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The American Struggle Over Slavery,
A Sacred Effort Towards Tolerance, Goodness, and Justice
Introduction
More often
than not, the discussion of education and its worth is relegated to the cognitive realm
and the specific disciplines within the academic classroom.
Yet, I believe that education has higher goals and far broader perspectives than
merely engaging the cognitive aspect of our beings. Education
should impact our motivations, morals, values, and our social and emotional practices.
I have a dream |
As educators we have
both a historical invitation and a moral obligation to motivate students and compel them
to think responsibly about themselves, others, and the world at large. Our methods for engaging students are numerous and
therefore, not limited to the following: dialogue,
reflection, creativity, artistic expression, imagination, and writings.
The content for this
curriculum unit will guide us through the efforts of our nation’s 16th
president and the struggle for tolerance, goodness, and justice in the light of slavery. The express intention of this curriculum unit is
for students to gain a deeper understanding of the sequences and events as Lincoln helped
lead the American struggle over slavery. In
the process of our historical exploration, student’s personal, social, and emotional
values will be challenged and hopefully, impacted for greater good and broader tolerance,
which esteem peace and cooperation.
This historical overview has personal significance for me since I, and generations of my family before me, hail from the South (the primary states being Tennessee, Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi). The struggle for slavery found root in a total of eleven states. Furthermore, oral and cultural traditions have been passed down over the centuries since we became a nation, and continue to this day.
Academic Setting
I am a teacher at Taylor Middle School. Our school demographics range from lower fixed income to middle and upper-middle incomes. There are 585 students attending Taylor. The student population is as follows: 292 Hispanic students, 262 Anglo students, 23 Native Americans, 5 Asian Americans, and 3 African Americans. In addition, 39% of the student body receives either free or reduced lunch.
I teach a “D”
level self-contained class of emotionally/behaviorally-disturbed students, which is the
audience focused on in this curriculum unit. Heretofore,
behaviorally disordered students were included under the grouping of emotionally disturbed
students. However, recent (2000) special
education qualification standards now
prevent students who only exhibit behavior disorders from qualifying for special education
services. Since the revision, students with
behavior disorders who had been receiving special education services are simply
grandfathered in under the new standards. All
of my current students have been receiving special education services for their
disabilities since early or middle elementary school.
The
above revision of who qualifies for special education services is an important
distinction. A simplified definition for
behaviorally disturbed students would be children who, in many respects, are socially
maladjusted; i.e. a current and/or future juvenile delinquent. The term emotional disturbance does not apply to
children who are socially maladjusted. Rather,
these children tend to be more fragile, usually develop various physical symptoms
associated with interpersonal relationships and/or school problems, as well as exhibit
inappropriate behaviors, which have marked effects upon satisfactory school performance.
The
young men and women in my class are middle school students and come from all three
grade-levels. They are classified as having
emotional/behavior disorders and many also have learning disabilities as well. As mentioned earlier, all of my students have been
receiving special education services since the second or third grades. The abilities in my students range from a second
grade level to a tenth grade level in reading and reading comprehension.
Socio-economic
Setting
Culturally, the students I work with are from the three major backgrounds in New Mexico – Hispanic, Anglo-American, and Native American. In regards to gender, I teach a have a mixed class, both male and female. Socio-economically, several of my students are on a free lunch program along with Medicaid services; a few are from lower middle income families and one is from an upper middle income family. As you can readily ascertain, my students are a microcosm of the diversity we find in our state. This diversity brings both challenges and at the same time, a varied richness.
Background
Regarding Classroom Management Beliefs
Any
system of behavior enhancement entails beliefs regarding classroom management. I’m discovering in quick fashion that
classroom management is the soil from which all seeds of decent and effective
instruction/modeling can grow. I believe in
clear, meaningful standards of behavior and natural consequences for disregard or
violation of those standards. I believe that
standards or norms need to be of significant import and not a merely contrived set of
norms or trivial rules. In addition, the
consequences need to be specific, without bias and delivered contingently.
While the clear standards and firm consequences are two primary and necessary ingredients for a highly motivated and academically achieving classroom, they are not the only ingredients. I believe that acceptance, respect, empathy, caring, active listening, and forgiveness accompanied with a fresh start are necessary in the classroom. Tolerance, goodness, and justice need to be observed in how I conduct myself as a teacher and the manner in which I lead the class. I agree that without standards or consequences you invite chaos, likewise, without empathy and caring you inflict needless pain and set a poor example.
Current
Classroom Setup
I teach
6th, 7th, and 8th grade EBD students in a specially built
room located in the main building. This has
turned out to be a great classroom environment for the educational assistant, the
students, and me. In order to minimize
disruptions and frustrations while I am teaching, I will walk around the room or sit on a
bar stool in front of the class. I rarely
sit behind my desk. When we use the group
table for a project, I am either standing or sitting at the table with the students. Regarding the individual trapezoid tables for the
students, I have changed the seating arrangement numerous times. Those with behavior difficulties sit closer to
the front and those who have done well have the chance to sit in the back. If disruptions or frustrations arise, then I
either glance over in the direction of the student so that we make eye contact or I merely
disregard the disruption and see if it will subside.
