Not a Weed,It’s Bermuda Grass: Moving Beyond Punitive School Discipline to Cultivate Black Giftedness

The MisDisciplining of Black Students

As someone who spent a considerable amount of time working with formerly incarcerated Black youth and Black youth who were detained, one of the number one reasons for their disengagement was their activity at school. Ironically, when given structure, relevant educational opportunities, and support staff, what became prevalent to me is that the majority of Black youth I interacted with were gifted—and misdisciplined. Meaning, the same attributes that someone would consider a gifted child to have (leadership, creativity, advanced verbal skills, multi-talented, etc.) were fully on display with these Black children. Yet, when Black children’s attributes are viewed as challenging (leadership), a handful (creativity), disrespectful (advanced verbal skills), or mischievous (multi-talented), many educators’ natural response was and is to weed them out of the classroom or school. Black children are often suspended for subjective infractions and described using those negative labels above. Black children remain the most disciplined group of students in the U.S. since the end of Brown v. Board of Education, which ended legal segregation, and schools have attempted to racially integrate schools (Williams, 2024; U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights, Civil Rights Data Collection, n.d.). Rather than disciplining Black children with affirming and supportive approaches (e.g., multiple redirections, counseling, culturally relevant pedagogy, and responsive teaching), Black children, when exhibiting characteristics of what gifted looks like, are suspended in some schools more than five times their peers. Moreover, this is occurring for Black boys and girls in urban, suburban, rural, high-poverty, and wealthy schools. The Office of Civil Rights Database, Civil Rights Data Collection reports bi-annually on school discipline outcomes, and since it began incorporating school suspensions in the data collection in the late 1960s, Black students, regardless of gender or disability status, have received more in-school suspensions, out-of-school suspensions, referrals to law enforcement, and corporal punishment than any other racial/ethnic group, despite only comprising 13% of the K-12 student population. While this may appear as a shocking statistic for many, the reality is that most communities and schools have come to accept this reality, because, as Du Bois (1903) posits, Black students have historically been seen as the problem (weeds). History clearly shows that Black children, who possess innate giftedness, are, in reality, budding Bermuda grass seeds that deserve high expectations and holistic support (sun), sustained, responsive, and relevant practices (water), and intentional educational opportunities that support talent development (fertilizer). What follows is a path for educators to develop rather than diminish giftedness in Black students.

Sun—High Expectations and Holistic Support

The sun provides Bermuda grass with the energy it needs to grow upward, past the soil. What is unique about Bermuda grass is that it sprouts vertically toward the sun and also horizontally (we will discuss the latter in the water section). What this looks like in school for Black giftedness is the opportunity for Black children to be enveloped in the ethos of unlimited social, cultural, and intellectual potential (energy). Schools are not lawn-care specialists who only show up to provide energy to certain parts of your yard (certain children) at certain times of the year. Schools that affirm giftedness in Black students regularly provide opportunities for Black students to engage in rigorous learning activities and participate in local partnerships with organizations that offer before, during, and after-school enrichment opportunities for social-emotional growth. Schools also construct policies, practices, and procedures that support Black students’ ability to cultivate their own sense of identity and civics. The high expectations must come with holistic support. To reprimand Black students without cause or subjectively, without considering the lasting damaging effects, diminishes who Black students are and often results in Black students refusing to express themselves or showcase their talent. One question all educators must reflect on: Is how I am reprimanding Black students based on who they are, or rather, is it indicative of poor or unrealistic expectations and the lack of holistic supports surrounding the student?

Water—Relationships and Intellectual Engagement

Naturally, plants and grass grow upward toward the sun, and grow downward in search of sustenance—water. As mentioned earlier, Bermuda grass can spread so quickly because it sends its roots down to search for water, and also grows horizontally above the soil to find new spaces to anchor itself for more water. Thus, Bermuda grass thrives better in a space that provides continuous nourishment via a network. This is where most homeowners view Bermuda as a weed, because of its ability to spread quickly through lateral and vertical growth. For gifted Black children, schools must cultivate multiple sources of water, which are the relationships and engagement opportunities that students can rely on to nurture them. Culturally relevant and responsive student-centered relationships offer gifted Black children the opportunity to be around adults who affirm their value as valued learners in the classroom. In these spaces, gifted Black children are supported in their quest to learn through questioning how the content specifically relates to their lived experiences. In these spaces, gifted Black children can interact with a comprehensive collective of adults (teachers, principals, assistant principals, school social workers, the lunch lady, and the bus driver) who offer them opportunities to grow through mistakes. Far too often, gifted Black children are mislabeled as having behavior problems and mistakenly labeled with a behavior disorder that places them in special education classrooms. This mischaracterization has jettisoned thousands of Black children into special education classrooms, only for them not to get the proper educational support and services they should have received in their general education classrooms. If they are not labeled as special education, they are pushed out into the juvenile justice system. Black children should know that risk-taking in the classroom is an appropriate form of learning. How can one learn how to get up, and why to get up, if they are never allowed to practice falling down?

