Reality Pedagogy, 'The Wire,' & Our Times
As International Teacher’s Day wakes us up on October 5th, the most unique, international educational experience for people everywhere is upon us. Students and educators are engaging in virtual teaching, while attempting to continue the authentic learning process - never has this been imagined at such a large scale. While the show, ‘The Wire,’ may not have been around for this pandemic or even for such widespread technological advancement, it can still provide some light to our pedagogy, learning, and approach to education.
The poetic justice in those words. “It’s all in the game,” said Omar Little - the brutal, empathetic Robin Hood of ‘The Wire.’ This was his response, when intimidatingly questioned by the murder defendant’s lawyer about robbing drug dealers. Facetiously, the ‘game’ here is a reference only to the drug trade, but when studied under a microscope, the game he is talking about is not just the workings of street politics. Rather, he is talking about any societal structure governed by tradition or law - he says that while the lawyer leeches off of the same business with a briefcase by defending and exploiting drug dealers, he robs them with a gun.
Principally, what is the difference? Omar seems violent due to his overt use of shotguns and almost numbing murder count, but the lawyer wishes for the game to flourish, so that he can continue his clientele. This, by no means, is a Socratic defense of Omar’s violence, but rather an emphasis on his critique of the system - it deems him violent and parasitic (which he may be), but protects the systemic leeches and dusty tradition because it maintains the status quo of the powerful.
As the show proceeds, we get a closer look at the failing institution that is the soil bed of this game - the education system. Its structure and involvement with all other societal entities make it the reason for either progress or decay. The depiction of the schools of inner city Baltimore highlight the need of a shift in our approach to urban and multicultural education. A fundamental change in our outlook - Reality Pedagogy.
Proposed by Dr. Chris Emdin of Columbia University’s Teachers College as a medium of instruction in urban districts, it is a more fundamental outlook than just a teaching tool. How can we ever wish to educate or build a relationship with anyone whose reality we do not even accept and affirm? “Students quickly receive the message,” Dr. Emdin says, “that they can only be smart when they are not who they are.” When an educator and the overall system seeks to affirm the reality and potential of a student, then only can the student’s worth be actualized. This driving principle sums up the genesis of HipHopEd and Science GENIUS.
Particularly in urban areas, hiphop music and culture weave through the consciousness of young people, and by implementing its elements, concepts in science, technology, and math are taught. Albeit a reinvigorated approach to an existing concept, reality pedagogy dwells on the idea that the educator is a pivotal member of the student’s community, and thus, must understand each aspect of the lived culture. For example, in the ancient Eastern education systems, the guru would be aware of the individual’s student’s passions, home environment, vocation, and ambitions. By affirming and teaching through this knowledge, the educator becomes a vessel for the student’s self-actualization process. Similarly, in the modern context, without accepting the reality of the student, whether it be trauma, oppression, poverty, future dreams, or cultural context, how can we expect to affirm and forward the reality of the student? Now, while this principle may seem elementary, it is deemed more important and more difficult now than ever before.
“The pandemic within the pandemic has been revealed,” says Dr. Emdin, as he describes not only the COVID-19 pandemic, but the economic and racial reality that the country continues to face. As students finished their school year in June rallying for various Black Lives Matter protests across the country, now they will start their upcoming semesters in light of the Jacob Blake shooting. It is not often that young people have to learn virtually in the midst of a pandemic, racial unrest, and an economic recession. While schools continue to open remotely and in hybrid fashion, it will be on the educators to teach from the reality of the students, for this may be the most confusing and difficult that they have seen.
