The Skin I'm In


by Sharon G. Flake

Flake, S., 2020. The skin I'm in. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Setting:

Main Characters

• Maleeka - a middle school student, insecure and bullied because of her skin color
• Miss Saunders - a new teacher
• Momma/Mrs. Madison - Maleeka's mother
• Char - Maleeka's "friend"
• John-John - Maleeka's bullying classmate

Maleeka is a middle school student who struggles greatly with her identity and self image, mostly because of bullying over her skin color. She has "friends" who lead her into trouble, culminating with a fire in Miss Sunders' classroom. In the end, Maleeka learns to stand up for herself and sees her friends for who they are.

Maleeka's race is a prime target for her bullies mostly because her skin is exceptionally dark. Maleeka's gender provides additional cause for her to feel unsure of herself and insecure in her skin. If she was a boy she would react differently to the mistreatment. However, I feel in some ways it is mostly her socioeconomic status that holds her back, as she doesn't have the self-esteem that may come with nicer clothes, and current styles of hair or makeup. This is proven when she makes the deal with Char to do her homework in exchange for help with the bullying, and Char ends up giving her some clothes to wear.

We are Different

• Maleeka and I grew up in polar opposite environments
• She had one parent in the home, I had two
• She was in a lower socioeconomic group than I was
• I have never been bullied, mistreated, or held back in any way because of my skin color.
• School was always a positive experience for me.

We are the same

• I believe every woman has gone through awkward middle school years
• At that age, none of us know who we are, therefore none of us are really comfortable in our skin
• All any young girl wants is to be "normal" and to "fit in". I felt that too.
• Bullying is never okay for any reason, and I have felt that as well.

Miss Sauders' pivotal moment: “Liking myself didn’t come overnight,” she says, “I took a lot of wrong turns to find out who I really was. You will, too.”

This moment in the book makes a huge impact, as Miss Saunders continues to share how she came to accept herself, even love herself, just as God made her. The moment is emotional, even as Miss Saunders makes it light hearted and easy on the children, you can get a sense of the sadness and pain it took her to reach this place.

It is impossible not to be impacted by her honesty, and Maleeka begins to soften toward her a bit. Soon she trusts Miss Saunders and in the end, Maleeka opens up to her and sees that she is better for it. There are more ups and downs, but Maleeka finally learns her own worth and stands up for herself.

Miss Saunders' willingness to share her personal experiences with the class is a beautiful example of "(As Howard (1999) so aptly stated), “We can’t teach what we don’t know.” This statement applies to knowledge both of student populations and subject matter."
(Preparing for Culturally Responsive Teaching, Geneva Gay, Page 1) The best way we can relate to and reach students is by finding common ground and making connections!