Reflection on Education

Every year on President’s Day, the kids in my district are out of school and the teachers are engaged in various types of staff development. As an English teacher, I would be involved in working on and/or presenting curriculum updates, listening to speakers talk about new & improved reading or writing strategies, and the like. As an administrator, it’s typically been a quiet day to catch up on work on campus. This year, my district took a different approach to the day, and while some departments still went the traditional route, many teachers and administrators were invited to view two films - documentaries on education - and then engage in thoughtful dialogue in interdisciplinary groups.

Did you know that Cinemark has the popcorn machines going strong at 8:00 in the morning?  They do, although that really has nothing to do with this post.  During the morning session we watched Waiting for Superman, and in the afternoon it was Race to Nowhere. The documentaries addressed different problems that have taken root in the education of American children, and both struck a nerve. Now I’m using this forum to process and reflect.

Waiting for Superman is based on the premise that, in many American cities, children have no choice but to attend failing schools (and Superman isn't coming any minute to save them, like he does in the movies). Many of these schools are in poverty-laden neighborhoods, but the film offers this challenge as food for thought: maybe our schools aren’t failing because of the bad neighborhoods, maybe our neighborhoods aren’t getting better because of the failing schools. When schools in America don’t meet specific set standards (read: standardized assessment scores), they lose funding and resources. They are stuck in a vicious cycle. Even those kids who graduate from these schools may not be proficient in math and reading. And of those who are proficient enough to be accepted into a college or university, many will require remediation at said college or university before they can start their actual coursework. These are kids with potential, without the opportunity.

In WfS, the film crew followed a handful of students who have aspirations of doing great things with their life. While they don’t all come from homes with traditional family units, there is at least one person in each of their homes who cares about and supports their education. That, in a sense, makes them the lucky ones. They have parents (or grandparents, as the case may be) who care enough about their education that they ride the subway all over the city looking for better schools. They work multiple jobs and make sacrifices. These parents care. They apply for charter and magnet schools, and then sit in a room full of hopeful students and parents, praying that their numbers are called in the lottery system that either accepts or declines applicants based on number of openings available. That term, applicants, is in reference to children without a voice but with a dream … first graders, fourth graders, ninth graders ... you name the grade, they are there waiting for the opportunity to go to a school where they will learn and grow.

One boy even puts himself in a lottery to attend a boarding school. I think he’s around ten-years-old, and although he’s not sure about living away from home, he knows it would be best for his education. In the film he says, “I want to get a good education so my children will have better than what I have.” We hear adults say things like this frequently, but a ten-year-old? Did you and I even know that there was different (let alone better) when we were that age? It’s heartbreaking to me that, at such a tender age, this boy is carrying the burden of affecting future generations. And it all hangs in the balance as he waits to hear whether his number is called in the lottery.

I can’t imagine having to fight the way some of these parents fight to ensure that their children receive a quality education. They are bound by where they live, and perhaps even by their own level of education. These parents are relentless in their searches, in their endeavors to see that their children are not left behind. Think of all the kids who don’t have parents – or teachers – fighting for them.

Race to Nowhere followed students, mostly high school juniors and seniors, and college freshmen, who represent a different crowd entirely. These are kids who are fighting for the coveted spots at four-year universities. The pressure they feel is overwhelming, and they told us about it in their very own words. They “have to be” in AP classes, complete service hours, serve in clubs and organizations, excel athletically or musically (or both). Our ideas of the well-rounded child have gone over the deep end, and kids are feeling the pressure to do it all just to look good on the college application. One student in the film said, “I don’t think I’m learning anything that will help me in college. I’m learning how to get into college, and once I’m in college, I’ll really start learning.” We are producing a generation of kids who are expected to be “a mile wide and an inch deep” … just so they “look good” on a piece of paper. But what does that lack of depth provide them as global citizens or employees of a company or members of a team? And what does it provide the rest of society? As one expert put it, we’re producing good performers, but we’re unsure of whether they are actually good people.

Kids are not kids anymore, and the expectation is that they all go to a top college or university. Even a junior college has such a stigma attached to it that it’s become a taboo topic among many teens. Young teens so dread the school years ahead of them that some see suicide as their only way to avoid the stress and the pressures. Kids are doing five or six hours of homework each night, practicing their sport for an additional two to three hours, and failing to stay healthy because the demands beyond which they are capable of comprehending and handling are invading their young lives.  Much of this pressure, I believe, comes from parents.  Something has led many American parents to believe that the more you do as a student, the smarter you are, and the smarter you are, the more desirable you become to universities (translation: the better the kid, the better the parent).  To be proud of your child's accomplishments is natural; to define your pride solely by your child's accomplishments leads to unhealthy, unnecessary pressures.  All of this, though, comes back to school.

It’s because we’re going to “leave no child behind”. It’s because we’re not competing on a world stage. It’s because the budget is busting, but the demands are higher than ever. It’s because the expectations from schools, parents, and communities are often one-tracked and totally unrealistic. It’s because, in all of our efforts to promote higher education, we’ve created students who believe they have failed if college isn’t the fit for them. It’s for a lot of reasons. But the bottom line is, that despite our very best efforts, in many places and in many ways, our public schools are failing too many children.

Don't misunderstand: I say all of this as a huge proponent of public education. I believe in what it offers. We’re not competing on a world stage in the academic arena, but you know what? We’re not weeding out who we serve, either … we teach all children, not just those who are college-bound. In defense of our public education in America, our schools are full of teachers who care about children and who work exhaustively to help them succeed. The best part of my day is when I get to spend time in classrooms, watching these teachers in action.  I'm so in awe of many of our master teachers, the educational environments they create, and the way the students sitting in their classrooms can articulate what they are learning and why.  Unfortunately, our schools (even the very best schools in the most well-established districts) are also littered with those who come for nothing but the paycheck, and the bureaucracy lets them. 

I don’t have the answer, and even those who have parts of the answer are up against brick walls most of the time. As a public educator, I believe wholeheartedly in what we do, but I also acknowledge that we need unprecedented change. As a parent, I’m just tempted to pack up and move to Finland, where I know Sara will receive an education that allows her to compete and succeed without losing her childhood to the ridiculous pressures of the dog-eat-dog school.

Whether you’re an educator, a parent, or simply an American citizen, and regardless of what you believe or what causes you support, I urge you to watch these films with an open and reflective mind.