The connection to ‘The Wire’ is quite evident, as the show dissects the flaws of urban and multicultural education and indirectly argues for a systemic shift in our approach towards young people of color. In this depiction, two characters are emphasized - both educators. First, Roland Pryzbylewski, a former police officer, begins his new job as a public school teacher in West Baltimore, the toughest district in the city. Portrayed as an individual always willing to do the right thing, but often negligent in his approach, he is shown at first struggling to swim. Noticing that districts teach to the test, manufacture standardized test scores, and concentrate on passing rates rather than the emotional needs of their students, Prezbo, as he is affectionately called, becomes cynical. He slowly comes to the realization that often it is not the fault of the teachers, as they are caught in between a multi-layered cake of regulations and the potential they see in the students.
So, he decides to play the game. He teaches arithmetic and statistics based on the reality of his students. He has one student who is a foster child and relies on selling snacks at school to make some cash and another homeless student who has a knack for probability. Noticing young people often betting on dice in their neighborhood and streets, he decides to teach arithmetic and probability through that game. In another case, he allows one student to teach the rest of the class about snack prices online, saving money, and calculating profit. Here, the audience sees the students’ spirits change, demeanor uplift, and enthusiasm develop. Once their home environments and daily culture was not rejected as foreign and unaccepted, a shift occurred in their approach to the classroom.
Last, we have the religious epicenter of the show, The Deacon. A pastor in a Western Baltimore church, he is portrayed as a calm, wise, and almost sagacious mentor to the youth of his area. Often shown visiting returning convicts, stationed police officers, or youth caught in the drug game, he is a man of the community in the most literal sense. Walking the streets, conversing with families, and aware of people’s struggles, the deacon is the embodiment of a guide that lives within the jungle. In fact, in one instance, when Dennis “Cutty” returns from prison and wishes to engage the youth of his block in boxing and sports, the deacon inspires him to resist the urge to end up back on the street. When asked by Cutty why he knows so much about all the kids in West Baltimore, he says, “A good church man is always up in everybody’s shit. It’s how we do.” This, according to Dr. Emdin, is pentecostal teaching.
A method to imbibe reality pedagogy, pentacostal teaching implements the enthusiastic style of many ministers in church. Black ministers often use poetry, imagery from the neighborhood, and voice fluctuation to engage the audience. Phrases, such as “Can I get an Amen?,” are exemplifications of this continuous engagement with the families present, as the story-telling and enthusiasm becomes easily transmittable. In the classroom, this teaching attains the same goal of assuring that the audience digests the message and content of the topic. By incorporating the environment of the students, inspiring story-telling, personal anecdotes, and dramatic expression of the content, the classroom is never dull - it becomes an engaging back and forth. The Amen is heard and felt in such a classroom.
This is only possible, as educationalists often highlight, when the teacher is aware of the students’ environment. Once the educator understands the stories that relate to the youth in the classroom, the content becomes a medium for inspiration. So, in a time when teachers and students will be interacting virtually almost indefinitely, being engaging is even more of an imperative. It requires educators to become “good church men and women.”
As an educator, reflecting on Omar’s gut-wrenching proclamation that all asymmetries and inequities seem fair in ‘the game’ adds an air of disdain and hope. Heck, the feeling that the education system is too gargantuan to even address crumbles once one sees the enthusiasm of youth to unite, learn, and empower. Reality Pedagogy, as an approach to teaching, has been applied for centuries by educators.
But, as described by Dr. Emdin, the involvement of principles like pentecostal teaching can provide cultural context to the educator. Awareness, authenticity, and application of the students’ culture is what affirms their reality. Today, as teachers and students log onto a computer every morning to begin the learning process, we embark on an educational journey that seems fictional at best.
But in this absurdity lies a beautiful demand - to realize the multiplicity of pandemics that we all may be experiencing. To express an awareness and concern as an educator. To recognize the violence, whether it be direct and indirect. And most importantly, to accept the reality of young people and provide a horizon for a better one. Thus, the fundamental principle of Reality Pedagogy will be even more impressionable in the current context. ‘The Wire’ continues to live today, as its subtle and uncannily real depiction of the education system allows for an introspection. Optimistically, as we all adjust to new means of learning and teaching, we don’t get played by ‘the game.’