Running head: AM I MY BROTHERS KEEPER?

Am I My Brothers Keeper?
An Observation of the Under-Privileged Students World Through the Eyes of Robert Peace
Tracy McClelland
Franciscan University of Steubenville

Life happens in such a way that no matter how fortunate one might be, he will not
altogether avoid suffering; all he can do is try to build a life in which his life is not dominated by
the suffering. The truth is not so far from the old adage that a parent might tell his child in a time
of distress: Life's not fair. No matter where one may roam, they will likely encounter a time

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when they feel jilted, jaded, and wearied by the hand that has been dealt them, but it is certain
that some people are destined to suffer more than others. In the United States of America, there is
a very particular type of inequitability and suffering that is most prominent in the sphere of
underprivileged, socioeconomically deficient, and often minority-filled, ghetto areas. This is a
persistent issue to which each citizen of the U.S. is bound, whether they are aware of it or not.
Certainly, there is poverty all over the world, and there are likely poverty-stricken peoples
internationally who, given the chance, would choose a life in the ghetto of America as an
alternative to their current circumstances. Nevertheless, Americas version of poverty is
oppressively blatant for those that are exposed to the suffering; resultingly, it is the duty of each
American citizen to do what they can in order to help break the cycle.
Cycle is an important word to distinguish when considering this issue. There are cycles
which seem to operate endlessly, inflicting doubt, fear, insecurity, and self-fulfilling prophecy on
the underprivileged, their children, and then their childrens children. When the children become
adults, they are scarred, and it colors them for the rest of their lives. Others will muse, If only
these cycles would end. It will not happen on its own; the underprivileged will not cease to live
underprivileged lives until there is a new cycle of sturdy and constant positive influence from
those who do not wear the blinders of the marginalized.
In Jeff Hobbs The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace is found an intimate biography
of a man who was born into this type of cycle and defies the odds to break out of it, with
schooling and his educational experience as his primary vehicle. Robert Peace was born in East
Orange, New Jersey, an area that certainly struggled during Peaces upbringing, there was a
plethora of violent crime, drug trafficking and consumption, gang violence, and much more.
During Peaces early childhood years, East Orange represented the second-highest concentration

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of African Americans living below the poverty line in America, behind East St. Louis. The
violent crime rate was at thirty-five hundred per one hundred thousand people, landing at nearly
six times the national average (Hobbs, p. 55, 2014).
Peace lacked a stable home environment. He had a loving and caring mother, but a father
who did not live with Jackie and Robert Peace; Robs father was also widely recognized as a
drug dealer in their community. Skeet Douglas was convicted of murder and imprisoned, and
Jackie Peace was effectively alone to provide for the household and to raise her son. She labored
tirelessly in low-end jobs, scraping to send Peace to a cheap private school because she knew
that there was nothing good for Rob in the local public school. With Jackies persistence, Robs
uncanny intelligence, a few cogent mentors, and a tuition sponsor, Rob Peace made it to the Yale.
He graduated in four years, and ended up back in East Orange after a stint in Rio de Janeiro.
Peace had massed upwards of one hundred thousand dollars throughout his four years at Yale by
selling marijuana to fellow students in a low-risk environment where, among naive and passive
classmates, his life was not on the line. After spending some of his earnings in Rio for his
postgraduate vacation, Rob had planned to live on the savings and provide for his aging mother.
However, while Rob was in Rio, Peaces uncle could no longer stand the temptation and spent all
of the cash that Rob had been stashing in his home. This left Peace with nothing, and he found
himself growing and selling marijuana once again. This time, it was among a much more
dangerous circle. Robert Peaces invincibility only lasted him until he died; he was killed in a
drug-related murder in the basement of a home in Newark, New Jersey in May of 2011.
Peaces life emblematizes the upwards battle faced by many youths born into
circumstances of economic or familial poverty, living in socioeconomically depressed areas, with
fundamentally low support levels. Peaces case, however, is perplexing: he was very fortunate in

