Listening Carefully to the Narratives of Young Adolescent Youth of Color

Abstract

Culture and community are considered key aspects of effective middle level education (National Middle School Association, 2010). Effective schools for young adolescents are inviting, inclusive, and supportive; are staffed with adults who support youths academic and personal development; and affirm the important role that families play in educating youth. In this article, we suggest that middle level educators can use the tools of research-specifically, narrative inquiry-to better understand the lives of the young adolescents they teach and to develop more supportive classroom communities and cultures. Such inquiry can enrich and deepen teachers complex understandings of adolescent students lives, enhance adolescent students affiliation with school, and develop relationships between middle level teachers and their students. Using research tools drawn from narrative inquiry methodologies (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000; Cole & Knowles, 2001; Linde, 1993; Mishler, 1999), teachers can come to understand dimensions of adolescent students lives that are not otherwise apparent. We encourage middle grades teachers to use such methods in their everyday practices as a means of student support and advocacy. In this article, we ask: How can middle level teachers draw on tools of narrative inquiry to better understand and support their students academic achievement, school affiliation, and general well-being? We illustrate the value of narrative inquiry through the stories of three adolescent students, gathered through life history interviews. All of these stories show key dimensions of the students lives to which teachers ordinarily might not be privy. We then connect the students stories to the broader literature that discusses both the importance of in schooling and research concerning African American families and the diverse resources they can leverage to support their childrens education. The role of in the educational lives of three students of color Amber Amber Madison (all names of people and places are pseudonyms) was a sixteen-year-old African American female who attended Pinesville Community Charter School (PCCS), a pre-K-to-12 public charter school in a rural community in the southeastern United States. Amy (first author) asked Amber, who was raised by her aunt and uncle, to recount the role her had played in her educational experiences. described how, in addition to seeking out the assistance of her aunt and uncle, she had intentionally recruited adults from diverse contexts in her life to construct an extended family network to help her attain her educational goals. mentioned two teachers from her earlier years of schooling, Mr. Hunter and Mrs. Monroe, whom she considered to be family, stating I look up to Mr. Hunter as a father. Amber told Amy how she enjoyed talking with him, and she said she knew he cared about her well-being. also recalled how Mrs. Monroe had functioned as a mother to her, frequently checking in on her and reminding her of the consequences of her actions: She will tell me, 'No, you should not have done that, or 'Why did you do it? Amber had demonstrated agency by pulling together a unit that put her on the path to attaining her educational goals. This unit included teachers who were willing to accept these roles in Ambers life; Mr. Hunter and Mrs. Monroe demonstrated deep interest in Amber, showing her they were willing to go beyond the usual role of teachers. They inquired about her life and shared parts of their own lives, forming strong personal bonds with Amber. Consequently, Ambers academic achievement and sense of affiliation with school were boosted, and she was able to extend her circle of support to adults beyond her aunt and uncle. Jonathan Jonathan Reynolds was a seventeen-year-old African American male who, like Amber, attended PCCS. Jonathan was living with his grandparents, mother, and younger brother. …