At work the other day, a higher-up in my organization was talking about an organization that I affiliate myself with, one that is for undergraduates interested in education reform. I need to contextualize this a bit, because I mean no ill toward this person: the reason I am going to excerpt part of the conversation is because it was provocative in the way that it made me reflect, not that it made me angry or even that I disagree.
Anyway, she said that the people who are a part of this student group (SFER) either "saw Waiting for Superman, have a big sibling in TFA, or actually came from poverty and understands bad school systems."
My gut reaction was something like this: "Of course that's not me," then "that is me exactly," then "isn't it a bit more complex than that?"
It is and it isn't. The point here is that either we are a victim of inequitable schooling, or we are not (and found out about it secondhand). And it makes me think about an idea that a classmate of mine, Emma, explained to me: "whitesplaining", which is when a person tries to assume more authority than someone who actually has the lived experience. It's sometimes used in feminist circles as "mansplaining", which is when a male tries to rationalize some part of the female experience as an expert (as in, denying that women would understand it and thus perpetuating the sexism feminists try to combat).
What I'm trying to say is that this employee's comment made me think about how I approach issues in education, as a person who identifies primarily as a member of dominant social groups. This wasn't provoked — this was just purely how she thought to describe SFER, without knowing me (the eavesdropper) was a part of the organization)
I want to understand issues of race and class and poverty as they relate to education, but how much can I, really? If it's not in my lived experience? I am more conversant in education issues than TFA worshippers or documentary watchers, maybe, but I still think I do a fair amount of "splaining" on my own front.
There is no answer here. I just wanted to push myself (and you, reader) to think a bit more.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Saturday, July 14, 2012
School turnaround
Yesterday, I was a 12-year-old. My parents recently immigrated — only a few years back — and I started schooling in English for the first time here in Boston. I really don't like school. It's just not fun. The teachers are either yelling or drilling us in mundane things I don't need to know, and the few teachers that I do like are only around for a year or two. I know I don't go to a great school — I'm not stupid, I hear what the people say about where I live. But it's my home, and even though I'm not doing great in my classes, I pass and I get to spend time with my friends. Now they're talking about closing my school, or changing it, and I don't know what could make it better, but I guess it's time for change, right?
...
I was invited to attend one of the Fellowship workshops yesterday for Education Pioneers, titled "Current Issues in Education." In lieu of trying to tackle a laundry list of issues, we took part in a major simulation that incorporated many issues in a real-world scenario. The Fellows, a friendly, intelligent group of 40 graduate students, played consultants making recommendations for a failing school (my school). They were tasked with interviewing me and other stakeholders (a teacher, a union representative, the principal, a community leader) to decide if the school should be closed, restarted, "turned around", or transformed.
A bit of context for that: this comes directly from the Department of Education, who in 2010 began offering School Improvement Grants (SIGs) to low-achieving schools, provided they would follow one of four models to facilitate its turnaround. The DOE's blog summarizes the options as such:
Genius. Without doing so explicitly, the Fellows learned about teacher's unions, school management, student assessment, teacher assessment, instructional models, federal standards...
I could say a lot of things about how my attempt to convey someone else's lived experience can be problematic, but I took off my American Studies hat yesterday and really invested myself in my character and tried to internalize the student experience of a failing school. It was on my side that twelve year olds don't have to be too articulate about how race, poverty and education interact. I did my best, and also answered a lot of questions like this...
Fellow: "So, what would you want to make your school better?"
Me: "Do we have to do work and stuff, not just fun stuff?"
Fellow: "Yes."
Me: "Umm... I don't know. I'd like to have fun or nice teachers and friends in my classes."
That's clearly a simplistic response, but as I processed the activity after, I realized this is still really nuanced: it points at how the teachers at the school weren't consistent in expectations and discipline, and teachers weren't empowered to make creative lessons that went beyond explaining basic skills.
Out of the mouths of babes, right?
The "consultants'" presentations after interviewing us were really strong and challenged my ideas of what is best for struggling schools, and the simulation and the speaker after (a real-life consultant on school turnaround) definitely stretched my knowledge. I did have one main thought, though. A big part of most of the plans including removing a substantial part of the teaching force and hiring new teachers. I couldn't help but think of this blog, where Diane Ravitch astutely paraphrases and says, "Since we can't fire poverty, we can't fire students, and we can't fire families, all that is left is to fire teachers." And I know that sometimes teachers are terrible and do need to go. But I worry that the framework of the SIGs subscribe to the idea that firing teachers helps fire poverty, and I don't believe that's true.
In short: This experience generated a lot of questions for me, which means that it was effective in the best way. Thanks again, EP.
...
I was invited to attend one of the Fellowship workshops yesterday for Education Pioneers, titled "Current Issues in Education." In lieu of trying to tackle a laundry list of issues, we took part in a major simulation that incorporated many issues in a real-world scenario. The Fellows, a friendly, intelligent group of 40 graduate students, played consultants making recommendations for a failing school (my school). They were tasked with interviewing me and other stakeholders (a teacher, a union representative, the principal, a community leader) to decide if the school should be closed, restarted, "turned around", or transformed.
