Frames of Reference Urban School Paper

When I think about inner city schools and urban life I immediately think of a non-white, multi-cultural student body, over-crowded classrooms, high stress level situations, and troubled students. This is my second semester in the MAT Art program at Montclair State University. I have only taken two education courses prior to this spring semester, and I feel very uneducated about what inner city education is all about. As a future art teacher and possible inner city teacher I hope to learn more about how urban centers, schools, teachers, and students function so that I can make a difference in the lives of my future community, colleagues, and students.

My naive assumptions regarding urban schools also stems from my childhood. I was raised and went to school in Flemington, NJ where I was surrounded by predominately white children pre-school through high school, and I also attended a predominately white college for my undergraduate studies at the University of Delaware. Unfortunately, during my education I have not been exposed to a multi-cultural community until I began attending Montclair State University last fall. Many of my beliefs are shaped through stereotypes, fears, and rumors that I have heard from friends and acquaintances that teach or work in urban areas. I have heard horror stories including school violence, large classes with little to no discipline, and teens having sex in the hallway.

Much of my negative beliefs about urban schools, teachers, and students are based on television shows, movies, music, and the media that has surrounded me my entire life. Television shows such as CSI, Law & Order, and Without A Trace and movies such as Dangerous Minds and Boys in the Hood are all based in cities around the country and involve stories about urban teen life, violence, and education. Even musicians like Jay-Z and Biggie rap about their past and what it was like to grow up in the ghetto.

Fortunately, I have some experience working with inner-city children, which has given me a positive outlook on urban education. An art education methods course that I took last semester required me to travel to Franklin Elementary School in Newark, NJ. For four Fridays between the hours of 1:30PM-3:30PM I worked with my peers and Dr. Heard in the Art Backpacks Program where I helped teach children about art. This program gave me a first-hand experience of what it is like to work with inner city children. I was surprised to see that these children were very obedient, polite, and sweet. They wore uniforms, always used their manners, and acted as any other suburban students would act. I realize now that structure and discipline work best when inner-city students receive proper instruction early and are given assignments that jog their interests.

My first-hand experiences gave me a small window to see into an urban school for only four days. There is still so much that I have not witnessed first-hand such as what urban centers are, how urban schools function, the role that the teachers play, and the diverse body of students.

I have a vague understanding of what urban centers are and their function in a community. I believe that an urban center is a facility in center city where members of the community experience the cultures of the city by assembling for sporting events, parades, festivals, music events, travel, and dining. Urban centers are a common place where many people come from all over the city to find unity. I think that an urban center gives the public a sense of belonging and is the glue that holds cultural ties together. Similarly, I think that urban schools are a place where students can express themselves as individuals, but also have a sense of belonging.

Urban schools have more issues to maintain than a suburban school because of city life. Urban schools need to look out for the welfare of the school itself, the teachers, and more importantly the students. I believe that urban schools are under-funded because of local poverty, which results in a high-stress environment, over-crowded classrooms, classroom management issues, and student motivational problems. Because urban schools are over-crowded, there is a high dropout rate in high schools and the school and surrounding neighborhoods can be unsafe because of everyday violence and gangs. Urban life can be difficult, and I believe that inner city schools are a safe haven and a second home for many students. When children/adolescents are in school they are kept out of trouble, they are off the streets, and students have the potential to make a life for themselves. Art programs in inner city schools are certainly smaller and their budgets are shorter than suburban schools. Because of this, art educators must be creative in designing a curriculum that is based on the diverse students as well as using scarce supplies that the school can afford.

The teachers of inner city schools deal with high stressed factors on a daily basis, but they are there to make a difference in the lives of their students. Teachers face issues of classroom management with over-crowded classrooms, learning disabilities, behavioral issues, and gaining the students’ respect. Educators work with a multicultural and diverse body of students, have to overcome literacy, language, cultural, and gender diversity, and may struggle with connecting with their students. Urban teachers must be hard working and dedicated to their job. For many students good teachers are more like mentors to them, and the students’ daily issues and problems become the teacher’s issues and problems. Educators will be required to guide students through issues of peer pressure, drug abuse, gangs, and the use of unprotected sex.

The students are multicultural from many different backgrounds, families, and cultures. Students live a fast-paced life and learn to cope with peer pressure, pressure at home, pressure at school, finding their own identity, living a poor life style, violence, gangs, drugs, sex, etc. Students constantly have hard decisions to make on a daily basis; life is not easy. I believe that if young children are given a stable education from the beginning, than they will have a better chance of graduating from high school and have potential to go on to college. It all comes down to the teachers to guide these children and help them be successful.

My beliefs will affect my interactions with my future colleagues and students, but before I allow my beliefs to affect my teaching I must educate myself thoroughly to gain a better understanding of urban life. I will use the classes in the MAT program at MSU, future personal experiences, and personal research to better determine what inner city education requires. I cannot teach based on stereotypes, rumors, media drama, and word-of-mouth, so therefore I will do everything I can to drop false existing beliefs and replace them with experience. I need to see first-hand who my students will be, what community I will be working in, and the types of people I will be working with.

I will plan and strategize how to survive and teach in an inner city classroom prior to my first day as a teacher. I will build strong relationships with my fellow teachers so that I can always look to them for help, gain awareness through my colleagues as to how they manage their classrooms, and familiarize myself with the history of my future school’s community and city by visiting the urban centers. Prior to my first day I will also set time aside to converse with the students to get an understanding of the student community, who they are as people, and their needs.

Once I have educated beliefs about the urban community, school, teachers, and students I will begin to shape my classroom. My first goal is to create a strong teacher-student relationship using icebreakers and other get-to-know-you activities. I believe that when the students respect you, classroom management should follow naturally with little struggle. I want my students to trust me, and I will to be a mentor to my students as they deal with the difficult life situations that they are in. I want to make learning fun for my students, and I hope to spread joy by bringing art and beauty into my students’ urban lives. My classroom will be a place where learning is not a chore, and students of all abilities will learn to create something that they are proud of. I want to build a classroom where students feel safe, happy, and excited to be a part of.

I believe that teaching in an inner-city takes hard work and dedication, and I hope to hit the ground running as an educator and as a part of the urban community. I want to use art as a tool to help me connect with my school’s community. I believe it is important to bring the school and community together, because it will also bring students closer to their families and their families closer to students’ education. I plan on coordinating art-related activities such as painting murals, displaying student work inside and outside the school building, and hopefully tie in some fundraisers that will benefit the school and/or art program. I believe that art and beauty brings about positive change and people become more optimistic and peaceful. More specifically to my students, I hope to motivate them and to demonstrate that they can create a positive future for themselves. I want to use art as motivation, and ingrain my belief that passions and dreams can be turned into real goals and careers.

My beliefs, hopes, and standards about my teaching and future students already have high standards. I want to make a difference in the lives of as many students, teachers, and communities as I can. However, my lack of experience and education leaves me with many questions: What makes urban students tick? What are some strategies that will help me deal with managing an overcrowded classroom with children with learning disabilities and different personalities? How do I motivate a variety of students at the same time? How will I know what advice to give when a student comes to me for help? Is teaching in an urban school as scary and overwhelming as I believe it is?