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Because of racial, class and gender biases, school environments are often especially
problematic for African American and working-class/working-poor students. Boys and
girls also experience school differently because of gender roles. These intersecting
problems include facing dominant narratives based on stereotypes and discrimination.
The current study took place in a school building that serves predominately African
American and low-income students. The questions examined include: how does school
silence children, and how do children resist being silenced? Observational and
interview data indicate that children are disciplined into invisibility by treating
them stereotypically and consequently demanding uniformity in their behavior as a
way to control their mostly colored bodies. Children resist such treatment through
creative and collaborative acts that promote their voice and visibility and which
critique the dominant narrative. In general, students attempt to construct an
alternative view that allows another, student-generated narrative to emerge.
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