“Troublemakers” in poverty endure the violence perpetrated by the empire’s unleashed expansion:

1. “Troublemakers” in poverty endure the violence perpetrated by the empire’s unleashed expansion: Critical pedagogy as a transformational exodus By Dr. Cesar Rossatto, Cecilia Enriquez, Juanita Esparza and Daniel Heiman UTEP (The University of Texas at El Paso, College of Education)

2. VIOLENCE

4. Violence and Its Consequences • Violence is a situation in which the oppressor prevents the oppressed from engaging in the process of questioning, alienates human beings from their own decision making and self-determination, and turns them into objects of manipulation

5. THE PARTICIPANTS The Color of Violence The Violence Of Color The Violated: Nonwhites and Impoverished The Perpetrator: Patriarchal, White Hegemony

6. The Empire’s Cultural Hegemony: The Global Economy • According to Soros, (2005) developing countries, such as Africa and South America, are exploited by competing oil and mining companies for their natural resources. • These companies take advantage of the situation and destabilize government to protect their interests. • Leaves millions of people in extreme poverty who find no hope within their homelands. • They are forced to immigrate to more prosperous countries in an attempt to escape this hegemonic grasp.

7. Deconstructing • Thus, we cannot begin to deal with the violence with talk of multiculturalism without first deconstructing whiteness. • By whiteness we mean white supremacy or racism

8. Violence and Its Consequences • This violence in the border region of El Paso/Juarez permeates the social fabric, emerging within the school system. The violence is mirrored through complacency, resistance, disdain, apathy, and antagonistic behavior. This causes people to lose their sense of belonging, pushing some to become gang members,engage in criminal activities and/or become other types of “troublemakers.”

9. OVERTLY MAKERS OF TROUBLE THOSE THAT “MADE IT” TROUBLEMAKER COVERTLY THE VIOLENCE

10. Study’s Context

11. Study’s Context: Our Neighborhoods

12. Methodology--Quantitative • School population in relation to SES • Test scores • Retention rates • Drop-out rates • Remedial/alternative participants • Juvenile detainees

13. Methodology--Qualitative • Federal and state parole officer interviews • Surveys • Journal of real life accounts • Video taping • Observations • Discussions • Class sessions • Children’s work

14. Research Questions • How are impoverished students adversely affected by the unleashed violence of hegemonic social order? • How can critical pedagogy empower them to develop self-determination and self-affirmation? • How can the integration of dialectical praxis offer educators a viable exodus from the entrenchments of oppressive systems?

15. Some Specifics Of Overt Violence • Lack of meaningful learning experiences • Teacher verbal abuse • Teacher’s frequent absences • Students removing themselves from the physical environment • Parents concerned • Problem ignored • “Troublemakers” • Is this not dehumanizing and abusive? Is this not violence?

16. Findings • Statistics “show” that El Paso is the 2nd safest U.S. cities. • However, El Paso had the highest % of A & B misdemeanor offense referrals (68%- equivalent to 2,031) in Texas. • El Paso had the highest percentage of Latino referrals (82%). • El Paso reported the highest % of violent offenses (28%) in Texas.

17. Findings • Juvenile ages 15 and 16 account for the majority (60%) of referrals • About 40% of students are dropping out of school • One particular high school site, reports -45%-50% dropout rate

18. Findings • In Texas, Latino juveniles comprised of 44% of total juvenile system referrals (24, 065 juveniles) • Juveniles may be referred by various entities such as law enforcement agencies, schools, social agencies, parents, juvenile courts, or the Texas Youth Commission • Dallas and El Paso Juvenile Probation Departments have the highest % of juveniles to defer prosecution (29%)

19. Blame vs. Responsibility • It is undeniable that many children experience and learn violence outside the boundaries of the educational system. • Not only is education seen as a way to move up in the world, it is seen as the ultimate hope. • It is an institution that is synonymous with the notion of making this world a better place.

20. Covert Violence: Cultural Hegemony In Education • Throughout history, education has been limited to a privilege worthy of only the elite. • They named it, established the norms, registers, and standards that were relevant to them and their prescribed notion of reality, yet oblivious to others who did not share the same version of reality (Null, 2004).

21. SURMOUNTING PRESSURES FEDERAL, STATE, & LOCAL MANDATES ADMINISTRATION TEACHERS STUDENTS

22. Some Specifics Of Covert Violence • Teacher Preparation programs • NCLBE– “one-size fits all” premise • Deficit-Model • Bilingual Education • Standardized tests • Federal, state, and local mandates • Resistence to the use of effective practices Done through covert, “we-know-what’s-best” philosophy with the best of intentions!

23. Lessow-Hurley states: “ The cultural deficit or deficiency model suggests that ethnic minorities fail in school because their cultures are inadequate in some way (1996)

24. A bridge between worlds and registers Influential stakeholders Agents of socialization Educators/ and Education assimilation facilitators of empowerment agents of social change/ reform Hope for Humanity Recognize our multidimensionality as educators and educational entities!

25. Community Of Critical Participants: The Transformative Exodus Critical pedagogy is • The art of teaching and learning that deconstructs problematic structures • Then recreates new alternatives that are more in tune with social justice and equality. • Through affirmation of identity and self-determination by developing skills of critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity • Where students learn to question the reality that they live in to subsequently think of transformative exodus.

26. Structures NOT Coincidences • Hegemonic structures create violence of poverty and facilitate further violent and oppressive conditions. • The school systems are hegemonic structures that perpetuate passivity by denying critical thinking, problem-solving and conscience.

27. Societal Ramifications • As a result injustices are permitted to continue. • The widespread practices of interventions for social injustice lack critical reflection. The practices revolve around an ideology in which the populace sees themselves as “objects of the history.” (Freire )

28. Authentic Revolution • Schools have an obligation as institutions of socialization to set the stage for the type of discourse necessary. • It is a discourse that through critical pedagogy and the reorganization of knowledge production will it be possible to truly benefit humanity

29. STRUCTURES NOT COINCIDENCES EMPIRE’S PURPOSE SCHOOL STRUCTURES POVERTY • LAWS • TESTING • DISCOURSE • ATTITUDES • BELIEFS • NORMS CRITICAL PEDAGOGY • PRACTICES JUSTICE TROUBLEMAKERS “INTERVENTION” PROGRAMS “INTERVENTION” PROGRAMS JAIL SYSTEMS