Each year the 5th year urban education students collaborate to form an annotated bibliography of essential readings. They are asked to think about all of their coursework and experiences and identify just one book or article to contribute to the list. Below are the picks for 2017. Enjoy!
Collaborative Annotated Bibliography
Delpit, L. (2013). “Multiplication is for White People”: Raising Other People’s Children. New York: New Press, pp. 71-88.
Lisa Delpit’s, “Multiplication is for White People”: Raising Other People’s Children, is a fantastic read for educators of students of color. Specifically, the fourth chapter titled “Warm Demanders: The Importance of Teachers in the Lives of Children of Poverty,” is a must read because it highlights good teaching practices and the students’ need for them. Delpit argues that good teachers, specifically warm demanders, have a monumental impact on the academic achievement and success of students of color living in poverty, even when every external factor is working against them. She goes on to define what being a warm demander looks like (supportive, caring, no nonsense, etc.), with specific instances and student perspectives. Delpit wants teachers to understand that students recognize when good teaching is taking place and they thrive in an environment where teachers have high expectations and push them beyond what they thought they were capable of. Students are aware of their teacher’s attitudes towards teaching and the school culture. They value the relationships with teachers who care about them. When there is an established relationship built on trust, students are more likely to take risks in their learning because they know their teacher will be there to protect and support them.
Others may disagree that a good teaching style is enough to make such an influential impact because they believe the external factors weigh too heavily on a student and dramatically hinder academic success. However, Delpit offers a convincing argument in regard to how teachers can push students despite the external challenges. I think this chapter in particular is a necessary read for teachers because it defines what it means to be a warm demander, takes into account student perspectives, highlights the importance of understanding culture, and emphasizes why good, consistent teaching matters at every grade level.
Done, P. (2009). 32 third graders and one class bunny: life lessons from teaching. New York: Simon & Schuster.
In his memoir, Phillip Done writes a series of essays explaining his daily life as a third grade teacher. Done uses humor to balance both the joys and struggle of classroom teachers. Done’s work revolves around the argument that teaching is a difficult profession that needs to be taken seriously, but also highlights the fun of working with children. In his book, he addresses parents, administrators, fellow teachers, students, and non-teachers to further his point. One drawback to the book is Done’s heavy handed opinions and self-glorifying writing at points. Some chapters of the memoir are merely fluff, and take away from Done’s larger message. Ultimately, Done’s work speaks to the joy of teaching. At points education is frustrating, draining and full of red tape. This book reminds me of why I want to be a teacher, because working with and teaching students brings me joy, and I want to bring that same joy to my students. This book, humorous and sincere helps bring some important reminders about the enjoyment of teaching.
Gatto, J. T. (2003). Against School. Wes Jones. Doi: https://www.wesjones.com/gatto1.htm
John Taylor Gatto’s “Against School” is one of the articles I believe is essential for anyone preparing to go into the field of education. This article played a pivotal role in the development of my philosophy about education. It is scintillating and articulates clearly thoughts most people only hold subconsciously. The argument made is that education should be about cultivating children’s curiosity of learning, not turning them into lemmings who regurgitate information that has been fed to them from the spoon of a corrupt system. Gatto’s intention is to expose the true functions of education, and the subsequent political and economic reasonings behind them. He is expressing to educators that if we want to disrupt the flawed system, we must help children become independent leaders and nurture their inner genius. People may disagree with his sentiments if they are not ready to see the truth, because people sometimes only see what they want to see. Or may disagree if they feel he has an agenda of his own. Some may think the education system is not in need of reform, or may even be aligned with the intentions Gatto implicates the system of having. It is important to read this article because it can help educators avoid the mistakes that currently corrupt the education system. The following quote is one of the pieces of guidance he gives. “Well-schooled kids have a low threshold for boredom; help your own to develop an inner life so that they'll never be bored...Challenge your kids with plenty of solitude so that they can learn to enjoy their own company, to conduct inner dialogues. Well-schooled people are conditioned to dread being alone, and they seek constant companionship through the TV, the computer, the cell phone, and through shallow friendships quickly acquired and quickly abandoned. Your children should have a more meaningful life, and they can.” Essentially, it is our job as educators to help children become healthy, self-sufficient, confident, knowledge-loving adults.
