Assignment.1


 * __COMMENTS PAGE ON READING ASSIGNMENT #1__**
 * See below for Mel Ruth's questions on our first reading.**

‍and don't worry the page is much longer than it appears, so write on.
In the introduction of Code of the Street, Anderson does a superb job describing who are “decent” and who are “street” people.

As teachers (also, parents and community members) are Anderson’s distinctions ‘//right on’// or ‘//unexamined’//?

1. How do ‘street and decent’ coexist and interact in the management of our community and classrooms? I have never really had to make the distinction in class as I treat every student as equally as I can, whether they are decent, street or otherwise I am not even sure if a child should be classified as such since it is not he or she but rather those who birthed them who have been given one of those distinctions. -Curley 2. Do we understand the subtleties of code-switching? Being of a literary bent, an excellent example of code switching that comes to mind is the character of Calpurnia in Harper Lee's //To Kill a Mockingbird//. When she gets rift from her fellow churchgoer for bringing Atticus Finch's children to a church service attended by African Americans, she automatically switches her language from the kind and gentle, but firm housekeeper to using street talk to set the racist churchgoer straight. (L.Morein, 4/27)

3. What influences do parents play? Available peers? Role models? Parents today are only as good as they were shown in their past. This is only an opinion and it is based on three generations of family that I have had the pleasure to exist and co exist with and the varied experiences of what each of my own parents were taught and what each of their siblings and spouses were taught and how each carried or didn't carry those philosophies to their own child rearing. Therefore we should be forewarned to make any blanket statements about our families at CHAD because each bring with them a varied experience and what they may exhibit both good and bad may or may not have been the precursor to how they act and interact today. -Curley

4. How about the inability of some individuals to code-switch?

I am not sure if they are unable or simply unwilling. As an LA teacher, I do indeed use Ebonics as a springboard for teaching our students that it is okay, but only for certain contexts. The rest of the world expects and demands a level of language that MUST find its way into both our spoken and written word. Otherwise, the world will perceive us as unintelligent and we in turn will have a hard time maintaining in the world. -Curley

5. What percentage of CHAD students are invested in the code of the street (COS)?

6. What about the teaching of values? Who values?

I will hit upon certain points in the questions above:

Elijah Anderson has done an outstanding job of explaining the factors that contribute to the mentality commonly seen among our students. I repeatedly observe the code but do not always understand how it all connects together. Because of this I try not to put things in distinct categories such as ‘descent’ ad ‘street.’ My life’s experiences of growing up in a family, which was labeled poor allows me to identify with a lot (not all!) of the socioeconomic hardships and uncertainties facing the majority of our students.

I am not always ‘tuned-in’ or smart enough to understanding how all this is related. We all know, on the surface, the differences in behaviors Anderson describes in the book. We see it everyday; on the buses, on the L, interacting in stores, on the sidewalks, in the hallways, etcetera. It is easy to say we know **all** this information! Is it true that to really know our students, one must **//consistently//** be part of the intricacies and the subtleties of our student’s life that gives it meaning.

How often do we reflect on //their// sutleties and //their// intricacies. What about our students who - live and survive very stressful environments where there is a lack of typical norms that people in better neighborhoods take for granted. But then again, how often are they told or taught about values? In class, I had a discussion about values and discrimination. I asked my students, “Is it not true that we often discriminate against values?” Most of us do not care about who lives next to us if they share similar values. If our neighbors takes care of their house, raise their kids with respect and honor education, properly disposes of their trash and property, are relatively clean, are quiet at appropriate hours, has a respect for authority and order, and has a general respect for the community…it is safe to assume that they will not be discriminated against whatever their background or race (I understand there are ignorant people). But if our neighbors are loud, noisy, have disrespect for others, raise their kids with contempt etcetera, it would be safe to assume that they would probably face more situations of discrimination in life.

I understand people make choices and are responsible for them (something Anderson freely acknowledges), but as teachers should we also acknowledge that choices are constrained by systems and cultures that can either serve to help or hinder actions. Are not the building blocks of good choices, values? What are the values of our students? Is it as black and white as Anderson makes? Does that simple classification need more examination?

Anderson builds upon this understanding of a culture and set of values that is challenging to comfortable middle class sensibilities. He describes a class culture out there with different and more immediate priorities, morals and horizons. What is the best way to teach a large population of people who feel disconnected from the dominant society in which they live? A tight, no-nonsense, business-like approach that teaches values?

How do we successfully teach the modes of behavior that will allow our students to have a better chance at success? How do we successfully teach students who are not secure and safe? How can we create a safe, non-threatening and nurturing environment that is also academically rich?

Does the truism, ‘education equals freedom,’ still resonate with our students?

//This concept of values is very complex. Not only do I see this played out in various ways with urban families, but all families (Take for instance the Main Line family that sued Lower Merion School District over privacy issues and laptops. This family also lived in a McMansion that they could not afford.) Returning to the Street, good moral values are taught by parents and close family members. The stresses we (meaning middle class folks) feel today are exemplified in the poor urban community. Good people grow anxious and tired.// //One aspect of attaining good moral values that interests me is where a number of urban youth resent others who strive to do well and rise above the low standards that are accepted in the inner city. Nobody wants to be left behind. However again, I have witnessed this reaction in families and neighbors in my own youth growing up in South Philadelphia. Usually this phenomena occurs in families that have not been educated and fear the loss of someone in the family leaving for a better life. Again this dynamic I believe is very pronounced in the emotional life of street families. It takes a great deal of strength, courage, and bravery to be a decent family in the Street. (lmorein, 5/1)//