Occasional Paper Series #43

Looking for Trouble and Causing Trauma

by Marquita D. Foster

When I became an elementary assistant principal in 2013, I was intrigued when the principal explained that she had assigned me to handle discipline for pre-K through second grade because of my calm demeanor. “The little ones do quirky things,” she said. “Quirky things” sounded innocuous. I would soon learn that “quirky things” was a mild euphemism for pathological behavior.

I wasn’t prepared for the occasionally cruel manner in which school policy expected me to handle quirki- ness, especially in four-year-olds. I didn’t agree with the labeling of these children because, as some label- ing theories maintained, it could result in children internalizing the teachers’ perceptions of them (Fergu- son, 2010).

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About the Author

Marquita D. Foster is a doctoral candidate at the University of North Texas, where she serves as a field supervisor for clinical teachers and a teaching fellow in the Department of Teacher Education and Administration. Her dissertation study explores othermothering as a disruptive pedagogy to address the socio- emotional needs of Black students. Before pursuing her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction, Marquita was an elementary assistant principal, and her experiences influenced her research interest in elementary education and the social construction of Black children. She has published articles in English Journal, the Journal of Ethical Educational Leadership, and Middle Grades Review.