Short Hiatus

After a short hiatus from teaching, I am back in the groove of things teaching summer school in Southwest Detroit. I teach at the Academy of the Americas, a truly unique school that allows students to embrace the advantage of being bilingual... And I am not just talking about kids who speak Spanish at home. These kids take Spanish all the way through 8th grade. They read, write and speak in both languages. The school is amazing at incorporating Spanish into the curriculum. The kids receive instruction in both languages in all subjects, alternating by year. And just like native English speakers take English class, the students must also take Spanish all the way through 8th grade, when the students must leave the academy and move onto high school.

Because of my white skin and freckle face, all the kids associate me with English, many not knowing I could understand their conversations until much later in the week. When they do find out I speak Spanish, they test me, to see if I really know it, or if I can ask directions to the library, or order Taco Bell.

English is very much the language of official business to the kids in class. For the most part, the students talk to the other teacher, me, and each other in English, with the exception of the few that don't feel comfortable in their English skills, or when they don't want the teacher to understand them. Most throughly embrace their ability to speak both languages throughly, and "play" with Spanglish on occasion... One boy is experiencing culture rejection, and refuses to speak Spanish. Its very sad to see it, because it's his heritage, and it's his culture, but right now he doesn't see any value in it. He understands it throughly, but will not speak it, always responding in English. I believe he speaks Spanish at home, but in school, not one word of Spanish crosses his lips.

MRULE culminates itself in this urban classroom. The boys in class get much more attention than the girls, because they are loud, get out of their seats and are clearly off task. Unfortunately, its easy to ignore the girls, even those that really need extra help... Because they are quiet, can copy off each other, and usually stay in their seats. I have talked to one student in particular about using the word "A-rab"... And brought to his attention the fact that he doesn't like to hear others call him other racial names or he hears political campaigns stating that "Mexicans should just go home" He saw my point. And we decided that they are cool Arabs, Latinos, White, and Black people. And un-cool ones of each as well.

The girls tell me they don't feel comfortable around people that aren't their race. What? I don't feel comfortable around people who aren't of my culture. AH.. even 12 year olds know better than to pull out the race card. Outside on the playground, one little girl asks me to take off my sunglasses to see my eyes. What color are they? Are they blue???? And it was quite a disappointment I saw in her eyes when she looked up to me and saw the color of her own eyes. Brown. "I like blue eyes, they are pretty" The Bluest Eye is a story of reality. Even in 2007. Thank you Toni Morrison.


I have had the experience of teaching this week, and its been a struggle, but a lot of fun. The kids are great, but they will test you, and they want you to know that they will respect you only when you respect them. These kids are so real. They know they are growing up in one of the worst parts of Detroit, and they don't hide it. They have grown up way before their time and simply have experienced a lot in the 12 years of their lives. Most experience hunger on a regular occasion, most hear bullets at night, and a lot of my kids don't even need to be in summer school... But come anyway to be safe and stay off the streets. All the kids personally know family and friends in jail and gangs, and the entire school is still recovering from the loss of 8th grader in gang violence.

My short week has been very interesting and I have really learned a lot. I don't suspect coming out the same teacher I was at the beginning of this fellowship.
Each day when I drive home, I pray that my kids make it home safely, and that thank God for what I've got. Because once you've seen what others have, you couldn't possibly be so ungrateful. My kids haven't seen houses the size of mine beside the houses they see on TV and in movies.

And here is my final words from a student about Jamestown:

"The problem with Jamestown was that it didn't have any cash money."

And another little one that was saying goodbye:

Yo, see ya later teach!

The weekends are bittersweet, its nice to not have the drive down, but the nervousness I carry when I don't know what my kids are up to and if they are in trouble, I just hope these kids all make it through their weekends safe and healthy. Because I couldn't ask for anything else. For these kids, the weekends are long.