Urban Education, Emdin

● Problem: Teaching disinterested students that don’t

seem to care about their education (White teachers
questions that teach at Native American school)
● The root of the problem = diverse population of
students, with white teachers that don’t know their
students’ cultures
● Commonalities to think about: Growing up in the
Bronx vs. the ways of the Sioux (commemorating a
death)
● Goals of the Carlisle School vs. white folks who teach
in the hood today
○ “Saving children” = white norms Tom Torlino-Navajo, Before & After
“Riot Mom”

● Strong discipline towards our youth

○ “Riot Mom” -Baltimore Protests
● What narrative does this give our youth of color?
○ Do they need tough discipline to “correct” their ways?
Teaching Philosophies

● Perception of the skills needed to teach affluent schools vs. poor urban schools?
○ Affluent: patience and dedication, Urban: tough love and strong classroom management skills
● Urban school policies: “school safety” aka like jail, with personnel as uniformed officers
○ This is a reflection of the discrimination that occurs in the larger community
Teach for America

● Heroes of our youth?

● White teachers recruited to work in poor communities of color
● Similarity to Carlisle
● Tendencies of Teach for America and similar programs: ideology is not “on point”, instead it exotizes
urban schools
● Serves a need yes, but needs change
Ending Carlisle-type Practices
● Solutions?
● We need to engage with urban youth
especially those who teach communities
they are not from
● Recognize these communities have assets
and strengths
● “What new lenses or frameworks can we
use to bring white folks who teach in the
hood to consider that urban education is
more complex than saving students and
being a hero?”