It's Not Important

Here in New Jersey and extraordinary amount of time and energy is spent preparing students for the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge test ("NJASK").  In fact, most teachers are forced to begin preparations for this test beginning on the first day of school and continuing right on through to April.  Of course the subjects covered on this test are math, science and language arts/reading.  These tests - and the subjects - all take place at various grade levels.

I was recently speaking with someone at a party and casually asked "Why aren't the arts part of any state test?"  The reply surprised me "Because they're not important in what matters in a child's learning."  Not only did this person's response shock me, but then many other friends chimed in with similar - if not exactly the same feelings.

By no coincidence, I have recently read a number of articles where business leaders and/or executives cite the severe lack of critical thinking skills in college graduates today.  This is no surprise being that there is a glut of people with degrees, but not many jobs to accommodate them.  A skill like critical thinking is an intangible separating the haves from the have-nots.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the arts are a great way not only to teach, but to learn critical thinking skills.  Music is just one example. It's an art form that not only demands the ability to work within a group, but also the ability to take a solo.  It also requires you to listen and follow.  It also, at various times, asks you to interpret and maybe even just take a rest.  There are multiple ways to play one song or as I like to tell my music students "There is more than one way to count to four".  Think about how dance, drama, drawing, painting and even poetry can impact how a child looks at life and/or thinks through a problem.

There are many forms of intelligence, but our education system is one that has always told us art is not important.  It's not thought of as "academic" but is rather seen as "extracurricular".  Perhaps in this day and age - where the world seems to change daily - it's time to critically reexamine that idea. 

The Blind Spot

For years, America's inner cities have been in the blind spot of our national rear view mirror.  We drive down the road fully aware of the violence and poverty that plagues these communities, but we pretend that it is all out of view.  That all changed with the killings in Newtown, Connecticut.  Up until that point it didn't matter that hundreds of young, black children were being killed - or were suffering the violent death of a family member - on their way to, or home from school.  Then the image of white children and their mothers and fathers in tears changed everything.  For many of us, it brought it home.

We tend not to identify with the violence and death plaguing the inner cities because many of us have never been to these communities.  We look at them when we drive by, or as we quickly drive through, but make no mistake - they remain in the blind spot.  Forget about the fact that inner cities are made up predominantly of black families.  Think of them simply as "families".  Their children have hopes and dreams just like yours.  They love life just like your kids and are smart, bright energetic kids.  They just live in a world plagued with violence and poverty and these things prevent them from becoming who they are.

It's time to take these communities out of the blind spot and put them on the road ahead.  Give them a chance to reach their potential and even change lanes in they want to.  After all, just like your kids - they deserve it. 

"I don't Know"

When I was a student at The Juilliard School, my teacher told me a story I'll never forget.  He explained how he was called into a school where the students were not reaching their potential.  The teachers at the school - as well as administrators - were frustrated and could not figure out what the problem was.  No matter what strategies they tried, they could not get the students to improve.

When my teacher arrived, the first thing he noticed was the children's behavior.  In many classrooms students were seemingly allowed to do whatever they wanted.  There was no control, no order, and certainly no respect.  After seeing a few classrooms like this he sat all of the teachers down and collectively asked "What is your job?"  As expected most of the answers were a variation of "Teach the kids."  He then took all of the teachers into various rooms and after (finally) getting the kids to settle down said "These are your teachers.  It is their job to teach you.  Can anyone here tell me what your job is?"  He was greeted with silence.  Finally, a girl raised her hand and said "To be students...?".  "What does that mean?" he asked.  "I don't know" came the response. 

What does it mean to be a student?  What is their job?  After all, being a student is a "job" isn't it?  There is work involved as well as responsibility.  The ability to work with others and take instruction are crucial and there is even "pay" - although not monetarily.  Are our students being told what's expected?  Are they being made aware of their work?  We often here how poorly our students are doing and maybe it has nothing to do with education and more to do with a poor job description.

A Mess

I only spent a single year teaching in Newark, New Jersey, but that experience changed my life forever.  When you teach in an inner city school you quickly learn how education truly is a holistic experience.  It's not just about getting information across to young minds, but also making sure the young people you work with are aware of their potential.  You also need to make sure you inspire them to reach that potential.  Finally, you also need to show them love.  Many kids in the inner city have a severe lack of love in their lives and I think that was the one thing that stuck with me.  I ended up loving many of my Newark kids like they were my own.

In the past few weeks, the community where I worked has been severely affected by over six shootings that all resulted in fatalities.  Three of those shootings took place within a block of my old school.

The inner cities in our country are a mess.  What if three shootings took place within a month of each other blocks from a suburban school?  The country would be up in arms and the media coverage would be huge.  But, shootings in the inner cities are "expected"?

Newark is not an "inner" city - it's an American city.  This city, like others, is not inhabited by "minority children" or "black children" but American children.  When are we going to realize this and treat our cities as such?

Another Example

The news from Steubenville, Ohio is just the latest example in how we continue to fail our young people.  If you did not know, two High School football players were found guilty in the rape of a 16 year-old girl.  The victim was intoxicated at a party last summer and passed out.  That's when the two boys apparently took advantage of her.  While the story of a young girl being raped is horrible, what's even worse is that other party goers, as well as classmates, knew what was happening and did not come to the victims aid.  Instead they chose to take out their cell phones and snap pictures and/or videos and text and Tweet about it...while it was happening.  In addition, other students discussed and gossiped about the crime openly online while never bothering to contact authorities.

In addition, three other football players watched what happened and recorded it on their phones.  They received immunity for their testimony.  Some of the most damning evidence were sexually explicit text messages sent by students and classmates who were at the party.  The judge delivered a Guilty verdict and in the process stated "Many of the things we learned during this trial that our children were saying and doing were profane, were ugly."

