179 Teacher Education Quarterly, Spring 2010 Representations of Education in HBO’s The Wire, Season 4 By James Trier The Wire is a crime drama that aired for five seasons on the Home Box Of- fice (HBO) cable channel from 2002-2008. The entire series is set in Baltimore, Maryland, and as Kinder (2008) points out, “Each season The Wire shifts focus to a different segment of society: the drug wars, the docks, city politics, education, and the media” (p. 52).The series explores, in Lanahan’s (2008) words, an increasingly brutal and coarse society through the prism of Baltimore, whose postindustrial capitalism has decimated the working-class wage and sharply divided the haves and have-nots.The city’s bloated bureaucracies sustain the inequality. The absence of a decent public-school education or meaningful political reform leaves an unskilled underclass trapped between a rampant illegal drug economy and a vicious “war on drugs.” (p. 24) My main purpose in this article is to introduce season four of The Wire—the James Trier is an associate professor in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. “education” season—to readers who have either never seen any of the series, or who have seen some of it but not season four. Specifically, I will attempt to show that season four holds great pedagogical potential for academics in education. 1 First, though, I will present examples of the critical acclaim that The Wire received throughout its run, and I will introduce the backgrounds of the creators and main writers of the series, David Simon and Ed Burns.
22
Embed
Representations of Education in HBO’s The Wire, Season 4 · Simon and Ed Burns. Representations of Education in HBO’s The Wire 180 The Wire: The Best Show on Television (Ever)
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
James Trier
179
Teacher Education Quarterly, Spring 2010
Representations of Educationin HBO’s The Wire, Season 4
By James Trier
The WireisacrimedramathatairedforfiveseasonsontheHomeBoxOf-fice(HBO)cablechannelfrom2002-2008.TheentireseriesissetinBaltimore,Maryland,andasKinder(2008)pointsout,“EachseasonThe Wireshiftsfocustoadifferentsegmentofsociety:thedrugwars,thedocks,citypolitics,education,andthemedia”(p.52).Theseriesexplores,inLanahan’s(2008)words,
The Wire: The Best Show on Television (Ever) The Wiredrewmuchcriticalacclaim,beingdescribedas“themostaggressivelyexperimentalprogramontelevision”(Kehr,2005);as“oneofthemostdemandingandthought-provokingseriesevertogracetelevision”(Lowry,2006);andas“amasterpiece”thatis“oneofthegreatachievementsintelevisionartistry”(Good-man,2006).ThiskindofacclaimisexemplifiedbyJacobWeisberg(2006),who,inafrequently-citedcolumn,describedThe Wireas“surelythebestTVshoweverbroadcastinAmerica,”adding:“Nootherprogramhaseverdoneanythingremotelylikewhatthisonedoes,namelytoportraythesocial,political,andeconomiclifeofanAmericancitywiththescope,observationalprecision,andmoralvisionofgreatliterature.” Weisberg’scomparisonofThe Wiretogreatliteraturederivesfromthevisionoftheseriescreator,DavidSimon,whoconceivedtheshowas“avisualnovel”(Rothkerch,2002),andthisnovelisticqualityhasbeenremarkedonbymanywhohavewrittenabouttheseries,suchasLanahan(2008),whodescribedwhatSimonwasdoingwiththeseriesasfollows:
DavidSimonandEdBurnsaretheoriginatingsourcesofwhatLanahande-scribesas“righteousanger”and“passionateideas”—andthesources,too,ofthedeepknowledgeandthemultilayeredexperiencesthatmanifestthemselvesinwhatWeisberg(2006)describedastherealisticportrayalof“thesocial,political,andeconomiclifeofanAmericancity.”Simon—theshow’screator,producer,andchiefwriter—grewupinWashington,D.C.,attendedtheUniversityofMaryland,andbecameacrimereporterfortheBaltimore Sun,whereheworkedfrom1983until1995.Intheearly1980s,SimonmetEdBurns,whowouldeventuallybecomehismaincollaboratoronvariousprojects.Burns,anativeofBaltimore,servedinVietNamand,uponreturningfromthewar,attendedLoyolaCollegeinBaltimoreandearnedadegreeinhistory(withaminorinphilosophy).Upongraduating,BurnsjoinedtheBaltimorepoliceforcein1971andbecameahomicidedetective,aswellasoneofSimon’smainsourcesinSimon’sreportingofcrimeinBaltimore. In1991,Simonpublishedhisfirstbook,Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets,which became the basis for the television crime seriesHomicide (1993-1999),andforwhichSimonwasoneofthewriters.Alsoin1991,EdBurnsretiredfrom
James Trier
181
thepolicedepartmentafter20years,andSimonapproachedBurns,accordingtoWilson(2008),“withanideathatwouldprobablyrepulsemostretireddetectives:spendingayearonthestreetsofadrug-infestedghetto,chroniclingthelivesoftheusersandthedealers—theverypeopleheusedtolockup—forabookthatbecameThe Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhoodin1997.”(HBOsubsequentlyadaptedthebookintoamini-seriesin2000.)AfterfinishingtheresearchforThe Corner,Simon(whowasonaleaveofabsencefromtheSuntoworkonThe Corner)eventually(andbitterly)tookabuyoutfromthenewspaperaspartofthepaper’sdownsizing.AndBurnsthenbecameateacher,spendingfouryearsteachinggeographyinamiddleschoolinBaltimore,andanotherthreeyearsasahighschoolteacherinamagnetschool.Eventually,SimoncameknockingagainonBurns’door,andthetwoconceptualizedtheseriesThe Wire,forwhichtheyservedasthemainco-writersduringallfiveseasons.(AfterThe Wireended,thetwoalsocollaboratedontheHBOmini-seriesGeneration Kill.)3 NowthatIhavepresentedexamplesofthecriticalacclaimthatThe WirehasdrawnanddescribedthebackgroundsofSimonandBurns,IwillexplainwhyIthinkseasonfouroftheseriesholdsgreatpedagogicalpotentialforacademicsineducation.Todothis,Iamimaginingapedagogicalscenarioinwhichallofseasonfourwouldbearequired“text”foracourse.4AnessentialpointthatIneedtomakeclearisthatinthisarticle,Iwillnotdivulgeanyfatal“spoilers”—i.e.,informationthatrevealshowstorylinesendandwhatultimatelyhappenstothemaincharacters.MyreasonfordoingthisisthatIamimaginingreaderswhoarelikemewhenitcomesto theirviewingpleasures.IamahardcorepuristwhovigilantlyguardsagainstbeingexposedtospoilersoffilmsortelevisionprogramsthatIplantosee.So,ifIhadneverseenThe Wireandcameacrossanarticlethatincludedspoilers,IwouldnothavereadituntilafterIhadviewedallfiveseasonsoftheseries.Ididnotwanttocreatethatverysituationwithpotentialreadersofthisarticle.
