Due to a few comments I have heard concerning my blog posts, I would like to offer a brief clarification. I DO support charter school movement. I believe that it is an extremely beneficial and purposeful attempt at solving our education crisis. My only issue with charter schools is that they do not benefit all children, only those who have parents willing to step in and take ownership for their child's education. In my opinion, it is unfair to leave out kids whose parents perhaps either don't know how to navigate the system, work too much, or just simply do not care. I know that charter schools do not purposely do this, but the fact of the matter is, that's the reality. As a result, it is my goal to help address the needs of those who aren't lucky enough to make it through the charter school selection lottery or who have parents who otherwise do not value charter schools or simply do not get it.
More power to charter schools that are creating a solution. However, I believe it's my job to ensure that those who aren't fortunate enough to gain access to charter school education aren't left behind.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Developing the Community
Over the past few weeks I have spoken with several people in their 50s and 60s who either started out teaching or have been teaching since their 20s. The common thread within each of these conversations is that the teaching profession has not changed all that much since they started. Yes, the standards have become more complex and testing has become more regulated, but attitudes of children, primarily in poorer pockets of the country have been essentially the same: education simply isn't purposeful. Now of course this is all talk and no data, but once again I offer this, teachers have a vantage point that others do not, whether it is written down or not. I would rather listen to those on the front lines to get the facts as they are the ones in the middle of the situation all day every day.
Children from poorer communities, regardless of skin color, tend to not understand the importance of education, not because they are stupid, but because they do not get to view education in action on a daily basis from people who they look up to and are surrounded with. Yes, they see teachers and administrators and perhaps a few folks who volunteer at their school (if they are lucky) who clearly are educated, but these are people telling them what to do all day every day. Teachers are the "enemy" for various reasons and as a result, kids are seemingly less likely to listen to the "you can do anything you want in life" and "you have every opportunity that anyone else does" rhetoric that teachers (at least the "good" ones) feed them all day every day.
When I first started teaching I thought this was ridiculous. I mean who would choose to live in government housing or a broken down trailer when they could gain an education, get a good job, and make life easier? After six years in this business and six years of reflecting, it all makes sense to me now. The question I posed to my students this past school year as I was incensed by their collective apathy one day was this: "So what is the answer? What is your plan when you don't do the work and can't pass the class and fail? What if you don't graduate because you spent so much time goofing off and didn't learn anything?" The answer from one of my 7th graders was: "Sell drugs," and he was serious. If it were my first year of teaching I would have hit the ceiling. Unfortunately, that comment made perfect sense to me. Why would you want to sit through school for years and years and then graduate and sit through school for another two to four years and then another however many if you want an advanced degree when you can sell nugs, blow, and phat rocks (marijuana, cocaine, and crack cocaine).......with cash in hand in an instant? Isn't it easier to accept government assistance and live in a house for free or a reduced cost with your client base close at hand and plenty of money for cool clothes and a nice ride?
There is a saying, "It takes a village to raise a child," and currently the immediate village is not providing the model of success that is necessary to eradicate the cycle of poverty that is seemingly never ending. As a result, I believe we need to "train up" the village in an effort to shift the mindset from "education doesn't matter" to "where am I going to college?" In order to do that, schools must involve the community that surrounds the low-income neighborhoods. Local businesses, farmers, and other professionals and community members must unite to help rebuild the neighborhoods that surround the failing schools in an effort to provide models of success and give children the tools necessary to solve the problems of drugs, violence, and dilapidation. Once the younger generations are developed, then the mindset will change and education and success will be the focus versus those things that bring the community down.
It is my goal to unite those in the community to go in to schools to not only volunteer here and there, but to actually assist teachers in showing kids that education equals power and freedom and attachment to the government (unless it's absolutely necessary for survival) and participating in illegal activities will never coincide with freedom. Children need to see why they are learning what they are learning and understand that it's purposeful and can be used for the rest of their lives. I hope that others in our communities will see this too and help guide the children in our country towards success. If we all work together toward this common goal, then I believe we can truly make change. No test or closing down of schools or getting rid of entire teaching staffs is going to solve the problem. It's going to take a village.
