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Middle School Teachers Chatboard

Afro-centric After-school Program

by Jeffrey_V_Brown@hotmail.com

Sep 30, 2012

lease help me in setting up an Afro-centric themed after school program in Akron Ohio? I am a member of the 100 Black Men of Akron, a group that provide mentoring to students throughout Akron on Saturday afternoons. Separately, though, I am attempting to set up an Afro-centric after school program in a predominately black middle school. I need assistance, especially from African- American middle and high school teachers in English and History. Please help me?

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Mrs. M On 9/30/12, [email removed]?

I'm not African-American but I am a Middle School History and English teacher and I have taught in a challenged inner city school. What's needed in after school programs are people willing to sit down with kids and help them with homework - help them to get their homework done - make sure they get it done. And ...See MoreOn 9/30/12, [email removed]?

I'm not African-American but I am a Middle School History and English teacher and I have taught in a challenged inner city school. What's needed in after school programs are people willing to sit down with kids and help them with homework - help them to get their homework done - make sure they get it done. And to help them stay organized, provide them with pencils.

If their homework is done, then play with them, read aloud to them, serve a healthy snack. I apologize for speaking up particularly given that I am not African-American but if you work with these children and provide them with meaningful and caring adult supervision from African-American men who are good role models, isn't that Afro-centric just by definition? African Americans helping African American children seems Afro- centric to me.

If you read aloud - and most of these children will never have been read aloud to - choose books like Follow The Drinking Gourd, War Comes to Willy Freeman, The Watsons Go To Birmingham, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry and Sounder. Some of those books and others like them have been made into films that could be viewed. Those books and a host of others are Afro-centric books for children and middle schoolers.

I'd actually like to see many schools stop assigning homework - believe it or not - or make it optional. Many of the kids in the inner cities cannot do homework at home and they come to school each day already feeling bad and behind.

But they also come to school angry - they have not been taught any way to respond to disagreement than to engage conflict. They get too little attention at home and very little hands-on parenting. They watch too much television and know nothing of the world beyond their immediate neighborhood. Few of them have fathers who play a role in their lives.

They need role models, they need to feel that someone cares about them and they need to see that there is a world beyond their city block and that not everyone lives in enveloped anger. They need praise, they need to feel that someone cares about them and is there to actively guide them. And they don't necessarily get that at school - teachers in challenged schools are often bitter and on their last nerve.

I hope I haven't said too much or spoken out of turn - if I have, I humbly apologize.

Sep 30, 2012

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Jeffrey Brown On 9/30/12, Mrs. M wrote: > On 9/30/12, [email removed]]

Sep 30, 2012

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I recommend ANY book by Walter Dean Myers In addition, I would also recommend the Bluford Series by Townsend Press. The Bluford books are very high interest, relatively easy reads centered on African- American characters facing difficult dilemmas, who ultimately make the right decisions. Students tend to have an emotional connection with the characters and the plot lines, so the books lend...See More

Oct 17, 2012

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