Other times I will verbally acknowledge the student and ask him to cease whatever
he is doing. If all my efforts fail, I go to
plan “B.”
Located on our campus are bleachers,
football and baseball fields, and a track which circles around the gridiron. This is great for me because students and I take a
walk around the track if they need time to cool off or just need an opportunity to work
large muscle groups and expand their lungs. They
have no idea this is what I am doing - - they
merely think they get a chance to go around the track and that is great for them. In our room we do have a place for “time
out.” I rarely use it because I much
prefer the student sitting outside on the bleachers or taking a walk on the track with an
E.A. or myself -- -- something to get them out of the room, breath in some fresh air, take
in the immense sky and work off some tension. Obviously,
when we have inclement weather then I have to utilize another alternative. 
Classroom
Management and the Facilitation of My Goals
Classroom
management is the soil that the seeds of teaching need in order to bear good fruit in due
season. As previously stated, students need
the greater portion of each day devoted towards being academically engaged -- they need to
be focused.
Secondly,
I need to be proactive in that students’ seating arrangements need to be conducive to
the classroom functioning with the least amount of contrived disruption. This entails not just good seating arrangement,
but also me walking around the classroom and monitoring the student’s behavior and
all the while, providing subtle reinforcements.
Being
a teacher is challenging and requires immense courage.
And being a teacher of emotionally/behaviorally challenged students is a very
daunting role! Most of my days are filled
with the adage, “two steps forward, three steps (sometimes 5 –7 steps)
back.” Yet, I am finding that as I am
firm in my expectations and fair in meting out rewards and natural consequences, that when
I am respectful in approach taken and caring in my attitude, and that when I am consistent
in resolve coupled with a willingness to actively listen, I experience those golden apples
affectionately called, “teachable moments.”
And those priceless moments occur with increasing impact and greater frequency! In my mind and heart this is a winning combination
in that I am better able to reach out and influence for the better both the minds
(academics) and hearts (social/emotional levels of tolerance / goodness / justice) of
these young people.
Problem Solving and
Interpersonal Skills
The most current school
reform movements require that educators help develop and instill in all students –
including those with disabilities and those “at risk” of school failure –
the ability to think and respond critically and creatively, cooperation, problem solving
skills, and interpersonal skills.
Tolerance, flexibility, values, and social skills are the bedrock upon which our
children’s destinies are highly dependent. Attending
to both the intellectual and moral growth of our youth equips them with the skills and
values they need in order to be successful citizens in communities and society at large. How educational environments choose to meet the
above goals vary across school systems. Some
districts rely heavily upon therapeutic interventions of psychologists and social workers
in order to affect the moral and social values of our youth. Other school districts use curriculum specifically
designed for teaching self-determination and social skills building. This is most often witnessed in transition
programs for high school students. What
follows is a brief two-fold discussion of these two approaches. First, I discuss a relationship-oriented therapy,
existentialism, and secondly, I introduce research on self-determination/social skills
building.
Context and Background
Tolerance and the Use of Existentialism as a Relationship Oriented Therapy
In America, two persons
have spearheaded the existential movement, Rollo May and Irvin Yalom. Like all other therapies, existentialism is the
study of human existence. May (1958) defines
existentialism as “the endeavor to understand man by cutting below the cleavage
between subject and object” (11). In
another writing, he stated that “Existentialism means centering upon the existing
person; it is the emphasis on the human being as he is emerging, becoming” (May 1960,
16).
Several viewpoints
exist concerning the beginnings of existentialism. Hall
and Lindzey (1978), state that during World War II, existentialism “was born out of
the French resistance to the German occupation, and its two most articulate spokesmen were
Jean Paul Sartre and Albert Camus” (311). Generally
speaking, this view is well accepted.
Developments within
existentialism were greatly influenced by earlier writers and philosophers. The list of persons include “such figures as
Fedor Dostoevski, Soren Kierkegaard, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Martin Buber” (Corey 1986,
74). By the twentieth century the list was
expanded to include such notables as “Jaspers, Kafka, Marcel, Merlean-Ponty, and
Tillich (Hall & Lindzey 1978, 312). These
persons descend from a variety of cultures, representing the Soviet Republic, Germany,
France, and Israel.
Choices are always before people, especially in regard to what they become. “As Sartre (1971) put it, our existence is a
given, but we do not have a fixed identity or a settled essence” (qtd. in Corey,
1982, 69). This brings us to the often
discussed issue of freedom and responsibility. Frankl
(1963) recognizes the vast amount of freedom which individuals have; but, more than any
other individual, he accentuates the responsibility that comes with freedom. He writes that “life ultimately means taking
the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which
it constantly sets for each individual” (Frankl 1963, 122).
