Marilyn K. Gifford
Large city school districts and their personnel have been under scrutiny because of poor academic performance by their students. In TEACHING BABY GANGSTERS, author Marilyn K. Gifford communicates the realities and obstacles teachers face in today’s inner-city classrooms. Using her personal experiences as a teacher of at-risk middle-school students, Gifford explains how the social fabric of society has changed and examines how those changes may limit students’ ability to learn. She discusses the students’ lives and how many overcame difficult circumstances-such as special education needs, gang membership, drug and alcohol use, and poverty-to succeed in school. She also relays the sad stories of those students who gave in to their environmental influences and failed to get an education. TEACHING BABY GANGSTERS proposes a pragmatic approach to fixing failing inner-city schools by reviving student consciousness and limiting the drama of drugs and gangs. Gifford takes a strong stand for inner-city school reform that is based on the needs of the students- reform that makes a difference in the lives of young people. 3