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some ways, but lacking substantially in other areas. Ultimately, Peace had opposite but equal
forces on either side, nudging him toward both success and liberation, and defeat and
confinement within the bounds of the stereotypes set for him. At the most foundational level, it
was the persons, the individual lives surrounding Robert which influenced him the most and had
the power to change him for better and for worse.
There are many situations which require unpacking when taking a closer look at Rob
Peaces life in regard to the aforementioned conclusion, but his circumstances and the outcomes
of them are heavily supported by statistics, past and present, all over America. There is nothing
simple or easily explained about Robs short life or about any similar to his. However, there is
one constant that reveals and supports itself throughout the entire progression of his story: other
people in Peaces life who cared about him pushed him to the success he found. Robs
intellectual gifts allowed him a much greater chance at academic and career-oriented success, but
his test scores were not all that carried him to the two thousand and two commencement
exercises at Yale. Rob had a self-sacrificing and supportive mother, a motivating water polo
coach, other mentor figures at St. Benedicts, and ultimately an individual who believed in Rob
so deeply that he paid for his entire tuition at Yale. Each of these relationships drove Rob in a
similar direction via one common route. He received an education consisting of diligence,
discipline, hard work, and self respect, enabled by those in his life who desired his ultimate good.
Without these persons, Rob would not have realized his full potential or reached the level of
academic success that he did.
This leads to a deeper conclusion, one that instills a great sense of responsibility in those
that partake: an education is truly the key that unlocks some of the most seemingly impassable
doors. An education gives the underprivileged a clear escape route from difficult circumstances

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and into a life where they have the power to become beacons for others, as well. However,
education is not a skeletal institution; it contains within itself living, breathing persons who are
the blood flow and heartbeat of the entire structure. They are guardians, coaches, mentors, tutors,
teachers; without them, there is no true education, because education is not simply an acquisition
of information. With this realization comes an awakening in those that fit into this category: one
must invest in a person either wholly so, or not at all. Students and children in at-risk situations
need supporters who believe in them, who are willing to invest personal time, energy, and
resource in them, and who ultimately desire their highest good. Robs story ends in tragedy, but
the conclusion does not disqualify the testament of this truth in his journey to the end. Robert
Peace would not have walked through Yales front door without guidance along the way, despite
the corresponding influences to which he was subject.
People helping people is not a novel concept, and there is poverty and misfortune
virtually everywhere. Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, Peace and war begin at home. By this
standard, it becomes the duty of every person who is directly involved in the lives of humans
such as Robert Peace to counteract and if this is not possible, counterbalance the opposing
negative influence found in other persons, families, neighborhoods, and schools. Each person is
an educator in his own right, teaching these students how to act, think, speak, play, work, love,
pray. Rob Peace represents a thousand other kids who are desperate for someone to invest in
them. Educators play a particular role in this uphill battle since most underprivileged youth
make their way through the countrys public school system. Educators of all kinds within and
without the school retain a particular responsibility to provide the same positive support that
Rob received along the way. In making this the standard all across the board, the tragic endings
like Peaces will become fewer and farther between.

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Problematic Influences in the Life of Robert Peace

In order to understand the importance of the supportive persons, it is necessary to be
cognizant of the gap which their support serves to fill. In Robs case, there were a number of
problematic situations that colored his maturation, as in the case of the many children like him.
Incontestably, a students home life and parental situation will drive him on some level. Though
Skeet Douglas, Peaces father, cared deeply for his son and his well-being, his actions simply did
not hold up when it came down to the wire. Douglas sold drugs for a living, frequently placing
himself in high-risk situations, and Jackie did not care to invest in a marriage with Douglas or to
subject her son to that perilous life. Resultingly, Peace was the product of a single parent home
where he began to nurture a resentment toward lifes difficulties, and especially toward the
people who he deemed guilty of convicting an innocent man, his father. Robert held disdain for
the legal system, the police officers, other witnesses, and ultimately, the caucasian individuals
who he believed had used Skeet Douglas to cover for them. Jackie had worried about Rob at
first his association by blood to an alleged killer of women but found that there was no
need. He didnt seem to experience any exclusion, name-calling, or dirty looks. No one cared,
not really. What did worry her was when Rob would come home smirking with an ugly sort of
pride (Hobbs, 45). Peace was proud of his father and boasted of him as an idol who bore the
weight of victimhood inflicted by the white establishment. These seeds of defiance planted at the
delicate age of seven years created a weight that Rob would carry forever, and would impact
much more than he could have then understood.
Prior to Douglas jailing, Rob became enthralled and pined after the way of the streets,
the life in which he witnessed his father thriving. Hobbs describes a culture of people spending
their days and nights on the front porches, smoking, drinking, and feeling at ease due to the

