Friday Reflections

     I work in a suburban school. Does that mean that it is "beneath urban?"   I would prefer to think that suburban means that it is in that fuzzy area between city and country. These are assuredly,  kids who reflect much of society today.  They live in between. These are not city kids, but neither are they kids who run around barefoot in fields of green.  They do not take city busses, yet many do not ride school busses, either.  These are students who ride bikes, walk, get dropped off and some do catch the school bus. When they arrive at school, they become part of a melange of young teens.  As I read about urban learners, I consistently see my students in these stories.  Although, many do not live in the same circumstances as some of the students in these articles, many are victims of the same stereotypes and perceptions as those that live in the corridors of the cities. 
     In suburban schools, minority students are still disproportionately labeled as being learning disabled.  These same students have higher rates of discipline referals.  The same conversations about race that are taking place in urban venues need to be taking place in suburban schools as well.  I see students in my school who feel disconnected to the mainstream; there are those who feel they are "selling out" if they yearn to be high-achieving.  Unlike the small school programs that seem to work well for urban youth, in a suburban school like mine, there is little peer pressure to achieve for many suburban minority students and few male role models.  It occured to me that suburban minority youth may sometimes feel more disconnected than some of their urban counterparts because they are not part of the cultural mainstream of the school. As teachers in suburban schools, how do we create learning environments that embrace these students without seeming to single them out?  Building confidence in our students, whatever their cultural background is critical. Whether urban or suburban, all students need to know that they can become engaged in their learning.  These are the challenges facing us.  We can learn much from urban teachers - and perhaps they can also learn from us.