Reflection Questions

1.       How can you get non-minorities to learn and teach about different cultures?

As the administrator of a building and the one that everyone looks to for leadership and guidance it is key for us to promote non-minorities to teach about other cultures than their own.  Staff development will be incorporated so that the teachers of the building are on the same page and are willing to think outside the box and teach different topics than they are used to.  As the instructional leader of the school I will provide detailed data on why we have expanded our classroom instruction and the importance of it as well.  Teachers need to be included in the evaluation of these culturally diverse lessons as well.  This way they can reflect on how the lessons went and they can use the feedback to master the different subject areas that they may be discussing.  The ability to work with a culturally diverse population is an area of growth for most school systems and without us taking the proper steps to make things better we will continue to struggle. 

2.       Describe how you would address a teacher who negatively profiles students.

Unfortunately there are probably many teachers that wrongly negatively profile their students.  This is a subject that many teachers may take offense to but the fact is a lot of them consistently look at their students this way and don’t even notice it.  As an instructional leader it is my responsibility to handle these issues that may negatively affect a student’s success.  I would approach this teacher face-to-face and talk with them about how they can handle particular students and make sure that they know how important it is to treat every student equally.  I would document all conversations that were held with the teacher.  If the teacher did not cooperate then the next step I would take is to put them on an improvement plan.  I feel that if they are not going to take my advice and consulting seriously then they need to then be held accountable for their actions and need to be checked up on continuously.

3.       As educators, you are guilty of using the phrase “self-reflection.”  How do you teach the process?

It is easy to say we use “self-reflection” on a consistent basis.  The fact is not only do we need to evaluate ourselves we need to be evaluated by others as well.  The instructional leaders in our building need to lead by example and do an above average job of using the evaluation process.  If reflection is done correctly then the teachers will feel the pressure and try their best to get better on a day by day basis.  It is important that as administrators we set the bar high and stay visible and be out in the classrooms as much as possible.  I do think we will need to have proper staff development to make sure teachers are doing a decent job of reflecting on their lessons.

4.       Why is it so difficult to teach self-esteem to black males?

Black males need a little more help gaining a positive self-esteem throughout school.  Kafele states that just because black males may have a positive self-image it doesn’t necessarily mean they have a positive self-esteem.  One thing that we need to do as instructional leaders is to include black males and any other races together in group activities.  By having culturally diverse groups in a classroom or even on a sports team you are setting all of the students involved up for becoming more confident and leading them towards a higher self-esteem.  Teachers, administrators, and even out in public it is extremely important that people stop looking down on black males and start treating them with respect and boosting their confidence.  There will always be people of certain races making poor decisions but the overall outlook could be much more positive if people would start treating people equally.

5.       Identify the most important concept you learned from reading the book and tie to Hoy’s chapters on teaching and learning, student diversity, and student abilities and challenges.  Briefly discuss if your current staff could benefit from a similar book study. 

I feel that the most important concept I learned in Kafele’s book is the process of becoming inspiring for black male students.  Inspiration is something that needs to be passed along to our black male students as well as all other students.  Hoy and Hoy discuss intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in chapter 5 of their book “Instructional Leadership.”  It is extremely important for teachers and administrators to offer ways to motivate and inspire the students no matter what the race.  As an instructional leader it is important to figure out what helps out with inspiring our staff as well as our students.  When people act inspired usually good things will come from it.  Students come from many diverse backgrounds but with a confident self-esteem and a welcoming learning environment we will limit their failure rate and offer a positive experience for all involved with our school.  As leaders we may not know what situation we are coming in to so it is will be important to understand where our students come from and what types of backgrounds they may have.  We can consider these challenges and offer different extracurricular activities to involve students that normally would not be involved. 

My current staff could most definitely benefit from a book like this one by Kafele.  Our student body is extremely diverse and we have not been approached by many staff development opportunities that could be beneficial for our school as a whole.  I feel that we have quite a few staff members that may negatively profile students because of where they have come from or how they come across in class.  A book like the one we read would offer an interesting and realistic perspective that would prove beneficial for our school. 

Chapter 5

In chapter 5 Kafele talks in depth about his young men's empowerment program that he implemented during his teaching years as well as during his years of being an administrator.  One of the points of emphasis in these meetings was the pledge that each member recited before leaving.  The pledge included many aspects of life including respect, acting responsibly, and other things that are parts of a young man's life.  These empowerment meetings also would implement dress for success days, father-son programs, and even male retreats.  I feel that these are some great ways to get not only black males but all males involved with a father figure in their life.  Whether it is a grandfather, a father, or even another male role model it is important that these young males have a person that can involve themselves and become a major influence on these children's lives. 

It is extremely important for black males to rise to the occasion and become great men and in turn will positively affect society.  I feel that with these empowerment programs give the students the opportunity to see what they need to be doing as well as gives them a head start to actually perform the tasks needed to become a responsible citizen.  These empowerment programs were created for black male students but in reality all male students are welcome to attend and become a part of these meetings.  Another part of this concept is that the females would be meeting as well while the males had their meetings going on.  This in turn would have a positive effect on the females in the schools. 

Ethical Considerations

1.  School/Community Relations - It is imperative that we as administrators go the extra mile when interacting with local businesses and other local agencies.  With the absence of school and community relations the school is really acting with one arm tied behind their back.  Proper relationships need to be developed and sustained throughout the school year so that we can give the best possible opportunities for our school as well as for our students.

