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.
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