I don’t know. I don’t know what it is. It’s just somethin’ inside of me, that I don’t know, makes me snap, when I see people bein’ mistreated, I guess. I’m talking about elementary school, I never held my tongue. One time in third grade, one of my friends was bein’ bad in class in third grade. And my teacher was, um…was (whispering) a white lady. You know, and I knew about racism, because my dad had always taught his kids, like, since we were in kindergarten, like, always raised us to know about racism, like, “Know your history.” So one time she grabbed this boy—like, picked him up by his cheek out of the chair. And I just lost it. I lost it! Lost it in the classroom. I was like, “You are not his mom! You can’t touch him like that! That is—that’s not your job! Your job is to teach us! You do not pick a student up by his cheek out of the chair!” Like, yeah. I was really mad. And um…she wrote me up for bein’ disrespectful and um belligerent. And so that was my first after-school detention. Yeah. So that’s why—that’s why I feel like I was born, y’know, with this. Because what third grader do you know would’ve stood up for, you know, her friend after the teacher pinch his cheek?
(She listens to a question.)
Shakara? We—we didn’t really—on—we—we didn’t really talk. Like, throughout this whole year. We—we talked, but not like…maybe people expected us to? I don’t know? Like, talk every single day, like, “We’re close friends now.” We’re—we’re still just as distant as we were before I stood up for her. And initially, I was like, “Is this girl, like, ungrateful?” Like, “I literally sat in jail for a day for standing up for you.” But…at the same time, you know, I was also—not at the same time, ’cause that was like me initially thinking. But after that, thinking more on it, I just figured it was because—I don’t know, like, maybe she wanted to be alone? Maybe…I knew that she didn’t wanna always talk about, you know, the incident, and so when I did reach out to her, it was never talking about that. It was like, “How are you doing? Do you need anything?” You know, like, “If”—always telling her—“if you need anything, I’m here.” But she’s never reached out to me for anything. (She listens to a question.) She’s actually in a home right now. Like, one of those group homes. I don’t know how she ended up there.
I knew when they told my mom, when the school called her, they were gonna say, “Niya got in something that didn’t involve her.” And that’s exactly what they did. So I knew her mind-set was gonna be, “Oh, Niya. Why didn’t you be quiet?”
You know, because that’s the response I got in third grade. You know, and “Mind your business, it didn’t have nothin’ to do with you.” And I’m, “But she picked this boy up by his cheek!” You know?
And then, they’re telling me, “Mind your business, this didn’t have nothing to do with you.” “But he just threw a whole girl across the classroom!” How can you mind your business? Like, that’s somethin’ you need to make your business.
ACT TWO
[Slide]
A CANDLE IN THE VILLAGE
[Slide]
SARI MUHONEN
TEACHER AND TEACHER EDUCATOR
UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI TEACHER TRAINING SCHOOL
HELSINKI, FINLAND
“Handcuffs”
“Handcuffs”
(Summertime in Helsinki. Elementary school classroom. Bright graphics on bulletin boards. Sunshine. Blond, very friendly. On her knees, on a student’s chair, leaning over a student’s desk, holding a cellphone, studying the same video of the incident at Spring Valley High School that ended Act One. The video is projected on a screen behind her so that we see what she is watching. She is amazed and shocked at what she sees. Making faces, covering her eyes, then peeking out at the video again. A series of phonetic sounds in response to the horror of what she sees.)
* * *
(Making faces, covering her eyes.) Ooohf. Slaptofluh Tzuh No Tzuh Ohhh! Tsieh. That’s— (Looking out.) Well, I have never seen like this in Finland. Never. Nowhere. So I think this is quite—quite eye-opening, I would say.
Where this was? Spring Valley High [South Carolina]. (Pause.) So you are—you are kind of working on this issue? That’s very bad. I should come to see it because I haven’t— Well, something went terribly wrong, I would say.
It was girl? (Listens.) Because she was…? (Listens.) What is handcuffed? (Listens, shocked.) Ahh? (High-pitched sound.) Noooooo. That’s—that’s quite amazing. But I have to say that I haven’t been—because it may be that we are such a small country that maybe our problems are not—I don’t know. Why would they put them— Have you seen the situation? That’s really strange. That sounds quite a—quite amazing, I would say. So, I—I—I can’t find a situation that—that I would need handcuffs. But! But! I have nee—but I—I have to say, I have needed a help of a colleague. But I have need a help of a colleague. Yes. Yes. So, so, uh, I have had a very difficult person that—that was a very aggressive at—at the classroom so and—and towards each other and—and he—he—he didn’t—didn’t—so, of course there have to be some—I hope so. But still it looks—seems, I think, quite amazing that someone would need to have handcuffs.
But anyway it was—it was, uh, it was a fighting situation. He—he was, um, he was aggressive and very, ehm—ehm explodedly aggressive. And—and doing mit—other—and couldn’t—couldn’t make it down. (Gesturing to show how she tried to control the child.) So although I do it like this way? And doing like this for me also. And then I had the—take like this and say, “Go and—and find another person here.” And I wouldn’t have—have, uh, needed handcuffs either. Of course, um, it’s difficult if you have—have—have persons that are aggressive. But still—still I—I don’t think on handcuffs also. Really.