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substances residing in their bodies. Peace was probably intrigued by this world because of the
popularity his father maintained as the amiable drug dealer; he and his father were greeted with
fondness wherever they went in Orange; and in addition, Douglas distanced relationship with
Rob probably increased the fixation on everything father-related.
There was also a conflict between Robs parents created by the issue of where and how
Rob was to receive his education. Jackie Peace desired nothing more than for her son to achieve
the acclaimed unattainable for those that were marginalized in Robs area. She wanted him to use
his sharp intellect, obvious within him from an early age, and claw his way out of the confines of
their society by means of a good education. Douglas valued learning and intelligence highly as
well, but did not see eye-to-eye with Jackie in terms of how that intelligence was best acquired.
Douglas wanted Rob to amass the kind of cognition that would make him street smart,
adaptable in his native environment. Much of this attitude was out of seemingly necessary
precautionary steps to ensure Rob a comfortable place in the society of Orange, New Jersey.
Jackies desire for Rob to attend the cheap parochial kindergarten, rather than engage in the
declining public school environment, caused Douglas discomfort: Skeet looked at her and said
she was being uppity. Though he was speaking off-the-cuff, the word carried weight. Where
they lived, being known by this label meant that you thought you were better than everyone else
around you, that you deserved more, and that - given the opportunity - you would leave this
place behind without a second thought (Hobbs, 22).
This unique attitude toward success is one of the many driving factors that creates
adverse circumstances for students who have the vast potential to thrive, as did Rob. There are
pervading issues that shackle students in this situation all over the country, and one the
phenomenon of acting white, and how it impacts minority students lives both academically

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and socially. A professor of economics at Harvard, Roland G. Fryer writes an article about this
concept, and cites statistics from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health Data
showing that caucasian students popularity within the school or social circle tends to increase as
their grade point averages increase. Contrarily, the popularity index among African-American
and Hispanic students decreases as their grade point averages decrease (Fryer, 2006).
It would be faulty to claim that this phenomenon is the only reason for lower academic
success rates among at-risk students, but it is certain that it affirms feelings of guilt or hesitation
in minority student who considers an attempt to transcend his circumstances. Undoubtedly, Skeet
Douglas fell under this confused impression for himself and for his son. This sense of belonging
to the community of the streets was a considerable influence in Robs life, not only as a child in a
divided home, but as he grew into the man he would become, too. When he returned from Yale,
he did not have the same opportunity, like most Yale graduates, to boast of his prestigious degree
and to let it both enable him and give him credit in academia and in the workforce. Rather, Rob
treated his diploma as a secret he had to diminish and conceal. In East Orange, it was of a
negative connotation, something that made Rob less likeable and more resented by his peers.
Rob did not allow this animosity to prevent him from working hard and studying diligently when
he was in school, but it certainly impacted him afterwards. Because he could not celebrate that
area of success in his life, he was inclined to ignore it and instead default to the parts of himself
that were celebrated by the troubled young adults in East Orange. An admiration of his fathers
sense of belonging and a fear of ostracization were some of the definitive influences that clung to
Rob as he tried to blaze a trail out of the mess behind him.
In addition to the biological and economical characteristics of Peaces life, there was one
particularly malignant presence in his life which began at an early age and carried on until his

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untimely death. Peaces serious involvement in the distribution and sale of marijuana is what
ultimately led to his death, and it created a burden he could not remove, even when he seemed to
want to. Separate from his psychological addiction to the drug was an additional factor which
swayed his will on an even larger scale; it was money. Rob saw his marijuana sales as an avenue
of easy cash both for his personal spending, for use after graduation, and for his mother (who did
not know how he was earning it). This lethal injection into Peaces livelihood is one that had
arisen in his childhood, and from from specific figures in his life. He had an immensely deep
admiration for his father who was a drug trafficker, and even if this would be sufficient reason
for Rob to instigate and justify his own actions, there were other influences, too. Practically all
his friends from Orange smoked with him, and fellow students at Yale enabled him as well by
providing Robert with a consistent clientele. Peace certainly victimized himself on one level
because he chose to pursue this choice of income, but he was also a product of his domain. That
Robs involvement in drug use and sales had subsided and then rebounds after he returns from
Rio indicates an attachment both to his roots and the influential individuals in that sphere. This,
among other indicators, provides validation for the persons-focused theory as to why positive
influence is so important not only to encourage each at-risk student, but also to minimize the
risks associated with individuals of negative influence.
Positively Impacting Influences in the Life of Robert Peace
While there is an abundance of counteractive influence in Peaces life, the positivity was
very present, too, among Roberts mentors, teachers, coaches, and mother. In fact, these are the
individuals to whom is owed credit for substantiating that the believer, the mentor figure truly
can work miracles in a students life. The need for the person is more centered than simply a
need for a friend or companion to help shake off the dust when things get difficult, or to say,

