Wow, I can't believe I haven't written in FOUR days, but being unemployed makes you a very busy lady. I decided to put in my substitute application at various private Dallas schools just to see the difference between public and private. It has been years since I taught in a private school and things change, so I figured, why not. I decided the best way to do this was to go in person, dressed professionally. I went to the first school, which I fell in love with by the way and had to walk around a bit to find the office of the Upper School Dean. In my little "walk about" I entered the cafeteria area where there were students and teachers discussing school or life or both. The atmosphere was calm, confident and secure. The school itself is known for high academic standards and getting accepted is no walk in the park, yet these kids were smiling, relaxed and happy. The teachers that I saw interacting with the kids all seemed to genuinely care about the student they were engaged with and it was so refreshing to see children calmly going about their day. No chaos, no screaming children, no children in the hallway calling mom or dad to tell them why they got into trouble. I am not going to go out on a limb and say this is a perfect campus but the other two schools I visited gave me the very same feeling. Warmth, support and a lot of caring going on in those buildings. Our public schools have dedicated and caring teachers as well. They do a wonderful job of making sure their kids feel supported and cared for, at least that was my experience over the last eight years. The problem begins at home. The gulf between the haves and the have nots is huge. Nancy had to get up at 5:30 after going to bed past midnight because there was too much noise in the apartment her family shares with 8 other people. His mom has to be at work early so she must drop her off at 6:15 in front of the school in order to get to work on time and keep her job. Nancy is in 3rd grade and the school doors won't open until 7:30. Until then she waits outside with the other kids whose parents have to go to work early as well. Naturally, there is no teacher out there at that time so the kids are pretty much alone until the school doors open. That's a long time to wait outside in the cold, the rain or the heat. Now, she and the others must go to school, pay attention and do their work all the while probably trying to stay awake.
For some kids this doesn't present a problem. They can function or have learned to function on very little sleep. For others, it can ruin their day and everyone else's day in their class. So what Nancy has to face every day BEFORE she even goes to school is huge. Let's compare Nancy's morning with Peter's morning. Peter's mother wakes him up at 7 a.m. so that he can get ready for school, have time for a good breakfast and be ready for the carpool when it comes at 7:45. He's lucky to be the last stop for the carpool mom because he lives the closest to his private school. Once he arrives, he's greated by door openers that smile and great him by name. He jumps out, sees his friends and in a minute is whisked into school with all the other children. Laughter and giggles can be heard as they settle in for a day of learning. Most of these kids were in bed by 8:30 or 9:00 so they are well rested. No one had to wait an hour and fifteen minutes alone outside in the dark.
What's my point? My point is that kids from vastly different backgrounds are starting off the day either one step ahead or one step backwards. Even in the "upper middle class" public schools you would never see children dropped off an hour or more in front of school with no supervision. Most of the kids attending these schools get to bed early, eat a good breakfast and are looking forward to the day. So what about school climate or ambiance? It really does make a difference when you walk into a school and are greeted by name. Kids can tell when you are there because you want to be and that you are welcome to go to class, not shuffled into the gym to wait for your teacher. It feels different when you don't hear screaming children being carried to the office by two staff members because they are out of control. Kids have a hard time focusing when a child is rolling around on the floor singing la, la, la to himself while the teacher tries to teach. That is called a MAJOR DISTRACTION. There are laws and rules that exist to try and prevent that from happening but in too many cases either the office is too full of students that have misbehaved or the administration can't really take any concrete steps to make the child and his/her parents feel the natural consequences of his/her behavior due to restrictions place on them from higher up. How DO you learn in an environment of chaos? I couldn't, could you?
It's a sad day when I can look around and see different color faces in schools all across this great nation and know that no child will be segregated by color anymore. It's also a sad day when I look around my little corner of the world and realize that although children are no longer segregated by color, they are by economic status. You tell me, is there a difference? School climate matters. It most certainly makes Peter's day completely different than Nancy's. How can we change that? How can we make it better for the Nancys of this world? As teachers and administrators and school districts, we have to meet the kids where they are. If that means teachers taking turns to come early and provide enrichment or early breakfast for kids who didn't ask to be dropped off early, then let's do it. Go the extra mile and sacrifice a bit more for kids who need you. Doing things the same old way time and time again is not working. We must make a change to see growth and development in those who need it the most.
Wish me luck, I'm dropping off more resumes and substitute applications today. I'll let you know how it goes. Today I start my free tutoring/ homework help at the apartments next to my old school. I wonder how many kids will show up? I miss the hugs and smiles of my students. Can't wait to report back.
Hugs,
Adrienne
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