Recognizing Gang Affiliation in the Middle School Classroom

AMLE emphasizes that supporting the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive needs of young adolescents is key to their overall success and development. During the middle grades, we know that young adolescents are making crucial decisions that impact their future. It’s a time when kids may engage in risky behavior and look for comfort and security from others outside of family and school, some of whom unfortunately do not provide a positive influence and do not have good intentions. At this decisive time in their development, the young adolescent will make decisions that have lasting impact, either positive or negative. For some, this may range from a decision between enrolling in Advanced Placement (AP) in high school to engaging in criminal and gang-related activities.

It is important that middle school teachers know the signs and characteristics of gang-affiliation. This may involve how a student engages with his or her peers in the school setting, manners of dress, revealing details through class writings, and more. In this article, two former gang members provide brief vignettes of their own gang-related activities in middle school and describe the role these activities played during those years. Their perspectives provide insight for middle school educators on ways to identify potential gang-related activities and strategies for helping students stay on the right path.

Dara

My ability and potential were stunted because of my inability to deal with my want of a father figure in my life. I looked at older boys hustling in the alleys and I wanted to be just like them. It was they who taught me how to talk to girls, dress, and make money – not my father. It was my gang that loved me and praised me. Once fully engaged in gang life, I would have given anything in return even when it meant taking a life or giving my own. I knew I would eventually get locked up, but my bond to the gang felt as if they would take care of me when that happened as well. The connection became like an umbilical cord, I needed them to feel full. It was only after I was sentenced to prison that through prison education I learned about myself and the emotional toll I had endured in my life. Today I seek to make an impact on society in hopes to help build an understanding of why people make horrible decisions and how we as a society can help stop it from happening.

Thaisan

Gang culture was introduced to me as a young adolescent. The more I was exposed to it, the more familiar and comfortable I became with it and the lifestyle became normalized for me. My gang substituted the love I wanted and needed that I was not receiving from my own parents. I became fully immersed and dressed, spoke, and behaved like a gang member. I held this identity with a fierce white-knuckled grip because I did not want to lose the love that it provided. As I fully immersed myself into gang life my level of criminality escalated as well. I engaged in destruction of properties, theft, burglaries, assaults, robberies, and ultimately that led me to take the life of another human being.

Social

It is important to recognize the social fragility of the young adolescent and how the lure of gang life can feed into that vulnerability. We know that middle schoolers are very social beings who want to hang around with their friends. Learning and intellectual development very often takes a back seat to social interaction. This social interaction can be as benign as chatting with friends in class or as dangerous as skipping school to cause problems in the neighborhood. Most young adolescents are painfully aware of and concerned with social status, physical appearance, and self-image.

I was a student who wanted the attention of others. Whether it was brief and innocent, such as making a joke or associating with the cool kids, I wanted it. I believed that to be seen in that way I had to be willing to break rules and fit into what was seen as cool at the time. Being cool meant having power. To be cool I had to be aware of how I spoke, how I walked, how I dressed. I stole candy, pens, and other small toys and then sold them at school. I wanted to be like the hustlers on the streets that I grew up idolizing. – DARA

I did everything I could to mold my image into that of a gang member so that I could feel that sense of welcome and belonging. – THAISAN

Emotional

Emotionally, the young adolescent is in the midst puberty and experiencing intense hormonal changes which causes them to struggle to regulate their emotions. What may be a non-issue to an older adolescent, or an adult, can result in emotional outbursts for these kids. For some, these emotional outbursts can result in violence.

My anger did not come out as the typical outburst in a classroom setting. I rebelled toward the system as a whole by ditching school and not doing any school work. I was a quiet kid and when I was sad I would resort to anger and violence as a way to cope with my sadness. – DARA

I learned to cope with my emotions through violence. I was taught by my father, my hero in life, that fighting was the answer to many problems. – THAISAN

Intellectual

The young adolescent is developing intellectually at a rapid rate. They are beginning to grasp abstract concepts and think critically. But, too often, the lure of the social interaction of a gang is more appealing and school becomes a mere obstacle to that activity. In these cases, the lack of attachment to school and learning results. Research shows that lack of attachment to teachers and lack of commitment to school is a predictor of gang membership (Howell and Egley, 2005).