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You can do this this when homework seems especially challenging. All students but
especially at-risk, underprivileged students need someone to believe in them. They each need
the motivation associated with knowing that they are urged, expected to live out their potential in
every academic aspect. This academic discipline not only impacts each students successoriented future, it also instills a sense of dignity so that the student will have a clear
understanding of what his potential is, and be aware during times when he falls below the
standard.
Unlike many of Robs peers, he had an outstanding mother. She labored tirelessly for her
son, and aligned herself so completely with his best interest that the fulfillment of his potential
became the fulfillment of hers, too. Rob was a brilliant young man, and she knew that he did not
belong on the streets of Orange, New Jersey. Jackie Peace could have worked half as hard as she
did and allowed Rob to attend the local public school to save her the graying hairs and the
money. However, her vision for Rob transcended any hardship she underwent to see him through
school. Jackie simply believed in Rob; she invested her entire life in him, and knew that the
return profit could be staggering, even though she was not focused on her own self-interest. In a
case study regarding parent involvement in the educational setting, Jane Graves Smith writes,
Parents, teachers, and family workers believed that children with engaged parents would be
more successful at school, scoring higher on tests and earning higher grades. A teacher stated, I
think if the parents are involved, the kids benefit because they really see the participation by the
parents, and they work harder at school (Smith, 2006). Rob benefitted from his mothers
involvement because he recognized how much she cared, and he knew that disappointing himself
and disappointing her were one and the same.

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Coach Ridley, the water polo coach at St. Benedicts, was also instrumental in Robs
formation at St. Benedicts, instilling within him the unparalleled form of discipline that is
required of athletes and members of a team. Coach Ridley approached Rob one morning, and
directly asked him why he was smoking so much marijuana. Ridley wanted to know why he
would jeopardize his lungs, his mind, his future that way (Hobbs, 102). Though Rob did not
want to be confronted about his destructive habits, his defiant response indicated a repressed
agreement with which he did not yet want to come to terms. Coach Ridley filled an important
spot in the lineup of individuals who could offer what Rob needed. Ridley recognized the
repercussions of the hollowing where Robs father should have been, and in some aspects, he
filled it; however, he did so without encroaching on the boundaries of the sensitive subject, never
implying that his intention was to make up for what Robs father could not give. In general,
participating in athletics can bolster the sense of discipline and pride associated with academic
success. On his water polo team, Rob found both an escape from the mature problems he faced,
and a crutch for his growing sense of self worth and self-command.
In all truth, Rob found most of his support and in turn, his confidence through St.
Benedicts and all that the institution offered him. He received, and in turn, procured the ability
to forward encouragement on to the younger students that came through those doors. Austin
Jones, a graduate of St. Benedicts who was a few years behind Peace, explained that the school
created an environment of high standards and healthy competition. Grades would be posted in
the hallway to be seen by all; each student had the drive to earn grades that would not be laughed
at or critiqued by their peers. Jones said of Rob, I looked up to him because if he saw I had
earned a bad grade, he wouldve said, Austin, I see youre from East Orange, too Come on
man, you arent representing right (A. Jones, personal communication, November 12, 2015).

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Jones explained that Rob Peace knew his potential and understood the level of success
that he could achieve; in fact, Rob had an ego. To combat the hostility of his environment and to
lend himself a hand toward success, he developed his own impenetrability that became
characteristic of his personhood and obvious to those around him. His tenacity which was both
rooted in his personhood and encouraged by St. Benedicts led him to become recognized by
Charles Cawley, the founder and CEO of MBNA bank; an alumni of St. Benedicts, he was their
biggest benefactor. In Robs story, Charles Cawley represents the absolute ideal of a supporter:
he was someone chose to believe in a student and in his future so deeply that he was willing to
invest a complete Yale tuitions worth of money in Robert Peace. However, Rob was not the only
young man that Cawley helped; every summer, he would host twelve students four top
students, four average students, and four academically poor in his large estate to provide both
reward and incentive (Hobbs, 90). As demonstrated by Cawleys generous actions, he could
provide his support and belief in a unique way through his monetary advantages. Certainly,
money does not define success, but sometimes a deep pocket and a generous heart can be the
additional piece that allows a students viable options to increase exponentially.
The Interactions of Varying Influences in the Life of Robert Peace
Ultimately, Rob was a product of his surroundings, a chemical reaction more complicated
than any he had ever created while working in the labs at Yale. Constantly, there were opposing
forces in his life; he had a deep connection with the streets, but a deep longing for worldly
success that could not be found on the streets. The enigma of Peaces personhood presented itself
in different areas from his childhood and into his life as an adult.
Rob deeply desired to live up to his mothers expectations, to make her proud, and to
show her that he could be all that she believed of him. He saw himself in her eyes, recognizing