The Wire as a Required Text for a Course Inthisscenario,perhapsthecourseisan“IntroductiontoSchooling”course,ora“FoundationsofEducation”course,oramethodscourse(allwithinateachereducationprogram).Whatmattersisnotthetypeofimaginedcourse,butthefactthatseasonfourofThe Wirewouldbeassignedasarequiredtext.Inotherwords,Iwillnotbeconceptualizingthecurricularmake-upofthewholecourse.Rather,Iwillbediscussingafewpedagogicalpossibilitiesifseasonfourbecamearequiredtext,withoneepisodeassignedforviewingeachweekthroughoutthecourse.(Sothe13hoursofcontentfromseasonfourwouldfitperfectlyintoatypical15-weeksemestercourse.) Iwanttoacknowledgethatassigninganepisodeeachweekmightseemlikeapedagogicaldecisionthattakespreciousseminartimeawayfromaddressing“thebasics”ofatypicaleducationcourse,includingstatecredentialingrequirements.
Representations of Education in HBO’s The Wire
182
ThatiswhyIwouldassigntheepisodestobeviewedoutsideofseminar.EithereachstudentwouldbuytheboxsetofDVDsforseasonfourtoviewtheepisodesonhisorherown,orstudentscouldformgroupsforviewingtheepisodes.Theboxsetcostsaboutthesameasarequiredtextforacourse,andthetimetoviewanepisodewouldtakeaboutthesametime(maybeless)tocloselyreadadenseacademicarticle.IwouldaddthatviewingamediatextsuchasThe Wirewouldalmostcertainlybeahighlyengagingexperienceforstudents.Also,thepedagogi-caldecisiontotakeupamediatextasaserioustextthatisequalinimportancetoacademicprinttextsenactsacentralculturalstudiespracticeofchallengingthedistinctionmadebetween“high”and“low”texts,sothatthe“low”textofpopularcultureistreatedasbeingasimportantasthe“high”textofacademicprintread-ings(seeFiske,1987,1989a,1989b).Mostimportant,though,isthatseasonfourofThe Wirecancreatepedagogicalopportunitiestoaddressmanyof“thebasics”ofaneducationcourse,asIhopetoshowintherestofthisarticle. Oneobviousmajoreffectoftakinguptheentiretyofseasonfouristhatallofthemainstorylinescanbefullyanalyzedfrombeginningtoend.Theothermajoreffectisthatthemanyinterconnections,intersections,andcollisionsbetweentheeducational,political,social,legal,and“streets/corner”storylinescanbemade.Givenmymainpurposeinthisarticle,Iwillgointomoredetailaboutthetwoeducationalstorylinesandfollowupwithbriefersummariesofandarticulationswithsomeothermainstorylines.Specifically, in thesectionsthatfollow,Iwillcombinepartialdiscussionsofthestorylineswithoneormoresuggestionsforhowthestorylinescanbepedagogicallyengaged.