Part of the challenge for schools and, more specifically, educators is how to continuously offer multiple arenas (social, cultural, and academic) where Black children are purposely invited to critically question the world around them. Rather than directing Black children on what to think and how to think, educators must investigate which characteristics of giftedness each child possesses and foster opportunities for them to cultivate those attributes. This requires educators who understand that child development is not always an instantaneous result of learning and are willing to exhibit patience with Black children even when societal norms seek to adultify them. Watering Bermuda grass requires individuals to understand the appropriate conditions for when to provide water (e.g., teachers providing redirection in private rather than in public). For example, if Bermuda grass is watered too much, the roots will not grow; if it is watered during the evening, disease and mold choke the grass out; and if you water it during the hottest portion of the day, the water evaporates too quickly, and the grass will not grow. Similarly, if educators use their relationship to enable Black students (too much watering), they will not develop the necessary approaches to grow academically, socially, and culturally. If educators wait until students have fully disengaged to establish meaningful relationships (watering in the evening), educators run the risk of Black students viewing their own talents as detrimental. Finally, if educators attempt to establish or force a relationship with Black students (watering during peak sun exposure) for the sake of “being culturally relevant,” Black students will ascertain the absence of an authentic connection and not reveal their unlimited learning potential. Experts indicate that the best time and pattern for watering Bermuda grass is two to three times a week, in the morning before the temperature reaches 85°. Essentially, gifted Black children require early and sustained relational and instructional practices to optimize their learning in the classroom. Being gifted is not a light switch, but rather a dial that Black children cannot turn off. Through sustained and culturally affirming relationships and engaging, relatable instruction and content, Black children will continue to strive for challenging learning opportunities even when they may struggle in class. Black children will feel safe enough to display their talents and potentially cultivate new characteristics (roots) because they were consistently and appropriately watered with authentic opportunities to engage in their own learning with educators who genuinely want them to excel.

Fertilizer—Talent Development Opportunities

I readily admit this was one area of lawn-care that took me the longest to understand and effectively implement. In my mind, if the sun provided energy and I watered my grass, then my lawn should just naturally grow. Unfortunately, from watching both of my grandparents, I was never taught that all species of plants and grass require a catalyst, or fertilizer, to replenish the necessary nutrients consumed during growth. About two years after I realized my weeds were actually grass, I began investigating which nutrients my grass needed and how often I should provide them. Luckily, my brother Matthew, who also had Bermuda grass, had already begun to research successful strategies. When we compared notes, we came up with flexible approaches that he could implement in his climate (Georgia) and mine (Texas). In relating this to gifted Black children, the fertilizer that fosters their growth is an intentionality from educators in schools to develop the visible and latent talents they possess. Fertilizers act as accelerants and contain multiple elements (nitrogen, phosphorus, etc.) at the correct dosages to meet the grass’ needs. For gifted Black students, punitive discipline practices act as a neutralizer—stripping them of the natural talents and future opportunities to cultivate talents that support their own development (academically, socially, cognitively, and emotionally). Punitive discipline practices only serve to pacify the self-efficacy of educators who do not understand the needs of gifted Black children.

To truly cultivate talent, opportunities for development must be offered and offered consistently over time. Rather than offering gifted screening in the second grade, is it possible to offer screening annually until that student graduates from high school? Instead of forcing students to seek recommendations from teachers, who may not see the true potential of gifted Black students, to enroll in advanced placement (AP) or dual-credit courses, can students rely on nominations from family and community stakeholders who may have a better understanding of that child’s potential in more rigorous classes? Is it possible for students to be gifted in a specific way or content area, rather than invalidating them as gifted because they do not showcase exceptional talent in all content areas? For example, while most teachers looked at my grades and believed I was an average student, I felt most comfortable showcasing my talent in art. It was that domain where many teachers saw my giftedness on display, but in traditional academic subjects, I was rarely provided the talent development opportunities to be curious, to question, and to make mistakes without punitive outcomes. Gifted Black children require an intentional investment (e.g., fertilizer) to continue growing academically and engage in more rigorous content. These investments help transform the potential within gifted Black children into reality. Even without these investments, many Black children will grow. However, as educators, we should provide every authentic opportunity to accelerate their growth across multiple domains.

Closing Reflection

In writing this column, I sat and reflected not only on my own K-12 experiences but also on my experiences in serving Black children who never saw themselves as gifted, only as weeds in a classroom. I also reflected on my research on school discipline toward Black students and the countless numbers of pre- and in-service teachers, school administrators, superintendents, and community members I have taught and realize that many never contemplated that the “problem” Black child in their class was actually a resilient and fully capable gifted child in need of the same elements (sun, water, and fertilizer) that my own lawn was asking me for, but did not have the capability to communicate it to me in my own language. To properly care for my lawn, I had to listen and attune my attention to what it was trying to tell me. It required me to take time to learn and reflect on the knowledge I acquired to better support my lawn throughout various seasons. For the educator, this process is the same. As highly qualified and effective educators who support gifted Black children and refrain from punitively disciplining them, we have to be willing to continuously listen, actively reflect, and intentionally apply the lessons we learn from Black children. Rather than innately relying on my lawn to “just behave,” I critically analyze my own actions and beliefs concerning the potential of my lawn to grow vibrantly. Nearly three decades of educating Black children in some capacity, and now five years of maintaining my lawn, I can truthfully admit that cultivating giftedness requires resources (financial, emotional, and time). Most importantly, it requires the willingness not to settle for treating my lawn or Black children solely as weeds. The questions that I ask each day, week, month and year, which fuels this willingness, are “What am I doing to keep Black students (my Bermuda grass) striving to unlock their potential,” and “How are my immediate actions and beliefs providing Black students (my Bermuda grass) with the appropriate amount of support (sun), authentic and affirming relationships (water), and talent development opportunities (fertilizer) for them to realize their giftedness now and showcase their talents in the future?” While the questions do not keep me up at night, they often require spending an extended period of time with my lawn to ensure I am answering them appropriately. Similarly, supporting Black students and their giftedness requires that educators spend meaningful time with them both inside and outside the school. It also requires us, as educators, to listen to Black students and the experts who work with them, just as I listened to the landscape expert who correctly pointed out that my weed was actually my grass growing naturally. In thinking I needed to control and penalize a weed; I was actually diminishing the brilliance that my grass was exhibiting. If we, as educators, learn to recognize gifted Black students for who they are and who they can become, punitive discipline practices can cease, giving way to more affirming approaches that allow Black giftedness to take root and flourish—endlessly.