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that she had invested her heart, soul, livelihood, life into him and, apart from all else, Rob
loved his mother deeply. However, if he recognized the value she placed on him and cared
deeply for her in return, how could he simultaneously deceive her in other ways with his
secretive alcohol and drug use? Rob was first introduced to alcohol and marijuana at age thirteen,
influenced by some older boys with whom he played football. Rob couldnt afford to buy
alcohol or marijuana himself, but one of the benefits of remaining so well know in East Orange
and being Skeets boywas that wherever he went, there were people, mostly men, who
wanted to take care of him and who didnt have much else to do (Hobbs, 71). Rob loved his
mother, but he was enticed by the ease and leisure of the street life, and there were more people
willing to help him relax than there were people pushing him to transcend.
To Yale, Rob brought with him the same standards and work ethic, and now, with higher
stakes. He was in the big leagues now, and he was there on someone elses dime. Rob studied
hard at Yale, working toward his bachelor degree in molecular biochemistry and biophysics with
hopes of attending graduate school afterwards, as well. However, he also worked hard toward a
thicker wallet, accumulating over one hundred thousand dollars cash in four years, selling
marijuana to other students and locals. This conundrum almost perfectly embodies the essence of
the problem, the reason for both the brevity and tragedy of Peaces life. He had the means, the
potential, and the drive to dig his way out of the hole that is life on the streets, but the streets had
a hold on him more firm than the reprimanding words that any Yale disciplinarian could speak.
Unfortunately, as Rob gained confidence through his academic success, he
simultaneously gained confidence in his prestigious hand in the drug trade. Austin Jones
indicated that he believes Peaces success at Yale to have created an ego, leading Rob to believe
it would be just as easy and safe to carry on the drug deals back on the streets of East Orange

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(Jones). Ultimately, this paradoxical reality of Robs time at university contributed to his tragic
death. This, perhaps, was the ultimate culmination of conflict between the streets and a bright
future. It was at this point that Rob was no longer simply torn between the two influences. Now,
each had met in a furious concoction, producing a forging ground on which one could enable the
other.
A Conclusion About the Interacting Influences and Their Origins
Given the ultimate outcome, one may find it difficult to believe that proactive people and
environmental influences are capable of saving futures or lives like Robs whose was indeed
short and tragic. This conclusion would invalidate the contributions of each person who impacted
him positively; in this case, his mother, coach, teachers, and Charles Cawley, though wellintentioned people, would have had no role of real importance. Objectively, this does not seem to
be the case. A mother could not believe unfalteringly in her sons worldly potential when she
knows him and his personhood so deeply and thoroughly. A dedicated coach does not invest his
personal time, energy, and emotion into a player that shows no promise of potential or growth.
Most especially, it is safe to say that Charles Cawley, an incredibly successful business man, was
not interested in making personal investments of monetary value that would not become
beneficial or fruitful in some way. Though each person that pushed Rob did so because they saw
his competence and the seeds of potential growth, there was a deeply-rooted purpose, as well.
Rob did not need help becoming smarter or more athletic, he did not need a Yale degree just to
learn about biophysics. He was pushed because those around him recognized the risk associated
with remaining in East Orange, in a life on the streets, with violence and death surrounding him.
To understand why these elements of Robs life were detrimental to him and why he
needed help to eliminate them, it is necessary to take a closer look at the overwhelming reality of