Prez and the “Stations of the Cross” OnemaineducationstorylineofseasonfourinvolvesaformerpolicedetectivenamedRolandPryzbylewski,knowntoeveryoneasPrez.ThecharacterofPrez(whoisWhite)reachesbacktoseasonone,whenherevealedhimself(duringthefirstthreeseasons)onmanyoccasionstobetotallyill-suited(evenadangertohim-selfandothers)asastreetdetective.Attheendofseasonthree,Prezhadresignedfromthepoliceforce,butinseasonfourPrezresurfacesinthefirstepisode(“BoysofSummer”)whenhegoestoTilghmanMiddleSchoolonBaltimore’swestside,wherehemeetswithPrincipalClaudellWithers(AfricanAmerican)andAssistantPrincipalMarciaDonnelly(White).Prezexplainsthathehasatemporaryteacher’slicense,thatheisamathteacher,andthatheusedtobeaBaltimorepoliceofficer.Heishiredonthespot,whichbeginshisteachingcareer. NearlyallofthestudentsatTilghmanMiddleSchoolareAfricanAmericans,anda storyline involvinganewWhite teacher seemson thesurfaceas thoughThe Wiremightpresentthekindof“teachersavior”narrativetoldinsuchfilmsasBlackboard Jungle,To Sir with Love,Dangerous Minds,Lean on Me,Stand and Deliver,Freedom Writers,andThe Ron Clark Story.JamesHynes(2006),inan
WeallknowtheStationsoftheCrossfortheinspirational-teacherfilmbynow:[1]thenaiveyoungteacher’sdisastrousfirstclass[Up the Down Staircase]5;[2]thestaffmeetingthatdevolvesintoabitchsessionaboutunrulystudents,pointlesspaperworkandtheidioticdirectivesoftheadministration[Teachers];[3]theembit-teredveteranteachercondescendingtotheidealisticrookieintheteacher’slounge[Freedom Writers];[4]aclimacticconfrontationthateitherthreatensviolenceordeliversit[Blackboard Jungle];[5]andafinal,tear-jerkingmomentofredemptionas[6]theteach[er]finallyreachesthekids[Dangerous Minds].
Hynesthenobserves:“SomeofthesemomentsshowupeveninThe Wire,”andthisistrue. Forexample,inepisodetwo(“SoftEyes”),Prezattendsafacultyorientation“thatdevolvesintoabitchsession”(cliché2).6ThefacultymeetingisledbyacheerywomangivingaPowerPointpresentationabouttheacronym“IALAC”(“IAmLoveableandCapable”),whichthepresenterhas theteacherssayaloudinunison.Shiftingfromthishokeyself-affirmationtheme,thepresenteraddressesdisciplineissues,observing:“Anotherhotzoneintheclassroomisthepencilsharp-ener,wherechildrentendtocongregate.”TheorientationistotallyirrelevanttothegrittyrealitiesofteachingatTilghmanMiddleSchool,andtheteachersrebelbymockingthepresenteranddisruptingtheorientationasthecamerafocusescloselyonPrez,whohasthelookofsomeonesuddenlybewilderedastojustwhathehasgottenhimselfinto. Inanotherscene(alsoinepisodetwo),fourfemaleveteranteachersschool“theidealisticrookie”Prezintheteachers’lounge(cliché3).Theyexplainthenecessityofenforcingthesameclassrules:double-spacepapers,usethesameheadingonallpapers,keepthewindowsclosed,andtellstudentsexactlywhattodo.Atonepoint,Prezasksiftheycanagreetonothavekidschewgum,whichmakestheveteranssmileathisnaivety.Theteamleader,Mrs.Sampson,thenadvisesPrez:“There’salottolearn,butfornow,buildinlotsofactivitiesinyourlessonplans.Youcan’thaveenough.Youkeepthembusy,youkeepthemoffguard.”Astheveteranteachersleaveforclass,onetellsPrez,“Youneedsofteyes,”whichPrezdoesn’tunderstand(itmeanstoacquireanunderstandingofthebigpicture). In episode three (“HomeRooms”),wewitness “thenaïveyoung teacher’sdisastrousfirstclass”(cliché1)—actuallyweseePrez’sdisastrousfirstdaysofteaching.Duringhomeroom,astudentnamedRandystealsPrez’shallpasses,andPrezgiveslunchticketstothewrongstudents.PrezonlygetsthelunchticketsbackwhenMrs.Sampsonintervenes.Then,duringPrez’sfirstperiod,wesee“aconfron-tation...thatthreatensviolence”whenPrez’slessonisdisruptedbytwogirlswhoalmostcometoblows.Prezcan’tstoptheconfrontation,whichisdiffusedonlywhenMrs.Sampson(again)appears.Studentsimmediatelyquietdownandreturntotheirseats.Andthenextday(sameepisode),theconfrontationthatthreatened
withtheclichésoftheteachersaviorfilmsastheyhaveplayedoutinschoolfilmsovermanydecades,whichwouldsetupthenextactivity. The third activity would be to have students analyze the rest of the Prezstorylinetodiscoverifitmirrorsandreinscribestheteachersaviornarrativeallthewaythrough,byculminatingin“afinal,tear-jerkingmomentofredemption”(cliché5,whichisthecentralclichéofthemall)—orifitdepartsfromthatcentralcliché,andifso,inwhatwaysitdoesso.BecauseIhaveconceptualizedincorpo-ratingseasonfourofThe Wireintoaneducationcoursewithinateachereducationprogram,preserviceteacherscanbeaskedtoarticulatetheirreactionstohowthePrezstorylineplaysoutintheend.Sucharticulationscanthenbecomevaluablediscussionmaterialduringseminars.Forexample,ifthestorylinereinscribestheteachersaviornarrative,doesitdosoinamore(arguably)realisticwaythanthetypical teacher saviorfilm?Conversely, if the storylinedepartsor subverts theteachersaviormyth,whateffects(positive?negative?abitofboth?)doessuchacounter-narrativehaveonpreserviceteachers? Theseactivities(relatedtotheteachersaviornarrative)areadmittedlyonlyafewofanynumberofothersthatcanbeconceptualizedaboutthePrezstoryline.Asreaderswilldiscoverwhentheyviewseasonfour,thePrezstorylinealsooffersrepresentationsrelatedtogenderandrace,includingPrez’srelationtotheveteranfemaleteachersofcolor(particularlyMrs.Sampson,averystrongpedagogicalfigure); representationsrelated to teacher-administratorpowerdynamics,whichoccur between Prez and his most immediate administrative superior,AssistantPrincipalMarciaDonnelly;representationsrelatedtosystemicinstitutionalpres-sures(asIdiscussbelow);andmanyothers.IamcertainthatreaderswillbeabletoconceptualizepowerfulpedagogicalactivitiesandprojectsrelatedtotheseandotherrepresentationsofferedbythePrezstoryline.
