Identity and Education: Part 1
Identity is a major contributing factor in one’s life, it
shapes who we are and what we aspire to be.
Identity and education affect each other on many different levels. Often young black men struggle with education
in its modern institutionalized form. This leads to an understanding that
education in its modern form does not fully lend itself to the recognition that
most young North American black men are looking for. Moreover, it questions its validity creating
an educational divide between institutionalized education and the education
that is provided just around the corner through everyday life experiences. Often
young black males seem to value street recognition as opposed to recognition
through our existing educational system.
Young Black men are frequently caught in a struggle between
societal recognition of success; as these ideals can be in contrast with what
is recognized as successful amongst their peers. The route and means of achieving
this success is at odds. The commonality of the two at first glance is to be
wealthy and powerful; however, as Bracher believes, “Even wealth and material
possessions are not an end in themselves but a way for us to be assured of the
recognition identity, motivation, and recognition of others” (22-23). As a
result we come to an educational divide, respectively leading in two opposing directions.
Following the socially excepted norms leads to a more modern
form of education in which academics and scholasticism are of ultimate value. However
academic success, as it seems can oppose ideological definitions of what it
means to be black. A young black male achieving academic excellence can be perceived
as a traitor placing him in a position where he must defend and even vindicate
his blackness. In which case, as explained by Tom Fox in Bracher’s, “Radical
Pedagogy: Identity, Generativity and Social Transformation”, “Success in school
means joining the opposition, threatening their identity as black Americans”
(34).
An alternative form of education is to go against social
norms and become informed by means of everyday life. Although academic success
is seen as a positive thing to the societal majority, it can also be seen as
obsolete to the young black male because the success most common to him is not
always found through school or academics; it is achieved by way of monetary
endowment accumulated through alternative means. The young black male gains knowledge through
observation and understands that for him, the more practical way towards money,
power and respect does not subside in academics but through an alternate
education only acquired through an unconventionally attained knowledge. A form
of awareness not found in the classroom but found on the corner, on the block
and throughout the buildings that compose their neighborhood.
Politicians, lawyers and police officers are visible;
however, pimps, drug dealers and hustlers seem more tangible and are undeniably
more benevolent. Although viewed by
mainstream society as degenerate, the latter provide a formula that delivers
recognition and a form of success that young black males may possibly model
their lives after. As Bracher postulates, “While such forms of recognition can
be an impediment to education, they can also provide motivation to learn in
cases where the system itself does not, or motivation to acquire knowledge that
the system ignore or excludes” (26).
The educational divide that many young black males face is
like a fork in the road, each with benefits and setbacks. To choose academic success may ostracize an
individual from their culture and community and to choose the alternate route
goes against societal values. “Each form
of recognition can either support or interfere with learning. When students seek recognition as being “a
good student” or “intelligent” and such recognition is not received, they may
feel depressed, anxious, or angry and as a result be less effective in their
learning, or pursue noneducational means of achieving recognition” (24). As an
educator the dilemma still remains; how does one enforce positive recognition
of identity through the modern institutionalized educational system?
