Why some Black teachers reject “woke cred” and resent the white teachers who embrace it

Theme 1. Firm Love

The passage below from an interview with Deondra Clark (pseudonym) in 2023 illustrates the complicatedness of "woke" in urban schools.

The term "woke" originated in African American Vernacular English (AAVE) to describe being aware of social issues and injustices. Critics, who often use the term pejoratively, instead conceive of it as being overly sensitive, politically correct, or performative in its activism. It turns out that being "woke" in schools is not always easy to understand. The nuances may surprise some folks.

Below, I share a lengthy excerpt from an interview with a Black veteran teacher, Miss Clark. At the time of the interview, in mid-2023, she had been teaching within her school district for over two decades. This was her fourth interview and because of an incident that took place in the school was feeling particularly critical of white teachers who, she contended, are not firm in their approach. She attributed this lack of firmness to, one, their lack of experience in Black communities, and two, their desire to be lenient or soft on discipline for Black students.

While Miss Clark did not directly refer to this as a complication of wokeness, it would not be inappropriate to characterize her thoughts as critical. The passage shared here reflects the continuation of years of conversation with her about how some white teachers in her school do not know how to address the root causes of behavior issues, though they are concerned about them. This distinction between what folks "do" and "think" matters here. According to Clark, in an attempt to create a classroom environment where all students feel valued and supported, several white teachers avoid punitive measures or firm expectations. Her conclusion is that chaos then unfolds. The Black teachers, often better able to manage the classrooms effectively, are required to step in and help. In other words, white teachers' struggles mean more labor for Black staff.  

On one hand, Clark is not a critic of teachers being "woke" and, arguably, could be considered woke herself. In the passage below, she suggests teaching white teachers critical race theory as one potential remedy to the problems she has outlined. Only so-called woke teachers would suggest that, right? She proposes that this could, in theory, lead white teachers toward more culturally responsive disciplinary approaches. On the other hand, she resists how others have internalized woke culture in schools. She argues that the behavior problems arising in these classrooms stem from fear because white teachers do not properly understand the role of race in their actions (but think they do). In an excerpt from an interview from the previous year (not included below), Clark shared that white teachers may recognize that race has led to systemic injustices, such as the disproportionate disciplinary actions often faced by Black students in education systems. Similarly, they may understand that systemic racism may, in various ways, be making their students' lives difficult.

This is good,” Clark concluded in an interview from 2021.

The problem, she continued, is that what they DO with that understanding. Clark believes some of these teachers then come to her school and teach as if race is irrelevant, possibly in protest to racists who view Black people poorly because of race.

According to Clark, the white teachers in her school may not understand that these same racial dynamics that they feel they understand has created obstacles for their Black students mean that those same students now require a "firm" approach. Clark refers to it as "firm love." In this way, Clark challenges white teachers' interpretation of what it means to be woke in her school.

I share the 2023 interview excerpt below because it helps depict why some Black teachers in my study (N=11) reject “woke cred” and, relatedly, sometimes resent the white teachers who embrace it.           INTERVIEW EXCERPT: I: What's the best way to handle students? P: Firm love.

            I: Firm love?

            P: Firm love. They see that you care—children are smart. They're smarter than adults. They see that you care, they see that you love them, they will respond to you. Not every day, because they come in with some heavy baggage. These kids been through some stuff I ain’t never thought of. But if they know that I care and that I love them, then I'm able to get something done. [Am I] able to bring test scores all the way through the roof? No, not going to happen because they got so much doggone baggage that stops them from learning but they're gonna learn something. They're going to learn something (repeated with emphasis). But it comes with firm love.

            I: What does this firm approach look like in the classroom?

            P: To let them know that they cannot and they will not do whatever it is that they want to do. A lot of these children don't have that type of discipline at home where—they’re on their own. They get up on their own, they dress themselves, they come to school. There's nobody there to say, “This is what you do.” I mean, down to the simplest things as, children come to school with their clothes on the wrong side. Nobody looked at you in the morning? Let me tell you, the way they come in the door, that tells you nobody looked at them. Nobody loved them—on them before they walked in that door. Shoes not tied, stuff all around their face. Nobody loved on that child and put eyes on that child. Somebody said, ‘Get up and get ready to get out the houseand go to school.’ They—when they see you, they want that love. [They need me to say] ‘Good morning. How are you? Come on, let's go and put your shirt on the right side. Let's get your shoes tied. Go in and get a little bit of lotion and go wash your—.’ That type of caring starts today. Then, when they start to act up, ‘No, we're not going to do this. This is what I expect of you. Setting forth those expectations and sticking firm with them to let them know, ‘No, you're not going to do this. I care. This is what it's going to be.” And also, what I don't like—cause I’m having this issue now—I'm sorry, I'm talking so much. I should shut up.

            I: That's what I want. This is why I'm here. Don't apologize.

