Last night I was watching Gangland on The History Channel and they were talking about the concept of blood in, blood out.  In certain gangs, the only way to get in is to take a life.  The only way to get out is to give up yours.

It got me thinking.  How much do we require of our students to be part of the "accepted gang" in our classrooms?  And why?

The traditional paradigm is that respect (attention, love) must be earned.   We ask students to prove themselves over and over again so that they can be part of the approved group.  How must they prove themselves?  Take your pick:

completing homework
handing in assignments
working quietly in class
not interrupting instruction
coming prepared to class
not chewing gum
not complaining/whining
coming in after school
going the "extra mile" on projects
doing extra credit
arriving on time to class
not being absent
achieving high grades on tests
thanking the teacher
complimenting the teacher
having an organized notebook
raising his hand before volunteering
volunteering often
having right answers when volunteering
helping others
not copying/cheating
etc.

These tasks are not as hard for students who have been raised in a financially stable home that honors education and provides time, materials, guidance and instruction about how to be successful in school.  They are also easier if the student is physically healthy, emotionally strong and cognitively mature.

These tasks make great sense to students who have been exposed to, and have benefitted from positive experiences in delayed gratification.

But what about the  students who come from homes that don't have the extra money for a computer, where mom and dad both work to pay the bills, where the student takes care of his/her siblings until 8 at night, where the student's job at the supermarket pays the electric bill?  

What about students who are shy, who suffer from anxiety or depression, who don't take vitamins and get fresh air, who don't get physically close to anyone because they know that their clothes aren't clean, who didn't have paper at home to do the assignment?

What about the students who have to stay home with siblings so mom can work, who have been taught to be seen and not heard, who get slapped for interrupting at home or who don't want the eyes of other students to peer at them too closely?

How much do they have to give up....and did they even have it to begin with....to be included in the special group of respected students?

Why can't they just be themselves? 
Why are we assigning projects that kids with the money for stickers and bells and whistles will get A's on....but that kids who don't own crayons will fail?
Why are we evaluating based on what they can give....rather than what they have learned/acquired?

It's something to think about. 

with love,
Laurie