Patrice Milillo (he/him)

Keppel Union, California, USA • 6th grade Math, History, and P.E. Teacher

How did you get into teaching?

I started as a substitute teacher. On my first day, I a security guard escorted me to a class of 7th graders who had clearly seized power. He bellowed over the chatter that if there were any problems, call and he’d “handle it.” When he left, I asked the class to quiet down and was ignored. I repeated myself in a louder voice, but the chatter continued. Just as my frustration began to simmer, a slim Chicano boy in a white t-shirt smugly strolled over to me, looked me up and down, and said, “Welcome to hell, Homes.” I stood dumbfounded, almost defeated, and then I had an idea. I ambled over to the whiteboard, grabbed a marker, and began drawing a rat skateboarding in an empty swimming pool. Silence spread across the room, suddenly broken with a “That’s dope!” I asked if they wanted to learn to draw, and before I knew it, they were with me until the bell rang. They shuffled out of the classroom in an affectionate chorus of “Bye, Mr. Milillo,” and “Come sub for us again.” Then the welcome-to-hell kid approached me and handed me a piece of paper. He had drawn my name in 3D letters. I returned the next day to a class of respectful thirteen-year-olds. I have been teaching ever since.

Who was the teacher who made the most positive impact on your life?

At thirteen, I ended up in a county school - one step away from juvenile hall. I expected my new teacher to greet me with a litany of preemptive threats. Mr. Bates, a former prison guard, did not. He saw through my performance, and instead of making me choose between unquestioned obedience or juvie, he learned about my interest in drawing. He had me illustrate the organs of various biological systems and explain the functions to the class. The drawings were then displayed on the walls along with my other illustrations. Though he was very strict and structured, Mr. Bates took the time to know each individual in that class, allow them to have a voice, and as a result, if anyone even came close to disrespecting Mr. Bates, that person would get checked by the entire class who esteemed Mr. Bates and valued the established classroom culture.

What is a professional inquiry you are currently pursuing?

How do socio-structural factors promote or hinder academic, social, and economic success?

I recently started classes towards a graduate degree in Sociology so I will be better positioned to craft my pedagogy towards equity. Though I am aware of the controversy surrounding certain ways that Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence theory was carried out, 5 Minds for The Future shines light on what subjects and skills are essential for success in the future…but this is just a starting point.

How are you pursuing this inquiry?

Pedagogy of the Oppressed. By Paulo Freire

Man’s Search for Meaning.  By Viktor E. Frankl

Honky. By Dalton Conley

What is a personal inquiry you are currently pursuing?

In his famous Ted Talk titled, “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” the late Sir Ken Robinson asks, “How do we educate our children to take their place in the economies of the 21st century, given that we can’t anticipate what the economy will look like at the end of next week?”

This question verified the economic value of creativity and critical thought, especially in Silicon Valley, where I was living and teaching at one point in my career. Feeling my work of cultivating creativity in my classroom justified, I began to interview painters, dancers, and community arts organizations to expand my techniques. As I did this, I began to enquire about the universal draw of the arts and how it can we use it to, not only help children take their places in the economies of the 21st century, but to help people in general imagine and create new personal, social, and economic realities. To find answers, I resigned from teaching, drained my savings, and self-funded a sabbatical. What began as a one-year documentary project called Art is Power became a four-year odyssey where I traveled to 25 cities in 14 countries finding myself at MIT interviewing Noam Chomsky one minute and the next painting a mural in a storm drain with Kapi One, a well know street artist, in Barcelona.

How are you pursuing this inquiry?

Rise of the Creative Class. By Richard Florida

Creative Schools. By Ken Robinson and Lou Aronica

What three ideas do you have to improve the teaching profession?

1.     Community engagement: In 2018 I began a series of community mural projects on the walls of the school that expelled me in the 7th grade for my unsanctioned proto-art pieces on the walls. I invited small groups of students and their parents on weekends and after school to paint. This gives me time to bond with my students and their parents, create a stimulating environment, and give the families stock in the school. 

2.     Project based education: Last year I piloted a ratios lesson where students mix paint for the school mural project. Students mix the color and make swatches in their notebooks and then those colors are used to paint the murals around campus. 

3.     Bring the school out into the community and the community into the school:  While working in San Jose, California, I would have students write speeches that they would then perform at the San Jose City Arts Commission meeting in order to get support for our arts and dance initiatives. Students would also present their speeches at school board meetings and join me at local businesses to ask for support. I would also regularly collaborate with local artists, dancers, and musicians to develop art-based lessons.

You gotta see these!

Preserving Land and Humanity through Art

Where Joy Hides and How to Find it

Why I, as a Black Man, Attend KKK Rallies

Who’s Next?

Every month we spotlight a teacher from around the world. Maybe you? Maybe someone you know? Email me: kimberly@inquirypartners.com and let’s get started!