A Cultural Inquiry of Tomika

Jennifer Stafford

Copyright 2001 by Jennifer Stafford
Included here with permission of the author

Step 1: Puzzlement

As the Standards of Learning scores were reported, the teachers of Lincoln High School (LHS) were very pleased that our students had reached or surpassed the passing rate of 70% on 9 out of 11 exams. However, upon further review, there were problems with the results. Although the passing rate was achieved for the overall population, it was not reached by all sections of the population. The passing rate was half that for the African American students. Since the majority of the African Americans have grown up in the Lincoln community and do not have any language barriers, why were their passing rates so low?

I decided to focus on one African American female in particular to try to get an idea of the issues that may be affecting the success of African Americans in our school. Tomika (a pseudonym) is an African American female in my Geometry class. She appears to be quite intelligent but she does not do well in school. I am puzzled as to why Tomika is not succeeding in school.

Step 2: Known Information

Lincoln High School is located in Virginia, in a suburb of a major U.S. city. There are approximately 2400 students at Lincoln who range vastly in socioeconomic status. The student background is approximately 40% Caucasian, 20% African American, 25% Hispanic, and 15% Asian. Students come from both affluent homes and homes that rely on welfare. The majority of students are headed for some sort of post-graduation education. The make-up of the staff of LHS is less varied than that of the students. The majority of the teachers are Caucasian. In the mathematics department, all of the teachers are Caucasian. The school’s major focus is the Standards of Learning exams for the state of Virginia. The entire faculty is focused on raising the scores of all students, since the exams will soon be a graduation requirement in the state. The Standards of Learning exams were just introduced four years ago. Due to the lack of extensive knowledge on the creation of the exams, they cause much anxiety for students, staff, and the community. All of our teacher training time is spent on preparing our students for these exams. Geometry is an area where our school has repeatedly scored well, so there is a lot of pressure from the administration to keep our scores in the 85% range.

Tomika is a student in my second period Geometry class. The class consists of twenty-seven students with an even mix of males and females. Tomika is one of only two African Americans in this class, both of whom are females. The class is the first one in the morning every other day. There are very few discipline problems with these students. They are not an extremely talkative group due to the early hour, but Tomika did not talk to anyone at all for the first semester. She does not appear to fit in comfortably with any group in the class. She is in eleventh grade and has received mostly D’s in my class. After the winter break, Tomika stopped coming to school. She had only six absences in the first four months of school. In the following months, she has had more than two-dozen absences in Geometry class alone. Her total absence rate is over fifty missed days. When Tomika does her homework, it is usually well done and she appears to understand most of the principal concepts on the majority of our exams. Her attendance is a major hindrance to her success in this course.

Step 3: Cultural Question

After studying Evelyn Jacob’s (1999) Cultural Inquiry Process (CIP), I decided to focus on CIP question 3.5.2, which asks, "How might [Tomika’s] negotiation of her cultural identity be contributing to her lack of success?" She does not appear to identify with the culture within our class. Might some issues with her own cultural identity be contributing to this problem? Might there be a mismatch between Tomika and the culture of our classroom?

Kinds of Information Gathered

I began gathering information on Tomika by conducting several meetings with her counselor, interviewing her previous and current teachers, and reviewing her cumulative folder. I also met with the assistant principal who is in charge of the discipline for Tomika’s grade level, to review her past discipline file. I made more than a dozen attempts to call her father, stepmother, and mother, both at home and at work. I was completely unsuccessful in these attempts to communicate. I researched African American difficulties in public education through two interviews. I discussed these issues with an African American teacher who has taught in both the inner city and the suburbs, and with a researcher of math anxiety. I also conducted research on the Internet and in the library to find possible interventions for my puzzlement. However, I gathered the most telling information using my final two methods of research. First, I conducted several mini-conferences with Tomika in the hall, in our Geometry class, and in her Chemistry class when she stopped attending Geometry. Secondly, I was finally able to participate in a phone conference with Tomika’s mother along with the assistant principal and the school’s truant officer. These different means of gathering information became a large part of my interventions. Tomika realized that I was showing true concern for her well being and was really interested in seeing her succeed.