Again I have to ask: Why isn't Internet common sense and/or technology ethics a part of our young people's education?  Our children have the most advanced technology known to man at their disposal and are given an unprecedented amount of freedom as well as exposure through social media and Internet technology.  Yet, nowhere are they being taught how to use it.  How many more Manti Te'o's or High School incidents like this do we have to see?  We have all seen and read about the absurd number of teen suicides as a result of cyber-bullying.  What more do we want?

I have been working with middle school and High School aged children for many years and in that time have come to realize that, while being unbelievably technologically savvy, they are extraordinarily ignorant regarding consequences.  We now have a national story where educated High School kids stood by and filmed/photographed a girl being raped instead of trying to stop it.  They even went as far as to post some of their material on Youtube so other people could watch as well.

Maybe this case will get the wheels moving...?  I think the victim's mother summed it up best in what she said to the accused at trials end: "You were your own accuser, through the social media that you chose to publish your criminal conduct on."  

Flashback Newark, New Jersey

This is a journal entry I found that was dated July 12, 2012.  It was fairly close to when my school year in Newark had ended.  I had managed to get through to some pretty tough kids and also made headways with some kids I really had to build trust with.  At the time I wrote this, I had no idea I would not be going back to the school.  You will see the impact the kids and their surroundings had on me.

Lights come up in the morning almost the same in every house.  Young mothers walk into babies rooms to pick up little bundles with smiles and greetings.  Shadows are cast across the wall in morning angles.  Mothers with older children ease into rooms, turn on lights and gently break the bad news: “Time to wake up”.  Regardless of where or how - it’s morning and children are beginning their day.  The sun is barely up, the smell of coffee fills the home and dad is upstairs getting ready for work.  Breakfast is prepared and the mindset of school begins to set itself.

Up the road ten miles it’s a different story.  It’s still morning and children are still waking up but in this house it’s three to a bed.  There may not be a mom but an Auntie or maybe a Grand-mom.  There is no father.  It is time to get ready for school but there will be no breakfast and perhaps no encouraging words.  New clothes will not be laid out but rather the ones worn yesterday will be worn again or maybe the ones that were slept in.  Some of them will go to school dirty and unclean although washed of inspiration and encouragement.  

They are still children, and they are waking with innocence in their eyes.  There is hope and even some dreams but there is also reality.  That gets pushed to the back though and with any luck there will be something that looks like a smile - even if it’s forced.  Tiny shoes are put on tiny feet, hands are held and the door opens to a new day.  Opportunity looks different to some children and to others it’s not even opportunity but survival.  Again, it’s only ten miles from you but you pretend it’s not there until you have to see it every day.  You touch their lives and they touch yours.  In many ways they make you feel guilty for your life.  You want to save all of them and even take a few home but you know you can’t.  They are children but you have to remember that they’re not your children and that - yes that - is the worst part. 

At some point it becomes clear that it has everything to do with love.  They don’t know love and you have to show them.  In the process of doing that you begin to love some of them despite your best efforts.  Even the worst ones: the thugs, the playas, the knuckle heads...it doesn’t matter.  You see the light in all of them and they know this about you so they begin to show themselves to you and this only makes it hurt more.  They let you in and you can’t believe what you see and hear.  Some of the stories are too sad to be true others are too awful to even be a part of someone’s reality - but they are.  These realities are now yours and you can’t help but think that this is not fair.  This life that these children are forced to live.  How could they be living these lives, here?  Here in this country?  

I drive ten miles from my house but it feels like ten-thousand.  I leave a community that has safe streets, grass to play on and hope.  My community gives its children a chance and I’m not quite sure why the children I teach can’t have those chances.  The children I teach are not dumb.  They are not stupid.  In fact, they have hopes and dreams just like my children.  The problem with the children I teach is that no one is there to tell them this.  No one reminds them of the vastness of their potential and what it can bring.  My children leave the house and will discover things they didn’t know.  My students leave their homes and are simply reminded of what is coming.  

Some of the children write poems and they make you cry when you read them.  You cry because they are so honest but are coming from a place that no child should be coming from.  The poems ask “Why?” and “How come?”  Some of the poems simply want the violence to stop.  It seems like such a simple request especially when it comes from a child but no one listens to the child nor the simplicty.

If you’re not careful you’ll get angry and then cynical and that’s not good.  You want to make sure that the children never see cynicism.  No one likes that, not even a child and these kids, well, they’ll see right through it. 

January 17, 2013

It has been just over a month since those horrible shootings in Connecticut and we have already lapsed into the same old mindless banter in its wake.  Of  course the issue of gun control has come up and some idiot spokesman from the NRA has found it necessary to make numerous moronic public statements regarding the matter.  My personal favorite was something along the lines of "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."

What really bothers me is that no one is talking about one of the key issues at hand and that is the how we treat children with mental disabilities in this country.  As I said in my last post, we all knew a variation of the young man who committed that horrible crime: a very bright, socially awkward, somewhat disaffected individual who was ignored, bullied or both.  There are kids just like that in class with your children now.  Perhaps you know that child.  Think about how he or she is being treated at the school.

There is a boy in class with my son who falls into the above category.  This young man has been through some tough emotional things and has some issues.  He has engaged in some pretty questionable acts at school and as far as I can tell, is not receiving proper care or attention.  This scares me.

Again, our schools are truly the first line of defense.  At some point it has to stop being about money and being about what's right.  In the midst of this retreaded and ridiculous gun control discussion, why hasn't anyone stepped up and mentioned the care and treatment of young children with special needs?  Why aren't our procedures and protocols being questioned?

Think about that while you're thinking about your children.