It is one thing to disarm and quite another to teach. The disarmed Black male must be taught with the idea that within him are still those hurts and neglects society has imprinted him with. That is the frame of reference from which he comes and the frame of reference an intelligent teacher must keep in mind.

With that said, there is an effective method that can be used to motivate the student who is now partially ready to learn. Motivation is the next step before teaching. Much teaching has occurred in many classrooms without much learning accompanying it.

These students are new to the idea of concept manipulation, and they must first see the value of idea processing, what it is and what it is not. Second, the value of idea processing must also be exalted along with its relevance to them. Years ago, Dr. Kenneth Clark talked about the need for relevance with certain Black students. He later modified that, saying that relevance has to given in measure. It is a measure still needed and needs to be given in a certain way.

Behavior Modeling:
"Your words may be wise and true, but I'd rather get my lessons from the things I see you do." So it is with all students--we learn primarily by imitation. So there must be a model of the behavior we want a student to imitate. Young people are very imitative by nature.

There are two important aspects of imitation that should be considered: remove, as much as possible, students from the power of negative peer pressure, and model the right behavior desired of students.

Although some students seem as if they do not respect adult authority, the reverse is really true. However, to make valid that authority, the teacher must be the paragon. An English professor cannot be a model without exhibiting correct usage in speech and in writing. Once students see those traits they will trust a teacher enough that he/she may impart those traits to them. Of course, departures from Standard English can be used to demonstrate points.

The teacher must write essays, read complex thoughts aloud to them, analyze essays and demonstrate analysis so they can see where that teacher is trying to take them and that he/she has arrived there already. This behavior modeling is very important.

Receivable Teaching:
All people have dignity; sometimes they think it is all they have, so if students are to be taught, they must be taught in a way that they will learn without lowering their dignity. Demeaning teaching is out. To teach a child or an adult in a way that he/she must humble himself or herself too low to receive the teaching is to harm his/her learning.

Demeaning teaching is teaching that holds students up to ridicule and makes them feel dumb or not as smart as they should be for their station in life; it is teaching that is too complex for their understanding; it is pedantic teaching--which is teaching for the purposes of showing the students how much they lack and how much the teacher knows.

Receivable teaching must take place in the same manner a teacher would receive it. Since the teacher is one of dignity and intelligence, so must he/she assume the dignity of his/her pupil. A teacher must humble him/herself and show the student that he/she has walked his/her road, and if the teacher can walk it, so can the student.

In other words, for these students, a teacher must show him/herself to have been where they are, if that teacher is to bid them come to where he/she is now. Each step of their road, they must be pushed and pulled along with respect. Learning for them is the first time hiker's road: hard and guided, with all of the needed incentives to keep them hiking. []

7.25.05 Republished

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