Critical Pedagogy in an Urgan High School English Classroom

I was inspired while reading, “Critical Pedagogy in an Urban High School English Classroom,” by Jeff Duncan-Andrade and Ernest Morrell. I appreciated how they agree with the practices of critical pedagogy, but also understand that their students would be required to take standardized tests and those would hold weight in their future. So while they hoped to build on knowledge their students would already bring to the classroom, there were certain benchmarks students would have to reach. They wanted students to become critical thinkers in all aspects of life and not just become “slaves” to a different ideology.

One of the themes that resonated with me was the Savage Inequalities in Urban Schools section. Duncan-Andrade and Morrell say the book focuses on the drastic differences in schools across the country. They say the book shows there is not only an inequality between well-funded and urban poor schools, but “they are in many cases inadequate and physically and psychologically unhealthy places for anyone’s children to be,” (12). I thought it was a really great teaching method to pair a book like Savage Inequalities with a one of overcoming obstacles, like Stand and Deliver. I thought it was interesting that they wanted students to not only understand that the school system isn’t equal, but to also think critically about that and apply it to their lives.

The authors went on to explain that the school they were teaching in was similar to the schools described in Savage Inequalities, with no heat in the winter, carpet falling apart, and a single computer that was almost unusable. While reading, I tried to picture what this school would look like, how it would inspire students to work hard and want to be there, and how they could succeed. It just seems like everything is working against them and in a situation like that, failing is an outcome even if a student works hard.

I think it was necessary to include Stand and Deliver in the unit so students could understand the harsh realities of the world they lived in, but also understand that they had academic potential. It’s inspiring that the authors wanted their students to, “compete on an equal academic footing with their counterparts who were attending the nation’s elite schools,” (13).

I think the most inspiring part of this section, though, was that students reacted. They didn’t just participate in class, but in life. They called local news agencies when lunch was going to be served in a sewage-filled lunchroom. Lunch and school were canceled as a result. They became involved in politics and served on an advisory board for the city council. They held their teachers and administration accountable. These lessons are part of the “hidden curriculum.” I think the authors sum it up perfectly by saying, “there is ample evidence and testimony to support the charge that the students felt empowered to challenge conditions that were seemingly innate and immutable,” (15-16).