“Bunny” Colvin, Parenti,
and the Experimental Pilot Program AnothermaineducationstorylineconcernsDr.DavidParenti,aprofessorofsociologyattheUniversityofMaryland,andretiredpolicemajorHoward“Bunny”Colvin.Parentihasagranttostudyviolentoffenders,andheneedsafieldresearcherwhocanhelphimfindsubjectsonthestreetstointerviewandobserve,withthegoalofdevelopinganinterventionprogramforthesesubjects.AfriendofBunnyColvin’spersuadeshimtomeetwithParentiaboutbeingthefieldresearcher.Atfirst,ColvinisskepticalbecauseParentiwantssubjectsbetween18to21yearsold,whichColvinknowsistoooldbecausementhatagearealreadytoofarinto“thegame”foranyinterventionstrategies.Despitehisreservations,though,Col-vinagreestoworkwithParentiandiseventuallyabletoshowhimthatthebestpopulationtoworkwithiskidsofmiddleschoolage.Asitturnsout,thenarrativesteersthemtoTilghmanMiddleSchool,wheretheyaregivenpermissiontodesign
A Hamsterdam for Tilghman? ThefirststageofthepilotprojectinvolvesColvindoingsomeobservationalresearchbysittinginonclassesandwalkingthehalls(episodefour,“Refugees”).Inanimportantscenesetintheteachers’lounge(episodefive,“Alliances”),ColvinexplainstoDr.ParentiandMrs.Sampsonwhathisobservationshavetaughthimabouttheschool,aswellashisideaforthepilotprogram:
Mrs. Sampson:As long as this doesn’t involvewarehousing children, I’m foranythingthatallowsmetodomyjob.Everyteacherherewilltellyouthesame.Thetrickforyouistocomeupwithaprogramthatactuallyaddressesitselftothecornerkids.
SoonafterthisscenecomestheoneinwhichPrezkicksNamondoutofclass.Inthatscene,Namondleavestheclassroomangrily,andColvin,Parenti,andMrs.Sampsonhappentobeinthehallway.NamondsnapsatParenti,“Whatthefuckyoulookin’at,bitch?”andColvinremarksthathethinkstheyhavefoundoneofthecornerkidsfortheirprogram. With the program conceptualized and permission received from PrincipalWithers,ColvinandParentirelyonMrs.Sampsontoidentifythemostdisruptiveeighth-gradestudentsaspossiblecandidatesfortheprogram.Mrs.Sampsongetsinputfromtheteachers,whichgeneratesalistofaboutfortystudents,fromwhichsherecommends ten tostartwith(seeepisodefive,“Alliances”). Inaseriesofscenes(episodesix,“MarginofError”),AssistantPrincipalDonnellyentersdif-ferentclassroomsandremovesthetenstudents;amongthemarethreefromPrez’sclass:agirlnamedZenobia,aboynamedDarnell,andNamond(itisimportanttonotethatPrezwasunawarethatanyofhisstudentswouldbecomepartofthepilotprogram—thedecisionwasmadebyothers).
Pedagogical Suggestions Onesuggestionforengagingstudentsinanalyzingthesegmentofthestory-linedescribedaboveistointroduceanimportantfactaboutColvin’sbackgroundasapoliceofficer.Thesubtitleoftheabovesection—“AHamsterdamforTilgh-man?”—alludes to season threeofThe Wire.WhenColvinwasapolicemajorwiththeBaltimorepolice,heconductedaradicalexperimentthatBowden(2008)describesasfollows:
Getting Ready for Gen Pop Inepisodesix(“MarginofError”),weseeeightboysandtwogirlsofthepilotprogramintheroomthattheywillstayineveryday.Apoliceofficerstandsatthedoorway. In the roomareColvin,Parenti,asocialworkernamedMissMason,andtheteacher,namedMs.Duquette,whoisadoctoralstudentinthePsychologyDepartmentattheUniversityofMaryland.Throughoutthestoryline,Ms.Duquetteremainsabsolutelycalmandincontrol. Mrs.Sampsontellsthestudentstheyhavebeenidentifiedashaving“proventimeandagain”thatthey“arenotreadyforaregularclassroom.”Sheexplainsfurtherthatthisisamandatoryprogram,andthatthesmallclasssizeandspecialcurriculumhavethepotentialtopreparethemtobecomereadytoreturntotheregularclasses.Tothis,Namondobserves:“Readyforgenpop.Thisisprison,yo.Andweinsolitaryandshit.” Inepisodeseven(“UntoOthers”),weseethefirstdayofteaching,whichis(likePrez’swas)apredictablyrockyone.Namondactsout,throwingachair,hop-ingtogetsuspended,onlytolearnthatnobodygetssuspended.Instead,disruptivestudentsaretakentoatime-outroomwithMissMason,Colvin,andapoliceofficer.ThisiswhathappenstoNamond,whoatfirstisdefiantbuteventuallyreturnstothepilotclassroomwhenherealizeshewon’tbesuspended. Despitetheraucousbeginning,oncestudentsseethatthereisnowayoutof
