Group 5 Discussion

1)    How can we be more like the teachers at Harper High School, who are able to support and motivate their students despite the high mortality rate, the violence of gangs, and everything else that is going on in their lives?

2)    In light of the problems involving street gangs and cliques, how can we maintain schools as a safe haven and a place that is free of violence?  If we cannot get rid of gangs, how do we make these gangs like those at Harper High School and the Hallway Hangers into gangs more like the Brothers in Ain’t No Makin’ It?  If we can hope for the “fairy tale”, how do we help break the systems of gangs and allow children to be more like “neutrons”, who can choose their own friend, not be involved in violence, and feel comfortable enough to walk by themselves?

3)    Crystal Smith, a social worker, alternates between speaking about lighter and darker subjects with Devonte, who accidentally shot his younger brother, in order to help him open up.  She also talks to his mother.  How can we help our own students get through their own traumatic experiences, whether they are personal or more general?  How do we help them achieve some degree of normalcy at school if they cannot find it at home?

4)    How do we help students stay focused on their academics and their extracurricular activities despite everything else that is going on in their life?  How do we help students enjoy “normal high school activities”?

5)    As a teacher, how do you deal with the fear that a traumatic event is ultimately going to happen, but you cannot prevent it?