When it comes to educating inner-city students, we, as teachers, are obligated to consider their lives holistically. Urban students should feel empowered by the knowledge presented in the classroom, rather than intimidated by its inaccessibility to their own personal experiences. In order to provide a fair education that reflects our students, and yet equips them with the knowledge they will require to succeed beyond the streets, we need to accept and embrace their unique urban culture and integrate it into the classroom by creating a sense of validation and community. This study follows one teacher’s experience in an inner-city middle school classroom, suggesting a method of active learning to engage these students, whose lives beyond the classroom are an altogether invaluable source of education in action.