Charity

I began to think about the economic state and how much this "recession" is trickling down to the school system. Budget cuts everywhere you look and only a few short months ago a mayor having to threaten the jobs of 13000+ teachers in order to make things "work" in his city. How are we going to fix this? I understand that as society is today there are more than basic essentials needed to live like shelter, food and clothing. We have to worry about power, gas, stocks, bonds, bailouts and bankruptcies. 

Not too long ago I saw a street fair/charity event taking place for a private music school on the lower east side of New York City. The school needed money because of lack of donations from alumni students and parents of students. The economic status has gotten to a point where once affluent people can't afford to share their wealth with those less fortunate. But when the affluent need more money to "take care" and maintain the lifestyles of private schooling for their children.....it makes one think.

What is really going on in the public school system that has not been shown to the public? How bad is the economic state of public schooling behind closed doors? 

Do we need something radical?

In class, we are currently reading "Radical Possibilities" by Jean Anyon which I highly recommend all of you to read if you get a chance. 

Throghout the book, the author poses questions to the readers about education and federal policies and possibiies of reform. So far in what I have read in this book a few questions and statements have caught my eye. Let me share a few of them with you....

Can education be used as a remedy for poverty and low wage work?

Or must we change federal policies in order to solve the probelm?

Its interesting, prior to this I have always made the statement/assumption that education was the key to getting out of poverty and improving ones own life. Have I been mistaken in these thoughts?

The author continues to explain that yes, education is a factor in determining ones future income however it is not as key as a role as we all might think. Gender plays a larger role than education. The author provides an example quite surprising.....Women who have a post bac degree still earn less than men who only have a bachelors degree!!

I didn't think we were still in a place such as this! For what reason does there still need to be gender discrimination. There is enough discrimination based on socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, religious choices, cultural backgrounds and education....when is it all going to stop?

When is enough going to be enough? Are humans meant to exhaust every possible discrimination until there is nothing left? Isn't part of discrimination based on identifying differences and somehow managing to find way to prey on the weak. So if discrimination was to end does that mean everyone would have to be exactly the same in order to stop the problem?

I'm honestly a bit frustrated at this time and don't know how I feel about all of this right now. 

Have a little faith...and Ivan Stevens

I just finished watching segments from a documentary Diane Sawyer did on the children of Camden, NJ. I am not sure how to explain how I feel right now. I have so much to say in response to the things I watched and yet, simultaneously, I am speechless. I have lived in NJ most of my life and in all my time here I have known of Camden and driven through Camden and I also had no idea.......I had no idea that statistically it is the most dangerous city in the United States. Nor did I know that one third of teenagers were arrested last year in Camden. Thirty drug busts in 3 hours in one town. And only a few short ten miles away is the suburb of Cherry Hill, the second most affluent zip code in the state of New Jersey. As much as I try to wrap my head around those few details...I struggle and I pray

To be continued.....

The beginning??

In all those movies and television shows the teachers got through to the students, helped improve their lives and the movie ends with the feeling with hope.......maybe. Everything I ever watched as a child and adolescent always left me wanting for the “ultimate" learning experience or perfect group of friends because everything ended with happy moments and no one was ever let down. Who didn't want that? How interesting it is when we sit to analyze our thoughts on things as trivial as movies and end up discovering our unconscious misconceptions. I always thought things would end "happy", everyone’s problems were solved and students did go on to graduate from high school. The teacher was always successful. Everyone is supposed to persevere, right? The more I learn and educate myself, the more the stark reality sinks in that not everyone graduates and unfortunate things do happen. 

With that being said, how do we change things? Where do we begin?

Is the system really set up to make our students fail.....

Well, I just left the most interesting class discussion. Pink Floyd, Dead Prez, Urban Schools. I honestly never thought of the education system was set up to fail. Why would anyone want a child to fail? Aren't we supposed to help them succeed? Isnt that what we are all taught since day one as brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, mothers, fathers....teachers?? Perhaps I have looked through the rose colored glasses for too long, but is that a bad thing? I am honestly not sure and hope to figure out some answers to all of these questions. I will say that I always thought that if any person made the choice to succeed at something, they would. And maybe in my own way movies such as Dangerous Minds and Lean on Me, Stand and Deliver have left me thinking that it will always work out. If the teacher cares enough and tries every avenue possible, the students will have that "moment" where the desire has been ignited, the light has been turned on, they will get "it" and never want to look back. Yet as I sit and reflect on these oh so romantic thoughts of education I suddenly realize that they are just that, romantic. And lets all admit there is nothing wrong with a little romance but I think maybe its time to take off my glasses and look at the education system before us. I can admit that I have not done this before.  Maybe out of fear of loosing my desire, my hope, my persistence to reach even just one mind?? But isn't that what its all about? If you can reach just one, isn't it worth it.....