Public schooling needs a Revolution

From Bad Boys: Public Schools in the Making of Black Male Masculinity

Sometimes I really hate going into work because of the jail-like feeling I get when I walk in there. No windows, security guards everywhere, metal detectors, surveillance cameras at every corner and authority figures demeaning students every chance they get. I’m not even a teacher yet and I’m so sick of this system that Ferguson describes. It’s not individual; it’s institutional oppression that allows for all these school laws to be maintained. Like Freire stated, “it is men themselves who are filed away through the lack of creativity, transformation, and knowledge in this (at best) misguided system.” (p. 312) How can we expect men and women to develop if no one from the top is there to challenge this flawed system. Radical schooling doesn’t work with all its rules that seek only to maintain the dominant group’s view in society. There is this constant struggle for power in schools amongst teachers, parents, and administrators. Why does this have to be so? I see constant power trips by administrators who seek to control their immediate surroundings, including the students and teachers; so that they can run the school the way they see will provide a better learning environment. “Conformity to rules is treated by school adults as the essential condition for any classroom learning to take place. Furthermore, rules bear the weight of moral authority.” So, students should assimilate into the dominate culture, even though their culture, language, SES, and history is completely distinct from this dominant white culture that they should follow. I know that it’s important to have structure in a classroom and rules laid out so that student understand what it takes to make the most productive learning environment but there is something wrong when teachers label students as “good,” “bad,” or “troubled” and treat them accordingly to these labels, which are bases on whether or not they follow the rules. This leads me to ask: how can teachers be more objective towards their students? Is this even possible? We can at least try.
I really like that Ferguson documents what is going on in the classroom in regards to management. It makes me check in my own words and actions because I want to make sure that I don’t single any kid out or that I don’t demean them in any way, even the most slightly. How can teachers be more understanding of these “cultural modes of expression?” Students are fully aware of our intentions and know when they are being disrespected no matter what tone or type of language we use. What can we do to minimize our own personal feelings that could get in the way of how we treat students?
I think MPS needs to be dissolved and revitalized...the system is so flawed it is doing more harm than good to the development of students of color. Instead of instilling a positive self-identity, it perpetuates this savage cycle of oppression and poverty.