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FOR WHITE FOLKS WHO TEACH IN THE HOOD

For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood… and the Rest of Y’all Too

Chelsea Mason

Georgia Southern University

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“For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood… and the Rest of Y’all Too”

For the purpose of this assignment I chose to read the book “For White Folks Who Teach in

the Hood… and the Rest of Y’all Too” by Christopher Emdin (2016). Honestly speaking I chose

this book in particular for the sheer fact that the title was so provocative and shocking, and it

precipitated that the book would challenge many of the pervasive thoughts surrounding the idea

of “right” way to educate. I quickly embarked on reading and I prepared to engage with some

really revolutionary pedagogy. What I learned from reading this was truly transformative and

thus it was hard to just select fifteen quotations.

Christopher Emdin’s “For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood… and the Rest of Y’all Too”

was an exploratory book that examined common challenges that teachers and students face in the

urban environment Emdin refers to the students in this book as neoindigenous which introduced

an unfamiliar yet refreshing term. Such challenges described by Emdin was the challenge of

engaging connecting and challenging neoindigenous students to reach their full potentials. Other

challenges that Emdin talked about was the challenge of teachers to build a cosmopolitanism

classroom that focuses on inclusion and meaningful learning experiences that all students can

connect to and participate in.

In speaking about the different challenges, Emdin presented a wealth of actions and activities

and ideas that he has developed or witnessed over his career. Tips on creating the cosmopolitism

classroom, how to incorporate technology and social media, how to connect students home

environments to learning just to name a few. Furthermore he presented some non-traditional

curricular approaches such as the Pentecostal pedagogy, congenerative dialogues and the

cosmopolitanism classroom. Using 15 quotes I will reflect and summarize the ideas portrayed in

this informative book.

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Meaningful Quotations

The reality is that we privilege people who look and act like us and perceive those who

don’t as different and, frequently inferior. (n.p)

This one of the first quotes in the book that resonates deeply. A common misconception is

that different is bad or inferior which could not be further from the truth. We often perpetuate this

mindset by looking at the neoindigenous student from a deficit mindset, meaning that we look at

them as if they need us, or need to be helped/fixed. For our students who match the “average”

student, we expect them to succeed which we believe to be an innate characteristic. It is a

common practice that these students are disciplined less and treated more as an equal. We should

be careful to avoid this and should examine our classrooms often. We are naturally going to

notice those who act or look like us, but we cannot let this affect our teaching practices and

certainly not our treatment of our students.

Too often we fail to recognize that young people experience trauma regularly in way

that go unnoticed or unrecognized (n.p.).

I agree with this quote, keeping in mind my students who I served, who allowed me access

into their lives and their traumas. I was in a position of privilege because as they shared their

stories with me, I was not personally affected. What I mean is that I could choose to disconnect,

or step back if their stories were “too much” or “to painful to hear about.” My students did not

get this same luxury. In the book this quote comes after Emdin recounts a story of how a boy was

kicked out of class for ducking under his desk after hearing a loud noise (which he had perceived

to be a gunshot). His teacher failed to realize that the sound took him back to the gunshots he

heard in his neighborhood and the fear that came along with that. Also we have to recognize that

our students may not be able to clearly articulate their trauma, or what triggers them.
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It posits that while the teacher is the person charged with delivering the content, the

student is the person who shapes how best to teach that content (n.p.).

I like this quote because it contradicts the idea of a “banking education” where teachers

are the sole holders of knowledge. A successful educational experience requires engagement and

participation of all including and especially the students. The teacher should support this by

ensuring lessons support this level of engagement.

The more we told tales of dysfunction, the more we worked to maintain it (n.p.).

We perpetuate negative behavior and campus culture through statements such as this. We

do better when we defend our schools and defend our students. If we speak optimistically and

positive about our schools and students, they will start to reflect these ideations. When we model

and speak negatively around our students. They are more likely to disengage and find their work

pointless. I can imagine students hearing a teacher say something negative about the school and

formulate the rebuttal “Why do you care anyway, you think this (negative) about us” or “you

think this (negative) about our school.” This is not conducive to the learning environment and

benefits no one. Low expectations lead to low achievement.

