I have a meeting in half an hour with my teachers and I haven't finished preparing for it yet. I'm sitting in a bagel shop in northeast DC trying to cram in work in between school meetings, but I just spent 20 minutes teaching a little girl whose parents work at the shop to count to 4. I think Teach For America will count this as time well worked. =)
This is for all the students, teachers, administrators, support staff and families who keep keep on moving. This is for everyone who pauses to mourn and reflect, but refuses to stop the learning and teaching after a fight, a shooting, a stabbing, a threat.
Because as scary as it is and as much as you'd rather call out from work tomorrow, it's that whole education thing that's ultimately going to knock out the gangs and violence. In the long run, good, quality teaching is going to be what gives our kids in Anacostia and communities all around the country, a fighting chance to make their schools and communities a safe place to be. Thanks for all you do.
That said, any suggestions on how to address the issue with high school students who have become highly desensitized over time around violence? My amazing group of special educators would love to hear how others have made these awful times a moment of learning and teaching.
The everlasting question: Public or private?
As The Washington Post inevitably reports about the Obamas' personal transition to my hometown, the focus has been on the children's schools. Today's article finally called out the elephant in the room: "Like many parents moving their children to Washington, Barack and Michelle Obama will be told to avoid D.C. public schools. Is that good advice?"
Jay Mathews suggests not ruling out public schools and points out that not all of our public schools are so notoriously poor performing. In fact, Thomson Elementary has a rising program and supportive staff and is right around the corner from the White House. (Why Thomson Elementary, I wonder? In speaking to my colleagues here who have a focus on elementary schools in the district, there are a number of higher performing public schools in the region.)
But, as all articles on the president-elect's personal transition to DC will conclude, the decision is their private and personal choice, and the public has absolutely no right to judge on whether their daughters will attend an elite private school or local public school where 69% of the student body comes from low-income families. True story.
The real question that this article begs is: If you had the means and the access, would you send your children to a public or private school?
As an educator and as a staunch advocate for closing the dire achievement gap in our nation's public schools, it's been a question I've toyed with over the years. I don't believe in using children as a pawn in making social statements and my opinions on this issues have reflected that (and any hypocrisy I've dealt with) over the years. Even in the 20 minutes I've spent writing this, I've flip-flopped my mind over what I'd do if I had children. Right this second, I'm still unsure, but what I do believe in is the bottom line that we need to focus our energy on closing the achievement gap not by changing the backgrounds of the families we serve, but by fixing what we're doing in education as adults. All kids and their families must achieve on an absolute scale, whether they're from low-income communities or not. Bring it.
But as I work closer with administrators, teachers and students in our lowest performing districts in the country including Washington DC, I am more and more encouraged by what I see and, honestly, by everything we do from the time we wake up at the crack of dawn everyday until we snap the laptop closed before midnight. There is a lot wrong in DC schools and a lot of people doing things not in the best interest of children. But there are so many amazing people working toward great things for kids. I am years away from having children, let alone children who are school age. With enough hard work and change, hopefully my professional goals will allow my personal priorities to be aligned.
It's a pretty magical time in DC's public schools. I couldn't talk to a student about their slope calculations in geometry class until they excitedly asked me who I voted for. I maintain my non-partisanship as a professional and Americorps affiliate, but after enough nagging by a 15-year-old bursting with joy and pinned with Obama buttons, I just had to lean over and whisper, "I Baracked the vote."
Later on that day, I bumped into one of my teachers in the hallway at the high school who explained how almost all of her students from her MR (mental retardation) cluster last year showed up for school yesterday-- because they were voting. Last year, she had taken her students, all of whom qualify to attend public school until they're 21, to be registered. And now, as one of the very least represented groups in the country, they cast their own ballots.
It's a pretty magical time in DC, but best of all, it's a pretty remarkable time in history. Now onward to the real work to be done.
© 2012 Editorial Projects in Education
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