Student Demographics
I currently teach eighth grade science in a middle school setting within the inner-city of Atlanta, Georgia. Luther Judson Price Middle School is a Title I school with around 900 students enrolled in grades 6 th through 8 th. In my school setting, the majority of the students are African-American raised in single-parent homes (mostly by a grandmother). The racial analysis is about 95% Afro-American, 3% Hispanic, and 2% White, with more than 90% of the students receiving free and reduced lunch. These students live in project housing and the father is usually absent from the home. The neighborhoods are riddled with crime and drugs and there is a high rate of teenage pregnancy. Home visitations are common for me because I see a lot of my childhood years through the eyes of my students. If I am not willing to go over and beyond for my students, "who will"? When teaching astronomy to these groups of students, I must keep in mind that the only foundation that they have in this area is from annual field trips to the Atlanta Planetarium. For example, if I asked my students how the planets were created, many would probably answer "by God".
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