Their white employers, who did speak any Spanish, did not appreciate their employees

speaking Spanish when customers weren’t around (n.p.).

This quote brings up one of the topics from our book this year which speaks about the root of

occurrences like this. People feel threatened by those who do not engage in English permanently

because they are then not included. In education this relates back to the “sink or swim” policies

that fail to support students who do not/cannot speak English. In this quote there is a reference to

the fact that the employees mentioned were specifically hired because they could speak Spanish

and attract that population to the store, however they were fired later for this exact reason. Not
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using English is only is celebrated when it supports a capitalistic goal, and this is an absolutely

dangerous mindset.

The nonindigenous who fail to acclimate to the structure of school are pushed out of

school (n.p.).

Only those who can assimilate and readily keep up are supported while the others get left

behind or forgotten. This mindset works to shame those who do not or can not. We should work

to create an environment that is welcoming and conducive for ALL. We should be patient and

incorporate lessons that are varied in activity type and that account for multiple learning types so

that all of our students can succeed.

The goal for the teacher is to create a classroom environment where the same collective

joy, celebration and camaraderie that come at the end of the school year are present in

the classroom throughout the academic year (n.p.).

This quote resonates with me because although it sounds like a no brainer, it takes a very

conscious effort. Emdin explains that this joy and celebration should and can persist throughout

the entire school year if we apply the tips to creating a cosmopolitanism classroom. Small

strategic mannerisms help students to be more engages and excited about their learning as well

as connect to their peers and the classroom. One example is utilizing call and response in

affirming unity among students in the class. “If a teacher is delivering a lesson and stops to say

“Can I proceed?” and then waits for the entire class to respond with, “Yes indeed,” this allows

the student to feel a connection to the teacher (because of their use of the phrase) and to see that

the teacher is concerned with ensuring that all students understand what is being taught” (Emdin,

2014). I believe this small step really demonstrates the teachers care and corn which helps the

students build a healthy relationship with them.

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The Cosmo Duo localizes the process of cosmopolitanism to two people, and then uses

the students in this two-person group to generate a broader classroom cosmopolitanism

(n.p.).

This was by far my favorite suggestion provided by Emdin. The cosmo duo encourages

collaboration, advocacy, and support between peers. This activity helps students connect with

each other (which is something truly authentic). I can imagine having a support system in the

class aside from the teacher, but who is still invested in my growth and progress, a truly

beneficial experience. This helps the teacher ensure that everyone is on the same page.

The students are brought in to college campuses as a cohort and make connects to each

other based on their similar ethnic, racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. (referencing

the Posse Program). (n.p.).

I chose this quote because it negatively resonated with me. Although I do see the value and

benefit of connecting student who look alike, I also see where this still contributes to the idea of

isolation. I think back to my own experience of being one of the only black students in my class,

and yes I felt a little left out, but I never felt the need to force relationships with the only other

black students for the sake of having someone. I’d much rather teachers being purposeful in

engaging all students and creating opportunities to bridge relationships across all students.

The handshake thus becomes something that the class constructs together... the process

leads to students being more attentive to and engaged in the classroom space (n.p.).

Along with the Cosmo duo, Emdin suggests tips which contribute to the cosmopolitanism

classroom. For example, a collaborative handshake that rewards students for participating in

class. The teacher starts with a simple handshake and as students contribute to class, they also

contribute to advancing the handshake. My concern is depending on the age of the students, this
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might not actually be motivation enough the students. I do however admire the idea. I also

admire the idea of naming the class as another step towards a cosmopolitanism classroom.

At one point, I looked around the room to identify some of my colleges from the

previous year, and it sunk in how much of the faces of my colleagues were different

from the previous year (n.p.).

