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202 reviews for:
For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood... and the Rest of Y'All Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education
Christopher Emdin
4.11 AVERAGE
202 reviews for:
For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood... and the Rest of Y'All Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education
Christopher Emdin
4.11 AVERAGE
slow-paced
I heard one of his presentations and was instantly a fan so I wanted to read this book after hearing great things about it. I had about 50 pages left of this book when I finally decided I was done reading. I knew early on that this book just wasn't for me but I kept pushing on hoping I'd change my mind. It's worth the read if you're curious, and I won't say anything negative, but it just wasn't something that resonated with me.
Wish I had read this one rather than listened to it. Some great takeaways, yet in other moments I found his strategies to be a bit of a reach from a teacher’s standpoint. Many of the suggestions would have to be implemented top-down (districts would first need to allow teachers to have more choice and control of their learning spaces), which most teachers know is not how we are currently set up in the States.
challenging
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
As someone who teaches "in the hood", I was interested in this book because I'm always keen to know what other educators have to say about teaching "in the hood". To be honest, this book was a little bit disappointing.
It tended towards apologism for unsavoury behaviour commonly found at low-income schools, and it tended to excuse the inappropriate and oftentimes disrespectful conduct of students when things aren't going their way. To say that this is something we just have to accept from our low-income students of colour is not only discrediting them, but also leaving them unprepared for the adult world where this kind of behaviour is not tolerated. I do believe that teaching low-income students of colour requires a different approach, but this shouldn't come at the expense of high expectations of good manners and appropriate behaviour.
That said, I did like the author's points on Pentecostal pedagogy and his criticism of what "effective" teaching is expected to look like. He criticises those who deliver a rote lesson plan where they expect the students to be silent at all times, and I see them do this for weeks on end, without any variety. I'm on his side for this one.
I don't think the students of these teachers 1) engaged with the material and 2) develop any positive feelings about the subject and the teacher. I think these two things are paramount when it comes to building a successful classroom with low-income students of colour. I agree with the author that a little noise and activity in the classroom is a far better indicator of what effective teaching and learning is, and that goes for schools of any income level, and of any ethnicity.
It tended towards apologism for unsavoury behaviour commonly found at low-income schools, and it tended to excuse the inappropriate and oftentimes disrespectful conduct of students when things aren't going their way. To say that this is something we just have to accept from our low-income students of colour is not only discrediting them, but also leaving them unprepared for the adult world where this kind of behaviour is not tolerated. I do believe that teaching low-income students of colour requires a different approach, but this shouldn't come at the expense of high expectations of good manners and appropriate behaviour.
That said, I did like the author's points on Pentecostal pedagogy and his criticism of what "effective" teaching is expected to look like. He criticises those who deliver a rote lesson plan where they expect the students to be silent at all times, and I see them do this for weeks on end, without any variety. I'm on his side for this one.
I don't think the students of these teachers 1) engaged with the material and 2) develop any positive feelings about the subject and the teacher. I think these two things are paramount when it comes to building a successful classroom with low-income students of colour. I agree with the author that a little noise and activity in the classroom is a far better indicator of what effective teaching and learning is, and that goes for schools of any income level, and of any ethnicity.
challenging
informative
reflective
Wow, it took me a year, but I've finally finished this book. To be fair, I would've finished it a lot sooner if there was an audiobook version. In any case, it was an informative and transformative study for a teacher who aspires to break the molds of traditionalism and white supremacy in the classroom. I especially appreciated the outlines of practical activities and groupings to use in the classroom, though as someone with only one year of teaching under my belt, it's still daunting and hard to conceptualize putting into practice. I'm so weary of pedagogical theory that says nothing of practical application.
I feel quite failed by my university for having next to no instruction on classroom management. In truth, with almost everything in this book, I found myself thinking "but what if it doesn't work?" I would've liked to see more exploration of how to implement non-punitive consequences in class. It's not always possible to meet with students one on one. It feels like there's never time to do anything important fr! Time management & behavior management are for sure my weaknesses as a teacher.
The concluding quotes stuck out to me. There is so much misery and hopelessness among teachers, and it's hard to combat. I think the same can be said for the world at large. But I think all educators, at least initially, have some respect and hope for future generations, so it's our responsibility to hold onto that.
Emdin's personal identity is central to the text, which I think was sometimes perplexing but overall effective. White people have a calculated habit of ignoring or dismissing our racial identities, which in turn upholds white supremacy. So, while it's clear that Emdin's worldview as an African American Christian male teacher comes through, my takeaway is that we should all be putting all our cards on the table like this. And, specifically for White people, we must actively seek to branch out of our own, dominant culture.
4.5 stars because I'm sorry but I will never be able to read a tiny-font, dense, nonfiction text without struggle 😅. It's prob the best of its kind, though.
I feel quite failed by my university for having next to no instruction on classroom management. In truth, with almost everything in this book, I found myself thinking "but what if it doesn't work?" I would've liked to see more exploration of how to implement non-punitive consequences in class. It's not always possible to meet with students one on one. It feels like there's never time to do anything important fr! Time management & behavior management are for sure my weaknesses as a teacher.
The concluding quotes stuck out to me. There is so much misery and hopelessness among teachers, and it's hard to combat. I think the same can be said for the world at large. But I think all educators, at least initially, have some respect and hope for future generations, so it's our responsibility to hold onto that.
Emdin's personal identity is central to the text, which I think was sometimes perplexing but overall effective. White people have a calculated habit of ignoring or dismissing our racial identities, which in turn upholds white supremacy. So, while it's clear that Emdin's worldview as an African American Christian male teacher comes through, my takeaway is that we should all be putting all our cards on the table like this. And, specifically for White people, we must actively seek to branch out of our own, dominant culture.
4.5 stars because I'm sorry but I will never be able to read a tiny-font, dense, nonfiction text without struggle 😅. It's prob the best of its kind, though.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I really liked reading this. It re-inspired me during a long year of distance learning. I’m looking forward to trying some of his ideas.
I feel incredibly grateful to be working with educators who assigned this reading to our staff. This book is meant to be discussed, and I cannot wait to do so with my team and family. I would argue that this is not just a book about great teaching "in the hood", but a book about straight up great teaching -- which is educating in a way that validates and celebrates kids, people and communities (not standardized tests). I'm excited to implement many of the steps outlined right away, and am particularly thrilled by the chapter on using social media in the classroom -- a goal I already had for our students this coming school year, and one which Emdin gives detailed steps for making happen.
4.5 stars instead of five because I got an impression as I was reading that several of the strategies for engaging black and brown kids engaged primarily black and brown boys. Certainly important, but troublesome for me as I found myself visualizing these super classrooms that I couldn't see girls' experiences validated in. This might be a failure of my white lady perspective, however, and I welcome being pushed on that this year.
4.5 stars instead of five because I got an impression as I was reading that several of the strategies for engaging black and brown kids engaged primarily black and brown boys. Certainly important, but troublesome for me as I found myself visualizing these super classrooms that I couldn't see girls' experiences validated in. This might be a failure of my white lady perspective, however, and I welcome being pushed on that this year.