Today I started a week of "observation" in a school. Students could choose the school, and I chose the one in the most deprived area of town. Remember when I told you about the nursery school my youngest daughter attended? In a gipsy neighbourhood? Well, I chose that district's elementary school (kids from 6 to 12 years old). All children are gipsies. Some are Spanish gipsies, some come from portuguese gipsy families. All families have low income, they make a living out of Carnivals, fairs and such, and have very little education. I was appointed to a second grade class (7 year olds). There were just 13 children. They are supposed to have more children, but some are away "working" with their parents or just helping them in one Carnival or another. the parents of these children make a living out of selling chestnuts, balloons or running a ferriswheel or another type of amusement thing. But that's the good side. Some of the people in this neighbourhood make a living selling drugs. And their kids see a good portion of grown-ups making lots of money with drugs. so why bother studying and trying to have a good job? It's hard. Some parents decide to move to another part of town when they see their kids might be in danger of falling in that ugly cycle.
Aside from that, the children I saw today were mostly gentle and loving. Some of them would even hug me spontaneously even though it was my first day there! I'd like to think they can continue studying and break the family cycle, but that's not easy. Anyway... should education just prepare for what society expects from you or what children really need?.
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2 comments:
"Observation." What a great term!!
For a while I taught in two junior high schools, grades 7-9, ages 13-15. One of the schools had the lowest socio-economic population in the county.
There were some excellent kids from some very stable families, but they were the exception. Many of the families were welfare families, meaning they survived on government support.
When I chastised one of my 7th grade classes for doing so poorly on the first six weeks grade, I asked them how they were going to survive in life if they couldn't even pass my class, which was made easy to pass if they just tried a little.
How do you like your studies, Nuri? Are you still as excited about teaching as before?
One boy responded: "I'm going to do just like my mom and dad: I'll be on welfare."
That was his, and others', career goal.
My belief is that education must be directed toward preparing young people to be self-reliant and productive citizens. They need basic knowledge and skills: reading; writing; computation; history; learn how their government works; understand responsibility and honesty; and similar things.
That is the way the U.S. system was organized when I was young, and it worked very well. What we have today, well, it's something else, and something inferior to the education system of my younger days.
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