Gladwell, M. (2008). Outliers: The Story of Success. New York: Back Bay Books, Little, Brown and Company.
Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcom Gladwell tackles the question of what makes high-achievers different from the rest. Incorporating personal anecdotes, his interviews with acclaimed figures such as Bill Gates, and examples from a variety of spheres in society from successful airlines to national hockey players, Gladwell makes you rethink how you see success. He even provides evidence that Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were the perfect age (who by no coincidence were born the same year) to learn programming and ultimately, revolutionize the computer world. He argues that success in society isn’t so much innate and personal, as it is an accumulation of advantages and hard work, of course. Additionally, in this book, he talks about charter schools, school systems in Asia and Denmark, and the unexpected reason why Asians are often so good at math. For instance, Gladwell questions why the American school system begins grouping children by ability in reading and math starting from early childhood, when students have not even fully matured yet. Quoting a study from two economists who examined the correlation between scores and month of birth, Gladwell notes that they found older fourth graders scored up to 12 percentiles points higher than the youngest children. This study later found that this phenomena persists into college, where the youngest group of children only represent a mere 11.6%. He goes on later to make further connections with KIPP and schools in Boston that make you question your own routines and assumptions. Through meticulously chosen and analyzed stories such as these, he shows that society’s perspective of success is much too simplistic.
Gladwell is a master storyteller and sees patterns in both small and larger events that will definitely illuminate the way you interpret success, and perhaps the way you see the “smartest and brightest” students in the classroom. I do not suggest this book as an answer to current educational dilemmas in the American system and classroom, but it sheds light on how society has come to personalize success so much that it fails to lift others up. It will make teachers think twice before deeming a student as “not smart enough,” should that thought cross their minds. Instead, it will prod you to think of the many other factors that influence a child’s learning and look further into their educational history. As future educators, we have the power to combat this kind of stifling judgment that society carries on who is successful. It is exciting that we will be able to support students to maximize their opportunities to the fullest.
Hill, C., Rose, A. S., & Corbett, C. (2010). Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Washington, DC: AAUW.
Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics: Why So Few? is a series of studies written in a book format that addresses the issue of underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering, and math fields. Being a former STEM major, I was assigned to read this text for my capstone class last year and I found it very eye-opening and interesting. I feel as though every current and future educator would benefit from reading this book, because it would prevent many biases from pervading the classroom and affecting students’ future career choices. The argument that this piece is making is that although there has been an increase of women in STEM fields, there still is a huge difference of men and women who pursue these types of studies. For example, the book states that although females are a majority of college students, they are far less likely than males to major in something related to STEM despite how highly qualified they may be. The multiple studies embedded in this text make the authors explain that in order to better diversify the STEM fields, teachers need to take a close look at their biases and stereotypes that still are prominent in our everyday lives. The authors state that just this recognition and awareness can greatly increase women of all races to be a part of STEM related jobs and studies, which can ultimately benefit all of society.
The main three themes that this text discusses to address why there is a lack of females in STEM fields are: the idea of males being better at STEM, girls’ lack of interest in STEM, and STEM workplace issues with bias and family. The authors want readers to know of these themes because there are ways teachers can motivate girls to pursue STEM fields, and the little things teachers do now can go a long way - either negatively or positively. They also want readers to know that there is no biological differences in boys or girls STEM abilities that makes them better than the other, but instead it’s an environmental issue, which is why everyone needs to adjust how they think so women are not shut out from this population. Although I feel as though this is a very important piece for all educators to read, some people may disagree with this book because they may feel as though there are fewer females than males in STEM fields because it’s women’s genuine personal preference. Some may feel that this has nothing to do with how teachers and the environment treats them, and may not view these studies as a societal issue or anybody’s job to “fix”.
Despite what people may disagree with regarding this text, I believe that this is an important reading for teachers because just by being aware of these biases and the way we treat male and female students differently regarding STEM fields and other subjects can greatly impact their future decisions. This study makes it clear that we as teachers need to be conscious of the way we treat all students, and try to give all students regardless of race, gender, or class, equal opportunities to pursue different fields. Overall, this book makes teachers realize the full impact that their choices can do to students, and I feel as though this power teachers have is important for all future educators to understand before being a part of the educational world.