A bit of context for that: this comes directly from the Department of Education, who in 2010 began offering School Improvement Grants (SIGs) to low-achieving schools, provided they would follow one of four models to facilitate its turnaround. The DOE's blog summarizes the options as such:
- Turnaround model: Replace the principal and rehire no more than 50% of the staff, and grant the principal sufficient operational flexibility (including in staffing, calendars/time and budgeting) to fully implement a comprehensive approach to substantially improve student outcomes.
- Restart model: Convert a school or close and reopen it under a charter school operator, a charter management organization, or an education management organization that has been selected through a rigorous review process.
- School closure: Close a school and enroll the students who attended that school in other schools in the district that are higher achieving.
- Transformation model: Implement each of the following strategies: (1) replace the principal and take steps to increase teacher and school leader effectiveness; (2) institute comprehensive instructional reforms; (3) increase learning time and create community-oriented schools; and (4) provide operational flexibility and sustained support.
Genius. Without doing so explicitly, the Fellows learned about teacher's unions, school management, student assessment, teacher assessment, instructional models, federal standards...
I could say a lot of things about how my attempt to convey someone else's lived experience can be problematic, but I took off my American Studies hat yesterday and really invested myself in my character and tried to internalize the student experience of a failing school. It was on my side that twelve year olds don't have to be too articulate about how race, poverty and education interact. I did my best, and also answered a lot of questions like this...
Fellow: "So, what would you want to make your school better?"
Me: "Do we have to do work and stuff, not just fun stuff?"
Fellow: "Yes."
Me: "Umm... I don't know. I'd like to have fun or nice teachers and friends in my classes."
That's clearly a simplistic response, but as I processed the activity after, I realized this is still really nuanced: it points at how the teachers at the school weren't consistent in expectations and discipline, and teachers weren't empowered to make creative lessons that went beyond explaining basic skills.
Out of the mouths of babes, right?
The "consultants'" presentations after interviewing us were really strong and challenged my ideas of what is best for struggling schools, and the simulation and the speaker after (a real-life consultant on school turnaround) definitely stretched my knowledge. I did have one main thought, though. A big part of most of the plans including removing a substantial part of the teaching force and hiring new teachers. I couldn't help but think of this blog, where Diane Ravitch astutely paraphrases and says, "Since we can't fire poverty, we can't fire students, and we can't fire families, all that is left is to fire teachers." And I know that sometimes teachers are terrible and do need to go. But I worry that the framework of the SIGs subscribe to the idea that firing teachers helps fire poverty, and I don't believe that's true.
In short: This experience generated a lot of questions for me, which means that it was effective in the best way. Thanks again, EP.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Life in photos
A quick visual tour of the last few weeks!
This is me, making a ridiculous face, hanging out with a group of students doing summer reasearch at MIT, and crouching down to look at 4th of July fireworks through a fence during a rainstorm.
From my daytrip to Provincetown a few weeks ago. I spent the whole day laying on the beach and trying to talk myself into swimming in the freezing Atlantic. Overall, it was a marvelous and relaxing day.
At the Museum of Science, riding a fake camel in the underwhelming Egypt exhibit. I am forever a fan of science museums.
Cambridge at sunset.
"Why will you transform education?" wall from the Why celebration (see this post.)
The first two photos courtesy of my dear new friend Jen Gavin, and photo of EP courtesy of EP's website.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Thank you
Sorry for the radio silence on my end, but I've been breaking out of my work-home-sleep-work routine to explore Boston, which has cut into my blogging schedule (and my room cleaning schedule, and sometimes my sleeping schedule). I will tell you more about all that later, but for now I just wanted to share how fortunate I am. Yesterday I won a scholarship from a company called Affinitas!
Here was the prompt: submit a collection of photos that inspire you to achieve your dream. This was my entry, titled something to the effect of "I will eliminate the achievement gap." Based on an initial finalist selection, a round of voting (during which my mom and friends helped me rally everyone I've ever met to vote for me online) and an final choice... I won.
As the grand prize winner (!), I get $1500 for tuition and $1000 worth of products. And here's what they said about me:
"We salute your dedication to education reform and have every confidence you will be a fantastic success. =)"
Thank you Affinitas. I am thrilled because I have never received such encouragement for things I want to do — only things I've already done. And it's always heartening to see someone believes in me!
Here was the prompt: submit a collection of photos that inspire you to achieve your dream. This was my entry, titled something to the effect of "I will eliminate the achievement gap." Based on an initial finalist selection, a round of voting (during which my mom and friends helped me rally everyone I've ever met to vote for me online) and an final choice... I won.
As the grand prize winner (!), I get $1500 for tuition and $1000 worth of products. And here's what they said about me:
"We salute your dedication to education reform and have every confidence you will be a fantastic success. =)"
Thank you Affinitas. I am thrilled because I have never received such encouragement for things I want to do — only things I've already done. And it's always heartening to see someone believes in me!
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