Something To Work For
Arne Duncan said at his confirmation hearing that it’s never been so cool to be smart as it is now that we have a super smart black president.
At my school, it is not considered cool to be smart. Last spring was the last time our principal tried to have an awards ceremony for smart and dedicated students. She has since been fired because of chaos in the school and we’ve been without a stable principal, but anyway…
She tried, and the whole thing flopped. Kids in our 99% African American school were horrified of coming up in front of the whole school to receive certificates for good behavior, attendance and grades. The brave ones who came up weren’t well received by their peers – it wasn’t an honor as much as it was a trial.
The whole thing was an embarrassment for us teachers who tried to put on the assembly and for the students whose names we announced. Thinking back, we should have just invited the high achievers, but we were actually trying to instill pride in the entire school and show off the kids who ought to be in the spotlight. Either way, I won’t make the same mistake.
The unfortunate reality in urban schools is that it’s not considered cool to be smart, even with Obama’s ascendance. If it were cool to be smart, then the huge number of bright, super smart, willing and curious kids just trying to grow up and enjoy high school would be setting the example in urban schools. Instead, the example of what’s cool is set by the thugs in the halls who belong to any of the numbers of gangs that perpetuate a culture of violence, disrespect and academic underachievement.
A gang outreach counselor said it well at a recent all-staff meeting: “With Obama in office, there are no more excuses for all this,” referring to the abysmal conditions of our school.
Bush is reviled by the teachers and unions because of No Child Left Behind – teachers complain constantly about having to “teach to the test.” I always say, “Well, at least you have to teach them something now.”
I haven’t seen a lot of pride in the school I teach at, but the times I have seen kids feel cool for being smart is when I’ve shown them their state-wide test results and they have earned a passing score.
That’s a private moment for them to take in what it means to achieve something that was very difficult – that they had to work for. They earned that and weren’t forced to go on stage and receive a crummy certificate in front of a school full of Crips and Bloods. It was an internal drive that made them want to pass that test.
Passing the test means for these students that they will get to graduate on time in June. So far, about half of our students have passed the test. I guarantee they won’t feel bad when they walk up and get their diplomas – even if the Crips and Bloods are watching from the stands.