Group 4 Questions: Harper

1. Much of the program focused on what was being done outside the classroom to help support students work through emotional issues and gang violence. I was curious what the Harper teachers were doing inside the classroom to support their students. (We only got a glimpse of one teacher who kicked a student out for taking two cookies). What can we do as classroom teachers to help our students through emotional trauma while also covering the course material? I think of this particularly in light of last week's Boston Marathon bombings and the traumatic lockdown on Friday. Thankfully, we weren't in school but how do we address such events now that we are back? There was a frantic conversation among teachers Monday morning as to how they were going to address last week in our classes. The administration didn’t provide any clear direction for us. Should they have? I realize in writing this question how lucky I am that I have only been forced to grapple with this issue once in my teaching career when the Harper community has to address violence numerous times throughout the school year.

2. It was amazing to me how much the staff-Principal Sanders, Crystal Smith, Anita Stewart, and others--knew of Harper knew about their students outside of school. How do you get to know your students at the beginning of the school year? How much would you be able to tell about their outside lives at this point in the school year? Has this article changed your perception of how much you should know about your students’ lives outside of school?

3. Before the football and homecoming dance, Principal Sanders was "disappointed that more Harper staff d[idn’t] agree to stay late to act as security." Do you think this is fair of Principal Sanders? To what extent are/should teachers be responsible for their students outside of the classroom, particularly in dangerous neighborhoods like Harper when they have families of their own (like Anita)?

4. My worry is for the students once they leave Harper where they get incredible support and encouragement from the staff. Further, I was overwhelmed by the cycle of violence that has been repeated in the neighborhood for over twenty years (and probably more) according to the book There Are No Children Here. How does a society break this cycle of violence which is affecting children as young as 10? How can kids get out of this neighborhood where they are automatically placed in a gang based on the street they live on? What do WE do now that we have listened to this program and know what is happening in schools like Harper in Chicago and around the country. I think of bell hooks’ call for engagement and activism.