My heart is breaking over comments made by well-intended
folks that if teachers just believed in their students, they can bring them out
of poverty and into the arms of an ivy-league school. If I could, I would save
every kindergartner that walks through my door of every injustice and societal
failures they have and will continue to experience. In a recent article written
in The Atlantic, “What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success” Anu Partanen points out the success in
Finland’s school comes down to equity, “'There are no private schools in
Finland.’ This notion may seem difficult for an American to digest, but it's
true. Only a small number of independent schools exist in Finland, and even
they are all publicly financed. None is allowed to charge tuition fees. There
are no private universities, either. This means that practically every person
in Finland attends public school, whether for pre-K or a Ph.D.” Everyone is
provided an education that all in the community has a stake in, and in turn all
want to see succeed. “Finland's experience shows that it is possible to achieve
excellence by focusing not on competition, but on cooperation, and not on
choice, but on equity. The problem facing education in America isn't the ethnic
diversity of the population but the economic inequality of society, and this is
precisely the problem that Finnish education reform addressed. More equity at
home might just be what America needs to be more competitive abroad.”
Let me come back to this idea that if a teacher just
believes that his or her students can learn that will make all the difference.
I grew up in North Portland. I attended public schools that were rich in
diversity: language diversity; ethnic diversity; income level diversity; and
diverse life experiences. I had the same teachers, as others in my
neighborhood, with passion and rigor in their teaching. I went on to graduate
from college (double majoring in English Literature and Spanish with a minor in
Latin American Studies) and onto graduate school in Early Childhood Education
with a focus on Bilingual Education and English Language Learners. Some of
those I went to middle school with went onto college, some did not, some
ended up in jail, some filling the statistics of teenage pregnancy, or others
wandering the neighborhood to this day (15-20 years later) dealing and/or doing
drugs. I know that our teachers cared. I know that our teachers believed in
every student that walked through the door. I know this because I was in those
classrooms. Why did my life take a different path than some of my classmates?
Yes, my being a white middle class girl had something to do with my privilege
in life. But so did the excess of books that filled my home, the dance, music,
and theatre lessons I did after school many days a week. I had the opportunity
to swim on a swim team for many years. My parents graduated from college. I had
the stability of living in the same house throughout my whole childhood, I
still show up today and know there is food in the fridge I can eat. My parents
supported my decision to study abroad when I was 16 years old and I flew to
Argentina for a year on their dime. My father had a living wage job as a union
carpenter to help pay for that year abroad. All of those factors helped support
me to become the well-rounded individual I am today.
Now I am that teacher, like teachers I had before me. I can
believe all I want that all my students can learn, which I do. I can believe
that they all can achieve greatness in life, which I do. I can believe that global warming isn’t happening, yet that doesn’t mean
it will stop the glaciers from melting at a more rapid rate. I can believe that
my friend will overcome cancer, yet see her die. I can believe that the earth
is flat, yet have it proved a sphere.
Belief only carries us so far. I
can tell you what I know from teaching in a high poverty school. I know that I
can be the best teacher I humanly can be when students fill my classroom.
I know I cannot control my students moving away because mom moves in with a
boyfriend, dad goes to jail, homelessness, mom’s sick in another state,
eviction, and many other causes of mobility that many of my students face. I know
the importance of a relationship that allows me to connect and encourage my
students and their families. I know that some parents will walk in the rain to
make a parent meeting, while others will never show up at all. I know that I
may or may not be able to get a hold of a parent by phone because so often
phone numbers are either disconnected or wrong. I know that I
will get new students throughout the year who may or may not come with any school ready skills. I
know that books are probably not as cherished in my students’ households as
cable television and video games. I know I can make an impact in my students’
education and life, but I also know I only get that student in my classroom for
7 hours a day for less than a year. I cannot control or save them from their
everyday lives.
I can and I have helped by translating for a family moving
into new apartment. I have driven Thanksgiving baskets to students’ homes and
presents for Christmas. I have bought and given many books to my students. I
have taken students on special outings to the Nutcracker and the zoo. I have
driven families to the vaccination clinic so that their child would not be
excluded from school. I have bought clothes, soap, backpacks, and much more for
students. I have laughed and cried with my students. I have 29 students this
year, the most I have had in my 5 years of teaching kindergarten. I teach in
two languages Spanish and English. I want each one of my students to leave
kindergarten loving learning, school, and leaving with rich classroom
experiences. I dream big dreams for each one of my students. I watch them make
huge growth socially and academically throughout the year. I wonder what happens to
my students who leave the school after that year or the next few years. Or the
ones who make it through and than go on to the awkward and challenging years of
middle and high school. I may never know, but I try my best to positively
influence their lives and their education. Life doesn’t always give us an
answer. Life is not a standardized test, my choices are not always A, B, C, or
D. There is a whole alphabet, many outcomes. I can believe all I want, but I
don’t get to choose the outcomes for my students. I may cultivate their hunger
for learning and pray that hunger never dies.
Fantastic post Ms. Emily! More people need to hear these stories. Too bad Learnworks and the OEIB board didn't ask from the get go. Now we are in a uphill struggle for the survival of a democratic, equitable, and well-rounded education for all. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteDo send this to the OEIB, and to the Oregonian and to any place that might listen. This is a great post. Honest and frank. I wonder what your students would say?
ReplyDeleteDavid
Go Em!!! This is awesome! You are awesome! You speak the truth! I BELIEVE! ;)
ReplyDeleteEmily, your students are sure lucky to have you as their advocate, cheerleader, supporter, and educator. Your message is powerful and spot on, and I too am a believer. Keep up the great work!!!
ReplyDeleteDeb Kola
Emily, you are so inspiring! I hope there is a way that you can share this- people need to hear it! Way to go, girl!
ReplyDelete