Steps 4 & 5: Information and Interventions

Researching Tomika’s background gave me a much better insight into her culture and life outside of my classroom as well as what may be interrupting her progress at school. I found a lot of information in my research in order to provide appropriate interventions for this situation. During class, Tomika presented herself as a quiet person without any noticeable problems. In reality, her story is much more complex. The following sections explain the various facts that I have uncovered during my research and how I responded to them to help Tomika become more successful.

Meetings with the Counselor

Tomika’s counselor feels that she is afraid to graduate. She is getting close to success in graduation and does not appear to have set any goals following the completion of high school. He believes she is failing on purpose in order to escape facing "the real world." During talks with Tomika, I have discussed the importance of graduating in order to get a good job after high school. More importantly, I have stressed the fact with Tomika that she is very capable and that I believe strongly that she can succeed. I also frequently remind her that I am here to help her whenever she needs.

Tomika’s counselor also explained to me that almost all of Tomika’s friends are teenage mothers or currently pregnant. Tomika is unclear about her sexual orientation and does not feel as though she fits in with the mainstream African American population because of this. I asked Tomika whom she would like to sit next to in our Geometry class and she picked the other African American female. I placed them in a group together so that Tomika would have the opportunity to bond with another African American female who is neither pregnant nor a mother. In this way, she does not feel so alone. Tomika is concerned over the possibility of discrimination due to her sexual orientation. The counselor stated that she does have a small network of lesbian teenagers who support each other. I have paid close attention during class to be sure that no one is bothering Tomika in any way while she is in my room. I have not noticed any problems whatsoever. The other girls in Tomika’s classroom learning group are very friendly towards her, but no one outside her group seems to interact with her very much.

Tomika’s counselor also helped me to discover that Tomika was indeed coming to school during her absences, just not going to class. She arrived at school in the morning and spent the days wandering the halls or hanging out in the bathroom. When Tomika was not in her classes, I looked for her in the halls to let her know that I still cared about her whereabouts and wanted her to come to class. I have alerted all of the security agents to be on the lookout for Tomika and steer her back to class if she is found roaming.

Tomika’s counselor helped me to set up two different meetings with her father, but he failed to show either time. The counselor reported that Tomika’s parents have never shown any interest in being involved with Tomika’s high school education. They frequently miss meetings and rarely answer phone calls. This pattern has been in place for Tomika’s entire high school career.

Through these meetings, I gained a lot of valuable insight on Tomika’s trouble structuring her own cultural identity. She does not feel that she fits in with her fellow African American females due to her sexual orientation and her choice concerning motherhood. She also does not feel comfortable in classes that are predominately Caucasian, as shown by her affinity for skipping such classes. The fact that Tomika comes to school, just not to class, supports my opinion that Tomika wants to succeed but is having trouble figuring out how to succeed in a world where she feels out of place.

Interviews with Other Teachers

Tomika is seen as extremely capable by all of her teachers, both past and present. However, Tomika does not come to school on a regular basis, which inhibits her success. Additionally, I learned that Tomika can be a discipline problem. She has been removed from class and placed in Time-Out, a quiet detention room, several times during the past three years for being rude to a teacher and disrupting class. She has never had this problem in my class but has had it in many others. In her math class last year, there were several other African American students and they all acted out in class together. There was a great deal of social pressure to conform to this group. This year, Tomika does not have the peer pressure of others to act out in Geometry. She acts very quiet in class, perhaps due to the lack of a negative peer group in the room. In her 9^th grade math class, Tomika was usually quiet, although she did "backtalk" on occasion. When the teacher started to show some extra interest in her success and pushed her to do better, she retreated, and stopped working. She seems to resist help from her teachers. These opinions are shared by several of her teachers from this year’s classes also. I have repeatedly reminded Tomika that all of her teachers believe that she is very smart. I have been careful to help Tomika as much as I can without seeming pushy. She does not like to be "told what to do" so I try to walk the fine line of helping her and letting her feel in control at the same time. I think it is important to rejoice in little steps of improvement with Tomika, and not push for too much at once. I frequently will help Tomika with a few problems and then step back and let her work on her own. I believe Tomika needs guidance but also some space and freedom to feel in control of the situation.

