One of my fifth graders asked me on Friday whether he could get a job if he did not go any further with his education after high school. I took a deep breath before I answered. As a teacher who feels slightly trapped as an educational cog in a "regents only" system, I understand what my kids are up against. The system races more and more swiftly towards a world of educational "haves" and "have nots". We promise educational opportunity for all but in many cases reward only those who exceed on standardized tests, learn in a certain way (so much for multiple intelligences and diversified learning) and most importantly those who can afford 4 year colleges and graduate schools. The race is on for competitive scholarships, financial aid and higher and higher grades. President Obama pushes for a longer school year and for a longer school day. While in and of itself longer school days are not necessarily bad, I suspect that in the case of my students, longer days and longer years will mean extra babysitting by teachers and not much more. I have participated in many after school programs. They included tutoring at the school, tutoring at a local community center, Saturday school and summer school. These programs were often well run and they hired good teachers and administrators. The intention was good. The books and materials were good. The pay was good. However, the children were more often than not, burned out and resentful about all the extra school time. The best thing for a lot of these children would have been a lot of glorious sunshine and fresh air, exercise and quality family time.
My students tend to be indoors when they are with family because they do not live in safe neighborhoods. All this extra academic time will be justified (not for academic reasons) but because the children will be babysat in a safe environment with reliable people. Let us be honest about this. Let us not pretend that all these thousands of students necessarily need extra academic input. They need safe neighborhoods, safe families and adults who make better choices about how their children spend their free time.
On Friday afternoons, I often ask my students what their weekend plans are. Over the years a number of them have said that they are visiting various family members in "Yale". I quickly learned that they meant jail. Spanish speaking English language learners sometimes struggle with the sounds of "y" and "j". "Jello" is "yellow" and "jump" is "yump" and "jail" is "yale". My 5th grader struggles with a lot more academically than "j" or "y". I would like to tell him that the economy will welcome him and his high school diploma with open arms. But I won't lie to him. I know that he will be frustrated with the answer. I am frustrated with the answer. Many of my students are gifted in drawing, building, speaking and acting. Their gifts often remain hidden because they are squelched and crushed under the weight of standardized tests and the "college or bust" mentality. Many of my students will not go to college. I know that. Many teachers know this as well. I want to see students have an option between the streets and college. They need internships and apprenticeships and businesses who will take them on while they develop and refine skills. Although it is considered heresy by some educators, perhaps even a return to the practice of tracking students could be beneficial. Tracking is not all bad. College is not all bad. Vocational training is not all bad. What is bad is a system which separates, discourages and eliminates. If I never help one student fill out an application for Yale, I will be fine. If I see more of them on the news or in the newspapers because of criminal activity or because of an early death due to violence, I will be angry.
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