Soul Force

A few weeks back I had an interesting and troubling confrontation with a student. The upshot of it all was that the student was suspended and I, for the first time in my life I'm sure, was called a nigga -- repeatedly. And I was left with more thoughts and questions about how we nourish the growth of students who aren't invested in the kinds of futures we see for them.

I had asked the student to talk about an incident in the hallway that he had observed, but before I could finish that question, he burst out in anger, assuming that I was accusing him of something he didn't do. Oddly enough, I had never taught this student, but we had a cordial, casual relationship up until that moment. He then proceeded to rant obscenity-laced angry comments and borderline threats in my direction for almost a minute as he walked around the hallway, bumping me slightly for effect at one point.

Where had this outrage come from? What were the seeds of this young man's anger? Clearly - as he even recognized later - it had nothing to do with me. He suggested his own issues with authority. A friend suggested that perhaps he needed to let off steam and chose a person and situation that subconsciously felt safe in which to do so. Who knows?

But I know that this is the type of reality that blocks student achievement and student joy in the city where I teach. Young people's anger, or apathy, or fear, or lack of self-worth drive the lack of achievement more than skill deficits. Good teaching can address skill deficits. The other issues I mention are larger issues of humanity for our schools and our leaders inside and outside of those schools to address.

Martin Luther King, Jr., in his most famous speech, suggests that the thousands of heroic fighters for civil rights meet the obstacles of physical force with soul force. He equates this soul force with "dignity and discipline," in contrast to "bitterness and hatred."

Dignity, discipline, soul force: perhaps a school leader in our times needs these weapons to combat the abandonment and despair so many urban youth sense in their spirits, which is our own "urgency of the moment." I am confident that in my interaction with this student I showed the first two qualities. I can only hope to apprehend and cultivate more of the third.