This illustrate one of the biggest problems facing the education system: retention. Especially

in urban schools it is hard to get teachers to stay. Programs such as Teach for America contributes

to this by ill preparing their teachers for the realities of the schools they serve in. I am very lucky

that the school that I worked in had a very high retention rate.

I had almost forgotten what it felt like to have fun, and I decided that I was going to

enjoy myself for a change (n.p.).

Another issue facing professionals across fields is burnout. Working with the neoindigenous

population can prove especially challenging and it requires a lot of work and extra dedication,

which can be hash on our physiological health. As Emdin recounts his colleagues experience, “I

witnessed the loss of her sense of humor, and watched her literally drag herself into work every

day” (Emdin, 2014). This burnout can affect your work and your attitude. This is why it is

especially important to maintain a healthy routine so that we can continue to positively impact

our students.

During the game we talked about everything from the neighborhood to the lives of the

students. The conversations were effortless (n.p.).

Meeting our students where they are and finding ways to connect them to the content is

important. In an effort to recoup and refocus Emdin stumbled upon a unique opportunity to

recenter and reevaluate his classroom. He met his students where they were and in their most
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authentic form which changed their perception of him as a teacher. Their perception shifted into

referring to him as more of a beloved part of the community. He truly broke a barrier and was

able to engage with his students like he had not done before, and he took this into his classroom.

Collective effervescence summarizes the experience of Emdin. Its definition describe when the

joy of teaching matches the joy of learning and a truly cosmopolitan space is created. This is a

great way to demonstrate to our students that yes we care about their academic achievement, but

that we also care about them holistically. This is something I consider in my current position.

When a teacher makes connections between the context and content, innovative lessons

that connect things like graffiti and mathematics or hip-hop music and science begin to

emerge (n.p.).

If students can find personal meaning in the content of their classes they are more likely to

engage. I specifically like Emdin’s idea to have a live tweeting aspect to the class. I thought this

was both exciting and creative. Allowing students to engage in social media and metalogues in

class helps bring a really fun element to learning. I would love to bring this activity into my

classroom.

Planning for your lesson is valuable, but being willing to let go of that plan is even more

so. It is only on the path away from where you started that you can get to where you

want to go (n.p.).

I loved this quote because I believe it encourages us to be authentic humans and not robots in

the classroom. We should be open to changes. For example if a student brings up a really great

point- let’s explore it! Lets’ allow for meaningful discussion if it helps engage others. Let us as

educators allow our students to challenge ideas and explore others. This is when real learning
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occurs. We should not be so focused on a strict lesson plan that we miss an opportunity to engage

and connect with our students!

Final Thoughts

In summary, Christopher Emdin provide a very important concept which permeated

throughout the entirety of the book. This concept put simply is that we should adopt a student

centered focus which is an approach focused directly on students, and their learning

opportunities, and development. Our practices and policies should 100% always put our students

at the forefront. Dedication to this mission shows students that they matter, and that they are

valued encouraging them to really shoot for the stars.

Although I enjoyed reading this book, I wish the pedogeological practices would have

focused some on bridging the gap between all types of social identities, not just racial identity, or

socioeconomic status. I believe the pedagogy presented was focused on highlighting the culture

and context of minority students, although these schools also have white students who might not

be able to relate to all activities presented. Additionally I would have liked to read more about

identity exploration and how we can encourage this in the classroom. Some of the ideas we

explored in the class this semester such as the idea of the definition of family might have been

more meaningful than applying the concept of rap battles into the classroom.

As an African American women who did “teach in the hood” I also felt like many of the

advice that was intended to apply to the white teacher applied to me. When I worked in my non-

profit program CityYear, I often had issues relating to my students or getting them to engage in

learning, which is why I thought the title of the book was somewhat problematic initially. There

is an assumption that because I share the racial identity of the neoindigenous students described
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in the book, I must have an easier time working with them. I am glad the author who is also

black, challenged this misconception by offering his own failures as proof.

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References

Emdin, C. (2016). For white folks who teach in the hood-- and the rest of y'all too: Reality

pedagogy and urban education.