I was visiting an elementary school, specifically eighth grade classes. I was told by parents, students, and teachers that, only four years ago, the school was a disaster. The principal explained to me that they had been running at 100 suspensions annually in the middle school years (that is now down to 18.) A parent said the halls were full of litter and the classrooms were in disrepair. The auditorium was unusable because it had become a warehouse for books. The school could not hold its eighth grade graduation there. A different parent told me that, had I visited four years before, I would have found "gang-banging, drugs, and filth." All of this was aggravated by tensions between Hispanic and African-American students and families.
Then the change came. A new principal brought in a number of new teachers. The curriculum was revamped and teaching teams were created. One parent characterized the new administrator this way: "He listens to us but he doesn't try to kiss our asses." Things began to turn around. A student told me that, "Before, I never wanted to come to school or anything but now it seems like the teachers really care and I like to be here."
I observed two classes. In both of them, students were engaged and eager to complete their project, a public service video about racial profiling. The students were respectful, cooperative, and on task. The teacher presented challenging material and the students discussed difficult issues. Black and brown children worked together with no signs of tension.
I was told by the principal that he had created a set of forums that addressed issues of race directly. He allowed that some people had bristled at some of the questions raised but felt that, in the main, the school had grown in tolerance and understanding.
I spent time with a social studies teacher, a math teacher, an English instructor, and a special ed teacher. The four of them were bright, enthusiastic, and committed to the education of the young people in their building. They work well together in active collaboration. People who have been around schools enough know that there is a certain "smell" to a school that will tell you whether learning is going on. This school had that good smell.
I was especially impressed with the poise and articulation of the young people. One young man was asked to escort me to the rest room. I asked his name and he asked mine. Then he asked me "what profession" I was in (his words.) I told him I am an educator. He then asked what my major was in college. As we reached our destination, he told me that he thought it was important to get a lot of schooling.
In the meeting with students about the candidate, I asked them if they knew any reasons why this teacher should not be named a Golden Apple Winner. One young man turned my question and asked if there were any reason why I might not vote to give her the prize. I think this boy was born for a career in sales or the law.
News media and some politicians would like to have us believe that our urban schools are full of apathetic teachers and misbehaving children. It simply is not true. Even in the midst of difficult funding and management situations, there are valiant and talented professionals creating wonderful learning communities. And there are young people who are dreaming big, beautiful dreams and working hard to make those dreams come true.
One young woman (an eighth grader) told me, "They used to just talk to us about finishing eighth grade or maybe staying in high school but now they (the teachers) talk to us about finishing college. Where we come from, not too many people believe in us, but these teachers really do."
That young lady has applied to attend Jones College Prep, a very selective school in the South Loop. She told me that it would be the best to get her into college. "I need to get some place," she told me. Her mother was the victim a home invasion and was shot three times. "I am going to get my mother and my brother and me some place else."
She will of course and some part of the reason will be the amazing teachers and administrators who believed in her in eighth grade. And I got to see just a little bit of it. What a treasure.
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