Jenson, Eric (2013). How Poverty Affects Classroom Engagement. Virginia: Educational Leadership.
How Poverty Affects Classroom Engagement by Eric Jenson discusses the differences that students in poverty face regarding their engagement in school versus their middle-class counterparts’ experiences. The source uses studies that prove engagement levels of students in poverty are lower than other students. Based from this research, Jenson identifies 7 main differences between these students: health and nutrition, vocabulary, effort, hope and growth mindset, cognition, relationships and distress.
This source is important because it discusses how some educators do not know how to approach these kinds of differences in their classroom. Educators seem to try to address all their students in the same manner without really getting to know their students and their particular needs. This source does not discuss the 7 differences but also addresses what the educator can do differently to support these students in each of these 7 categories.
All future and current educators can benefit from this reading. This can prove as a great guide with reasoning and tools to help students struggling with engagement due to poverty. This article proves why educators should be involved with getting to know their students and their backgrounds. The more the educator dedicates to learning about their students, the more they can do to help them excel in the classroom. This article is a great for learning about some of the hidden challenges that students in poverty face as well as practical ways to making schooling a better experience for these students given their circumstance at home and outside of the classroom.
Keep-Barnes, A. (n.d.). Real Teachers Don't Always Succeed. In Living the Questions: A Guide for Teacher-researchers (2nd ed., pp. 40-45). Portland, Maine: Stenhouse.
The article focuses on the realities of teaching. The argument is that sometimes despite efforts and different teaching techniques, some students will be harder to teach than others. It also touches on the difficulties of teaching a student and not having parental support in your efforts.
The author wants her readers to know how important it is to keep trying. She wants to convey a better understanding of teaching and a raw look at some of the pitfalls. She also wants her readers to understand the importance of balancing out wins and losses and not getting stuck in a self deprecating cycle as a teacher.
A counterargument to this piece would be on the word choice. Some don’t agree that failures exist and that this situation was even a failure at all. I also believe that some would disagree with the heavy focus on negative experiences used in this article and would disagree with how they can be beneficial to hear.
I believe this article is largely important to read, especially so for upcoming first year teachers. I believe that this article shows a much more realistic view of what teaching can be and it allows for validation in negative experiences. It also provides validations for mistakes. As a first year teacher, it is inevitable that there will be mistakes made and reading this article does provide an alternative outlook that is not as commonly shared in the teaching world.
Kumashiro, K. K. (2015). Against common sense: Teaching and learning toward social justice. New York: Routledge.
Dr. Kevin Kumashiro, in Against Common Sense: Teaching and Learning Toward Social Justice, challenges readers to question and evaluate what teaching toward social justice looks like in implementation as opposed to solely focusing on rhetoric. As challenges such as privatization, standardization, and oppressive accountability measures take hold on schools and systems of schooling, Kumashiro implicates everyone in assessing their teaching practices across content areas and begins by digging deeper into the pedagogical approaches used in teacher preparation that shape many classroom educators.
Kumashiro spends the first few chapters discussing teacher preparation programs and how these programs often uphold commonly held, yet problematic, notions of what makes a “good teacher”. These images of “good teachers” are reproduced through what Kumashiro describes as three teacher images in U.S. teacher education programs: teachers as learned practitioners, teachers as researchers, and teachers as professionals. First, in countering traditional models of teachers as learned professionals, Kumashiro highlights the need for programs that teach the contradictions, the gaps, and the partialities that we all hold to examine how our practices can uphold or work against oppressive education. Second, the teacher as researcher model that Kumashiro advocates for calls to rethink traditional models of research that can perpetuate oppressive topics, goals, methods, and presentation(s) of results. Additionally, seeing social justice as an “add on” to later incorporate into foundations like classroom management and discipline or content area positions the “basics of teaching” as neutral rather than implicated in the system of schooling. Instead, it is argued that teacher education should position teacher research as inherently paradoxical and partial, similar to teaching practices. Finally, the teacher as professional model Kumashiro presents situates teacher candidates and teacher educators as always becoming, such as always becoming social justice educators. This contrasts the common idea of an endpoint in which a practice or educator themselves are fully anti-oppressive.