Okay. So you performing me? And you could do it? (Facial expression.) Okay. Well, uh, I’m Sari Muhonen, and I’m a teacher, um, and a teacher educator. And I teach at the University of Helsinki Viikki Teacher Training School, where I teach as, uh, in primary classroom, currently at fifth grade. And also I teach a lot of music and conduct the choir. And, um, also part of my—my thing is um doing research on, on developing practices in our school. Scientific research.
Discipline [here] works, ahm, aaaahm (higher note)…Well, there is no one—one way, of course. It always depends on the situation. So there is no recipe for that. But of course I think, um, it—whenever possible—it’s the—it’s the most important thing is—is when you have the—the classroom for the first time that you really concentrate: “I see you. And you are very welcome here.” So I think I try to—try to formulate the situation so that they—it would be preventative. But of course that does not always…help? So (laugh), but there are (laugh), there are many. (Laugh, laugh.) Yes. But—but—I think that is one of the issues so that they are not just a mass coming in and going out. Because I’m a classroom teacher. This is my class. And this is our class. And I try to build very strong relationship.
I have some Finnish colleagues who have been writing about this, at least in Finnish, but I know there are En-English: “pedagogical love.” So I know of—I don’t know if I would say that I love the children in my classroom. But I care of them very much. And, “I care of you. And why do you act like this?” (Slight pause.) And—and I try to talk with them. And sometimes I go and touch them. And sometimes it helps, and sometimes it does not. And then you have to be—harder.
Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And of course—of course I-I-I shouldn’t also give you too good impression of Finland also. So of course we have bad-behaving persons here also. And if somebody tries even a little, I can look and: “Whattt? (Beat.) Did you say?” And they understand it. Yes! I can do that! Yes! I can do that! But I know that in the upper grades also in Finland there are bad-behaving persons who maybe to—to rebellion. Perhaps saying that “I’m not doing that.” But police officers I don’t think is needed anywhere. I have never heard. No. No. We are adults. (Sudden
conclusive stop. Listens.)
It has been said that, um, [in Finland] the teacher was always—was a candle in the—a candle in the village. So in the former times also. (Beat.) And it’s also research-based. So having a kind of developing nature in your—your career, I think that also goes perhaps to the issue of narration. (Slight pause.)
Finland is a—such a small country. And we—we have quite a— We have not had so long for— We are quite homogeneous country for so long. (Listens.)
[Immigration?] Yes, there are some schools I think in eastern Helsinki that…
For instance, this school was for—in former times in very (gestures each time there is a quotation mark) “good” area. Very “old” area. Very “Finnish” area. And when we moved here in Viikki, there is also many Somalian children. And many—many Russian children. And many uh Latvia children. Seventy percent of the children are already foreign-based. And it—it’s really—it’s really um something that maybe is becoming more and more to—to think about. That is something that has been discussed here more and more in Finland. That we are going to be more diverse country. And it’s quite new issue for us. And—and it was—it was a very new situation for us. That was very uhm very uhm kind of finding new ways. (Pause.)
You are talking about race and racial issues. Maybe our eyes are not so open to these issues. (Pause.) Because you never know—Because there may be some, I dunno, problems if some people in—in Finland— I haven’t—have never encountered this— But I could think that in US might be somewhere that they are taking some kind of drug or something so that they are—I dunno—aggressive. Or—I dunno. Tell me about it.
[Slide]
DENISE DODSON
INMATE, MARYLAND CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION FOR WOMEN
STUDENT, GOUCHER PRISON EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP
JESSUP, MARYLAND
“That, That Was It and That Was All”
“That, That Was It and That Was All”
(A loud prison sound. A gate slamming. Dodson is soft-spoken, poised. Sitting in a chair with a legal pad, a pen, and reading glasses on her lap. Wears a T-shirt, blue cotton prison pants. She wears winter-style hiking boots, though it’s the middle of summer. Thoughtful, humble, but self-possessed, apparent wisdom. Sitting very still, no superfluous movements. At some point an announcement will blast over the PA system, interrupting the monologue momentarily.)
* * *
And now I’m in college [here at the Maryland Correctional Institution] and I see where I’ve missed out on a lot. A lotta information, a lot of important information that…would’ve helped me make better decisions. As far as, the—uhhm…my baby’s father? The people that I chose to, to actually be with, uhhm, and planned to spend my life with? I kinda gravitated to my environment versus reaching out past the environment, and I started believing that that was it and that was all. Uhhm. And the only thing that was required of me was for me. And that was basically…to feed myself. And the baby that I was carrying in it.