Study of Cumulative Folder

Tomika’s cumulative folder shows that Tomika has maintained average test scores throughout her educational career. However, she has a strong history of being an underachiever. Tomika has had a serious attendance problem for many years. This is nothing new. These behaviors have been in place since middle elementary school. Tomika lives with her father and stepmother. However, her mother and grandmother both live nearby and play an active role in Tomika’s life. When talking to Tomika, I have let her know that I have seen her test scores and I know that she can perform at a higher level in Geometry class. The biggest problem is her attendance. Everyday I remind her that I would really like to see her back the next day.

Meetings with the Assistant Principal

Tomika has been in trouble at Lincoln High School repeatedly. Her discipline record is several pages long. She is usually in trouble for skipping classes but has been in trouble for disrupting class on many occasions with many different teachers. Tomika usually receives evening detention for these problems but she never shows up. A short out-of-school suspension usually follows the missed detentions. When the Assistant Principal (A.P.) has called the house, the parents do not say much, if anything at all. They do not seem concerned with Tomika doing well in school, according to the A.P. I have not had any discipline problems with Tomika in my class so I have not needed to deal with this aspect very much. I always do my best to treat Tomika, as I do all my students, with respect. I guide her along the way to success, but I also give her the freedom to stay in control of her decisions. Tomika does not fare well when pressed by authoritative adults. My methods of guidance have proven to be much more effective and have removed the discipline issues from the equation.

Phone Calls to Tomika's Parents

When calling Tomika’s home at various times of the day, I have gotten an answering machine every single time. I leave messages but I do not know if her parents ever receive them. I have tried calling both parents at work but I do not ever get any answer at either number. Tomika lives with her father and stepmother, but her mother lives close by. I think that the lack of an answer by any adult in Tomika’s life is as telling as an answer may have been. Tomika’s education certainly does not appear to be a priority for any of them. After several interims, report cards, and a dozen phone calls, no one in Tomika’s life has made a single response to me or to the school.

Research on African American Difficulties in School

I began my research on the difficulties that African Americans face in the classroom by conducting two interviews. I talked with a lecturer and author who studies math anxiety and with an African American math teacher at a local high school. Both feel that African Americans lack role models for educational success in suburban schools. They also feel that a big hurdle is a lack of encouragement from adults at home or at school. Mr. Coleman has found that African Americans tend to work harder in class in the inner city than they do in suburban schools. He feels this is due to a common attitude that succeeding in school is "acting white", something that is looked down upon by the suburban African American population. In the inner city, there are very few Caucasian students, so the stigma of success does not exist. The African American students are more comfortable succeeding when they are among others of their same background.

There is a tremendous amount of research offering suggestions for improving success of minority students in the classroom. Two thoughts occur repeatedly. The first is the importance of providing a caring and nurturing environment that creates a bond between the teacher and the student. The second is setting high expectations for all students.

Ogbu and Simons (1998) have found that "some individuals feel that if they learn white American ways…they will lose their minority identity" (p.198). Therefore, there may be strong negative peer influence that stigmatizes academic success. African American students may not be performing in school due to these pressures from their peer group. Ogbu and Simons (1998) suggest several ways for teachers to assist in reducing the issue of academic success being equated to acting white. They suggest that teachers concentrate on building trust by respecting each student and his culture. High standards for all students and adult role models are also important keys to convincing minority students that they can be successful and maintain their cultural identity.

Carolyn Penny (1999) discusses creating a personal bond with students and a caring classroom environment in her article "Preparing Educators for Multicultural Classrooms." She has found that developing a bond with students is an effective teaching strategy with minority students. Treating students with respect and creating a welcoming environment are of utmost importance. Penny suggests using short individual conferences with students to help build this bond and to establish a positive learning environment. She also suggests using cooperative learning groups. Groups "create an environment that cultivates cooperation allowing students with special needs to make significant academic strides and develop interpersonal relationships" (Penny, 1999). The groups allow students to improve not only academically, but also in the area of self-esteem. I have implemented both individual conferences and cooperative learning groups with Tomika. I feel that both of them have really helped Tomika and me to communicate. They also helped Tomika to gain confidence in her self, both from my feedback and the feedback of her small group.