James Trier
189
theprogram,theybegintocooperate,thoughtheycontinuetouseprofanityandgetangrythroughoutthestoryline.Whatcausesasubstantivechange,however,isthatColvinrealizesthatthestudentshavetobeengagedinwaysmeaningfultotheirlivesonthestreets,andformostoftheboys,thatmeanslivesascornerboys.Soinanimportantsceneinepisodeeight(“CornerBoys”),weseeColvinask,“Whatmakesagoodcornerboy?”Immediately,thestudentsanswerinrapidsuccession:“Keepyoureyesopen”;“Keepthecountstraight”;“Don’ttrustnobody”;andmore.Inanotherscene(dayslater,itseems),Colvincontinuesengagingstudentsintalk-ingaboutthelogicofthecorner,thoughnowstudentsaretakingturnsandexpresswell-articulated insights into themachinationsofworkingacorner.Eventually,Colvinhasthestudentsgetintosmallergroupsandwriteuptherulesofbeingagoodcornerboy.Aftertheclass,Ms.DuquettetellsColvinandParentithatshe’sneverseensuchanimated,focuseddiscussionsbeforeinaclassroom. Asthestorylineplaysout,ColvinandMs.Duquettecontinuetogetstudentstoworktogetheringroups.Forexample,inepisodenine(“KnowYourPlace”),smallgroupsareformedandchargedwiththetaskofbuildingatoweroutoferectorsetpieces,withoutanydirectionsprovided.Namond,Zenobia,andDarnellwin,andtheprizeisthatColvintakesthemtoaRuth’sChrisrestaurant.Bythispoint,mostofthestudentshaveshownmarkedimprovementintheirclassroombehavior.However,thenightoutatdinnerdoesn’tgowell.Thestudentsareoverwhelmedbytheforeignexperienceofdininginsuchanupscalerestaurant,andbytheendofthenighttheyareonceagaininsultingoneanotherandnotgettingalong.Inasubsequentscene,thebadexperienceattherestauranthasbecomethebasisforarole-modelingexerciseinwhichoneboyplaysthewaiterandtheotheracustomer,withtheotherstudentslookingon.
“It’s a national crime, and we’ll pay for it” Asmentionedearlier,writerEdBurnstaughtforyearsinBaltimorepublic
Representations of Education in HBO’s The Wire
190
schools,andinaninterviewwiththemagazineInstructor(2007),Burnsexpressedwhathis experience taughthim:“Education isourbiggest failureas a society.Theinequalityinoursystemdisadvantagesmillionsofpeople.Itbordersonthecriminal.”Burnselsewherealso singledoutwhathe thinks is among themainreasonsforthedirestateofeducation;whentheDVD’s“Commentary”featureisplayedforepisodeone(“BoysofSummer”)ofthefourthseason,wehearBurnsremark(neartheend)abouttheNoChildLeftBehindAct(NCLB),saying,“It’sanationalcrime,andwe’llpayforit.”8SeriescreatorDavidSimonalsosaysthatdoingtheseasononeducationlefthim“furious”overNCLB.Sojustastheydidinthepreviousseasons,SimonandBurnsbuiltasystemiccritiqueintoaseason,thistimeofthesocialinstitutionofeducation.Specifically,thecritiquerevolvesaroundthestandardizedtestsnecessitatedbyNCLB.
“Juking the stats” The issue of standardized testing first surfaces in the Prez storyline in animportantsceneinepisodeeight(“CornerBoys”).AfterPrezexperiencessuccessteaching“offthecurriculum”byteachingprobabilitiesthroughdice(episodeseven,“UntoOthers”),hefindstheofficialmathcurriculum,whichistiedtothestatestandardizedtests,toodryandprescribed.Inthekeyscene,Prezcomplainsintheteachers’loungetothesamefourveteranteacherswhoearlierhadschooledhimaboutclassrules.Atonepoint,thisdialoguetakesplace:
Mrs. Sampson: Find some middle ground. Everyday, try to do a little for thestatewide,andkeepaunitproblemontheblackboard,forDonnelly,youknow,ifshecomestovisit,shethinksyou’reonpoint.Therestofthetime,dowhatyoufeellikeyouneedtodo.
Prez: I don’t get it.All this so that we score higher on the state tests? [Mrs.Sampsonnodsyes.]Ifwe’reteachingthekidsthetestquestions,whatisitwe’reassessinginthat?