I was totally disinterested in school and had no attachment whatsoever to it. School became something I had to do rather than want to do. – DARA

Physical

Physically, a sixth-grade boy may look very childlike. Often, they have not yet entered puberty. However, too often gang grooming begins about this time. You may see a child, but that child may be engaging in adult behaviors that many teachers cannot begin to imagine.

I was a small kid. I didn’t hit 5’8 till the ninth grade and by that time, I had already dropped out of school. Being a smaller kid and very innocent looking, I felt unmanly. I did not look like what I thought a man should look like. What I lacked in size, I tried to make up for in attitude. – DARA

Awareness versus intervention

We do not claim to be able to eradicate gangs. Nor do we promise that because a teacher recognizes gang-like characteristics in a student, that they will be able to prevent a student from

joining a gang.  However, it is crucial for middle school teachers to be aware of signs and work with school counselors, administrators, and school resource officers to intervene when students exhibit signs of gang affiliation.

It is crucial to accept all students into your classroom, allow them to shed their identities at the classroom door, and join the learning community. If you recognize signs of potential gang-affiliation or behaviors we suggest you consult with the experts in the building. Middle school students lured by gang or criminal life are like any other young adolescent who wants to be seen and heard.

I do believe that if teachers took the time to speak to students on a one on one basis it would have helped me. I did not feel seen.” – DARA

Signs of Gang Affiliation

• Decline in grades
• Change of friend group
• Chronic absence from school
• Significant change in attitude toward teachers and school
• Signs of alcohol or drug use
• Large amount of cash or expensive items (e.g. clothing, jewelry)
• Change in style of clothing, music, style of speaking
• New tattoos, scars, other bodily modifications
• Previous bullying victim or aggressor

What Can We Do?

First we need to recognize that all students are different. No two students are the same just as no two gangs or gang members are the same. Teachers must take great care to address the needs and histories of each individual in the classroom. It is also important to know that not all students who have poor grades, are absent from school, use drugs, or exhibit other signs of gang affiliation, are actually involved in the gang life. Caution must be used when identifying these behaviors. Most middle school teachers are not properly trained to address these concerns, so it is imperative that they seek guidance from and be supported by school administrators and counselors. Consistent and ongoing interventions are needed.

I do not know if one teacher could have fixed me. But I believe if I had received the attention – authentic attention – ongoing and consistent attention – I could have been helped. My teachers could have recognized that although I was introverted, I desperately wanted to be seen. I wanted to participate. My teachers could have realized that I was acting like I didn’t know how to do the work but really what I wanted was for them to talk to me and engage with me. – DARA

When I came to school with a knife because I was afraid of rival gang members in my school building, what I really wanted was my teachers to understand my fear. I needed to talk to someone about why I felt a need to bring a knife to school, instead of writing me off as a lost cause and expelling me. – THAISAN

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Thaisan was born in Cambodia and came to the US as an infant. He was raised in Long Beach, California. He suffered significant childhood trauma, struggled in school, and ultimately gravitated toward gangs. As a result, he was incarcerated and spent more than 20 years in prison. While incarcerated, he enrolled in training and rehabilitation programs and earned a Bachelor in Arts degree in Communication from California State University at Los Angeles. Thanks to hard work and a dedication to the right path, his sentence was commuted, and he was released in 2020. Thaisan’s mission now is to help other youth make the right choices in life. 

Dara grew up in Long Beach, California. He joined a gang and made decisions that landed him in prison for twenty years at the age of 19. However, he was able to turn his life around through education. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications through Cal State University of Los Angeles. He also has been an at-risk youth mentor through the CROP program for the last 6 years. He was released from prison in November 2022 after Governor Newsom commuted his Life Without Parole sentence.

Molly Mee, EdD, is a Professor of Education and longtime middle school advocate with expertise in middle level education and the young adolescent. Her current research interested are in restorative practices, trauma-informed practice, and social emotional learning for the middle school student. 

References

• Shakur, Sanyika (1993). Monster, The Autobiography of a LA Gang Member. Grove Press, New York.
• Howell, Chris & Egley, Arlen. (2005). Moving Risk Factors into Developmental Theories of Gang Membership. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice. 3. 334-354.10.1177/1541204005278679.