Against Common Sense: Teaching and Learning Toward Social Justice is rooted in the idea that schools create, contribute to, and re-create forms of oppression like racism, sexism/heterosexism, and classism; this is explicitly stated on the first page of the first chapter. A reader, especially educators both in teacher preparation programs/pre-service and in-service, may disagree with this assessment of schooling as a system. As the title suggests, this goes against collective “common sense” around education and systems of schooling, especially as it is so easy to reproduce oppressive practices educators experienced as students themselves. Uncomfortable truths about the system we are dedicating our lives and “professional” selves to can be hard to confront, especially when schools and communities are under attack from racist heteropatriarchal capitalist interests seeking to privatize one of the last markers of democracy.
Still, I recommend this read to teachers because it calls for a move beyond reflection to a genuine questioning and rethinking of our definitions and practical roles as educators in an inherently oppressive system of schooling. Often, these conversations can remain theoretical and vague, and don’t move beyond discourse into action. Kumashiro, in this book, provides concrete examples of preparing anti-oppressive teachers in social studies, English literature, music, “foreign” languages, natural sciences, and mathematics. In truly practicing the pedagogical approach advocated for in this book, Kumashiro includes feedback from practitioners in every chapter/for every content area alongside questions for reflection and discussion and a sampling of new resources. This book is a go-to resource for any educator who feels stuck in their practice against oppressive administrators or uncritical co-workers, or who is in the need of finding a launching point for questioning what it means to be a teacher in our schooling system.
Larrick, N. (1965, September 11). The All-White World of Children’s Books. Saturday Review, 63-65.
In the article, The All-White World of Children’s Books, Nancy Larrick makes the argument that more children’s books need to be published where African – Americans are portrayed in a non-stereotyped manner. There are numerous children’s books where there are all – white characters, but there are not many that portray African – American characters in a manner that is not over-exaggerated. The author wants the readers to know that children are growing up with these “gentle doses of racism through their books”. There is a saying that people are not born thinking a certain way, but get there through their experiences and interactions. The author also wants the readers to know that the general population needs to change its perspective on African – Americans portrayed in children’s books or nothing is going to change. Publishers do not put out as many books with African – American characters because of the hit on sales these companies would take, compared to books that have all – white characters. Changing our perspective on books that have all-black characters, will provide a market for more good quality books to be published.
There are people that are going to disagree with this piece and say that there are many books that have all-black characters and the numbers are skewed to fit this article. But the reality is that when looking at the quality of the books with all – black characters, these books are not at the same caliber as books with all-white characters. I think this article is important for teachers to read because the issues brought up in the article are as important then as they are now. We live in a world where minorities are but down and looked at more critically than people wo are white. So I believe that as educators we have to provide our students with a full picture and challenge the stereotypes that we do see in the media and through our interactions. As educators, we should have books that depict a variety of minorities in an appropriate manner, so that no child in our classroom feels left out or that their culture/race is not important. Every child should be proud of who they are and where their family is from. So, by reading children’s books from their perspective emphasizes that he/she is important. Teachers should read this article before they choose books to put in their classroom libraries so that they are aware of the types of books being chosen, as well as the quality of the books.
Moore, W. (2011). The other Wes Moore: One name, two fates. Spiegel & Grau Trade Paperbacks.
“Reading should be purposeful” is drilled into literacy theories yet fails to be implemented in practice. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates demonstrates the essence of purpose and the benefits of engaging the interest of students. “This is a story of two boys living in Baltimore with similar histories and an identical name: Wes Moore. One of us is free and has experienced things that he never knew to dream about as a kid. The other will spend every day until his death behind bars for an armed robbery that left a police officer and father of five dead” (xxi). Little differences are what separate the two boys with the same name; the story demonstrates how although one decision led one Wes Moore to be a criminal and the other to be dreamer, there were subtle, nontrivial differences that mattered. Wes Moore, the author, shows how he was slated to win the game, win and achieve more than the other Wes Moore. Although there is little that separates them, it is through the analysis of the differences in which the reader can detect the trauma-informed reaction. For starters, both had the absence of a father. The other Wes Moore, the armed robbery one, explains to his successful counterpart that, “ Your father wasn’t there because he couldn’t be, my father wasn’t there because he chose not to be” (3). Other differences include, but are not limited to, families, living conditions, work, siblings, among situational factors such as emotions, authority and resolution.
