Abstract
The challenges affecting the educational trajectory of Black boys have long been recognized, and despite an increasing body of research, the disparate academic outcomes for this group remain. This chapter examines the identity development narrative of adolescent Black boys and the importance of warm demander educators in transitioning the internal narrative of Black boys from brokenness to brilliance. A two-dimensional warm demander structure for educators is presented. The 3Cs (care, challenge, and control) are described to aid teacher preparation programs in developing preservice teachers who can deliver culturally responsive pedagogy and possess the mindset to be a warm demander educator. The importance of including the student's voice in teacher evaluation is also discussed. Finally, recommendations are made to ensure that the school culture is one of warm demandingness where all students feel safe and challenged. It is only then that Black boys understand and believe that they are the owners of their destiny.
TopIntroduction
Contemporary research identifies challenges Black boys face daily: police brutality, the loss of identity, media misrepresentation, Black code laws, adultification, and educational challenges (Carey, Polanco & Blackman, 2021; Dauphin, 2020; Howard & Howard, 2021; Mcllwain, 2012; Smith & Hope, 2020; Smith & Smith Lee, 2020; Sperling, 2019; Staggers-Hakim, 2016; Tatum, 2021). With little counter-feedback for the negativity that encompasses them, research suggests that these external dialogues and perceptions become their reality (Brooms, 2019; Calhoun et al., 1976; Hawkins-Jones & Reeves, 2020; Poussaint, 1966; Young & Bagley, 1982).
Anthropologists and sociologists have shown how specific cultural influences may hinder Black boys' aspirations, lead to the adoption of self-destructive behaviors, and negatively impact their mental health (Butts, 2002; Hotchkins, 2016; Kwate & Goodman, 2015; Singletary, 2020; Smith et al., 2020). The repercussions resulting from negative stereotypical, racially-biased imagery are a stalwart against an underdeveloped psyche that is unable to set up an opposing defense of an image that is reflective of inherent brilliance and infers that there is “no way out” of a life that leads nowhere (Harper et al., 2009; Lindsey et al., 2010; Jernigan & Daniel, 2011; Lindsey et al., 2013; McGee & Stovall, 2015).
According to research, there is an assumption that Black boys are uninterested in education (Harper & Davis, 2012; Hawkins-Jones, 2020; James, 2012). Advocates of this lens posit deficit thinking theory which blames the victim rather than focusing on adverse outcomes.
Conversely, advocates of critical hope theory cite the evidence that Black boys are motivated to graduate and continue their education at a post-secondary level (Allen, 2013a; 2015b; Givens et al., 2016; Harris, 2006; Howard, 2014). Bridging this divide is the research of Orfield et al. (2004) and Bell (2010), who argue that Back boy outcomes vary due to the degree of presence of aggravating factors, such as implicit bias, microaggressions, truancy, and low academic achievement which all play a pivotal role in forming entanglements that end in adverse outcomes.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Warm Demander: A teacher who sets clear boundaries for students and demands high performance from them while simultaneously providing support and encouragement to achieve academically in a very humanistic manner.
External Narrative: Information and stimulus that is disseminated through literature, media, music, and other venues that form the images, values, and beliefs of others.
Iceberg Analogy: the part that sticks out of the water is our behaviors and how we conduct ourselves in the world. Our inner narrative is the part submerged below the water.
Self-Efficacy: The conviction that one can successfully execute the behavior required to produce the outcomes.
Culturally Relevant Teaching: Empowers students to maintain cultural integrity while succeeding academically. The characteristics consist of validating and affirming, liberating, empowering, and transformative.
Black Boy: A middle-to-high school-aged male of African American descent.
Success: A resistance to culturally and socially controlled external narratives surrounding Black boys that are framed by deficit thinking, and embracing the brilliance, critical hope, and belief in themselves to achieve their personal dreams and goals.
Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: The classroom praxis of teachers exhibiting sensitivity to the culture of their students and responding by altering their lessons to include students’ cultures.
Ethnocentric: A belief that one's own culture is superior to other cultures.
Internal Narrative: The amalgamation of values, beliefs, external information, thoughts, and emotions that determine actions, purpose, and passion.