FONTBONNE UNIVERSITY EDU 587, DR. M. GRAY
Phat Fish Phrenzee
An Analysis: My Time in Juvie
Dominique Gallo
Spring 2007
This analysis is an introduction to studies of bias in the rehabilitation and incarceration among minority and non-minority youth followed by a narrative cataloguing my own research working as a theatre teacher in the Juvenile Detention Facility in St. Louis, MO. This is intended to encourage more dialogue among educators, community leaders and citizens to encourage rehabilitation and increase fairness in education services.
Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidenceRobert Frost
Education is not filling the bowl with information.
It is making the bowl bigger.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
The poor are usually as confined by their poverty as if they lived in a maximum security prison. There is not much exposure to other ways of life, unless their neighborhood starts to undergo gentrification.
Pat Capponi
…the new poverty is constructed so as to destroy aspiration; it is a system designed to be impervious to hope.
Michael Harrington
Education is what remains when we have forgotten all that we have been taught.
George Savile, Marquis of Halifax
Every day I enter my make shift classroom and arrange the chairs. I prepare a space that is out of place. I devise a scene in my head that would not normally happen in that setting. And then I wait. I wait for my students. My students are being escorted by a couple of guards through the painted corridors. I wait until I hear the noise that erupts once the stairwell is filled with the sound of their shoes. They line up outside the room. The guard unlocks the door and lets them inside. The guard then locks the door behind them. I communicate to them in some way to sit down. I continue my make up situation or scene. Then I ask questions. What is this scene? Where are we? Who am I? What is my job? What am I doing? What is my emotional state? And so on. Class has begun.
I work in the St. Louis City Juvenile Detention, Pre-trial Facility. I started teaching not too long ago. It is my assessment that my students require lessons that focus on Communication, Comprehension and Critical Thinking. I am presenting an analysis of both the state of racial and class bias in our culture as well as a curriculum for education of students in the Criminal Justice System.
The Criminal Justice System:
The criminal justice system is a structure of cumulative responses. The further and more quickly on travels through the system, the more likely that person is to face punitive consequences. The steps are:
“1. Arrest: Officers in the field decide whether to arrest youth and begin the juvenile process, divert them to another remediation program, or release the offender.
2. Intake: Juvenile justice officials decide whether to formally process the case, deal with the case informally, divert the offender to another program, or dismiss the case.
3. Processing: Officials decide whether to detain the offenders or return them to the community during the processing phase. Also, juvenile justice officials… make the determination whether to take formal action, only take informal action, or remand the case to the appropriate criminal court.
4. Adjudication/Detention: Officials then decide to resolve the case by issuing probation, remanding the youth to custody, or requiring alternative or additional programming.” (Drakeford, Staples 2)
The purpose of the Juvenile Justice system is to “provide rehabilitation and treatment for individuals who have been unable to successfully interact with their social environment. (Redding 1999)” (Drakeford, Staples 2) African American youth are disproportionally overrepresented in the juvenile justice system. This overrepresentation is similar to the over representation of minorities in receiving special education services. (Drakeford, Staples 2) This is due to a bias. It is believed by many justice professionals that while Caucasians are victims of their environment and are less likely to become repeat offenders than their minority counterparts, they should be treated with added leniency. African American offenders, on the other hand are seen as generally responsible for their actions and more likely to become repeat offenders. African American offenders are therefore treated with a stiffer hand. (Drakeford, Staples 5)
Special Education experiences similar biases. African American students are “more likely than White students to be labeled as emotionally disturbed or retarded. (Losen & Orfield, 2002). Students with disabilities typically hold lower grade point averages and have higher dropout rates than their nondisabled peers.” (Drakeford, Staples 2) This under challenged and undereducated group of students are more likely to enter the criminal system and less likely to be considered treatable by alternatives to detention.
The result of these biases is that Caucasian offenders enjoy greater access to treatment opportunities that are alternatives to Detention. These alternatives decrease the probability that the offender will become a repeat offender. Detention, incarceration, almost guarantees that the offender becomes a repeat and adult offender.
Educators can play an impressive role in curbing trends of incarceration by working with at risk youth in the area of “literacy instruction as a means to equip students with the wherewithal to criticize their social situation and the cognitive aptitude to navigate texts and rhetoric that might oppress them.” (Drakeford, Staples 5)
The Artist Educator… Prison Performing Arts
Inspired by Augusto Boal and bound by civilian duty, I searched out the opportunity to teach in the Juvenile Detention System. I located a non-profit organization named Prison Performing Arts and requested a job as an Artist Educator. My mission is to effect change in the lives of youth and encourage a more universal dialogue among colleagues and others regarding the education of students in the Justice System.
I set out to create a curriculum that addressed issues that my students were in need of exploring. After assessing the needs of the students, I developed a rubric to track the effectiveness of the exercises. I then began a web log and began contacting colleagues previously unknown to me inviting them to both read what I was writing and add their own thoughts, opinions and advice ( www.phatfishphrenzee.blogspot.com ). I then came up with a revolving curriculum to be use and improved on in the detention center. The result is a work in progress.