            P: Because I'm going through this now and I go through it every year and we talk about it, is Suzy Q [fake teacher name provided by the participant] is having an issue, behavior problem student [and wants to] send them to me. Don't send them to me. Let me say what she told me, Suzy Q. She had a half day on Friday, so she had to split her class because, you know, we don't get subs. [So this teacher says to me, ‘Um, I'm giving you all my behavior problems because you can handle them.” What the fuck?! What do I look like? What do I look l like? No, I'm tired of that. That is what makes us tired. I'm tired of that. [Or an administrator coming to me and saying, “Oh, we're going to switch the student because, um, he's giving [Suzy Q] such a hard way to go. We're going to put them in your room.” Why? Why am I—I meaning us [Black teachers]—Why are we it? Why? No (upset tone). Who's going to take that child that plucks my nerves every day? Nobody. But you're going to give me another one?! That's the kind of stuff that we get. I'm like, No, I'm tired of this…—I even tried to tell my principal, ‘You are not putting him in my class. I don't care what you do. No, I'm not doing it.…This goes on all the time. All the time. all the time. [It plays out like this]: ‘Oh, you're a strong teacher, you're a good teacher. You can handle the discipline.” No. No. Teach them how to handle the discipline. This goes on—you would not believe [how often]. It’s every single year, every year…Most of the Black teachers that have been here, we could write a book. All the time, all the time. [We hear]” “Well, they don't know how to handle them.” Now, mind you, when she sent me her four behavior problems, I ain’t have a problem with them, but that's beside the point (laughs). That’s not the point (laughs). I’m just—it’s just like…(pause) what they don’t see…It wears you down, it wears the teachers down. It wears us down.  We’re tired of it and it wears you down (tired tone). It really does.

            I: So, Suzy Q's four behavior problem folks come into your class, but they don't give you the same problems?

            P: No.

            I: And probably because you use that firm love approach?

            P: Yes. You’re going to come in, you’re going to sit down, you're going to do your work. This is what I expect of you. You're not getting up. You're not running out of the classroom. You're not  going to talk to me any kind of way. And then again, you know, Black women have a way of talking to their children that white people cannot do and don't know how to do. So, when they hear me come at them like, ‘Who you talking to? You best sit your little self down,’ it comes off differently than if somebody that (laughs)—if somebody white says it. [The kids] don’t gotta listen to them. But if a Black person says it, then they have a tendency to pay attention and listen.

            I: So, Suzy Q. What's her approach? This hypothetical, Suzy Q, that's not so hypothetical, what's her approach? You’ve got your firm love, how might she handle the same situation?

            P: Yell and scream. Yell and scream. And then there's, ‘I can’t do this. Sit down. Sit down. I’m tired of this’ (raised to a high pitch tone for entire quote, imitating the teacher screaming).  Mmm, no… (pause).

            I: So, it’s, uh, a lot of yelling and screaming and panicking.

            P: Yeah, and the children smell the fear. They smell the fear. And they just act up and             see what [they] can get away with it because they smell the fear. Like, I’m not afraid of you. You’re a little kid. Why am I afraid (confused tone)? But [the white woke teachers] have that different mindset. It’s culture. They have a different mindset. [Teacher describes the background and education of the other same grade teacher, including her college experience and personal background in mostly white areas, before continuing], ‘You know, so that's where she's from. So, her to come down here in (city where the school is located) and see 24 little Black children, Brown children sitting up in her classroom, it's a shock. It’s a shock… (pause). She was just saying she’s not staying, so I have to write her a letter of recommendation.

            I: Could she stay?...What would she need to learn and develop in order for her to stay and do well and be happy at this job?

            P: Critical race theory (laughs).

            I:You’re laughing, but you’re serious, right? … Critical race theory?

            P: It’s—diversity. She needs to learn the culture and that’s just hard for them because it's like changing their DNA.

            I: Okay. So, is that a way of saying, there are some people who've been taught not to see race or to act as if race is irrelevant. And those folks don't understand the importance of learning about race when they come working in these places?

            P: Mhm [yes].

            I: So, it's harming them, potentially not seeing the importance of race?

            P: They’re not even used to it. They haven't been brought up with it or around it or anything. And they just walk in here and it's like a big culture shock. I don't know what they think when they get here or what they think is going to happen when they walk in here (unsure tone). I have no clue. Get in here and they just look at them and its total fear (shocked tone). Total fear. For example, the same teacher, a little boy threatened her. He told another student, ‘I'm going to go home and get my gun and shoot her if she don't give me back my gloves.’ Now, this is—I understand what happened in [teacher names a recent school shooting]. I do. [But] knowing the little boy, I would've pulled him aside. I would’ve told him, like I told my class, “Let me tell you something. You ain't gonna do nothing. What you gotta do is, you gonna sit here in this classroom. And if you threaten me again, it's going to be me and you.” [But with] her, it became a great big thing.…[The union rep] was brought in….A whole nine yard behavior plan and yada, yada, yada, yada, yada (annoyed tone). Then she tells her parents and her parents said, “Oh, we want you to stick it out until June.” Because she's ready to leave now. And I'm like, I don't ever remember calling my mom and my dad about nothing that happened on the job (shocked tone). Never. (Laughs). I’m like, I would love to see what my mom and dad would tell me, you know. I'm like, okay (laughs).

Interesting conversation, right?

            The interpretation of "woke" culture varies widely within the district and oftend depends on one's perspective and experiences. Generally, teachers think of it aa heightened awareness and commitment to addressing social injustices and inequalities. What I learned from Clark, as well as other Black teachers in this study, is that there is another layer to "wokeness" to unpack. White teachers and Black teachers of Black students, by and large, may agree with the need to be cognizant of the ways in which power structures and societal norms perpetuate inequality and oppression. But for teachers, that may not be the important part of the conversation. The better and more interesting part is what teachers then do with that understanding. It is impacting teachers in strange and unexpected ways. And it may be harmful. Black teachers who “reject woke cred” aren’t necessarily rejecting the ideology or the ethos. They are rejecting something that they believe is more insidious. In the chapter that describes this phenomenon, readers will hear from both Black and White teachers on the subject. I also share the results of researcher observations. The conclusions are surprising. Questions? Ideas? Email me. Be well, folks.