Literacy Matters - Vol 21 - Winter 2021

police officers are our friends, and they protect and serve us. In that case, the students might decide not to engage in learning or participate in literacy discussions in the future because their present reality was not acknowledged. In the second scenario, the teacher first listens to the children. Listening allows children to tell their stories based on their experiences that might not be the same as the teacher’s experiences with police officers. encourage both teachers and students to promote change. The teacher and students can invite police officers into their learning environment to begin healthy dialogues that might include the children sharing their fears, pains, and sufferings with a small group of police officers assigned to their neighborhoods. Police officers should also have the opportunity to share their experiences and desires. The teacher might encourage the students and police officers to discuss human lives’ value and dream together what justice and community look like in their town. These deep discussions can begin the crucial work of developing constructive relationships, which begins with listening. Liberate Liberate Black boys by allowing them to move. When preparing teacher candidates to guide small reading groups with young students, Daneell emphasizes the importance of not bounding Black boys. They are regularly instructed to follow simple precepts that are grounded in research: “If they fidget, let them fidget; If they learn better by standing, then let them stand rather than sit; If they swing back and forth as they read or talk, then let them. If they tap their pencil as they read, then avoid stopping them” (Dibble, 2019; Gabbard & Rodrigues, 2012; Pigozzi and Peterson, 2010). This is not inviting permissiveness but encouraging productivity. Maria Montessori (1949/1995), the Italian physician, educator, and founder of the Montessori education method, stated, “Watching a child makes it obvious that the development of his mind comes through his movements” (p. 142). Movement is a natural response to engagement, not disengagement. During the industrial age, schooling was grounded in the notion that sitting still promotes learning. Classrooms were designed for students in the same way the assembly line was designed for adult workers. If each worker remains in their designated location and performs their work, productivity will result. Likewise, the false idea that a still child is an attentive and engaged learner became a part of school policies and practices. For example, students were lined up in rows, assigned seats and required to remain still, listen, and learn for hours in a day. The opposite results usually occurred for most children. Research shows that an active child is an active listener. Moreover, the younger they are, the more they need to move (Hannaford, 2007). Letting Black boys move liberates them to learn literacy. Scholars have worked hard to erode the industrial model encouraging movement in the classroom, especially for children ages 2-9 (Gabbard & Rodrigues, 2012). Movement supports brain development (Breitchecker, 2019), critical thinking, Productive listening should also lead to social action. Prospective teachers hearing the students’ stories should

exploration, and problem-solving (Gabbard & Rodrigues, 2012). The integration of movement and play-oriented problem- solving into daily curricular activities is essential (Gabbard & Rodrigues, 2012); however, during the daily teaching of literacy along with other subjects, teachers must embrace Black boys fidgeting, rocking, and standing as engagement during the literacy learning process. It does not require teachers to create literacy events for movement but to allow students’ natural inclination for movement to be a part of every literacy event; these include shared reading and writing, Sustained Silent Reading (SSR), guided reading and writing, choral reading, and so on. Lead In conclusion, we propose teachers lead in meeting Black boys’ needs for self-actualization. The most influential people in the learning environment are teachers. Those who teach literacy prepare children to read and write and prepare children to reach their full potential. Supporting self-actualization involves helping them develop confidence with competence in literacy, engage in fruitful conversations with peers and adults, create multimodal media to share ideas, and design writing projects to influence change. And this should be for all children: Black boys are children too. Teachers must lead in the work of changing negative perceptions about Black boys. They must see them as part of our collective community. Teachers must lead strategically and uncompromisingly to forge a new narrative of who Black boys are and what they can accomplish. They are leaders, critical thinkers, public speakers, creative writers, future teachers, and so on. They are not problems that must be handled or addressed. Our perception of them and the practices occurring in and out of the schools are the problem that must be eradicated. On November 13, 2019, we developed a professional learning community to explore healthy literacy learning for primary children, particularly Black boys. Before the recent social unrest throughout the globe in the spring of 2020, we have been thinking critically and creatively to address a problem that W.E.B. Dubois referred to as the “problem of the color line” (Dubois, 1903, p. 23). We reviewed, ruminated, and reflected on several articles that highlighted student engagement as the means to promote social and emotional development and academic success among Black boys. We explored a holistic view of education that expanded beyond cognitive and social perspectives to promote literacy learning. The research clearly shows that caring teachers, planning and implementing literacy instruction with high engagement, are more likely to meet Black boys’ needs. Our current investigation and lived experiences have led us to envision caring teachers supporting all children in reaching their full literacy potential. These caring teachers demonstrate love through patience, which allows them to take the proper steps to meet students’ needs in a supportive and safe environment where students can actively participate in reading and writing experiences. Equally important, these caring teachers provide students an opportunity to take joint ownership of their learning environment, which fosters high literacy engagement. High literacy engagement involves students working collaboratively with

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Literacy Matters | Volume 21 • Winter 2021 | 87 |

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