Last week, my school was on strike, so I decided to go to Community High School for the day. The school was really cool in many ways, but I suppose more than anything, I felt shocked and a little bit defensive of my school. The shock and defensiveness didn't stem from the fact that there weren't any school bells or the teachers were called by their first names, but from the fact that the students knew so much. They seemed to enjoy learning, and in fact, when class was over, many stayed to continue discussing the subject at hand. It seemed that their prior knowledge gave them a huge advantage over many of the students with whom I work. It just didn't seem fair and made me want to defend my students and say that if they had this kind of learning opportunity maybe more of them would be coming in at lunch to discuss biology. Moreover, the amount of technology and supplies that they had was overwhelming.
But for me, the thing that somehow epitomized it all was the color paper. One may ask, so what's the deal with color paper? Well, my school doesn't have it or at least I haven't seen it yet. In fact, it was even an ordeal at the beginning of the year to find paper for the bulletin boards. Anyway, Community had it and used it arbitrarily for almost every worksheet that I saw. Each bright sheet of paper seemed to flaunt the unfairness in my face. The bright pink paper wasn't just paper, but it represented the laptops, the well-paid teachers, and the exuberant faces of kids learning. My school is a bit more faded and so the paper is bland and white. And the schools in Detroit don't even have paper.
Why is it that only 30 minutes away, we have to be careful about the amount of copies that we make? And that only 45 minutes away, there is no paper at all?
I know that money isn't everything, but it seems that where one grows up shouldn't effect the kind of paper and everything that goes along with it that you get.
Lastly though, I must say that I am very happy to be placed at the school where I am now, and I could not think of a better fit for me...
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5 comments:
I think you articulated everything that I wanted to so much clearer. I am also grateful for our placement and also grateful that you and I shared the same feelings. Hang in there Autumn, I'm sure this visual we had will help us be more driven to make a difference at Wayne.
Hey Autumn,
I was so glad to see that you posted on my blog! I did have a good experience at the school because the teacher was very effective and prepared for teaching the lessons. Moreover, I think being at a smaller school was much more personal for me then at the humungous school I've been placed at :) So I would definitely recommend having at least one middle school experience before leaving our program.
As for your reactions at Community versus your placement, it just shows me that you are a very sympathetic person who believes all students deserve a good education! It truly is sad to know that all areas cannot provide for children the way they deserve. I admire your humbling experience.
As a side note, Hooray for Fall! Definitely keep on enjoying the weather until it becomes freezing cold :)
I hear you! I don't want to generalize about the types of "resources" Community kids get at home versus the types of "resources" your kids may get, but just wealth of the communities (and education do I dare say...that leads to job opportunities that leads to wealth and choice of neighborhood) is also a factor.
So my question for you...how will these feelings affect your choices next year? Where will you seek to teach? Oh and by the way, I love colored paper. Every once in a while I would buy it for my students (tax deduction) because it was just cheerier and inspiring. It doesn't sound silly, just responsive! I wonder if there's any research...do students do better on assignments printed on colored paper versus boring, drab paper...hmmmm
I definitely don't have colored paper either, but like you, I'm trying to have a positive attitude about my placement.
I never would have sought a job in a school like Wayne or Willow Run, so this year is an incredible learning experience for me (even though it's a challenge every day).We're going to be better teachers because of the resourcefulness and toughness we develop this year...and because of our awareness of inequalities in the education systems. Every day I spend at Willow Run reminds me how much my years of grade school were so protected, even 'charmed'.
talk to you soon!
Katie
Autumn, just look at the great comments that your post inspired. I think that there's truth in the observations made by a couple of your colleagues that being in a less resource-rich environment can accelerate your professional development and make you more, well, resourceful.
Of course you point towards an even more important "big picture" issue. School financing is one of the most socially and politically charged issues that there is. Fifteen years ago, the state completely revised our mechanism for financing schools, taking property values out of the equation, which many thought resulted in equity throughout the state.
That wasn't the case.
We established a system that drew on sales taxes, and that narrowed the gap between the wealthiest and the poorest districts, but we "held harmless" those districts whose property tax base left them with higher "per-pupil" allotments. To put it in English, we revised the system but kept the core inequities intact. It seemed that this was the best that could be done politically, and if you ask legislators in states (like VT) that tried true equalization, they have the wounds to testify about how difficult a sale that is.
This is an issue well worthy of your thought and attention, folks...
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