallen into the underachievement category for literacy. They have been identified as a “struggling reader” meaning a person who has been labeled because of his inability to meet school reading standards and/or curriculum. (Alvermann, 2001). My view on this is that there is not enough of a concern for the success of these young individuals. I’m afraid that educators, today, are not properly trained to relate to this cultural group and, therefore, these adolescents are left behind in the curricula. There must be steps taken to improve the knowledge and understanding of literacy within our African American boys. They have to be able to perceive literacy relevant to their everyday lives; otherwise, they will not succeed.

“Little or no attention is given toward reading critically or reading in ways that help students better understand the world around them and their role within in it.” (Husband, 2012) I recall one of my favorite movies, “Freedom Writers” and how inspiring it was. Based on a true story, this film captures its audience by showing how a dedicated teacher beat the odds in a racially divided class made up of at-risk students. These students were considered incapable of learning when in reality they had no desire to learn. That is, until a strategy was presented. It was simple; CARE. Become interested in the students’ everyday lives. The teacher then assigned reading material that related to each individual’s unique life. That sparked hope and enlightenment. From there, the teacher had the students keep a journal and express themselves through writing based off their reading.

It’s critical for teachers to increase the number of texts in the classroom that are culturally relevant to African American boys. (Feger, 2006). These are texts in which the characters, events, settings, and ways of talking and interacting are similar to events, settings, and ways of talking and interacting in and among African American boys. (Feger, 2006; Jackson & Boutte, 2009). “African American boys are likely to be more engaged with texts when these texts reflect their lived experiences and realities.” (Tatum, 2006). All and all, implementing reading engagement strategies in the classroom is likely to have a positive impact with African American boys.

It is important to note that adolescents DEPEND on educators to guide them in learning in preparation for their future. However, it’s also imperative for the teachers to WANT to be the help that is needed from them. Attitudes make all the difference in the world when it comes to success in the classroom. Not only is it the responsibility of the student to have the right attitude for learning but also that of the educator for teaching.

It is up to the teacher to take the responsibility of NOT labeling their black students as disciplinary problems. Yes, some may test the teacher with their negative behavior. However, there should be an effective strategy that can help those students. Getting to the root of the problem. It’s okay to have conversations with the parents. If students are in a one parent home and that one parent is working all the time, not keeping up with their child’s schooling, then there must be a solution that can be addressed to help. Kafele (2004) emphasized that teachers must adopt a mindset that is crucial in order to work effectively with Black students. He stated, “In your classroom, failure cannot be an option.”

Teachers should be aware just how significant their platform is and how they view their students. It’s fundamental to see things “as it is.” Not trapped within your own vision. Instead, utilizing others’ viewpoints in order to expand understanding. In other words, having a multidimensional view. (Sousanis, 2015) This is great because teachers are able to learn from their students of different races and backgrounds.

As a future educator, I desire to be the positive change that is needed in our schools today among adolescent African American males. I want to become an effective instructional leader that can furthermore protect Black students from a negative schooling path, the prison pipeline, and numerous other problems. In doing this, not only will I feel accomplished as a teacher but as someone who helped save a life through literacy.

Feger, M. (2006). I want to read: How culturally relevant texts increase student engagement in reading. Multicultural Education, 13(3) 18–19.

Jackson, T. O., & Boutte, G. S. (2009). Liberation literature: Positive cultural messages in children’s and young adult literature at freedom schools. Language Arts, 87(2), 108–116.

eVito, D., Shamberg, M., Sher, S., LaGravenese, R., Swank, H., Dempsey, P., Glenn, S., … Paramount Home Entertainment (Firm),. (2007). Freedom Writers.

Husband, T. (2012). Addressing Reading Underachievement in African American Boys through a Multi-Contextual Approach. http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3062&context=reading_horizons

Tatum, A. W. (2006). Engaging african american males in reading. Educational Leadership, 63(5), 44–49.

Kafele, B. (2004). A handbook for Teachers of African American children. Jersey City, NJ: Baruti Publishing.

Sousanis, N. (n.d.). Unflattening. Harvard University Press.

Alvermann, D. E. (2001, May). Reading adolescent’s reading identities: Looking back to see ahead. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 44(8), 676–690. http://networkedlearningcollaborative.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/identity_alvermann.pdf