So, What's It Like?

Jackie thought she knew her students. Then, after developing and implementing a project on school culture, she stopped to ask them: "So, What's It Like?" Students from diverse backgrounds answered bluntly, offering answers that she didn't always want to hear. In the end, Jackie learned that she didn't know as much as thought. In this compilation, some stories create laughter and celebrate success, while others share personal fears or question how to find self-acceptance. Many students discuss experiences with bias and stereotypes that hide beneath the surface, even in the most supportive communities. Throughout the book, students offer teachers powerful perspectives, stated in their own voices. David, a fifteen-year-old, biracial student on free and reduced lunch shared concerns about the use of school data, his racial identity, and his place in society when he questioned, "Why do you call us African-American and gather numbers on us? Why don't teachers just know their students? Why don't you figure out who we are?" He observed further: "People just aren't used to each other and they just don't know how to act." Other students from different backgrounds share their stories alongside David's, but in the end, they all offer similar advice. Take time to read a story from a different perspective, the kind you can only get from a thirteen-year-old. Take time to change perspective, listen to the students, and walk in their shoes.