Staying Focused in Springtime

By Cindy Reitzi

June 2003

Teachers sometimes like to chatter about their favorite grade du jour. At the end of the school year, freshmen are popular because most are still “doing school” (as teachers like to say). Tomorrow, if the sun is shining, who knows? Freshmen are hearty academic stew; some seniors, in contrast, are thin consomme. Walking in, freshman greet you with: “What are we doing today?”; the seniors eye you with: “What are you doing to us today?” and get-me-out-of-here looks of impending graduation.

I recently stepped in for an injured colleague after spring break. I was prepared for English 9, but not “second semester seniors” who have recommendations in hand, acceptance to the colleges of their choice, and that far-away look in their eyes (“I am not here, really; I am elsewhere”). I’ve become a fan of freshmen.

Recently, freshman gave me food for thought. Even as the warmer weather attempted to lure their imaginations away from academics, they managed to stay focused long enough to engage in an enlightening discussion of literature and social-ethical issues.

I gave a quiz on “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Students had to “match” quotes with four themes (courage, empathy, segregationist thinking, and class prejudice). For example:

• The most basic level: Who’s talking and what about?
  
• What is the context in the story?
  
• How does this illustrate a theme, symbol or larger idea?
  
• Do you understand the historical context of the story?
  
• What does it mean?
  

I underestimated the complexity, since interpreting a quote can require layers of understanding. So, I admitted my error and told students that they could defend their “wrong answers” for points.

Being freshman, they immediately launched into a “what if…” discussion that had more facets than a prism, sometimes over a few words. Of course, this is my geeky idea of a good time.

Students produced instances of class prejudice intersecting with racism and meaningful examples of empathy. The more we discussed, the more we realized that we also needed to define what we meant by racism, prejudice and segregationist thinking, and how they intersect.

Then we really cooked, discussing details of the plot.

The conversation covered the intricacies of how racism pervaded the court system and life at the time. The story focuses on the courage of Atticus Finch, who was defending Tom Robinson, an unjustly accused African American, in 1930s Alabama.

For example, I asked the class, “Why does Atticus mention Bob is left-handed and Tom is right-handed?”

“Bob beat up Mayella, cuz he’s left-handed. She had bruises on her…right side.”

“Tom can only use his right hand … his left hand got caught in a machine.”

“A cotton gin.” We worked up to the next level.

“Well, it took courage for him (Atticus) to take the case – he knows he’s going to lose,” Leslie said. “You know, when he says ‘when you’re licked before you start’ that’s courage. And it takes courage to stand in front of the jury and point out the town’s racism,” she finished, landing the quote’s thematic level.

“Hmm, good. Courage does fit. Good explanation.”

“But,” Kathryn protested, “how could they do that? How could they convict an innocent man when they knew he was innocent? That’s so unfair.”

Another good question. At moral and historical levels.

“Well…institutional racism: a black person is not going to get a fair trial in the South of the 1930s. White people are in charge and they can do what they want. But … how did it get that way? You have to look to history.”

So I gave them the Reader’s Digest Condensed version of the election of 1877. The election was tied and hung up in the electoral college. Rutherford B. Hayes made a “dirty deal” with Southern legislators – get me elected and I’ll remove Northern troops stationed in the South, in part to protect African Americans and to ensure Reconstruction.

Hayes became president, removed Northern troops, and removed any protection for blacks in the South. Up to this point, African Americans were making gains: they were voting, electing blacks to Congress, running businesses, farms, and learning to read and write after slavery. Removing troops intensified domestic terrorism: the KKK, lynching, intimidating black voters and any African Americans who progressed above what white racists deemed their station in life, and institutionalized racism like Jim Crow laws (segregation).

“So, that’s how we got to a point where a white jury could convict an innocent black man in the South without any consequences.”

Heady ideas to gnaw on. Even as the spring sun shines brightly outside.

Posted June 11, 2003