Urban Teaching: Reality Check
Tien Le with his kindergarten class
When Tien Le teaches reading to his kindergarteners at Adams Spanish Immersion Magnet School in St. Paul, he tries to do a variety of different activities. “I try to keep my bag of tricks full and I am always collecting more. With so many types of learning styles, kids benefit from varied instruction,” he said.
Le’s adeptness in the classroom is due in part to his participation in the Urban Education Summer Scholars (UESS) program, now in its tenth year. Funded by the Travelers Foundation, this summer program for college students of color is a partnership between the Minnesota Private College Fund (MPCF), St. Paul Public Schools and Hamline University’s Center for Excellence in Urban Teaching (CEUT).
Similar programs that specifically focus on “urban education” exist at two other Minnesota private colleges. The University of St. Thomas offers the Collaborative Urban Educator program to bring people with college degrees from underrepresented ethnic, cultural and unique urban backgrounds into the teaching profession. And Concordia University’s Southeast Asian Teacher Program is a baccalaureate degree/teacher licensure program for paraprofessional and non-licensed teachers (especially those of Southeast Asian background) who work in Minnesota school districts.
So what differentiates “urban” K-12 teaching from K-12 teaching in general? Quite a bit, it turns out. Many of today’s classrooms are filled with students from different cultures, languages and economic situations — creating a complex environment for a teacher. Not all of these classrooms are in the city, nor do all city classrooms exhibit these characteristics. What distinguishes them is a concentration of students who may be poor or ethnically diverse and who attend a school with a scarcity of resources or many teachers who are new or teaching in areas in which they aren’t licensed. Urban teachers need to understand the issues facing their students and learn how to be as effective as possible in their classrooms.
"Preparing teachers for urban and urban-like teaching involves developing strategies that enable students to honor their heritage language and culture,” said Sally Bass, director of the Southeast Asian Teacher program. “These strategies enhance the curriculum that meets the state standards.”
“We want to change how people think about these schools,” said Frank Hernandez, director of CEUT at Hamline, who believes that there is richness and opportunity in diversity. “We help our future teachers integrate students’ culture and experience into learning,” he said. “They hold all students to high expectations; when a strategy isn’t working, they question their assumptions and teaching practices first.”
Nicole Nelson, a 2003 UESS scholar who now teaches at the Minnesota International Middle School in Minneapolis, sets high expectations for herself as well as her students. “I use every free minute to figure out how best to serve my students,” she said. “I had a student who was having trouble completing her homework and when I talked with her I found out that she was responsible for dinner and the care of younger brothers and sisters when she got home from school. I set up a schedule for her so that she had time to work in class and she showed tremendous improvement,” Nelson said.
Le says he now looks at teaching in a different way, considering it his personal and professional responsibility to make sure kids are learning. “I’m always giving choices, asking questions and assessing how kids are doing,” he said. “It’s a challenge for me to make sure they’re not bored. I want them to have fun and learn.”
“When teachers see that their investment in students pays off, it motivates them,” said Hernandez. Still, he acknowledged that urban teachers must be resilient and committed. “Great teachers have great lives outside of school. They are involved with their families, friends and communities,” he said. Nelson agreed, observing that urban teachers who want to avoid burnout need a drive and passion for the work and support from their families, other teachers and administrators. She noted that former UESS scholars can use a group set up for them on Facebook, the online social networking site, to share ideas, advice and experiences.
Developing competent urban teachers is more important than ever, according to Hernandez. “Our communities are becoming more diverse and these kids are our leaders of tomorrow. We owe them a solid education so that they have choices,” he said.