Peach Days

Now onto a completely different topic… SCHOOL. Lately while reading my textbooks on education, I have been
noting some huge take-away topics that have made me reflect on the way I was
taught. I feel that teaching has developed and changed so much in the past ten
years, and it is definitely for the better. When I was younger, I was never
exposed to a wide range of cultures, SES backgrounds, or ethnicities. I grew up
in a predominantly white, middle class neighborhood, and those who were not
Caucasian were pretty well off as well. It never really occurred to me, in my
naivety, that people around me could be struggling financially. I say
financially, because truly, that is the key factor in whether a child receives
a good education. The economic norms theory that the rich get richer, and the
poor get poorer is a system that affects our society daily. In a world where
connection and networking is the key to success, we may have created a division
of the riches. Many children that come from poor homes have parents that work
more than one job, more hours, for less pay. This has an affect on that child’s
entire education and their viewpoint on it as they enter schooling. Due to the
fact that their parents are often working, they are exposed to a lot less books
and interaction at a younger age. They then enter kindergarten with a significantly
lower understanding of literature, and language, which can then create problems
in every other subject. Many less
informed may think this equates to their families being less loving, or less
involved in their child’s education. However, it is in fact because their
parents are so concerned with their children succeeding that they work hard,
spending less time with their children. The cycle continues, as that child
falls further behind in the educational system, sometimes even dropping out to
help take care of the family. Most do not go on to higher education, maybe for
lack of money, maybe for lack of GPA. It pains me to think that other students,
those who have high paid parents, are regarded as more educated, are given more
of a chance, because they have the resources. These students should have every
opportunity to learn, but so should those students from the other side of the
street. I hope to take my knowledge of this divide and use it to motivate in
the classroom. I don’t ever want to judge a parent for being less involved; I
don’t know their story, and they could be tirelessly working for their child. I
don’t ever want to think of a student as less intelligent; they may be
struggling with an inner issue of self-worth, or balancing language barriers. I
want all of my students to leave my classroom thinking they have an equal
chance at becoming whatever they dream to be, after all, if I received the
chance, so should they.