Troublemakers: Lessons in Freedom from Young Children at School
Carla Shalaby (The New Press, 2017)
Troublemakers: Lessons in Freedom from Young Children at School, written by former teacher Carla Shalaby, presents the stories of four young children who have been labeled by their teachers, parents, and schools as “troublemakers.”
Shalaby shares poignant moments that highlight the wit, brilliance, and desire of each of these children to be seen and heard. She challenges our perceptions of what leads children to be viewed as willful, outspoken, or attention-seeking in the classroom. She pushes us to look beyond these children’s identities at school, where they are labeled as outsiders, and instead to acknowledge the complexity of their identities as whole human beings. They are loved by their families, excel in many areas such as art or sports, and, in their own ways, push back against an educational system that does not work for them.
Troublemakers raises the question of whether we as educators mistake children’s attempts to seek freedom as misbehavior. In doing so, are we perpetuating a cycle of exclusion and punishment rather than supporting the growth of independent, passionate individuals who will thrive in society? It forces us to consider the ways in which schooling as a system marginalizes the identities of outliers and to acknowledge our complicity in the damaging practice of categorizing children. Shalaby leaves the reader with the charge to “be love” and, in doing so, to unconditionally accept the humanity of all children.
This article appears in the December 2024 issue of Kappan, Vol. 106, No. 4, p. 7.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paula M. Jakopovic
Paula M. Jakopovic is an assistant professor of early childhood and elementary mathematics at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