Children from poorer communities, regardless of skin color, tend to not understand the importance of education, not because they are stupid, but because they do not get to view education in action on a daily basis from people who they look up to and are surrounded with. Yes, they see teachers and administrators and perhaps a few folks who volunteer at their school (if they are lucky) who clearly are educated, but these are people telling them what to do all day every day. Teachers are the "enemy" for various reasons and as a result, kids are seemingly less likely to listen to the "you can do anything you want in life" and "you have every opportunity that anyone else does" rhetoric that teachers (at least the "good" ones) feed them all day every day.
When I first started teaching I thought this was ridiculous. I mean who would choose to live in government housing or a broken down trailer when they could gain an education, get a good job, and make life easier? After six years in this business and six years of reflecting, it all makes sense to me now. The question I posed to my students this past school year as I was incensed by their collective apathy one day was this: "So what is the answer? What is your plan when you don't do the work and can't pass the class and fail? What if you don't graduate because you spent so much time goofing off and didn't learn anything?" The answer from one of my 7th graders was: "Sell drugs," and he was serious. If it were my first year of teaching I would have hit the ceiling. Unfortunately, that comment made perfect sense to me. Why would you want to sit through school for years and years and then graduate and sit through school for another two to four years and then another however many if you want an advanced degree when you can sell nugs, blow, and phat rocks (marijuana, cocaine, and crack cocaine).......with cash in hand in an instant? Isn't it easier to accept government assistance and live in a house for free or a reduced cost with your client base close at hand and plenty of money for cool clothes and a nice ride?
There is a saying, "It takes a village to raise a child," and currently the immediate village is not providing the model of success that is necessary to eradicate the cycle of poverty that is seemingly never ending. As a result, I believe we need to "train up" the village in an effort to shift the mindset from "education doesn't matter" to "where am I going to college?" In order to do that, schools must involve the community that surrounds the low-income neighborhoods. Local businesses, farmers, and other professionals and community members must unite to help rebuild the neighborhoods that surround the failing schools in an effort to provide models of success and give children the tools necessary to solve the problems of drugs, violence, and dilapidation. Once the younger generations are developed, then the mindset will change and education and success will be the focus versus those things that bring the community down.
It is my goal to unite those in the community to go in to schools to not only volunteer here and there, but to actually assist teachers in showing kids that education equals power and freedom and attachment to the government (unless it's absolutely necessary for survival) and participating in illegal activities will never coincide with freedom. Children need to see why they are learning what they are learning and understand that it's purposeful and can be used for the rest of their lives. I hope that others in our communities will see this too and help guide the children in our country towards success. If we all work together toward this common goal, then I believe we can truly make change. No test or closing down of schools or getting rid of entire teaching staffs is going to solve the problem. It's going to take a village.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
"Waiting" for Whom??
So I watched Waiting for Superman. I am vastly familiar with Michelle Rhee, Geoffrey Canada, Wendy Kopp (who does not appear in the documentary), the KIPP guys, etc., etc. As I watched this film and have, over the past several years, listened to the messages that the film and these individuals are repeating over and over and over again is one idea: we need better teachers. Hmmmmm......really?
Now, let me say that yes, great teachers are key in any educational institution. You cannot have a school filled with 30-year tenured veterans who hate their jobs and are just showing up to collect a check and health insurance until they can hopefully retire in a couple years. You cannot have a school filled with people fresh out of college who aren't willing to stay in one place longer than two days before they run for the hills. You need dedicated people in this field. People who are unwavering and unshakable and who are willing to fight this education battle each and every day. However, all of these "superhero" folks in the education debate are solving the whole public education catastrophe about as quickly as NCLB has. Yes, there are some terrific ideas such as the charter school movement that has helped so many young people in under served communities gain better opportunities and a focus toward attending college and become career oriented. The idea of the charter school is pure in it's intent: let's take kids and parents who "care" and put them in an environment with a rigorous curriculum, make parents come to conferences, and give kids the tools to attend college while hiring teachers who won't be tied to unions and tenure. Most charter models make the school day longer and teachers are required to be there from 7am-5pm and most come earlier and leave much later and are required to give out personal phone numbers and emails in order to be "on call" to their students at virtually any time of day or night. But what about everyone else? What about the majority of the other students in the inner-city who get left out because they didn't win the charter school enrollment lottery?