In his article "Recreating Schools for all Children," John Morefield (1998) discusses twelve characteristics of successful education for diverse communities. One very important characteristic is holding high expectations for all children. Research shows that students will rise to the level of expectation held by the adults around them. High expectations are felt emotionally in the classroom and have a vast impact on students’ level of success. There is a long history of viewing African American culture as deficient, instead of merely different from Caucasian culture. It is important for teachers to actively communicate to their classes that all students have the ability to grow in intelligence. Teachers must also communicate that their expectations are high for all students, regardless of skin color.

Another suggestion of Morefield’s is to identify a "staff buddy" for each child who is seen as fragile. If there is a lack of adult guidance in their lives, he believes that a staff buddy can provide the personal leadership that these children need. When this buddy system was tried in a Los Angeles school, each teacher was assigned one student to look out for and give extra attention. Although most of the at-risk students were African American, most of the faculty was Caucasian. This is frequently seen as a problem but since the subject of race was discussed openly, it did not become an issue. I have tried to become a buddy for Tomika. I go out of my way to pay her a little extra attention and provide her with some adult guidance, as suggested by Morefield. I have found this intervention extremely effective.

Mini-conferences with Tomika

When Tomika’s class cutting became a real problem, I began to look for her in the busy intersections between afternoon classes. After a few attempts, I learned Tomika’s patterns and where to find her on different days. When I found her, I pulled her to the side and asked her why she wasn’t in class. Each time, she claimed that she was "oversleeping" and therefore not getting to her morning classes. I kept reminding her that I really would like her to come to class and to please try harder to get up on time. She promised that she would try.

When she did not start coming back to class after four hall conferences, I went in early February to her afternoon Chemistry class and pulled her into the hall for a longer conference with fewer distractions. Tomika came out into the hall, appearing very angry for having been woken from her afternoon nap that she was taking in Chemistry. I asked her what was wrong and told her that I wanted her to come back to class. I spoke in a very calm and quiet voice to be sure that Tomika understood my questions as concern, not anger. When she realized that I was not going to just reprimand her but talk to her, she softened a bit and told me that she was not coming because math was too hard and she didn’t understand it. We talked about the fact that I would give her more extra help, but she needed to be in class for me to do so. We also talked about her sitting next to students with whom she felt comfortable, so they could work together. I promised her that she could sit with the other African American female in the class as well as two Caucasian females who are very friendly and open with everyone. Tomika appeared ready to come back to class. She said she would be back the next time. The following morning, she returned to class.

I have been encouraging Tomika during class. Tomika did a great job on a project and received an A on it. I chose it as one of the projects that I hung on the wall in our classroom. The next week, Tomika received an 89% B on a quiz. I went over to "mini-conference" with her right away. I told her that she had done a great job and that she showed that she could do well in math. She seemed very pleased with herself, as well as with my praise. I asked her to please come back every day so that we could keep this hot streak going, and she promised that she would. Her attendance has improved since I have begun having mini-conferences with her. It isn’t perfect, but the improvement is dramatic.

Phone Call with Tomika's Mother

The assistant principal, truant officer, and myself planned a speakerphone interview with Tomika’s mother after no one showed up to a meeting that required to end Tomika’s suspension, which due to her high number of unexcused absences. A call to Tomika’s home, where she lives with her stepmother and father, caused confusion. The stepmother said Tomika would be at school later with her father. When we called Tomika’s father at work, he said she would be in later with her mother. When we called Tomika’s mother, she said Tomika was not in her custody and she was not capable of taking care of her. She explained that Tomika had been kicked out of the house by her stepmother after an incident with her father over Christmas break. This is the precise time that Tomika stopped coming to class. Her mother called Child Protective Services and a social worker is looking into the incident. She is looking at the option of putting Tomika and her brother in a shelter. Tomika is currently staying at her cousins. She has been angry with her mother for calling CPS but has recently made peace with the idea, and they are getting along again. Tomika told her mother that she is ready to return to school and do better in her classes. Tomika’s mom has not been coming to the school meetings because she cannot drive and has no means of getting to the school and then getting to work. We arranged for the truant officer to provide her with a ride to the school the following week and a ride to work afterwards so we could have a meeting with the mother, Tomika, the social worker, the guidance counselor, the truant officer, and the assistant principal. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend this next meeting due to the timing, but the assistant principal told me that it went quite well and Tomika has been back in school since that meeting.