The Student Population:
The student population is made up of boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 17. They are separated into four blocks: Yellow (girls), Blue (youngest boys), Green (middle boys), and Red (oldest boys). I see one block for 90 minutes. When I see the Yellow and Blue blocks, I receive as many students as are in that population (generally between 4 and 13). When I see the Green and Red blocks, my limit is 8 students. The students are overwhelmingly African American from the North Side of St. Louis. Most of the students have not left their neighborhoods.
Rubric:
Rubrics are a flexible and authentic way to record data on an ongoing basis in the education arena. Inspired by arts integrated education, I wanted to focus my rubric on testing the understanding of the concepts of communication and critical thinking.
“Arts integration enables students to be active, to experience things directly, and to express themselves in ways best suited to the students. A goal of arts integration is to use the arts so that students can have direct experience, can become involved in making decisions about their learning, and can become engaged in lessons that motivate them.” (Mason, Steedy 2)
This is my rubric: *This column changes with the lesson plans that are exposed later.
Listening Responding Enhance Assimilate
*Rhythm
Story
Circle of Names
Circle of Toronto
Blocking
Challenges
I tell someone where I teach and they respond with, “oh my gosh, that must be such hard work… that is very admirable.” People have an idea what is means to be in juvenile detention and there are a lot of stereotypes and assumptions made that are perpetuated within the system itself. My experience tells me that the kids I teach are not bad kids. They are, however, kids that do not what choices are available to them. Many do not have any concept that they’ve even made a choice. They are unexposed to cultures outside of their street and undereducated both academically and socially. A major challenge lies in their unawareness of their body language, social rules, and the choices they have and the choices they make.
Another major challenge is that I do not see the students very often. In fact, because it is a holding facility, many times I only see them once and then not again. So, each lesson must be a complete course. I cannot count on repeat students. When there are repeat students, many times the environment has shifted also. This means that in the constant struggle for male dominance, a student’s interest level may be altered from class to class based on a new dynamic. The male population is extremely aware of their status and their competition for status.
Finally, anything the students say can be used against them. We must preserve their anonymity and confidentiality. They may not use information about their current situation in the class.
Findings
I find it very interesting that many of the things I thought the students would excel in were not areas of strength like rhythm exercises. Abstract concepts of reality and a made up world are not distinguished between. It is very important to take nothing for granted. Abstract thinking is not a strong suit and should be explained and experienced fully. Otherwise, the students will continue to rely on the rhythms and lives of those on television and radio. This is where we must begin to teach critical thinking. The students are not confident of their own thoughts and do not tend to explore their own thoughts.
Curriculum
Each lesson is labeled by number and used in a alternating fashion. The lessons contain too many exercises for the given time limit. But, because I have no idea what my class will look like, I want to be able to include and exclude what I want.
Class: 90 min -all levels-
1………………………………………….
Objectives: Understand parts of a story
Experience Body Language
Understand Location
I. Warm up/ introductions
A. Stretching (discuss actor as athlete)
B. Yoga (benefits of yoga and breathing)
C. Sword positions (craft and hard work)
D. Circle Theme Game (Actors jog in a circle, instr. Calls a theme and
each actor must come up with a word and every one repeats while jogging)
II. Games
A. Exposure (Divide class into two groups. One group sits and the other
stands facing them. Wait until they are uncomfortable. Give the standing
group a task. Have them count ceiling tiles. Have them switch places.
Repeat. Then have them evaluate what they felt. Explain the role of the
audience and the role of the actor.)
B. See a Sport (two new groups… each group decide on a sport that they will
portray in slow motion. Each student must portray WHO they are, WHAT
position they are playing, WHERE are they. Then the audience group answers
those questions as they think. It is very important that the students see
that they cannot have a wrong answer. It is important to allow a student
who feels that the audience is wrong try their part again so the
audience “gets it”. It is the responsibility to portray and the audience to
interoperate. If the actor is not satisfied with the interpretation, he
must do it differently/ try something new so the audience has a different
idea)
C. Slow Motion Braveheart.
D. Discussion of WHERE
1. How do you know where you are?
2. How do you know a kitchen is a kitchen?
3. Do you always know where you are?
4. How do you know which house is yours?
E. Show Where (instructor calls out places and actors “go there”)
F. Discussion of WHO
1. Do you usually know the person in the room with you?
2. What do different relationships look like?
3. Does age or gender or career effect who a person is?
G. Show WHO
H. Bus Stop (a game where 3 actor are waiting for a bus and the audience tells
what story they saw.)
I. Want Game (The instructor gives each of two actors something they want from
the other person. They cannot ask for or use the words in their want; but
they must get it example: have person 2 sing you a song)
J. Examples of Locations and Emotion
K. IMPROV a SCENE A pair gets up the audience assigns a WHO, WHERE and WANT
to each actor
III. Define Courage and tell them that it takes courage to participate.
IV. Closing Words
V. Good bye.
2………………………………………………………….
