Urban Schools

Teaching in the inner city is a special challenge. Urban schools are a part of the urban culture. The economics, along with the social and moral values of this culture, impact education. In order to teach effectively in this environment, I think I would need to better understand the urban way of life. Success as an inner city teacher, would be based on my beliefs regarding urban centers, how these beliefs would effect the student/teacher interaction, and the ideals that will shape the type of professional, I hope to be.

I view America’s urban centers as cultures within a culture. I tend to have views and beliefs regarding inner cities and those living there, based on what I have seen through the media (i.e. urban based movies/TV shows, TV network news, newspapers) and what I have learned from family and friends as I grew up. My personal experiences with Urban America have been limited because I grew up in a suburban neighborhood; however, I have had experience with inner city students on various athletic fields. These experiences gave me a negative image of urban education because the student athletes, often acted overly aggressive, were disrespectful to authority, were unsportsmanlike, and were lacking parental support. In addition, their school facilities seemed run down, abused, and neglected.  There was an excessive amount of police officers controlling the athletic event, which led me to believe that fighting and poor behavior were common. Preconceived ideas that I learned early on in life, along with my limited exposure to the inner city, have allowed me to see Urban America as overcrowded, dirty, lacking in services and amenities, and unsafe. Persistent stereotyping has allowed me to see Urban Americans as minorities who are low in intelligence, lacking in ambition, drug abusive, violent, prone to crime, and sexually promiscuous. Although some of these beliefs may be grounded, little thought has been given to reasons for the conditions that have caused them. Ingrained prejudices that I have developed about urban youth may get in the way of effective teaching. Some of what I think I know about urban life, and urban youth in particular, is learned and assumed, without a clear and realistic understanding. Without actually living in a city environment, or making a conscious effort to really understand it, I may have made judgments that are not always totally accurate.

            I have come to realize that economic conditions of many families living in the inner cities have a direct impact on education. Poverty or near poverty is a common misery that leaves little room or time for encouraging education. Frequently, kids grow up in broken homes or homes with multiple families, where the household income is very low. These low-income families spend a major part of their time and energy just trying to survive. Adults are often absent, because they are struggling to keep the family fed or struggling to numb the effects of life’s hardships. There is little time to spend on encouraging learning through reading, homework, or any other educational enrichment. Education, for the sake of learning or for upward social and economic advancement is just not a priority. When basic physical and emotional needs are not being met, educational needs become secondary.

It seems to me that the social values that are bred in poverty do not encourage education. If the financially burdened home environment does not show evidence of the rewards of learning and respect for the work ethic, how can these ideals be valued?  As poverty consumes, there is little thought of the value of learning.  This translates into a lack of respect for teachers, administrators, and classmates. Regard for school property, educational materials, and school pride is missing. If the home does not place importance on respect for education, children can not respect the social and moral values encouraged by the educational system.

In addition, I think moral values inherent in the impoverished inner city do not reflect the values stressed through education. Perpetual failure of achievement among urban youth, contributes to a lack of self worth and pride. Often these kids have either have no role models or poor role models to look up to. Moral guidelines and direction can being missing. Problems far greater than studying are solved with violence, which translates into a lack of respect for human life. When kids have no respect for their families, friends, themselves, or even human worth, it is hard to have respect for the ideals of education and success. In order to survive, they often try to solve problems by using violence, rather than reason and responsibility. The social and moral values of society that are stressed through education, frequently do not find their way into the minds and hearts of troubled inner city students. These values do not ring true in their homes. Their environment forces them to live for the moment, without regard to future consequences.

I realize that in order to teach in an urban environment my beliefs and a realistic understanding regarding the moral and social values found in the economics of Urban America are crucial to effectiveness. The elements of urban life greatly influence students and the learning process. As a teacher, I must recognize the need to understand the environment of the students I will be a teaching, in order to succeed. Teaching methods, techniques, materials, and most of all the teacher/student interaction needs to be varied, and take into account the needs and environment of the students.

My beliefs concerning urban center teaching will help determine the teacher/student relationship and influence the type of classroom I will create. If I have a realistic understanding of the dynamics of inner city life, I can adapt my teaching to hopefully reach my students. While working with fellow teachers, a school environment can be created that works towards reaching students through understanding the world through the students’ eyes. A classroom can be made to address individual needs and strive to motivate all students. The single most important element in the classroom is the ability of a teacher to motivate beyond individual problems. Course content and educational materials are not as important as generating an interest in learning and taking pride in achievement. In order to have an impact, I believe I need to strive to do what it takes to get through to students, based on the students’ background and frame of reference, rather than a rote method of teaching.  Understanding how environment impacts students’ educational performance, I can hopefully be successful in attaining individual student growth. Striving to make a difference in each student’s life makes teaching, not just a job, but a profession that aims at helping students from all backgrounds in becoming contributing citizens in a free society.

I want to be the type of professional that regards teaching as an important responsibility. When teaching urban youth, I would need to look beyond the overt problematic individual behavior, to the causes of the behaviors. I have to shun stereotypic assumptions that might get in the way of the goals for achieving success in reaching all students. By assuming the responsibility of judging students by the sum total of who they are and how their environment influences them, I can hope to break through and inspire students to learn and achieve, in spite of the obstacles.

Setting goals for the type of teaching professional I hope to be, striving for student/teacher interaction based on knowledge of the student’s environment, and having a clear understanding of the students’ culture can help make me a good teacher. The challenges of teaching in an inner city go beyond course content, textbooks, and educational materials. They involve having a realistic insight into the problems of urban youth, and reaching beyond these problems. Urban students need to be understood, in order to be motivated and taught.