Existentialism, and most all therapeutic interventions, encourages people to take
the initiative and choose what they will become, to know one’s self, and relate to
others in a meaningful manner. The children
and youth of our nation need any and all assistance so they can adapt, find themselves and
continue to discover, grow, mature and become productive citizens in their communities.
The freedom to make the
above choices and the responsibilities that come with making or not making such choices
are the risks and opportunities that lie before our children and youth. Therapeutic counseling or psychotherapy
interventions are but one avenue. However,
Horner & Sugai (2000) state that, “reviews of over 600 studies on how to reduce
school discipline problems indicate that the least effective response to school violence
are: counseling, psychotherapy, and
punishment.”(231). Therefore, it is
possible that counseling interventions are the least effective means through which the
educational community can best assist our youth. In
the following section I discuss self-determination and social skills training.
Self-Determination &
Social Skills Training / Alternatives to Counseling
All people, regardless of
their age or degree of knowledge, use self-determination skills, in one form or another. Self-determination is defined as,
an individual’s
awareness of personal strengths and weaknesses,
From a psychological
perspective, the research of Deci (1980) validates the use of self-determination from the
organismic theoretical perspective. Included
within the organismic research are the following components which follow this project:
motivation, environmental input from others, awareness of wants and needs, goal setting,
decision making, self-evaluation, and extrinsic rewards.
Social learning research done by Bandura (1972) and Goldstein (1988) suggest a set
of skills needed for success. The skills they
emphasized are motivation and personal/social competence in personal interactions and
experiences. Goldstein (1988) also emphasized
problem solving and cooperation as necessary skills for success.
From a cognitive
perspective, Ellis (1977), and Feindler & Ecton (1986) proposed similar skills as
listed above. Of particular interest in my
project, the above cognitive researchers stressed the need for motivation and problem
solving skills. I consider these skills to be
part of self-evaluation and self-direction.
Researchers such
as Watson and Tharpe (1993), highly recommend the use of self-direction and
self-management skills in order for people to be successful. Watson and Tharpe (1993) are behavior analytic
researchers and as such they promote the use of problem solving, decision-making, and
self-knowledge skills. Serna and Lau-Smith
(1995), have interpreted these attributes as self-evaluation skills. The last area, as discussed by Serna and several
of her colleagues (1991), is the need for social skills and interpersonal communication
skills.
According to studies sighted by E. Lakin Phillips (1985) “long term therapy has never been cost-effective, whereas brief therapy with its emphasis on social interaction, rather than intropsychic processes, has been relatively cost effective” (4). Social competence enhances one’s ability to be proactive and pro-social. Prior to studies done in the mid to late 1930’s, most people assumed that social skills were “fixed traits” and therefore, were more genetically bound (Phillips, 1985, 9). This having been proven erroneous, experts such as Phillips (1985) believe that school systems are “prime targets for social skills training” (14). Phillips (1985) also states that “in some research, social skills training had a more positive effect on clients than did either individual or group psychotherapy” (15).
In addition, the “U.S. Department of Education has identified self-determination as a critical outcome for youth with disabilities” (Wehmeyer 1985, 18). And Halloran (1993) pointed out that the transition services requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (PL 101-476), identifies self-determination as the “ultimate goal of education” (214). Self-determined behavior includes, but is not limited to, the following elements proposed by Wehmeyer (1985, 27) -- choice making, decision making, problem solving, goal setting and attainment, self-observation, evaluation, and reinforcement, internal locus of control, positive attributions of efficacy and outcome expectancy, self-awareness, and self-knowledge. Social competence is part of the larger picture of a holistic wellness program and ultimately, the promotion of self-determination, and social competence is about dignity and respect of persons” (Wehmeyer 1985, 33).
Research from social learning theory supports the fact that “social skills, anger control, moral development, problem solving, empathy skills, and cooperation with others are important for adolescent success (Goldstein, 1988). In conclusion, a wide array of literature from numerous experts in the field such as Serna, Schumaker, Sherman, and Sheldon (1991), Watson & Tharp (1993) all support social skills building as being necessary and important for adolescents to succeed in personal interactions, social settings and life experiences in family and community.
Rationale for a Study of Tolerance, Goodness, and Justice
The impetus for this study occurred as a result of my reading
Howard Gardner’s book, The Disciplined Mind: Beyond Facts and Standardized Tests,
The K-12 Education That Every Child Deserves (2000).
Gardner revolutionized the thinking of the educational community with his
theory of multiple intelligences. In The
Disciplined Mind (2000), Gardner believes “that people are better able to chart
their life course and make life decisions when they know how others have dealt with
pressures and dilemmas – historically, contemporaneously, and in works of art”
(18). Gardner (2000) states that there are
three content areas that require focused and in-depth concentration and that these
characterize good education. Those areas are,
the realm of truth – and its underside, what is false or indeterminable. There is the realm of beauty – and its
absence in experiences or objects that are ugly or kitschy.
And there is the realm of morality – what we consider to be good, and
what we consider to be evil (16
