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Alexs Pate
Table of Contents (PDF)
About the Author | Reviews
When children of color enter their classrooms each year, many often encounter low expectations, disconnection, and other barriers to their success. In The Innocent Classroom, Alexs Pate traces the roots of these disparities to pervasive negative stereotypes, which children are made aware of before they even walk through the school door. The cumulative weight of these stereotypes eventually takes shape as guilt, which inhibits students' engagement, learning, and relationships and hurts their prospects for the future.
If guilt is the primary barrier for children of color in the classroom, then the solution, according to Pate, is to create an Innocent Classroom that neutralizes students' guilt and restores their innocence. To do so, readers will embark on a relationship "construction project" in which they will deepen their understanding of how children of color are burdened with guilt; discover students' "good," or the motivation behind their behaviors, and develop strategic responses to that good; and nurture, protect, and advocate for students' innocence.
Ultimately, students will reclaim their innocence and begin to make choices that will lead to their success. Teachers will renew their commitment to their students. And the current ineffective system can give way to one that reflects a more enlightened understanding of who our children are--and what they are capable of.
See the book's table of contents and read excerpts (PDF)
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Product No: 120025
ISBN-13: 978-1-4166-2933-7
Availability: August 2020
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The Innocent Classroom has reaffirmed my philosophy as a teacher, an administrator, a mom, and a person. I have always felt that strong and genuine relationships with my students were the precursor to future success. It is a fact of life that as educators, we all feel the constant pressure of getting through the curriculum, worrying about standardized test scores, and making AYP. Alexs Pate's passion for fostering children's innocence focuses on creating a school community that prioritizes building, advocating for, and protecting the "good" of each of our children. While I could cite research on the correlation between positive student-teacher relationships and increased student achievement, effort, and personal growth, the day-to-day experiences of the heart are proof enough for me. You, our children, and I will all work harder and achieve more when we know we are valued for our unique "goods" that drive us in all that we do. The Innocent Classroom brings us back to nurturing the soul and heart. With this vital component, our children will succeed—both academically and emotionally. The Innocent Classroom has made me reflect, go deeper, and see what makes each child (and adult) truly unique. I appreciate and applaud Alexs Pate for his dedication in helping all of us find and value the true human spirit within us.
—Elementary school Assistant principal and former classroom teacher, Omaha, Nebraska
I've never seen a practice or a program that has changed hearts and minds so fast. We haven't even finished our training, but there's been an immediate culture shift.
—K–8 school principal, St. Cloud, Minnesota
With Innocent Classroom, you end up with kids who care about each other, kids who can be flexible when you need to change something, kids who can be patient if you are struggling with technology, kids who will do anything for the greater good. When I even start to ask, "Is there someone who could … ?" 15 hands go up because they want to help. When you lead with finding innocence, kids who screamed and ran the halls or needed a one-on-one adult at other schools become the stars of your class. When you lead with finding innocence, you get higher test scores … five years in a row.
—Teacher, Lucy Craft Laney Community School, Minneapolis
It works. Kids will do things for teachers they love. Our graduation rate has gone up. We are one of the highest graduation-rate growers over the last five years in the entire state of Minnesota and in the metro area. The last few years, we've had about 16-point growth, and we have also made very large gains with all groups within our district. We have closed gaps between our Latino and white students. We have closed gaps between black and white students, our ELL and non-ELL students, and our special ed and non–special ed students.
—Superintendent, Suburban Minneapolis public school district
Alexs Pate is the President and CEO of Innocent Technologies and the creator of the Innocent Classroom, a program for K–12 educators that aims to transform U.S. public education and end disparities by closing the relationship gap between educators and students of color.
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Cultural diversity
Culturally responsive teaching | diverse classrooms and schools | school climate and culture | social-emotional learning | Whole Child: Supported
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