While working this summer with the Street Leaders form Urban Promise Trenton, I witnessed firsthand the benefits of creating safe spaces and responsible opportunities within a community to ensure the success and wise decisions of these youth. However, there was a missed opportunity to connect with these students as well as to encourage them to read. The students were given a classic novel Call of the Wild yet had no connection. Most having been raised in the urban district of Trenton, I suggested they independently read The Other Wes Moore. To my surprise, a handful followed my suggestion and actually finished the book within a week or two. They then brought back the book for discussion and were able to open up about the choices ahead for them to make. As an educator, not having been raised in this community, it was insightful to learn about the realities of my students, these Streetleaders. It was also insightful to discuss how similarities need to be defined to the details and in doing so, there is a revelation that the similarity is caused by two distinct differences that may have affected someone’s identity. A final reflection was given on the reality of prison; Wes describes his days as the same, controlled, and when happiness fall upon, too soon does it dissipate; for the rest of his life he will pay for his mistake. The school to prison pipeline is a transition from this conversation.
Moreover, students are often told to reread a selection as they may discover something new. This time, I reread this story with an agenda to frame my teaching. Rather than using it as a tool to drive reading, I would think about myself as an educator and how this can frame my philosophy. The content and level of reading is much more difficult than my third grade students’ abilities however the there are many applications for our practice. Unfortunately, it is hard to know and to keep track of the triggers and events in our students life. The call for action by Wes Moore is to try again, fail again, fail better because failure doesn’t make us a failure but not trying to do better, to be better, does make us fools. This is not only a trident statement for our students but also for ourselves as educators. The two stories are different because both asked for help and only one received it. Therefore, we must look for students who are asking for help, and ensure that they are too helped.
Palmer, Parker J. (1998). The courage to teach:exploring the inner landscape of a teacher's life. San Francisco, Calif.:Jossey-Bass.
The Courage to Teach and Parker Palmer’s philosophy of teaching have been foundational to my training with Mindful Schools. As part of my year-long certification program in mindfulness, I was required to read excerpts from Palmer’s work. The basic message of the book is simple; teachers deserve to take time for reflection and renewal in order to support authentic and courageous teaching. Palmer argues that reflection and radical self-care create opportunity for renewal. The teacher must be connected to her/his/their own inner workings in order to have the resilience, attunement and open-heartedness that is required of master teachers. He argues that best practice is varied, but great teachers share one common trait: being fully and authentically present in the classroom.
Critics of this book would argue that since systemic failures of education are at the root of suffering and burnout among teachers, it is unjust to expect teachers to build resilience for themselves in a toxic environment. I believe this is a fair consideration, but also believe that being radically self-aware and self-accepting, is in itself an act of social justice. Other critics would argue that Palmer’s work is highly theoretical without sufficient empirical support. Authentic, mindful, embodied teaching is difficult to observe and measure. Thus, from the perspective of teacher preparation programs, this may not seem worthy of investment. However, there is a growing body of research on teacher burnout and resilience. This trend in research supports Palmer’s belief that when teachers take care of themselves, everyone benefits.
I believe this book is essential reading for teachers because it invites exploration into the inner landscape. Time, energy and space for “looking inward” is largely unsupported by the field, which favors professional development on the external – best practices, curriculum, etc. We know that new teachers must be reflective, critically self-aware and engaged in order to grow in their teaching craft. Yet this can seem daunting without support because this lens is counter-cultural. This book is a great introduction into reflective teaching. It is organized by theme across chapters. The predominant themes are authentic teaching, building and integrating into community and education for transformation.
“Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?”
Tatum, B. D. (2017). "Why are all the black kids sitting together in the cafeteria?": and other conversations about race. New York: Basic Books.