Pedagogical Suggestions Mostpreserviceteachersatsomepoint,mostlikelyduringtheirstudentteach-ing,comefacetofacewiththerealitiesofend-of-yeartesting.Inmyexperience,Ihavehadmentorteacherstakecoursesbackearlyfromthestudentteachersduringstudentteachingbecausethey(thementors)neededtodothetestpreplessonstoensurethebestpossiblescores.Sooneinquirythatstudentscouldbeengagedinwouldbetokeepajournalofhowthediscourseofstandardizedtestingplaysoutforthemduringtheirstudentteaching.Whatdotheylearnfromtheirmentorteachersandotherteachersabouttheirexperiencesandwaysofdealingwithstandardizedtesting?DostudentshearechoesofMrs.Sampson’sadvicetoPrezaboutfindingsome“middleground,”andifso,whatdoesthat“middleground”looklike? AnotherwaytoengagestudentsinthediscourseaboutstandardizedtestingandNCLBwouldbetoassignthebook(orselectedchapters)titledMany Children Left Behind(Meier,et.al.,2004),whichwouldhelpinformstudentsaboutthewidernationaldebatethathasbeengoingonforyearsaboutNCLB.
“We can’t lie. Not to them.” TheissueofstandardizedtestingandNCLBenters intotheColvin/Parentistorylineinepisodeten(“Misgivings”),whenDonnellycallsColvinandParentifromthepilotclassroomtotellthemthattheymustbeginpreparingtheirstudentsforthestatestandardizedtests.ShealsotellsthemthattheAreaSuperintendent,Mrs.Conway,wantstomeetwiththem.Duringthatmeeting,Parentiarguesthat
Butit’snotaboutyouorus,orthetest,orthesystem.It’swhattheyexpectofthemselves. I mean, every single one of them know they headed back to thecorners.Theirbrothersandsisters—shit,theirparents—theycamethroughthesesameclassrooms,didn’tthey?Wepretendedtoteachthem,andtheypretendedtolearn,nowwheretheyendup?Samedamncorners.Imean,they’renotfools,thesekids.Theydon’tknowourworld,buttheyknowtheirown.Imean,Jesus,theyseerightthroughus....Wecan’tlie.Nottothem.
Pedagogical Suggestions OneactivityIsuggestatthispointwouldbetoshowstudentstheHBO(2007)documentarytitledHard Times at Douglass High: A No Child Left Behind Report Card,whichtheycouldsubsequentlyanalyzefora“realworld”representationofacritiqueofNCLBthatmirrorstheoneofferedinThe Wire.TheDVDboxcoverconveysasenseofwhatitisaboutthroughthisdescription:
criticalpoint.[Thefilmmakers]offerayearlonglookinsideastoriedinstitutionatatimewhenitsveryexistenceisindoubt.Fromcautionaryprofilestotrium-phanttales,Hard Times at Douglass Highservesasareminderthateducationisinevitablyanachievementofpeople,notpolicy.
AnotherHBOdocumentarythatstudentscouldviewaspartofthisactivityisI Am a Promise: The Children of Stanton Elementary(1993).Together,thesedocu-mentariesprovidepowerful,informativecritiquesofstandardizedtestingandthetravestyofunderfundingofurbanschoolsinAmerica.
Situating the School within the Political Storyline Atthebeginningofthisarticle,IstatedthatIwouldgointomoredetailaboutthemaineducationstorylines,andthatIwouldalsoprovidebrieferdiscussionsofothermainstorylines,whichiswhatthisandthenextsectionsareabout. Oneotherimportantstorylineofseasonfouristhepoliticalstoryline,whichbeganinseasonthree.ThisstorylineconcernstheraceformayorofBaltimore.Thetwo-termincumbentisMayorClarenceRoyce,apopularBlackpoliticalfigurewho,whentheracebegan,expectedtowineasilyagainsthismainopponentinthedemocraticprimary,aWhitecouncilmannamedTommyCarcetti.DespiteMayorRoyce’scontrolofmunicipalpower,CarcettiprovestobeastalentedatplayinghardballpoliticsasRoyce,andas theelectionnears, thepossibilityofCarcettiwinningbecomesmorereal.Carcettiendsupwinning(that’snotaspoiler—theoverallseasonstorylinenecessitatedCarcetti’swin),basedonahostofpromiseshemade,includingafive-percentraisetothecity’spoliceforce.Onceinoffice,however,CarcettiandhisadministrationdiscoveradeficitmessthatRoyceleftthem:thecity’sschoolbudgetis$54milliondollarsinthered.