Everything was me, it was never like—the next-door neighbor could be going through the same thing. If I was educated in, to that degree, then I would’ve made better decisions. Uhhm…I guess I can say that I just wasn’t connecting to everything, because I wasn’t given enough information to know that we all are connected somehow. To every living, breathing thing. And I didn’t get that.
But this experience has showed me how connected I really am to the person next door, down the street or whatever.
Uhhm, how important it is to come together and…I’ve learned how the government work. Like, I didn’t— I never understood that, what was the governor for, or what, you know, was the mayor for. I don’t get it, I don’t understand, I understand that they are important people, but to what degree of importance, what are they there for? And I never really got that in my history classes. So to get that, now, as a grown woman, is like, whoa.
(Listens to a question.)
Finding out what this world is really all about, how it revolves, what’s expected of you as a citizen? Basically to work together? In a unit? To pave the way for those who are coming behind us. Uhhm, to make better living arrangements for everybody as a whole? Because of, I mean at the end of the day, it’s about living. And it’s about living properly. And it’s about educating others and, uh, rearing your children properly. So that they can be productive and…and not be barbaric, basically!
(Listens to a question.) I had six children, now I have five, one has passed away since I been here? The oldest being thirty-four and the youngest is twenty-one. I’ve been here for twenty-three years. Had my last child at the Baltimore City Detention Center.
(Crying, but discreetly.) Well, my…boyfriend—former boyfriend, ’cause we weren’t together anymore. Shot and killed the guy who tried to rape me.
(Listens to a question.)
They didn’t—call it accomplice though, I have the same charge as he has.
(Listens to a question.)
First-degree murder.
(Listens to a question, struggles to stay composed, cries quietly.)
When you’re talking about somebody’s life, whether it was (crying) whether it was in your control or not…somebody’s life has been taken. So, I do think it’s fair.
I think that had I had a better education, had—I would have made better decisions. I would have been more upright, so to speak. Because when I didn’t have that education, I always felt less than. You know, my self-esteem wasn’t the way it shouldn’t have been. Had I been educated to know that, you know, I am somebody, I am a good person uhhm…
(Listens to a question.)
I just made parole. But the paperwork has to go to the governor first and he has to approve it first.
And so now that I’ve been raising dogs [here while I’m incarcerated] and training them to go and help people who have disabilities like—like, that’s my purpose. I think it’s my way of expressing love towards people who really need—who really need something or someone. There’s a lot of people who’re, like, alone, or whatever. So…I get a chance to express it through the dogs that I train.
(Listens to a question.)
I definitely trust them to carry that love. I mean they do so well here. They—very loyal and loving and—but uhhm, yeah. They’re amazing.
There are times when you, when…you may be going through something, and people will be like, so into themselves and what they doing. I’m not saying that they’re…just ignoring you totally, like they don’t care? But they’re not gonna stop. And give you a hug or…bring you up outta that emotion. They just don’t do that. They’ll be like, “Oh you be ahyight!” With a dog, it’s like, it’s so different. She’ll jump on me, roll around on the floor, make me play with her, and then I’m like, “Okay.” Get myself together, and think about how I’ll move through this.
(Listens to a question.)
Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, and right now I have a standard…labradoodle.
[How do I feel about talking to you today?] (Softly.) The more I talk, the better I’ll get. That’s how I feel. (Louder.) I said the more I talk, the better I’ll get, that’s how I feel. Because a lot of times you don’t…it’s good to hear yourself, ’cause then then you’re like, thinking things through and you—you’re finding out more and more about yourself, like, as I sit here, I’m finding more and more out about myself. And how connected education and survival are in me as a person. Y’know, and still have more room to grow.
[Is there anything we talked about today that I haven’t thought about in a long time?] Mmm—yeah, I didn’t think about school [for a long time now till today] like, elementary school, and how much I wasn’t getting that attention that I needed through the teachers. I think if I had gotten that attention, I could have moved forward and not stayed stagnated in that, “I’m not sure if I’m doing, I
’m accurate, like I’m doing the right thing.” Yeah. I mean, because if you’re wrong about something, and you have a wrong answer, and there’s no one there to say, “Well, this is wrong and this is why,” then you stay right there. That’s where you stay at. So…
Well, if I didn’t correct [the dogs], then they would be…yeah, they would just do anything, they’d do whatever they want. They wouldn’t have no…boundaries. But they do. Because they’re being taught. Constant. All day, every day…it’s teaching them, and praising them, and letting them know that they’re doing the right thing. And…we get really good results, like…out of a hundred dogs, eighty-nine of those dogs are gonna make it.
And I think if the teachers were more…involved, with the schoolwork and the children as people, as the little people that they really are, I think that they would progress better. Think that they would be better…people.
Oh! If they don’t see them as little people, they—they’re just seeing them as…They have to see ’em as people. They have to see them as the future. They have to see them as people who are gonna go out and be their next-door neighbors. So they have to see them as people and teach them all that they can, while they can. ’Cause they’re…at that stage where they absorb everything. And if they not absorbing all the right things, then…yeah. That’s…barbaric.
Notes From the Field Page 6
