Constructivist and Asset Based Approaches: Reflections on teaching in the 53206

“Education is the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.”'                                Paulo Frierre

As educators, it is our job to provide our students with the means to create a better world, a better community.  Yet we must be very particular about how we do this.  The term deficit mindset refers to a way of thinking that see’s primarily what is wrong with a person or place.  As teachers in the 53206 it is easy to get consumed by deficit narratives.For example  “our parents don’t care about our kids, because they work so much, there are not enough books in homes in  our neighborhoods,  our neighborhood has the highest incarceration rate among black males, and the lowest graduation rate, their disproportionately higher numbers of students who are'nt on grade level or have iep's,  etc.  Though much of this information has factual basis, this mindset problematizes our scholars.  How can we as educators empower our students to change their world when we see the communities and the black impoverished bodies that our students occupy as obstacles to success?

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,I know that full well. 

As educators, it is crucial for us to reframe the narrative using an assets based approach.  An asset based approach seeks to primarily understand what is strong with our students and their communities.   We accomplish this by first identifying  awesome indigenous leaders, mindsets, and  landmarks present in our communities.  Secondly we unpack the deficits that seem to cloud our optics, by asking questions like "what institutional factors have played a role in the creation of the current climate.  This last step is vital. When we acknowledge the historic and present day systemic injustices that have riddled our zip code, we can move from seeing our students as problems, and begin to see them  as resilient!  As fearfully and wonderfully made.  It is in this place that we may achieve mutuality.    Teachers understand their roles as class facilitators not as disseminators of knowledge,  guiding students not necessarily to new knowledge but  to the process of obtaining knowledge.