The Gravitational Pull of the Streets and the “Corners” Anothermainstorylineofseasonfourconcernsthepoliceinvestigationintothedrugorganizationrunbyayoung,cunning,andutterlyruthlessandmurderous
Drawing upon The Wire Atthispoint,IwanttoreturntothescenarioImentionedatthebeginningabouttheinstructorwhowouldliketotakeupThe Wireinherteachingbutisnotabletoassigntheentireseason.Whatcanbedone?Iwillsuggesttwoapproaches. ThemorecomplicatedapproachwouldessentiallybetoreproducethemethodIusedtoanalyzethetwoeducationstorylinesofseasonfour.First,asI(re)viewedthe13episodesofthefourthseason,Inotedtheexactbeginningandendingtimesofevery“school”sceneineachepisode—i.e.,eachscenethattakesplaceinsideor justoutsideof theschool(PrezorColvinareinmostof theschoolscenes).Then,tofacilitatemyanalysisofthetwomaineducationalstorylines,Iusedsomerelativelysimple-to-usesoftware(iMovie)toedittogetherallthescenescompris-ingeachstoryline,whichresultedintwovaluable“mediatexts”(mpg.4format).Forexample,thePrezstorylineismadeupofapproximately65scenesthattotalabout75minutes.Afewbrieferscenesspanlessthanaminute,somelongersceneslast4or5minutes,butmostofthesceneslast2or3minutes.AbouthalfofthesescenesfeaturePrezwithhisstudentsinhisclassroom,andintherest(withjustafewexceptions),weseePrezeithersomewhereelseintheschoolbuilding(thelounge,inall-facultymeetings,inthehallwaysoftheschool)orjustoutsideoftheschool(exitingtheschool,gettinginhiscarinfrontoftheschool).IalsodidthesamewiththeColvinstoryline,whichiscomprisedofapproximately45scenesthat,wheneditedtogether,formamediatextofabout65minuteslong. Itshouldbeeasy to imagine thegreatamountof timeandlabor thatwentintothisprocessofmakingthesetwomediatexts,butforthosewhowouldliketoincorporatethestorylinesintotheirteaching,thelaborandtimepayoffpedagogi-cally,forobviousreasons(allthescenesaretogether,andanysceneonthemedia“vignette”canbenavigatedtoinamatterofseconds).Eachvignettecanalsobeshown in its totalityduringaseminar.Assuch, thevignettesbecomepowerfulcasestudiesoffictional (yetall-too-real)educatorswhoseexperiencesstudentscanvicariouslyidentifywith. Iwouldalsorecommendalesscomplicatedyeteverybitaspotentiallymean-
Notes 1Withitsfocusonapopularculturerepresentationofeducation,thispapercontributestotheexistentliteraturethatexploressuchpopularrepresentations—i.e.,representationsofteachers,students,principals,and“schooling”ingeneral.Withinthisliteraturearebooksandbookchaptersthatanalyzewhatcanbecalledthe“schoolfilm”genre,suchasConsidine’s(1985)The Cinema of Adolescence;Reed’s(1989)“Let’sBurntheSchool”;Farber,Provenzo,Jr.,andHolms’s(1994)Schooling in the Light of Popular Culture;Shary’s(2002)Generation Multiplex;Dalton’s(2004)The Hollywood Curriculum;andBulman’s(2005)Hollywood Goes to High School.Alsowithinthisliteratureareideologicalanalysesofrepresentationsofteachersaviors,suchasAyers’s(1994)critiqueoftheentiresubgenreoftheteachersav-iorfilm,Giroux’scritiquesofthepedagogyofMissJohnsoninDangerous MindsandMr.KeatinginDead Poets Society(inGiroux,2002),andBanksandEspisito’s(2002)critiqueofeducatorsinthetelevisionseriesBoston Public.Anotherveininthisliteratureismadeupofarticlesandbookchaptersbyacademicswhodiscusshowtheyhaveincorporatedschoolfilmsastextstoengagepreserviceteachersinavarietyofcriticalprojects(forexample,Robertson,1995and1997;WeberandMitchell,1995;Paul,2001;FreedmanandEasleyII,2004;andTrier,2001,2002,2003,2005,2006and2007). 2Moreexamplesofcriticsdescribing thenovelisticor literaryqualityofThe Wire includeO’Rourke(2006),whonoted“theremarkablenarrativecompression”oftheseries,explaining that,“as in thebestnovels, there isasense thateverydetailhasapurpose.”Kulish(2006)describedThe Wire“astheclosestthatmovingpictureshavecomesofartothedepthandnuanceofthenovel,”addingthatfilms“arefartoobrief,akintogoodshortstories”(p.11).OthercriticshavecomparedThe Wiretogreatliterature:Stanley(2008)calledtheshow“Dickensian”andalsolikenedit“toasprawling19th-centurynovel,asluridandengrossingasBleak HouseorLittle Dorrit”;Kehr(2004)sawtheseriesasexhibiting“thedimensionsofaZolanovel”(p.3);andTyree(2008)describeditasbeing“closelyakintoGreektragedy,”butpossessing“amoreepicquality,”being“acontemporaryversionofCrime and Punishmentwithouttheinevitabilityofredemption.Dreiser’sAn American TragedyandtheschoolofAmericanNaturalism,especiallyitspulpversioninfilmnoir,seemapropos”(p.36). 3ForthesebiographicaldetailsaboutSimonandBurns,seeGuensburg(2007),Lanahan(2008),Talbot(2007),andWilson(2008). 4Attheendofthisarticle,IdiscussthesituationofareaderwhowouldliketotakeupThe Wireinhisorherteachingbut,foravarietyofreasons,isunabletoassigntheentirefourthseason.So,Iwillanswerthelogicalquestion:“WhatifIonlyhavetimeinmycoursetodrawuponselectedscenesfromvariousepisodes—whatdoyousuggest?”Inanswering,Iwillbeabletoleveragemuchofthecontentthatcomprisesthisarticle. 5Theseexamplesinbracketsaremyown,notHynes’s(2006);also,thenumbersinparenthesesidentifythesixclichésofteachersaviorfilms. 6Thisquote(alongwithothersinthefollowingparagraphs)concerningtheclichésoftheteachersaviornarrativeisfromtheabovepassagebyHynes(2006). 7Though students could be involved in these activities before they begin viewingseasonfour,Ithinkdoingsorisksfocusingstudents’attentiontoonarrowlyattheoutsetontheteachersaviortheme.Instead,Ithinkitwouldbebesttointroducetheteachersaviorthemeafterepisodefive,whenstudentshavehadtheopportunitytodevelopadiversityofimpressionsaboutthecharactersandtheactionuptothatpoint.