To another issue, when Michelle Rhee came on the scene, she took to firing "bad" teachers and shutting down "bad" schools. She created the DC Impact evaluation system that put tons of pressure on teachers to perform at a much higher level and hold schools more accountable for poor performance. Even though, since Rhee was ousted from her role as DC Schools Director, DC Impact has been facing scrutiny for unfair mechanisms within its evaluation formula, other school systems, such as Memphis City Schools have picked it up to help inform their teacher evaluation process.
My point is that while charter schools, harder hitting evaluation systems, and threats of shut downs for failing schools make sense on paper, none are completely solving the problem. The problem lies within the community that surrounds the schools. Waiting for Superman implies that schools are failing the neighborhoods that surround the schools. I argue that not many other people outside of teachers and schools are being looked to as saviors of these poor and failing communities. The pressure is all on teachers and other school officials to save these kids. People look at teachers as almost other-than-human. Can we really pay teachers $35,000 a year, give them insufficient resources, insufficient training and professional development, and then turn around and ask them to save the world? Most teachers I know are doing the best they can with what they have with both the resources they have and people they teach.
In order to attempt to round out this post, I offer this: we have to change our way of thinking and reform the entire public education system, the one that exists now. Unless charter schools are going to be looked to as the new way of doing things and eventually all current public schools, primarily those in the inner-city, are going to be transformed into charter schools (which I am not certain is the right way to go about solving the problem), then something has got to give. We must start with the root of the problem: the communities that surround these failing schools. Schools need to open their doors to parents and other community members by not just offering job skills classes, medical assistance, housing advice, etc., but to show parents and other stakeholders that what is going on in the schools in their communities is important. What better way to help these young folks who attend our schools feel a sense of importance in our world, where they otherwise often do not, than have people who live around them be supportive of the work they are doing behind the school walls? Better yet, let's take our kids into the communities to focus on helping solve the problems that exist within them. Let's grow food in the school yards and have community dinners. If "public education" has such a negative connotation, then let's change that notion. No better way to do that than do whatever it takes to help people become more informed of the importance of education and that it does in fact almost always lead to a better life situation than welfare and poverty. Education, more specifically public education and public school teachers and administrators should not be seen as the problem with our country. The public education system needs to be viewed as a purposeful and beneficial right for all people of the United States: a way to gain knowledge, personal freedom, a viable career, and create so many other opportunities. I am working to develop a plan of action to do just this. I want to blow the roof off of the current system and transform our public schools into a thriving community of not just teachers and students, but also include the people within the neighborhoods that surround our schools. I believe that when we can bring all members of a community to the table and show them that when they are promoting education, not belittling it, then students will begin to thrive and failure rates will go down and graduation rates will go up. It will take some heavy ground work to get people interested, but that should not be an excuse. Reaching out to community members, speaking positively about public education, showing off the hard work students are doing, and working with students to help solve social problems will, in my opinion, be the key for not only public education survival, but also for advancement of the communities that surround schools and it will take a lot more than teachers at the schools to create this change.
I will end today with this last thought: Let's take the blame off of public school teachers and start looking to the root of the problem. It's not simply the teachers' fault that communities are failing. It's not simply the fault of the communities that school's are failing. It's everyone's problem and we are spending too much time pointing fingers and not enough time taking action. If you are waiting for a superhero, then good luck.
