Unkotare
Diamond Member
- Aug 16, 2011
- 131,345
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Lots of people post on the education forum seemingly eager to criticize urban schools and the students who study in them. The comparisons with schools and students in wealthy suburbs are obvious and frequent.
However, if one considers the conditions under which each type of student is striving, it puts a lot of things in perspective.
I work with some kids who attend public schools with great, new facilities and who (most importantly) have tremendously supportive families at home. Their lives are structured, they eat nutritious foods at regular times, participate in sports and get regular additional exercise, and have the benefit of parents who can provide them with rather pricey private tutors; parents who literally structure their own lives around the education of their kids.
Then I get up and go work in a (very) urban school district where some very bright students have the deck stacked heavily against them. Some students work full-time overnight shift jobs because they have to make their own rent and/or that of other family members. Some students live with family or other guardians who pressure them to miss school (if not drop out entirely) in order to work instead. I see very intelligent young people struggling with a 'support' system at home that actively works against their education. These kids still show up as often as they can and work as hard as they can against all odds. At least a few days a week I end up without lunch because a student hasn't eaten in a few days and can't concentrate. Then consider that these young people have to go to and from school through some of the most dangerous streets and neighborhoods in the country. The effort some kids put into getting an education despite it all is downright inspiring.
So, the next time you shake your head at some statistics or put up the windows quickly while sweat rolls down your back because you turned into the 'wrong' street, take a minute to consider...
However, if one considers the conditions under which each type of student is striving, it puts a lot of things in perspective.
I work with some kids who attend public schools with great, new facilities and who (most importantly) have tremendously supportive families at home. Their lives are structured, they eat nutritious foods at regular times, participate in sports and get regular additional exercise, and have the benefit of parents who can provide them with rather pricey private tutors; parents who literally structure their own lives around the education of their kids.
Then I get up and go work in a (very) urban school district where some very bright students have the deck stacked heavily against them. Some students work full-time overnight shift jobs because they have to make their own rent and/or that of other family members. Some students live with family or other guardians who pressure them to miss school (if not drop out entirely) in order to work instead. I see very intelligent young people struggling with a 'support' system at home that actively works against their education. These kids still show up as often as they can and work as hard as they can against all odds. At least a few days a week I end up without lunch because a student hasn't eaten in a few days and can't concentrate. Then consider that these young people have to go to and from school through some of the most dangerous streets and neighborhoods in the country. The effort some kids put into getting an education despite it all is downright inspiring.
So, the next time you shake your head at some statistics or put up the windows quickly while sweat rolls down your back because you turned into the 'wrong' street, take a minute to consider...