Holler if You Hear Me

Holler if You Hear Me

Gutmann, A. (1987). Democratic Education. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Mitchie, G. (2009). Holler If You Hear Me. New York: Teachers College Press.

By:

Caldwell, Kayleigh

Claverie, Nichole

Kimball, Xeniya

Newhouse, Reilly

Old, Stephanie

Ryals-Raass, Natalie

Sanchez, Adan

Nondiscrimination

Democratic Education

A Democratic state of education recognizes that educational authority must be shared among parents, citizens, and professional educators.

In Holler If You Hear Me, there are many short stories in each chapter that represent different examples of Democratic education. Throughout the text Michie re-tells and reflects on stories that have shaped him as an educator.

Many of the stories from Gregory Michie autobiography touch up on topic of discrimination, racial and social segregation;

• Chapter 3 of the book titled TERRIBLEHORRIBLENOGOODVERYBAD brings up a question of discrimination in public school commonly called tracking. It was not named in the described school, but it was obvious for everybody especially for the children. The class 307 was unnamed “lowest track class”. Administration of the school tried to explain the students that they are “special”, they are following a program designed “especially for them”, and they are engaged in “special” activities created just for them.
• In reality, the children were isolated from the rest of the grade: they did not change classes like other children, but spent the whole time with the same 6th grade teacher in the same self-contained classroom; they did not go on field trips with all students, but went later on alternative field trips. The teachers described those students as “stupid” and “criminals”; and students understood it - being in the 307 classroom meant to wear a label of “stupid”, “dumb”. As a result, motivation of the labeled students was destroyed: they did not try or wanted to be in school, they did not believe they can succeed, and viewed their school as miserable and humiliating place.
• As stated by Amy Gutmann “principle of nondiscrimination requires teachers to further democratic education by teaching all students according to their educational needs and abilities, rather than according to their class, race, or religion” (P.76)
• The school described in the story was violating the principle of non-discrimination by creating self-contained classroom. Those children did not receive education based on their needs and abilities, but they were separated from the other students, and denied equal access to education and equal educational opportunities.
• Nowadays many schools have tracking system, where some students take basic skills classes, Some students take advanced placement classes. Tracking is not always discriminative toward the students unable to participate in higher placement classes. In many ways tracking can be very democratic, because it provides education based on the students needs and abilities since it allows not to hold back the students who are ahead, and provides necessary support for the struggling students. But this system can be counted as non-discriminative as long as the students taking lower track classes are not self-contained and labeled, but have equal opportunity to participate in some higher track classes if they match their educational needs and skills, and other activities as the rest of the students. When lower track students end up in self-contained environment of the low track, the school has a problem of discrimination.

Democratic Professionalism

Nonrepression

According to Michie:

• While trying to break up a fight at camp between one of his “tough” students and another camper, Michie discovers that his student is having a hard time handling his sister being sick. He sees how scared this student is, and Michie is reminded that this student is still “A frightened, 12-year-old child.”(p.33)
• Balance of insolence and ossification: Miche did what he was assigned to do, but also did what was best for his students. He challenged the limits by being more creative in his approaches to student learning. He quotes, “Letting go doesn’t have to mean a loss of control. It is possible—even desirable—to step aside and let the kids take control.” (p. 13)

According to Gutmann:

• “Teachers must be sufficiently connected to their communities to understand the commitments that their students bring to school, and sufficiently detached to cultivate among their students the critical distance necessary to reconsider commitments in the face of conflicting ones.” (p. 77)
• “Understood as the degree of autonomy—or insulation from external control—necessary to fulfill the democratic functions of office, professionalism completes rather than competes with democracy.” (p.77)

Gutmann states: “To integrate the value of critical deliberation among good lives, we must defend some principled limits on political and parental authority over education... The principle of nonrepression prevents the state, and any group within it, from using education to restrict rational deliberation of competing conceptions of the good life and the good society. Nonrepression is not a principle of negative freedom. It secures freedom from interference only to the extent that it forbids using education to restrict rational deliberation or consideration of different ways of life” (1987, p.44).

