“The team exists to accomplish a result. However, the community exists to support its members while they fulfill their purpose."
-Peter Gibb
The Bronzeville Community
One of the largest components to successfully educating children is community partnership. Dereca Blackmon, in her article "Pedagogy of Communication" states that one of the pillars of success in teaching is building relationships with both your students and their community. Teaching is about more than building knowledge within your students. Teaching is about collaborating with other educators, families, and other adults to create well-rounded, holistic members of society.
Wendell Phillips Academy High School is located in the heart of the historic neighborhood of Bronzeville. In order to teach at Phillips, you must first understand how the history of the surrounding neighborhood enhances the strength of the school. The community walk presentation below outlines:
1.) the history of the community
2.) what resources exist within the community and the school that can help students
3.) how capitalizing on these resources can increase the social capital of Phillips students.
Bronzeville Culture Celebrated in Classroom
Gwendolyn Brooks was a student at Phillips Academy.
- By incorporating her work into the poetry unit, students are much more engaged in learning about her work and the nuances of her art.
- Students were particularly interested in Brooks' poem "A Song in the Front Yard," so I included a copy here for your reference.
- Students analyzed the poem, discussed Gwendolyn Brooks' context and history, and wrote a reflection on how her context may have influenced her work.
