If your curriculum doesn’t address these five areas, it does not address the psychosocial reality Black boys and men face. Whether they acknowledge it or not.
To address some of these areas, you need more than a teacher. You need more than a therapist. You need an environment free from the constraints that traditional schooling bestows upon Black boys.
We have to expand what we see as education for our community. It is not normal for Black boys to grow up and think it’s okay to kill someone that looks like them. That is a sickness. It’s even less typical to kill the Black men in the community that are difference makers.
Your check-ins need to be more than just icebreakers. For example, how does your Language Arts Curriculum address Hopelessness? When was the last time we discussed Hostility in math class? How often do we stop everything and take a stress break in Science?
At what point in high school do we train students to be skilled and accredited in areas usually reserved for vocational schools?
Teachers should discuss these things daily if they are working with Black boys. No matter how it appears in the classroom and curriculum, there must be a constant effort to address these five areas positively.
How do we reduce the stress our young Black men experience?
How can we create less hostile environments for our young Black men?
How much does it cost to ensure young Black men can see a therapist that looks like them?
How can we get young Black men to see there are opportunities out here for them?
How can we create more jobs for our young Black men?
We need to continue to teach young Black men that they can create their jobs and produce their products.
The last question that comes to mind is, how does that look in your traditional school setting in all-inclusive environments?
Thoughts Processed 