Chapter 7: One Size Does Not Fit All: Understanding Lemovian Techniques and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support to Create a Better Framework for Behavioral Supports

I am a White male teacher. I have taught in Chicago Public Schools since 2012, in schools that predominantly served students of color, mostly Latinx. I acknowledge my privilege in doing this work. Influenced by Kendall (2012), I commit to personal work by searching for an understanding of my past behaviors and biases. I acknowledge that there are different perspectives on experiences, both of students and teachers, and I seek to build relationships across racial boundaries. Additionally, I have researched in the field of critical race theory (CRT; Delgado & Stefancic, 2012) and have been influenced by the concepts of “Whiteness as property” (Harris, 1993), the racial contract (Mills, 1997), racial trauma (Carter, 2007), the interest-convergence dilemma in education (Bell, 1980), and storytelling and counter storytelling in CRT (Delgado, 1989). I also seek to be as antiracist as possible, from the conceptual framework of Ibram X. Kendi (2019). In doing so, I assert that I am imperfect in this work. I have spoken words and used disciplinary techniques, including those I critique in this research, that have perpetuated assimilationism, regardless of my intentions.