2.  Maturity Level - These empowerment meetings are most effective when they are separated by grade level.  The difference in the maturity level amongst our students is extreme and needs to be taken in to consideration.  Relationships, peer issues, growth, and development are all aspects that are majorly different among all the different grade levels.  Take a middle school for instance the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders are so different they must be separated when worked with in this nature.

3.  Respect - When speaking of empowerment one of the first terms that comes to mind is respect.  If a student learns to respect others they have learned something that will help them for the rest of their lives.  It is amazing how quickly we can earn some one's respect or even lose some one's respect.  It is going to be very important as administrators to not judge too quickly because sometimes first impressions will not be pleasant.  We need to be open and need to accept things for the way they are and do our best to make sure the result of each situation is as positive as possible.

Chapters 3 and 4

Kafele discusses three crises that black male students are faced with in their lives.  The three major crises he discusses are the community crisis, the family crisis, and the self-crisis.  These three aspects of a a black students life can be affected and influenced in many ways and from many different people that may be involved in their lives.  The community is something that we as administrators need to be involved with on many different levels.  When I think of community involvement I think of businesses and people in the community making an effort to help out schools and I also see it vice versa where the schools are out in the community making a difference as well.  Kafele states that adults in the community and in the schools need to hold our students accountable for their actions.  He also mentions how in the "old days"  students were respectful to adults and everyone in the community knew each other.  I feel communities that have this sense of safety and involvement will produce better results on a consistent basis.  It seems that these days people are not near as polite and outgoing when out in the community.  The key here is collaboration.  Administrators, teachers, parents, and any other stakeholders need to collaborate and strive to offer the best possible situation for our students and our community. 

There is a high percentage of black males that are lacking a male role model and/or father figure in their household.  Although many numbers do a wonderful job at raising their children without a man in the home, in some way or another the lack of a male in the house will have some sort of effect on the black male student.  Kafele offers the information in the reading that many times black males will look to their schools or their streets for something that they may be lacking at home.  We need to be aware of this in our buildings and need not be afraid of reaching out to these students when we feel some support may be needed. 

One responsibility we have as administrators is to help out black male students with their self-crisis.  They  need to be able to look at themselves and know that they can succeed.  We need to take that extra step and show our students that they can succeed and give them routes that they may take to better themselves as students and as citizens of the community.  The more support they receive from us at school the more control they will become over their lives and they will learn to respect themselves.  Once all of these things are achieved by our students we should see direct results. 

3 ethical considerations

1.  Collaboration-  I feel that as professionals we need to to a better job of collaborating as a whole so that we can achieve success in our schools and in our communities.  It seems that too many people in education do not work together properly and there is a lot of tension between subject areas or even between schools in the same districts.  It is imperative that we take the steps needed to build our communities and to help them grow.

2.  Male in the Home-  Black male students not having a father or male in their home sounds heartbreaking and seems to put them at a disadvantage.  Part of me thinks that situations like this gives great reasons for these students to pursue excellence and make their lives be as successful as possible.  I am one to notice how things are in certain situations and depending on what is going on for the most part it could make me work harder to make the situation for myself better.  I feel that black males can learn from these situations and possibly be more involved with their families when they are grown and have their own families.

3.  Self-Respect - The black males in schools need to be offered the support needed so that they can start to respect themselves for who they are.  A school that gives constant support to their students and offers activities and whatever else to help out their students is a school that makes a positive difference in the lives of others.  Black males have started to gain momentum and will continue to turn the corner as long as we make the effort to show them their importance and we continue to respect them and teach them to respect themselves and others. 

Post #1 - Motivating Black Males - Chapters 1 and 2

Kafele starts off by asking many valid questions that a teacher should ask him or herself.  He basically states that no matter how much you know your subject area, if you do not know your students that you are teaching then you will not nearly be as effective.  Another issue that many teachers do not take into consideration is that learning needs to be fun.  Learning that is fun is often times the most successful, when a student sees that a teacher cares enough about them to think outside the box and to plan ahead so that the class goes well they will respect that and in turn care for the teacher. 

Black males have a wide variety of obstacles and/or challenges that they may face during their lives.  It is key that our teachers and administrators see these issues and prepare accordingly.  Mentally a teacher must want to make a difference in our students lives.  The students that come through our schools have are all sorts of races and have all sorts of backgrounds.  The one constant needs to be the caring attitude of the teacher.  The teacher discussed in chapter 2 of the book is described as friendly, firm, and fair all at once.  This is the type of teacher that we need in our culturally diverse classrooms so that all students have the best chance to succeed. 




3 important ethical considerations for instructional leaders

1.  Inspiration - As administrators we need to be as inspirational as possible.  We need to show respect to our faculty as well as work with them and make sure they know that the success as a whole comes down the school working together.

2.  Community - The principal as well as assistant principal's in a building need to be aware of what is going on locally in the community.  All stakeholders need to be accounted for and the administration needs to be socially involved in what is going on with these student's lives.

3.  Reflection - Even though administrators have came up through the ranks and have earned the right to be an instructional leader for their building they still need to have the ability to reflect.  Administrators need to evaluate and reflect their decisions and their processes on a daily basis to see what could be done more effectively.  They will also need to have a quality evaluation procedure in place for their teachers in their current building.