Frame of Reference

As a student and maturing adult, I have honestly never given much thought to what I believed urban areas to be like. It was not until given the assignment to write my own frame of reference regarding this concept that I actually did sit down and think about it. The more I thought about it and made a list of what came to mind, the more I began to wonder where such thoughts, ideas, and feelings came from. I usually do not pay attention to stereotypes, but did I really think these things? If so, what influenced these ideas? More importantly, how would they influence my interactions with the particular individuals I would encounter in urban communities and schools?

So what exactly did I believe about urban areas? To start with, urban communities always seem to be located in or around big cities. These areas are run-down and dirty, and graffiti runs rampant. Most of the population that lives in these communities consists of mainly non-Caucasian, low-income, and often times “broken”, families. The schools in these communities are severely under-funded, and lack the most basic school supplies and resources, such as textbooks and elective courses. These schools also have high-drop out rates and conflict is everywhere. The teachers in urban schools need to be tough and firm in their discipline, and recognize that a conventional method of teaching in a lot of cases does not work for the students in urban areas, and educators must resort to unconventional and creative methods instead. However, some teachers are only there for the increase in the pay scale. The students are apathetic about their education, being mainly concerned with their lives outside of the classroom. Many are involved in gang activity, and many females deal with teenage pregnancy and motherhood. It also appears that students in urban schools resent teachers in the classroom and feel a need to establish a sense of dominance and superiority.

But where did these ideas originate, for they were certainly not created on my own. In reality, they are years in the making and have been shaped by a couple of external factors. The most obvious influence would be that of my surroundings as I was growing up. I was born and raised in Orlando, Florida and lived there for the first twenty-four years of my life. I knew early on that Orlando’s urban communities paled in comparison to those of other cities in the country, particularly Compton, Philadelphia, Newark, Atlanta, and the New York City boroughs of the Bronx and Queens, but they were still areas that should be avoided if possible. In Orlando, there was Paramore, which was located in the western part of downtown, and there was Oakridge, located just outside of the city limits to the southwest. Entering into these areas was like entering a different world. Many houses were in need of serious repair, whether or not they were occupied or vacant. Lawns were rarely mowed. Buildings were boarded up or condemned everywhere you looked, assuming they were not collapsing. People were always roaming the streets or sitting on their porches, seemingly with no agenda. Most were either African-American or Hispanic. The schools in these areas were known to be rough, and the majority of the student population attended Jones, Evans, or Oakridge High School. Some of my peers who lived within the aforementioned school districts would purposely enroll in magnet programs at other high schools in the Orange County school district, just so they would not have to attend one of those three…even if they had no real interest in that magnet program’s area of study. Sadly, as far as my peers and I were concerned (based on our already formed “urban” notions) the only good things that came out of any of those high schools were a good half-time show by their marching band and a few good athletes, but certainly nothing involving academics.

Another factor that assisted in shaping my perceptions on urban areas was that of popular culture, specifically movies. I came into contact with a few movies at one of my most impressionable ages (approximately ages thirteen to fifteen) that had major influences on what I would come to view as “urban”. Those movies were Dangerous Minds, Sister Act 2, and Save the Last Dance. Although the storylines of those three movies were all different, collectively they helped set the tone. In all three, the main character, a single female, was thrust into an urban community and school, to encounter urban life. The other students at these schools were mostly non-Caucasian, apathetic, and seemed to have more important things to worry about other than school and being a successful student. Some were involved with gangs and had to worry about staying alive. Some female students were pregnant or were already teenage mothers, who had to worry about who would be able to watch their children while they were at school. Some had to work for a living in order to survive or help their struggling families. The presence of many types of conflicts were also addressed in these films: teacher versus administration and colleagues, teacher versus student, teacher versus parent, student versus parent, and student versus student. The fact that these movies were set in different parts of the country (west coast, southwest, and east coast), in different types of schools (public and private), and the difference in the main characters (one is a Caucasian student, one is a Caucasian who is a former Marine, and the third is an African-American who is a former entertainer) told me that it does not matter where you are, who or what you are, or what you used to be, this is what an urban school is and this is what urban students are like.

Based on my beliefs and how they were shaped, I can only assume how I may interact with the teachers and students I will be working with. I am sure that I will proceed with caution and curiosity. I know that stereotypes are more often wrong than not. I will not know student’s circumstances, at least not at first, surrounding their lives outside of the classroom, and how that influences their learning ability and education. I will want to take great care in how I deal with students, trying my best not to offend anyone, and I will want to try and gain a sense of what each student faces when they exit the classroom at the end of the day. In regards to teachers, I will be curious to know their motive for teaching in an urban school. Is it because they actually want to have an impact on these students’ lives, or is it just because the pay is better? I will also be curious to know how they structure their lesson plans to accommodate their students’ needs.

When structuring my own classroom and thinking about how these assumptions will relate to the type of professional I hope to be, I will need to keep a few things in mind. I will need to be aware that my class is full of diversity. Each student is different and each student’s circumstances are different. They will come from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and perhaps English is their secondary language and not spoken at home. Students will have different levels and types of literacies, and will come from different financial backgrounds. With these things in mind, I will need to be understanding and flexible as an educator. If I believe a student to be struggling, or one that needs a little extra help, I need to be willing to make adjustments for them. I will also need to understand that things come up in life that cannot be controlled, and a student may need an extra day to turn something in. I want students to know that they do not have to fall victim to a self-fulfilling prophecy.

It is only through self-examination that I was able to realize my beliefs about urban communities, schools, teachers, and students, and where these beliefs originated. It is due to a combination of my own life experiences and popular culture, and I need to take the time to restructure these beliefs, for they are in fact assumptions. Only by doing so will I be capable of interacting effectively with the teachers and students I will encounter in urban areas, obtain a broader scope of what these individuals face on a daily basis, and better prepare myself as a future educator.