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the situation. The Teen Violence Statistics web page cites The Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Preventions survey which indicated some telling statistics in regard to youths in
circumstances akin to Peaces. 94% of gang members are male, and a number fluctuating around
37% of gang members are currently under the age of eighteen. Ethnically, gangs break down into
47% Hispanics, and 31% African Americans (Teen Violence Statistics, 2009). Given these
numbers, Rob Peace, his classmates, and most other young men in his area ran a pretty high risk
of becoming involved in the prominent gang activity of East Orange.
These statistics indicate the troubling reality of Peaces circumstance and how young men
can fall into a dead-end life though, most importantly, they indicate the alarming frequency
with which this occurs. Truthfully, each person who chose to assist Robert Peace along the way
did so because they each witnessed the causes and effects in the lives of other young, vulnerable
students of similar upbringings who did not have the help they needed. Life in underprivileged
America is too often a life of turmoil, suffering, violence, and death this is why Peace had
helpers to guide him away from the streets, people who witnessed the cycle endlessly revolving
and leaving no survivors.
Rob Peace lost his life because he was dragged into the cycle from which others tried to
liberate him. His tragic death does not indicate that those who did believe in him believed for
nought. Rather, he lost his life because of a broken system, a cycle which is difficult to break
because there are not enough individuals like the ones in Robs life. Unfortunately, Rob lived in a
world where there were too few mothers like his own, coaches and teachers like his own, and
sponsors like his own.
At each crossroads in his life where he had a decision to make and chose the wrong path,
he did so in large part because of the restraint that his surrounding influences created, not

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because his mother or his coaches and teachers failed him. This observation manifested itself at
many points in his life, but most especially when Peace had turned back to drug sales after
having moved beyond those measures for a time. Rob grew up with a deep love and respect for a
father whose example only reaffirmed Robs poor choices, and if this was not enough, he was
also surrounded by peers who were influenced to choose that lifestyle, as well. When Rob
decided to start consistently selling marijuana at Yale, he was encouraged by both his fathers
example and his mothers financial need which he felt inclined to support. Once the the quick
cash flow began to pour in, it was difficult to give up. Rob was a victim of the cycle because his
father stood in an influential place in Robs life, but was not there to teach him how to be a
dignified, honest man. Rob was also caught in the cycle because his mother was affected by
Douglas actions in a unique way that made her financially unstable, resulting in Robs sense of
guilt and responsibility.
For many reasons including these, it was too easy for Rob to resort to the drug trade that
he thought could solve his problems, and that he could easily justify given his tough
circumstances and background. Robs father also needed the same support that Rob was
fortunate enough to receive; he needed someone who would have shown him how to pursue
better paths than the business of the streets. Each domino piece in these chain reactions have
wounds, growth stunts, and fears. Each are very much affected by the cycle that creates the
urban, underprivileged street life and allows it to hold hostage the ones who cannot seem to find
a way out of it. Rob lived and died by this cycle, but his story serves to prove some very
important points.
The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace testifies that in this troubled world, humans
are responsible for one another. In order to break the chains of repetitive tragedy, there must be a

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drastic increase in individuals who are willing to give: time, energy, resource, intellect, love,
companionship, confidence; the list goes on. However, each component can be melded into one
overarching theme: we are all the same, and when there are entire cities full of minority students
who come to ends as tragic as Robs, it indicates that there are far too many people who do not
believe in the sameness or do not think it possible to achieve. When Mr. Charles Cawley was
informed of Robs passing, He thought of what hed given the boy, not in terms of money but
rather in choices, and he wondered how a person as bright and deserving as Rob Peace could
have made the choices, beginning on the night of that banquet [when they met], that had resulted
in this. And he figured that the choices hadnt necessarily begun on that night. Most likely, theyd
begun on the night he was born, and not all of them had been his to make (Hobbs, 396). People
inadvertently make choices for others when they stand in the way of success by neglecting to
claim responsibility for them in enabling their success.
It is not a cliche motivational poster, it is reality: people need to help one another, and
sometimes the best way to help is by having confidence in one another. Trends of tragedy and
cycles of violence will begin to break when people decide that they will not allow others to settle
for less than their worth in life. Let there be more mothers, more water polo coaches, more
philanthropic CEOs in the world who will show the young people what they can do and give
them the means to do it. And then, let there be more mothers, coaches, CEOs in the world who
will remind the young people what they can do if, like Robert Peace, they forget.
A Metacognitive Reflection on the Role of the Educator
Reading The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace both brought me clarity in some
understandings, and enlightened me to entirely new realities that I am preparing myself to face as
I enter into the field of education. There were many operating factors in Peaces life that led to