Examples from Holler If You Hear Me:

• Michie is constantly giving the students ways to speak out for what they believe in society such as giving them the opportunity to hold their own court when they felt they were being discriminated against (p. 8), asking an important and inspirational author to come to their school (p.44), and writing to the head of programming at Fox (tv channel) and asking if they could incorporate people of other cultures into their programs as positive people (p.107).
• Michie realized the repression in Quincy schools (‘Though the student body at Quincy was almost entirely Mexican American, there was a sharp division among them, especially in the older grades. The English-speaking kids kept their distance from those who only spoke Spanish, like the bilingual class in Room 201. There was little interaction between the two groups” (p.80), “At home, most kids spoke Spanish; at school there was a teacher who fined them - literally, made them pay money - for every word of Spanish they uttered in class” (p.80),and “One Mexican American visitor to Quincy commented to me, ‘I didn’t even know this was a Latino school until I saw a few of the kids’ faces. Usually you see murals in the halls or cultural bulletin boards or something. But here - nada’” (p.81)). He took matters into his own hands and co-taught with another teacher (Bob) and taught the students about where they come from.
• “...many of the students seemed to feel as if they were in limbo. Not really Mexican, but truly not American, either. At school they could feel the Mexican part of themselves slipping away. Indeed, it sometimes seemed that they were being encouraged to let it go. But out on the streets, they sensed that no matter how much they changed, they would never quite be American enough. Instead of having a dual identity, many felt they had no identity at all” (p.82).
• Without their identity, they would never reach the “good life”. With school repressing their culture and their language (fining them for speaking Spanish), they are struggling. Gutmann would agree that this is against democratic education! These students were lucky to have a teacher like Mr. Michie that took the time to help them regain their sense of identity so that they can become citizens and delve deep into the good life.

Democratic Threshold

Democratic Threshold: Level of knowledge, skills, dispositions and values necessary to effectively engage in democratic deliberation within a society

Gutmann:

“…teachers must be sufficiently connected to their communities to understand the commitments that their students bring to school, and sufficiently detached to cultivate among their students the critical distance necessary to reconsider commitments in the face of conflicting ones” (p. 77).

Michie demonstrates the act of democratic deliberation through:

Having students evaluate popular shows (i.e. Jerry Springer) that the students watch for entertainment purposes and have them evaluate the stereotypes (racial, gender, etc.) the shows perpetuated.

• “While tabloid talk shows such as Ricki Lake and reality-based shows such as Cops may seem to offer little of value to children, they are loaded with dubious underlying themes and skewed social commentary that beg a debriefing-and whether we like it or not, many kids watch them” (Michie, 1999, pg. 95).

Michie applies the concept of democratic threshold throughout his entire story with each individual students.

“A big part of what I wanted to convey is that teachers need to see their students-as well as their students’ families and communities- as fully as possible, recognizing and valuing their assets (197)”

Michie believes in giving every student access to a sufficient education to adequately participate in the democratic process

Michie teaches small intervention classes to fill gaps to help students reach the democratic threshold

In response to a double murder charges against a young student in the Chicago Public Schools, Michie stated “What can we do about it? (190)” Within 6 months, Michie assisted a neighborhood priest in opening an alternative school, giving students options to reach the democratic threshold.

Michie adapted the book The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, for his intervention students to help them learn and grasp the necessary concepts in the book. Michie states “I had an idea: My pullout students might grasp more of the book’s subtle charms if it was read to them(62).”

About the Author:

Democratic Deliberation

Synopsis

Gregory Michie grew up In Charlotte, North Carolina, He attended the university of North Carolina and graduated with BA in Mass Communications with aspirations of becoming a independent filmmaker. Michie then worked for CNN until finally deciding on moving to Chicago. There began his journey into education. After accepting a position to run an after school program in a neighborhood in Chicago, his interest been to grow in education. This is where he decided he wanted to become a teacher. He then enrolled as a substitute teacher, after a few weeks subbing he was offered a full time position. Through a span of over 7 years in Chicago public schools, Michie had to overcome hurdles to become the educator he is today. After 9 years of teaching, Michie furthered his education and now supervises student teachers in Chicago.

Gregory Michie writes about his experiences as an educator in Chicago urban public schools from 1990 through 1999. Holler If You Hear Me is Michie’s personal narrative of his encounters with students in poor urban schools in Chicago are tied to specific issues in education and society. Michie’s book is focused solely on his educational career, leaving you to wonder what is happening outside of school. Through his book you relive both his and students’ experiences that include important issues in education and society. Each chapter focuses on a specific issue, but incorporates his personal encounter of a specific student that pertains to that certain issue. A few examples of these issues include poverty, gangs, authority, resources, and breaking the law. With each issue and student, Michie brings you into his classroom feeling his triumphs, his influences, and disappointments through each chapter’s story, leaving you connected with his students and also connecting your own personal experiences. Michie provides prime examples of how he has changed as an educator throughout the book, through the influences of his students. He admits his mistakes, vents his frustration, and provides exemplary success stories in poor urban schools. He never loses hope in his students and continues to advocate for them. This book is a great read for all teachers because it depicts the journey that we are on or soon or will be on.