The question of the day is: Do American public schools have a responsibility to "compensate" for students whose out-of-school experiences aren't as rich or enabling as the experiences of other students? Why or why not? If so, what are some of the ways they should compensate? If not, how does this affect your understanding of the American Dream?
This question placed me in a space where I needed to reflect on my experiences as an urban student. My first response was: What is the "American Dream" anyway??? So I took to google and according to dictionary.com, the "American Dream" is considered the following:
1. The ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American
2. A life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought by individuals in the United States.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/american+dream
Now, it is safe for me to say that I was a student whose out-of school experienecs were not as "rich" as many of the other students in my classes. However, I can also say that I have been exposed to more amazing opportunities than the average student. Now, why is that? Did my CPS school over compensate...just for me? Not likely. I honestly believe that my school wanted to emphasize the importance of opportunity and exposure, despite the students' background. It is unfortunate that providing amazing opportunities could be considered "compensating." When I hear the term "compensate," I associate it with the word pity. All children are deserving of the best quality educational experience, and I find it to be demeaning to determine that one should "compensate" educational experiences because a child is not as economically fortunate as the next student. It should simply be the norm.
However, the challenge has been shifted back to the schools to go above and beyond to offer amazing experiences for every child, despite their situations at home. Their experiences outside of school should not be a factor. The truth is, we as educators can not predict or dictate what a child's life consist of when they leave school grounds. The goal is to maximize a child's access to opportunties in order to mold a successful, well-rounded person. Simply put, do as MUCH as you can WHEN you can!
Now, I must say, the idea of the "American Dream" is a bit unrealistic to me. In my opinion, there is no ceiling on my success so I don't think that I will ever be in a place where I will no longer want more, to do more, or to be more. The American Dream is a nice thought but we should teach our students aim high and go beyond.
I really liked reading this! I know I was uncomfortable by the word "compensate" in our prompt as well, but you stated why so perfectly. I agree, our students are beyond deserving and providing rich experiences should be the norm. Great teachers do everything they can for students, but I think maximizing a child's access to opportunities extends beyond the classroom. I think the community should have more involvement, working with the schools to provide experiences. We all want better education for our kids, now we just need to collaborate to get there!
ReplyDeleteI agree, compensate does bring to mind words and phrases like "pity" or "feel sorry for". So I tried to look at it in a different light. For instance, a classroom field trip to, say, an ice skating rink, for a child who hits the rink once or twice a month to practice their skating, will have a different impact on the child who has never been in an ice skating rink. Say my kids to whom this is novel absolutely love it. For those students, I see myself picking their brain for their thoughts, loading them with information about ice skating (that has nothing to do with class) and looking into programs that might give them access outside of school hours, and just facilitating further exposure as much as I possibly can. This is my version of compensating; cultivating interests and providing parents and students with information and tools they may not have discovered on their own. The kids that hit the rink regularly simply don't require that. However, I will make no distinction between students when asserting they can all be our next Olympians!
ReplyDeleteNow, as far as the "American Dream"...puh-leez. Like you said, I want my kids to set goals for themselves and strive to reach them and then some, not aim to fulfill some criteria of a dream set by others that was never meant to apply to a lot of our kids in the first place. Don't get me started!-lol.