It’s just not fair!

            Throughout this week, I have found myself pondering over one topic, more than any other: the inequality of schools. The inequality of different schools in our country has been a topic of some great discussions, both inside and outside of the classroom. Last night, I was perseverating on this topic so much that one of my classmates, in an attempt to get me off the subject finally said “Okay, Kappa Kappa Kathy for President! Saving America one school at a time!” (She thought that was a good nickname for me, since I am getting to be an honorary Kappa member this summer by “house’ sitting at a sorority.)

            Although, she did shut me up for the moment, it has not stopped me from thinking about this. In my school district there is a distinct difference between the schools that have and the schools that have not. Yet, it is the same tax dollars supporting all the schools in the district. I realize that the money raised by the PTA can be vastly different from one school to another, but I am talking about facilities, not the extras that a PTA can provide. I am currently working at arguably the nicest middle school in my district, so this is not me whining about how someone else has it better. This is also not about which school has recently been renovated, because the last to be renovated is still the one with the worst facilities.

            Although recently remodeled, the “ghetto” school, as the kids like to call it, has a gymnasium and locker rooms that are over 60 years old. As are the library, lockers, bathrooms, and cafeteria. (Not quite the complete remodel that we had thought would happen) The number of student computers is half of what my current school has, and the field behind their school is smaller than my parent’s yard. Not to mention the lack of books in the library. What makes all of this so frustrating to me is that the kids who go to the subpar school, are the ones who can’t afford to have computers or books at home. So, the ones who have so little, are being put at a huge disadvantage academically. The largest travesty is the message we are sending them about their place in the world, and how we are helping to shape the way they feel about themselves.

 I understand that the worst facility in the district that I work in is far above schools in other areas of the country, not to mention inner cities. I use this only as an example of a bigger issue that I believe is prevalent in America today, and I believe is not only hurting kids; it is hurting the future of our country as well. (Who knows how many inventors, engineers and scientists we are losing before they even get started?) Kids take their cues from the adults around them. What are we telling students of lower socio –economic status, when we give them less than the wealthy kids at school? We are telling them that we do not value them as much. I can’t help thinking about how debilitating that would be, if that was the message you received from society… especially if that is the message you receive at home as well!           

Perhaps addressing the academic disparage between the lower income and upper income, and often times race, was the point behind NCLB. But throwing more standards and tests at the problem is NOT the answer. That only seems to throw gas on the fire. In my opinion, the answer lies in finding a way to level the playing the field, so that all students have a fair opportunity to getting a solid education. That does not necessarily mean spend more money, just being very thoughtful in how money is distributed. 

Every time I have a student say, “That is not fair!” (Sometimes in response to a student getting a slightly altered assignment) I tell them that fair is everyone getting what they need to be successful, not everyone getting the same thing. Today, in the United States, many kids of lower socio-economic status are not getting what they need, while kids who have a more affluent background are getting more then they need. And to that I loudly say, “It’s not fair!”

 

Just my very opinionated thoughts….

                    Kathy McGrath