It is actually a really fun job. I get to sit around and shoot the breeze with young kids who are fearless, who have no idea about what life is about, or what they are going to do or be. Yet, they think they know everything. I hear about their plans for their futures, and I just have to laugh, because I remember that there was a time when I knew everything as well. They talk about going to college, and going away and living a fancy dorm life, like the ones they see on TV. Then I ask them if they have taken the SAT or applied to any schools, and they say, "Not yet." At this point, I inform them that it is March of their Senior year, and they should most likely get this done ASAP. They say they have it under control. At times like this, I can't help but wonder, "When I was a senior, I had all my applications done by mid January, by March I knew where I was going, and my goals were realistic. What are these kids thinking?"
Then, I realize that I grew up in a completely different culture. At my high school, it was unusual NOT to go to college or technical school. Our guidance counselors had maybe 75 -100 kids to work with. Our parents, especially mine, raised us with the mindset that college was inevitable, just like second grade followed first, college followed high school.
Compare that to the scenario at EHS. Our counselors have 150-200 kids to service. It is unusual to go to college at all, let alone graduate. The parents may wish their kids go to college, but the reality is, for many of them it is an unrealistic dream. There is no one pushing them to get their stuff together. Even if they are not college material, there are plenty of other opportunities they can pursue to further their education. Yet many of these opportunities remain unexplored.
Now granted, the kids don't make it easy for you to motivate them. They will resist doing anything at all, even if it is for their own benefit. This is not a cultural thing, this is a teenager thing. Black, White, or Hispanic, poor, middle class or wealthy, teenagers are the same on many levels. They can surf the internet, talk on the phone, and watch TV at the same time, but ask them to write a college essay and you get blank stares. The difference is the suburban kids will eventually buckle under the pressure to do the "right thing" while the urban kid will most likely not get the same pressure. It doesn't matter how much me, or anyone else gets on their case, if everyone isn't on the same page, it isn't going to work.
Which brings me to my next point. We talk about "fixing education" and bridging the "achievement gap." We throw money at the problem in the form of "professional development", "whole school reform models" and of course, "standardized testing." We give billions of dollars to urban schools to "level the playing field." What we don't address, what really can't be addressed, is the fact that though the budget increases, the culture stays the same. Not everyone is on the same page. Even if one family is in sync with the school, there are too many that are not, and mediocrity becomes the norm.
Don't get me wrong, I love the funds that pour in. Do you think I would be going to work on a Saturday for free? I just get tired of the whole idea that urban teachers are inferior to their suburban counterparts. I get tired of hearing people complain about the achievement gap, and how their solution to this problem includes more testing. In fact, the NJ Dept. of Ed. recently decided that in the next several years NJ will have exams for each subject, similar to NY's Regents Exams. I'll make a prediction: Milburn, Livingston, Caldwell, and Westfield will score very well on these exams. Newark, Irvington, and Elizabeth will not. The achievement gap will widen! And the problem will persist, and then we will have to try something else, that will no doubt cost even more money.
At least I will probably get some overtime work tutoring kids for the History exam, because I am sure the district will receive some funding for that purpose.
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