Interviews and School Visits

The past three weeks have really be eye-opening for me. I mean, I realized that the situation was bad, but never before have I been so aware of the issues facing education today. But also, I have never been so inspired by those who are working towards change.

I have been around to some of the roughest neighborhoods in Chicago, but instead of being overwhelmed by the task ahead - I am more resolved than ever. Just last week, I interviewed at a school in one of Chicago's most economically-depressed neighborhoods, Englewood. I did my reading beforehand, so that I knew what I was stepping into - it was a little nerve-wrecking. Crime rates have soared in the last 10 years and even my current co-workers eyed me with reticence when I told them where I was going. I was borderline mortified when I found out that there was a hotel located 3 blocks from the school where America's first publicized serial killer resided (Dr. H. H. Holmes) - but that was 120 years ago, so I regained my rationality.

Okay, so it was not the best introduction to the neighborhood. However, when I actually got to the school, I was absolutely flabberghasted by what I saw. The giant building towered in a sea of broken-down bungalos - if it were placed anywhere else in this country you would have expected to see it at an ivy league campus. Simply stated, the school was beautiful, but its juxtaposition with the surrounding neighborhood made it seem surreal.

Entering the humongous building only reinforced the image of the school's beauty. The science resources, all underwritten by a major pharmaceutical company (which, despite my gratitude for their donation, made me a little uncomfortable) - there was a green house, a biotechnology lab and an abundance of supplies, which I was not expecting. It was very exciting to see how different schools are approaching the issue of funding.

It was also surprising to see how welcoming everyone was. Kids would just walk up to me, introduce themselves to me, and shake my hand politely. This was rather strange for me because kids in my high school wouldn't even say hi to a visitor let alone be so polite as to shake their hands. A different world - certainly.

Bottom line: there is a pervasive stigma in under-served schools that brings to mind screen shots from "Dangerous Minds". But once you go to these schools and recognize the strides that have been made in their improvement, you gain a resounding appreciation for the teachers, principals, and staff that have broken their backs in these efforts. As we make strides in the future toward the betterment of education, I hope to see these stigma shattered. It would be great if people stopped berating the work and start constructively contributing to the educational renaissance that is taking place in this country at the present.

Education must no longer be seen as a universalist effort. One size DOES NOT fit all. In my limited experience I have seen how dangerous that mindset is to urban education. Having, myself, been educated in the suburban system and, proximately, having entered into the wide world of urban ed, I can see very clearly the disparities that exist in how student expectations are handled (lots more on this particular subject later). All I can say at this point is that we simply don't know the right answers - if we did, these problems would have been solved long ago - but what we do know is that, as long as we have individuals who are willing to dedicate their time to fighting educational inequality, then we will see the proliferation of more of these amazing schools described above.