Bowden,M.(2008).Theangriestmanintelevision.The Atlantic, 301(1),50-57.Bulman,R.(2005).Hollywood goes to high school: Cinema, schools, and American culture.
NewYork:WorthPublishers.Considine,D.(1985).The cinema of adolescence.JeffersonandLondon,UK:McFarland
&Company.Dalton,M.(2004).The Hollywood curriculum: Teachers in the movies.NewYork:Peter
Lang.Farber,P.,Provenzo,Jr.,E.,&Holm,G.(1994).Schooling in the light of popular culture.
Albany:StateUniversityofNewYorkPress.Fiske,J.(1987).Television culture.NewYork:Methuen.Fiske,J.(1989a).Reading the popular.Boston:UnwinHyman.Fiske,J.(1989b).Understanding the popular.Boston:UnwinHyman.Foucault,M.(1977).Discipline and punish: The birth of the prison.NewYork:Random
Gore,J.(1998).Discipliningbodies:Onthecontinuityofpowerrelationsinpedagogy.InT.Popkewitz&M.Brennan(Eds.),Foucault’s challenge: Discourse, knowledge, and power in education(pp.231-251).NewYork:TeachersCollegePress.
salon.com/mwt/feature/2006/09/20/the_wire/index.htmlKehr,D.(2004,Oct.12).Thedayaftertomorrow.The New York Times,p.E3.Kehr,D.(2005,Feb.1).The Wire:Thecompletesecondseason[reviewofDVDset].The
James Trier
199
New York Times,p.E7.Kinder,M.(2008).Re-wiringBaltimore:Theemotivepowerofsystemics,seriality,andthe
city.Film Quarterly, 62(2),50-57.Kulish,N.(2006,Sept.10).Televisionyoucan’tputdown.The New York Times,Sect.4,
relevantapproachtoliteracyteaching.Theory into Practice, 31(4),312-320.Ladson-Billings,G. (1995).Toward a theory of culturally relevant pedagogy.American
Educational Research Journal, 32(3),465-491.Lanahan,L. (2008).Secretsof thecity:WhatThe Wire revealsabouturban journalism.
Columbia Journalism Review, 46(5),22-32.Lowry,B.(2006).The Wire.Variety,Sept.8,retrievedURL:http://www.variety.com/index.
asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VE1117931487&categoryid=2352Meier,D.,&Wood,G(Eds.).(2004).Many children left behind: How the No Child Left
Behind Act is damaging our children and schools.Boston:BeaconPress.Oakes, J. (1987).Tracking in secondary schools:Acontextualperspective.Educational
cultural Review, 10(1),20-27,58-60.Reed,J.(1989).Let’sburntheschool:Thehighschoolpicture.InJ.Reed(Ed.),American
scenarios: The uses of film genre.Middleton,CT:WesleyanUniversityPress.Robertson,J.P.(1995).Screenplaypedagogyandtheinterpretationofunexaminedknowl-
edgeinpre-serviceprimaryteaching.Taboo: The Journal of Culture and Education,1,Spring,25-60.
Robertson,J.P.(1997).Fantasy’sconfines:Popularcultureandtheeducationofthefemaleprimary-schoolteacher.InS.Todd(Ed.),Learning desire: Perspectives on pedagogy, culture, and the unsaid(pp.75-95).NewYork:Routledge.
Rothkerch,I.(2002).“Whatdrugshavenotdestroyed,thewaronthemhas.”[Quotefromdialogue serves as title here]. Salon.com, June 29, retrieved URL: http://dir.salon.com/story/ent/tv/int/2002/06/29/simon/print.html
Schweiker-Marra & Pula. (2005). Effects of a homogeneous low-tracked program onacademicperformanceofat-riskstudents.The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 71(2),34-42,58.
Shary,T. (2004). Generation multiplex: The image of youth in contemporary American cinema.Austin,TX:UniversityofTexasPress.
Simon,D.(1991).Homocide: A year on the killing streets.Boston:HoughtonMifflin.Slavin,R.,&Madden,N.(1989).Whatworksforstudentsatrisk:Aresearchsynthesis.
Trier,J.(2003).Inquiringinto“techniquesofpower”withpreserviceteachersthroughthe“schoolfilm”The Paper Chase.Teaching and Teacher Education, 19(5),543-557.
Trier,J.(2005).“Sordidfantasies”:Readingpopular“inner-city”schoolfilmsasracializedtextswithpreserviceteachers.Race, Ethnicity, and Education, 8(2),171-189.
Trier,J.(2006).Reconceptualizingliteracythroughadiscoursesperspectivebyanalyzingliteracyevents represented infilmsaboutschools.Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 49(6),510-523.
Tyree,J.M.(2008).The Wire:Thecompletefourthseason.Film Quarterly, 61(3),32-38.Weber,S.,&Mitchell,C.(1995).“That’s funny, you don’t look like a teacher”: Interrogating
images and identity in popular culture.Philadelphia:TheFalmerPress.Weisberg,J.(2006,Sept.13).The Wireonfire:Analyzingthebestshowontelevision.Slate
(onlinejournal),URL:http://www.slate.com/id/2149566/Wilson,M.(2008,July6).AfterThe Wire,movingontobattlesbeyondthestreets.New York