Now, let me say that yes, great teachers are key in any educational institution. You cannot have a school filled with 30-year tenured veterans who hate their jobs and are just showing up to collect a check and health insurance until they can hopefully retire in a couple years. You cannot have a school filled with people fresh out of college who aren't willing to stay in one place longer than two days before they run for the hills. You need dedicated people in this field. People who are unwavering and unshakable and who are willing to fight this education battle each and every day. However, all of these "superhero" folks in the education debate are solving the whole public education catastrophe about as quickly as NCLB has. Yes, there are some terrific ideas such as the charter school movement that has helped so many young people in under served communities gain better opportunities and a focus toward attending college and become career oriented. The idea of the charter school is pure in it's intent: let's take kids and parents who "care" and put them in an environment with a rigorous curriculum, make parents come to conferences, and give kids the tools to attend college while hiring teachers who won't be tied to unions and tenure. Most charter models make the school day longer and teachers are required to be there from 7am-5pm and most come earlier and leave much later and are required to give out personal phone numbers and emails in order to be "on call" to their students at virtually any time of day or night. But what about everyone else? What about the majority of the other students in the inner-city who get left out because they didn't win the charter school enrollment lottery?
To another issue, when Michelle Rhee came on the scene, she took to firing "bad" teachers and shutting down "bad" schools. She created the DC Impact evaluation system that put tons of pressure on teachers to perform at a much higher level and hold schools more accountable for poor performance. Even though, since Rhee was ousted from her role as DC Schools Director, DC Impact has been facing scrutiny for unfair mechanisms within its evaluation formula, other school systems, such as Memphis City Schools have picked it up to help inform their teacher evaluation process.
My point is that while charter schools, harder hitting evaluation systems, and threats of shut downs for failing schools make sense on paper, none are completely solving the problem. The problem lies within the community that surrounds the schools. Waiting for Superman implies that schools are failing the neighborhoods that surround the schools. I argue that not many other people outside of teachers and schools are being looked to as saviors of these poor and failing communities. The pressure is all on teachers and other school officials to save these kids. People look at teachers as almost other-than-human. Can we really pay teachers $35,000 a year, give them insufficient resources, insufficient training and professional development, and then turn around and ask them to save the world? Most teachers I know are doing the best they can with what they have with both the resources they have and people they teach.
In order to attempt to round out this post, I offer this: we have to change our way of thinking and reform the entire public education system, the one that exists now. Unless charter schools are going to be looked to as the new way of doing things and eventually all current public schools, primarily those in the inner-city, are going to be transformed into charter schools (which I am not certain is the right way to go about solving the problem), then something has got to give. We must start with the root of the problem: the communities that surround these failing schools. Schools need to open their doors to parents and other community members by not just offering job skills classes, medical assistance, housing advice, etc., but to show parents and other stakeholders that what is going on in the schools in their communities is important. What better way to help these young folks who attend our schools feel a sense of importance in our world, where they otherwise often do not, than have people who live around them be supportive of the work they are doing behind the school walls? Better yet, let's take our kids into the communities to focus on helping solve the problems that exist within them. Let's grow food in the school yards and have community dinners. If "public education" has such a negative connotation, then let's change that notion. No better way to do that than do whatever it takes to help people become more informed of the importance of education and that it does in fact almost always lead to a better life situation than welfare and poverty. Education, more specifically public education and public school teachers and administrators should not be seen as the problem with our country. The public education system needs to be viewed as a purposeful and beneficial right for all people of the United States: a way to gain knowledge, personal freedom, a viable career, and create so many other opportunities. I am working to develop a plan of action to do just this. I want to blow the roof off of the current system and transform our public schools into a thriving community of not just teachers and students, but also include the people within the neighborhoods that surround our schools. I believe that when we can bring all members of a community to the table and show them that when they are promoting education, not belittling it, then students will begin to thrive and failure rates will go down and graduation rates will go up. It will take some heavy ground work to get people interested, but that should not be an excuse. Reaching out to community members, speaking positively about public education, showing off the hard work students are doing, and working with students to help solve social problems will, in my opinion, be the key for not only public education survival, but also for advancement of the communities that surround schools and it will take a lot more than teachers at the schools to create this change.
I will end today with this last thought: Let's take the blame off of public school teachers and start looking to the root of the problem. It's not simply the teachers' fault that communities are failing. It's not simply the fault of the communities that school's are failing. It's everyone's problem and we are spending too much time pointing fingers and not enough time taking action. If you are waiting for a superhero, then good luck.
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