full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Monique W. Morris: Why black girls are targeted for punishment at school -- and how to change that


Unscramble the Blue Letters


When I was in the sixth grdae, I got into a fight at scohol. It wasn't the first time I'd been in a fhigt, but it was the first time one happened at school. It was with a boy who was about a foot taller than me, who was physically stronger than me and who'd been taunting me for weeks. One day in PE, he sppteed on my shoe and refused to apologize. So, filled with anger, I grabbed him and I threw him to the ground. I'd had some previous judo training.

(Laughter)

Our fight leatsd less than two minutes, but it was a perfect relfteicon of the hurricane that was blidnuig inside of me as a young survivor of sexual assault and as a girl who was grappling with abandonment and exposure to violence in other spaces in my life. I was fighting him, but I was also fighting the men and boys that had assaulted my body and the culture that told me I had to be slient about it. A teacher bokre up the fight and my principal called me in her oicffe. But she didn't say, "Monique, what's wrong with you?" She gave me a moment to collect my breath and asked, "What hneeppad?"

Open Cloze


When I was in the sixth _____, I got into a fight at ______. It wasn't the first time I'd been in a _____, but it was the first time one happened at school. It was with a boy who was about a foot taller than me, who was physically stronger than me and who'd been taunting me for weeks. One day in PE, he _______ on my shoe and refused to apologize. So, filled with anger, I grabbed him and I threw him to the ground. I'd had some previous judo training.

(Laughter)

Our fight ______ less than two minutes, but it was a perfect __________ of the hurricane that was ________ inside of me as a young survivor of sexual assault and as a girl who was grappling with abandonment and exposure to violence in other spaces in my life. I was fighting him, but I was also fighting the men and boys that had assaulted my body and the culture that told me I had to be ______ about it. A teacher _____ up the fight and my principal called me in her ______. But she didn't say, "Monique, what's wrong with you?" She gave me a moment to collect my breath and asked, "What ________?"

Solution


  1. school
  2. stepped
  3. silent
  4. fight
  5. building
  6. grade
  7. office
  8. happened
  9. lasted
  10. reflection
  11. broke

Original Text


When I was in the sixth grade, I got into a fight at school. It wasn't the first time I'd been in a fight, but it was the first time one happened at school. It was with a boy who was about a foot taller than me, who was physically stronger than me and who'd been taunting me for weeks. One day in PE, he stepped on my shoe and refused to apologize. So, filled with anger, I grabbed him and I threw him to the ground. I'd had some previous judo training.

(Laughter)

Our fight lasted less than two minutes, but it was a perfect reflection of the hurricane that was building inside of me as a young survivor of sexual assault and as a girl who was grappling with abandonment and exposure to violence in other spaces in my life. I was fighting him, but I was also fighting the men and boys that had assaulted my body and the culture that told me I had to be silent about it. A teacher broke up the fight and my principal called me in her office. But she didn't say, "Monique, what's wrong with you?" She gave me a moment to collect my breath and asked, "What happened?"

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations


ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
black girls 16
white peers 2
high school 2
safe space 2
school girls 2
police officers 2
adverse childhood 2
childhood experiences 2
freedom work 2

ngrams of length 3

collocation frequency
adverse childhood experiences 2


Important Words


  1. abandonment
  2. anger
  3. apologize
  4. asked
  5. assault
  6. assaulted
  7. body
  8. boy
  9. boys
  10. breath
  11. broke
  12. building
  13. called
  14. collect
  15. culture
  16. day
  17. exposure
  18. fight
  19. fighting
  20. filled
  21. foot
  22. gave
  23. girl
  24. grabbed
  25. grade
  26. grappling
  27. ground
  28. happened
  29. hurricane
  30. judo
  31. lasted
  32. laughter
  33. life
  34. men
  35. minutes
  36. moment
  37. office
  38. pe
  39. perfect
  40. physically
  41. previous
  42. principal
  43. reflection
  44. refused
  45. school
  46. sexual
  47. shoe
  48. silent
  49. sixth
  50. spaces
  51. stepped
  52. stronger
  53. survivor
  54. taller
  55. taunting
  56. teacher
  57. threw
  58. time
  59. told
  60. training
  61. violence
  62. weeks
  63. wrong
  64. young