Over the past few lectures Angela has talked about equality in education between social class and race. One topic that has caught my interest for this blog post is the issue of inequality with schools based on race. It surprises me to hear and read about how so many different families view education. It is also hard for me to hear about schools that have little resources or accommodations for the children that attend them. Perhaps it is because my mom is a teacher and I see that the school district she is employed at is barley skimming by with enough money for the school year, and in other parts of this state there are still some schools that are not in such a need to worry about money.
An idea that struck me as interesting was how many people in our class had a more privileged high school experience. For example, many of them had guidance counselors who helped prep them for college, or they had AP courses and their parents were able to relocate or send their children to schools that met their religious or cultural demands. On the other hand there were some people, like myself who were not as lucky to have counselors to help us with college, in fact, my school only had two counselors and out of my high school only four people went to UW-Madison. Also many of the schools similar to mine did not have as many AP courses and many of our school programs were cut due to the lack funding.
In the article, “Hitting Them The Hardest When They Are Young,” the article talks about schools in inner city New York (Harlem) that have no area for the children to go outside and play, and who barely have enough textbooks for half of their class. Also, many of the classroom sizes were up to thirty children, when they recommend that classroom sizes are between 20-24. However in the suburbs, like Scottsdale many of the schools have a lot of resources for their students, and they also have the space and a safe building for their students to attend.
It puzzles me that the state of New York wouldn't want to help out every school within their city? Do they not help these school in the inner city New York because they are schools of minorities and they have low expectations of them? Or is it because many of the children who go to those schools have been given low expectations from their parents or their environment around them. I believe that there are a lot of factors contributing to the education of children but the one I believe that sticks out the most to me is the family and their money. Many inner city schools are given textbooks that are outdated and they are often trying to make up for what they don't have. As a reader, I was shocked that there are schools that are so terrible, like the ones located in East St. Louis, where their school is falling apart and most of the children have health problems due to the pollution. The teachers and the students just go through the motions and at the end of the day they go back to their lives, and many go back to empty homes or to no homes at all.
A judge was puzzled by why there was such inequality with schools that were located in the same state. The judge questioned how it got to be this way? He also proposed and issued that schools be given equal funding. Several parents were outraged with the fact that they had to share money with schools who were less successful then the schools their children attended? I thought to myself, well sure these schools are less successful because the people demanding all the money are creating schools to become like that. Not every school really needs ten or plus classrooms just for one on one education. Like stated in the article, you can't even compare schools like Harvard to those who are barely skimming by. Its up-surd since the level of demand and amount of availability for one on one is far greater within in these schools.
Lastly, a comment that struck a nerve for me was, that some people suggested that you can not give a school money first, when what they really need is new values and morals. Instead of complaining about the mistakes the parents of low income have made, and have to live with for the rest of their lives, perhaps now should be the time to step in and help people out? If we are supposed to be a united nation then it should be a top priority to make sure that the it is not just ¼ of the future getting a correct and proper education, but that 100% of our future is getting it. One teacher wondered why the students kept coming back? She said that they knew what they were getting themselves into when they came, and even the teachers taught them to expect to fail. Perhaps they come back because they want something better, maybe they want to be that one person who made it big and can help make a difference for the future? All I know is is that we need to start reevaluating what is important to our country and whether or not we would like the future of our education to keep heading in the same direction it is for minorities, which is soon to be non-existent.
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