The book I chose to add to the annotated bibliography is “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” by Beverly Daniel Tatum. This book addresses a topic that most adults tend to avoid having with children, racism. She discusses why most adults avoid the conversation, with one of the biggest reasons being that they will develop a problem that didn’t exist in children who were blind to skin “color”. The book starts by defining racism and each chapter after discusses the development of different identities based on race, privilege, and how to have these conversations, with meaningful dialogue, with students. I think this an important piece for teachers to read because these are issues that their students, and even their peers, will face and knowing how to have these conversations is just a start to where the conversation needs to go!
Thomas, A. (2017). The hate u give. New York, New York: HarperCollins.
This realistic fiction piece follows the story of teenager Starr Carter and the events that follow the death of her best friend, Kalil. At the beginning of the story, Kalil is shot and killed by a police officer while he and Starr are driving home. The aftermath explores many themes and topics such as: police brutality, the Black Lives Matter Movement, racial and socioeconomic inequity, the hardships and assets of different communities, and teenagers navigating various relationships. This book is written from Starr’s perspective and gives a detailed and holistic account of the situation. In addition, many references and parallels are drawn from similar events that have taken place in recent years. It seems as though the author wanted to provide a social commentary on many of these similar tragedies that have occurred by showing what these events are like from a black, female, teenager lens. The media can often strip away the humanity of these victims, but this book works to paint a broader and more relatable picture so that those who live this experience can feel understood and those who don’t have this background can begin to understand.
Some people may read this book and say that it is a skewed perspective or that similar events that have actually happened are much different from the author’s portrayal of this act of police brutality. However, I would argue that people who think this way are not well-informed and have likely never experienced the circumstances and environments that are described in this book. As someone who didn’t have the same experience as Starr growing up, but who has many friends with this background, I am confident that this piece is an authentic and accurate depiction of many peoples’ lived experiences around these topics. For this reason, I think it is important for teachers to take the time to read this book. Especially for those who will be working in similar places as the setting of this story, it is important to begin to gain an understanding of the intricacies and layers of these communities so that we can recognize the challenges, as well as the culture and relationships that make these places so beautifully resilient.
Sanatullova-Allison, E., & Robison-Young, V. A. (2016). Overrepresentation: An Overview of the Issues Surrounding the Identification of English Language Learners with Learning Disabilities. International Journal of Special Education, 31(2).
In the article Overrepresentation: An Overview of the Issues Surrounding the Identification of English Language Learners authors Elvira Sanatullova-Allison and Victoria A. Robison-Young address the growing mis-identification of English Language Learners (ELLs) as Learning Disabled (LD) students. Sanatullova-Allison and Robison-Young summarize several issues within the current process of identification for students. They highlight some of the many similarities between ELLs and LD students because their similarities are a primary reason for misclassification. They also claim that current tools of assessment and lack of professional development are major reasons as well. Additionally, Sanatullova-Allison and Robison-Young combat claims that ELLs should be classified as LDs. To conclude their essay, the authors suggestion several recommendations to decrease the number of students who are mis-identified and provide a direction for further research into the topic. As the population of ELLs continues to grow within the US, Sanatullova-Allison and Robison-Young’s paper cannot have been written at a more appropriate time.
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1111073.pdf
Sanders, M. (2009). STEM, STEM Education, STEMmania. The Technology Teacher, 68(4) 20-26.
In this article, Sanders addresses the rising interest in STEM education. He begins by discussing where the term came for and the problem with its ambiguity. He states that teaching the subjects of math, science, and technology is no novel idea; schools have been providing instruction in these subjects for decades. The innovation comes through what he introduces as “Integrative STEM Education.” Sanders states that subjects should not be taught individually, but with two or more subject areas at a time. This is already something very natural, as it is necessary to incorporate the skills and knowledge from one subject and apply them to another, but Sanders calls for this to be taken a step further and done in a more purposeful way. He goes on in this article to explain the purpose of integrative STEM and why it is a “best practice” in education. This article serves as the framework of what has shaped TCNJ’s iSTEM program in its evolution from the M/S/T program. Its focus on integration and interdisciplinary lessons can be applied not only to STEM but in all subjects as we plan our lessons as elementary school teachers.