Step 6: Results

Tomika has begun to come to class. After missing almost six straight weeks of school, her attendance has dramatically improved. She has completed several assignments with great success. Unfortunately her test scores have remained low due to her abundant absences. It takes quite a lot of work to catch up in mathematics classes but Tomika is making slow and steady progress. Recently, two girls in Tomika’s group were going to be absent for two class periods due to a field trip. The third girl asked Tomika, "You’ll be here with me, right? Please don’t leave me alone!" Tomika quietly replied, "I’ll be here with you." And indeed she was. Tomika is starting to make new friends and identify with other females in our class. She is becoming comfortable in our environment. Tomika talks freely with me about any problems she is having in math and works openly with her group. Her assignments are drastically improving and her test scores will undoubtedly come up with time. Most importantly, Tomika is growing in her comfort in the world in which she lives. She has found at least a small portion of the day where she is safe and loved.

Ongoing Efforts to Monitor the Interventions

I will monitor Tomika’s success in school throughout the rest of this school year by continuing with our mini-conferences. If she begins to miss a lot of classes again, I will continue to look for her in the halls to remind her that I care about her and want her in class. I will also monitor her attendance to other classes through our school attendance program on the computer. This program allows me to check on a daily basis which classes Tomika has attended and which ones were missed. It also will allow me to monitor the status of her absences, either excused, unexcused, or suspended.

I teach Algebra II, the next required mathematics class, and will try to get Tomika into my class, if possible. This will help me to continue to monitor her progress and give her a stable adult in her life who can help guide her through her senior year. If I cannot get Tomika into my class next year, I will work closely with her new Algebra II teacher to keep her on track.

The most important thing that I think I can do to help keep Tomika working towards success is to continue showing a vested interest in her as a math student and more importantly as a young adult. As long as I can keep the communication lines open and the good sense of community that we are building in our class, I think Tomika will continue to improve on her road to self-discovery and finding her cultural identity. Tomika is becoming surer of her self every day, with some thanks due to the steps that have been taken on her behalf with the Cultural Inquiry Process. Confidence is growing. Trust is building. Success is just around the corner.

In a survey released by Horace Mann Educators Corporation, an overwhelming majority of respondents felt that the personal attention that some teachers took in them made the crucial difference in their future success. "Listening (93.3%), making learning interesting (92.3%), and holding students to high standards (92.3%) were more important to the former students than such factors as teaching an important skill (76%)" (Allen, 2000, p.5). I believe that the personal attention that I am giving to Tomika will make a positive difference in her success rate. I plan to continue teaching her, as well as all of my students, the lessons of compassion and respect, as well as the lessons of believing in one another and supporting each other. These are the lessons that last a lifetime.

References

Allen, T. (2000). Survey: Teacher’s Impact Lasts a Lifetime. Virginia Journal of Education, 5.

Jacob, E. (1999). Cultural Inquiry Process Web Site. [Online]. http://classweb.gmu.edu/classweb/cip/ [1999, April 30].

Morefield, J. (1998). Recreating Schools for all Children. In New Horizons for Learning website. [Online]. http://www.newhorizons.org/article_morefield.html [2001, January 13].

Ogbu, J. & Simons, H.D. (1998). Voluntary and involuntary minorities: A cultural-ecological theory of school performance with some implications for education. Anthropology and Education Quarterly, 29 (2), 155-188.

Penny, C. (1999). Preparing Educators for Multicultural Classrooms. In Horizon website. [Online]. http://horizon.unc.edu/projects/issues/papers/Penny.asp [2001, January 15].