Objectives: Understanding communication experience:
listening, words, body language
I. Warm up/ introductions
A. Stretching (discuss actor as athlete)
B. Yoga (benefits of yoga and breathing)
C. Sword positions (craft and hard work)
II. Games
A. Zip Zap Zop (students stand in a circle and person A “sends” ZIP
with a clap to another person in the circle who sends ZAP with a
clap to another who sends ZOP with a clap to another… Zip… Zap… Zop)
B. Communication?? Discussion
1. Have you ever been in trouble for not paying attention when
you thought you where?
2. How does someone know you are trying or listening or
interested?
3. The bravery of looking someone in the eyes and speaking
courageously…
C. Story… (a student stars a story the students act the expressions)
D. Circle Theme Game (Actors jog in a circle, instr. Calls a
theme and each actor must come up with a word and every one repeats
while jogging)
E. Ways of Communicating
1. Hamlet
2. The Sneeches by Dr. Seuss
3. Knives and Hens by David Hare
4. 2 more examples
5. Get them to come up with styles: opera, soaps, country,
rich, British, Jamaican and more…
F. Scenes
1. A pair does a scene from one of the examples (reading)
2. Discuss what the scene is about
3. Do it without the script
4. Take suggestions for changing it from audience -2 times-
5. Discussion
G. Freeze (a scene begins and someone in the audience yells freeze and
takes the exact position of one of the actors and begins a whole
new scene.)
H. Discussion
III. Define Courage and tell them that it takes courage to participate.
IV. Closing Words
V. Good bye.
3……………………………………………………..
Objectives:
Self expression
Critical thinking
Sound implementation
I. Warm up/ introductions
A. Stretching (discuss actor as athlete)
B. Yoga (benefits of yoga and breathing)
C. Sword positions (craft and hard work)
II. Games
A. Zip Zap Zop (students stand in a circle and person A “sends” ZIP
with a clap to another person in the circle who sends ZAP with a
clap to another who sends ZOP with a clap to another… Zip… Zap… Zop)
B. Circle Theme Game (Actors jog in a circle, instr. Calls a
theme and each actor must come up with a word and every one repeats
while jogging)
C. Rhythm Floor
D. Circle of Names (each student enters the center of the circle puts
a rhythmic gesture with their name and every one repeats)
E. Circle of Rhythms of Toronto (in the circle, one student begins a
rhythm and every one repeats. The next student alters it slightly.
And the rhythm changes slightly as it travels the circle. This
exercise becomes a game for two people. They constantly alter the
rhythm until it is unclear who is leading but they are in synch.)
F. Breathing Exercises and Tongue Twisters
G. Stop and Chat… 10 min. students can talk about anything except
things that are confidential or a part of their case.
H. Scenes of the Oppressed (pairs: interviewer and interviewee…
principal and student…)
I. Ritual Masks (“the habit makes the monk” do a scene where a worker
is asking for a raise offering many reasons for the raise then
switch positions)
J. The Blocking Game (three or four students are placed in a repetitive
blocking sequence. They are given different places where this
scene is taking place –urban park, beach, waiting room, police
station, bus stop-- then the audience plays director changing ages
or emotions or otherwise)
III. Discussion
1. Respect
2. Safety of the theatre to express
3. Reality vs. the world of the play
4. Their own input
5. Closing Words
6. Good bye.
How do we proceed?
www.phatfishphrenzee.blogspot.com
Communication… we must see our students in the Juvenile Detention Facility as students. The racial biases that prohibit our sons and daughters from being offered the services of rehabilitation is ugly and illegal. It is the task of the educators and the Artists to work from within the system to teach these students about their choices and their place in the world. They do have a choice however they do not have the tools to understand them. We must not see them as hopeless. In fact, we have a great opportunity to offer them the safety and education they cannot attain on the outside. They don’t have to worry about what is going to happen when they get home, they are not going home. Take advantage of this opportunity and teach, inspire and provoke thought, creativity and hope for a more thoughtful tomorrow.
References:
Discarding the Deficit Model. 2007. Educational Leadership/ February. Beth Harry and Janette Klingner
Minority Confinement in the Juvenile Justice System: Legal, Social and Racial Factors. Teaching Exceptional Children. Sept/Oct 2006.55. William Drakeford and Jeanine M Staples
Rubrics and an Arts Integration Community of Practice. Teaching Exceptional Children Sept/Oct 2006.37. Christine Y Mason and Kathlyne M Steedy
Winning: Methods of teachers who close the gap between black and white students. National Staff Development Council. Vol 27, no4 fall 2006. Johnnnie McKinley
Professional Artist as Public School Educator: A Research Report of the Chicago Arts Partnership in Education 2000-2001 Lynn A Waldorf, UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies.
Spolin, Viola. Theatre Games for the Classroom Northwestern University Press, Evanston, IL 1986
Spolin, Viola. Improvisation for the Theatre Northwestern University Press, Evanston, IL 1963, 1999
Boal, Augusto. Games for Actors and Non-Actors Routledge, London and New York, 2002
24 April 2007
05 April 2007
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