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the issues he faced. Of course, Peace is only one example of so many others like him. I believe
that, for school teachers, there is much responsibility associated with the unique role they play in
working with underprivileged and at-risk students. This is true for many reasons, but it is
especially the case because of proximity to the circumstances. It is too overwhelming to
objectively view the situation as it is in whole: millions of troubled students whose odds of
success are incredibly diminished. It is important to focus on one step, one student at a time, or
else it is too easy to become discouraged. In my metacognitive review, I will resolve to take a
closer look at each of the negative circumstances that influenced Robert Peaces life, and how
educators can help to diminish the risks associated with them.
The first adverse influence discussed is Skeet Douglas, Robert Peaces father. Skeet was
not a neglectful father before imprisonment, though this was practically to a disadvantage.
Because Rob respected his father so fervently, he more readily justified Douglas actions. I
believe that Douglas example justified and reaffirmed Robs actions, but in more complexity
than simply telling Rob that it was acceptable to use and sell drugs. Skeet was a professional of
the streets; Hobbs indicates that he was both well-known and well-liked, and from a young age,
Rob viewed his father as a hero. These kinds of dynamics raise a difficult and important issue for
teachers in classrooms full of students who have a Skeet Douglas figure in their lives, as well.
What can a teacher do to dispel the sense of intrigue directed toward that lifestyle? Furthermore,
what is a teachers rightful place in determining how to provide students with positive influences
to counteract the negative? I believe that the solution boils down to practical application,
repeated acts within the school that reinforce the message. One of the best strategies that a
teacher can use is simply exemplifying positive character traits and an honest life, showing the
students that they walk the walk, too. The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance

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published an article by Angela Lumpkin who discusses some of these issues within the school
setting. Ultimately, she addresses the benefits of teachers acting as role models by demonstrating
integrity, and by teaching them to use moral reasoning. The epitome of living a values-based
life is the fulfillment of moral obligations with consistent uprightness of character, or integrity
Teachers model integrity by choosing to do the right thing, even when no one is looking.
Integrity means consistently doing what is right, even when it would be easier to do something
that is personally more beneficial. She also states that a teachers integrity or lack of integrity is
noticed by the students (Lumpkin, 2008, pp. 46-47). As a teacher, I know I will not be capable of
achieving personal involvement in each of my students lives. However, I think that I can provide
an open example of a lifestyle that is peaceable and productive because it has virtue and integrity.
Then, the students will have the option to learn how to take that path, instead.
Another theme that I observed throughout the biography was one that reappeared in
various places as Rob aged from young boy to adult. It is the phenomenon of acting white, and
the troubling notion that academic success has negative connotations within Robs culture. Rob
was very successful academically because he was intelligent and because his private schools
culture encouraged it. It was after his Yale graduation, coming back to East Orange that
experienced the intense adversity to his uppityness. This is relevant for educators because they
are often the most influential in students daily academic worlds. One of the primary focuses in
most pedagogical instruction is risk-free environment, how it works, and how it helps students.
I think this theory is overwhelmingly pertinent to teachers since, for their students, they are both
the primary source of academic content and the primary reinforcer of learning habits. In
colloquial language, teachers are capable of making learning both comfortable and cool. Even
if a teacher cannot control all that goes on in her students lives, she does have the power to

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control her classroom decorum. For students who may be ridiculed or ostracized for academic
success, the risk-free environment would need to have some specific guidelines. Teachers have
the power to create a leveled playing field for all students, establishing a blank-state mentality
in which all students are equal when they first walk into the classroom, and any differentiation
will occur only from distinction that the students earn by their hard work. Whether they realize it
or not, teachers can propagate the acting white rationale among their minority students by
maintaining different levels of expectation for different students. In a true risk-free environment,
each student should feel comfortable and excited to share their learning with their classmates
without feeling like they are either just doing what they are supposed to do, or acting like a
nerd. In general, I believe that teachers need to make it very clear that they are holding the exact
same standards for each student (within the realm of their respective special needs), and
constantly reinforce these expectations. It can be tempting for a teacher to acclimate to the
popular opinion within their classroom, but it is important that the teacher maintain a clear vision
of his or her objective in this regard.
Jessica Bucholz and Julie Sheffler contributed to the Electronic Journal for Inclusive
Education with an article entitled Creating a Warm and Inclusive Classroom Environment.
One of the strategies for which they are advocates is teaching and practicing reflective or active
listening. Bucholz and Sheffler suggest teaching students how to listen reflectively and actively
for proactive learning, but also to encourage a respectful classroom environment (Bucholz &
Sheffler, 2009, p. 8). I think that this is one of many ways to help close the achievement gap in
at-risk classrooms, and I also believe that breeding a school culture of respect through active and
reflective listening could help diminish the divide between students who are supposed to
succeed and ones who are not. Once students learn the patterns of mutual respect and

