Black youth particularly black girls according one of our assigned articles, Adults think Black Girls are older than they are and it matters are often stereotyped as one of the following; a jezebel, one who is seen as hyper sexual; a sapphire; someone who is often angry and shows it through her actions; or as a mammy, someone who is nurturing,committed to one partner and has a nurturing attitude. Black girls are also being adultified. People automatically assume that they are older based on face value.
Our second article, Denaturalizing Adolescence: The Politics of Contemporary Representations written by Nancy Lesko critiques assumptions based on adolescents distinctive nature. I believe Lesko wants us to truly look at our adolescents and not automatically imply that they are the way they are or act the way they do based on their age and those around them.
Adults hold all the power. Especially within schools. To make matters worse, they have no problem holding that power over students heads. In my after school program, I had three students tell me that their history teacher told the whole class that she would fail every student in her class if they disrupted her teaching. No disciplinary action was taken against her. On another occasion, I overheard one teacher tell another teacher that her student would never go to college. All he would amount to was prison. Again, there was no disciplinary action taken against this “educator”.
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ReplyDeleteUnfortunately those comments run freely through the veins of any school. I found Nancy Lesko's points were true as well. It's a shame we, as adults, constantly think that children are these empty vessels. In reality they bring just as much to a space, conversation, and community as we "all knowing" adults do.
ReplyDeleteThank you for being the ears and educator youth need!
Thanks for this post Essence. I would love to know a little more about your take on these readings--how do you feel about them? What resonates with you/ what questions do you have/ what critiques? Also how they might apply to the (appalling and also sadly common) stories you share about teachers. What kinds of erroneous beliefs about young people are shaping these teachers' perceptions and behaviors?
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