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appreciation in the classroom, these standards of behavior will begin to permeate outside of the
classroom as well.
Perhaps the most obviously detrimental influences in Peaces biography was the fixation
on drugs and drug dealing throughout his life. The National Institute on Drug Abuse indicates
relatively high numbers in terms of the use and availability of marijuana throughout the countrys
schools. It indicates that use among eighth graders falls at 6.5%, 16.6% for tenth graders, and
21.2% in twelfth grade. Additionally, 81% of twelfth graders claimed that the drug is easy to
obtain (NIDA, 2014). While these statistics are staggering, they take on an entirely new meaning
for students like Rob Peace who are growing up in places like East Orange. More often than not,
marijuana use and sales are directly tied to gang activity, alcohol abuse, and abuse of other drugs.
In these situations, the student has a higher likelihood of becoming a drug dealer. Sometimes, the
most dangerous element of the abuse is not the drug itself, but that that many youths do not
understand the long term effects of adopting this lifestyle. Other times, even when they
understand, they partake because they witness influential people in their lives doing the same.
I believe, therefore, that a teacher has a responsibility to remain proactively involved in
shaping her students appraisal of drugs and drug-related activity. In my opinion, it is best to
forgo the age-old Drugs are bad, dont touch them or youll be in trouble method for a more
informative, maturity-focused approach. I think it is crucial for school employees to treat
students like adults in regard to these scenarios, because many of them are already forced to act
as adults in other areas of their lives. I believe that teachers need to move away from the
punishment approach though there should be consistent and productive disciplinary action
when necessary and move toward an approach that highlights caring for themselves and for
one another. Teachers should often explain and often reinforce the legitimate alternatives for

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each perceived advantage of involvement with drugs and the drug trade. Comfort, prowess,
street credit, escape, intimidation, entertainment every appraised beneficent aspect of the
drug culture can be attained by means of a different route. Teachers can place emphasis on
exposing their students to empowering choices that will ultimately achieve for the students what
they desire; the focus should be less of you cant do that and more of you can do this.
In Conclusion
In the lobby of St. Benedicts, there reads a sign in bold gray letters, WHATEVER
HURTS MY BROTHER HURTS ME. If only those words resounded beyond the doors of that
school and into the streets everywhere; what a different world this would be. If every individual
felt this to the depths of their core and then lived it, there would no longer be the vicious cycle,
no longer the shackles binding young men to the streets, no longer the commonplace forced and
untimely deaths. The streets will never be perfect. In all likelihood, there will never be a year that
passes without a murder or a conviction for drug trafficking, but this is because human nature is
flawed. However, there is so much that can and ought to be done to improve upon the situation at
hand. There are many and various roles to be filled, just as different kinds of people helped Rob
Peace along his way. It is up to the individual person to realize how their life can serve the life of
another. It is the duty of each person to position themselves so that, truly, whatever hurts their
brother hurts them, too.

References
Bucholz, J, Ed.D & Sheffler, J. (2009). Creating a warm and inclusive classroom environment:
Planning

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23

for all children to feel welcome. Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education, 4(2), p. 8.
Retrieved from http://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1102&context=ejie
Fryer, Roland (2006). Acting white. Education Next, 6(1), pp. 55-57. Retrieved from
http://educationnext.org/files/ednext20061_52.pdf on November 5, 2015.
Hobbs, Jeff (2014). The short and tragic life of Robert Peace: A brilliant young man who left
Newark for the Ivy League. New York: Scribner. Print.
Lumpkin, Angela (2008). Teachers as role models teaching character and moral virtues. Journal
Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, 79(2), pp. 45-47. Retrieved from
http://www.csuchico.edu/kine/documents/teachersasrolemodels.pdf
National Institute on Drug Abuse (2014). High school and youth trends. Retrieved from
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/high-school-youth-trends on November
17, 2015
Smith, Jane G. (2006).Parental involvement in education among low income families. The
School
Community Journal, 16(01). Retrieved from
http://www.adi.org/journal/ss06/SmithSpring2006.pdf on November 2, 2015.
Teen Violence Statistics (2009). Gang violence. Retrieved from
http://www.teenviolencestatistics.com/content/gang-violence.html on November 15,
2015.