8 Things I Would make Happen to Improve Public Schools In the South Bronx

If you are an avid follower of me on Twitter or just know me in general. You know that one of the things I am most passionate about is Education. I truly believe that without it you are destined to fail. Growing up in the South Bronx young people there are born with a disadvantage when it comes to Economics and Education. In the 80's and 90's when I was a student in Elementary and Middle school I went to 2 of the best schools in the district at the time. S.P.S. 31 and Elijah D Clark J.H.S. 149.  Both schools offered a rigorous curriculum, employed seasoned teachers if measure by today's standards would be called "dinosaurs". My education was free but not sacrificed, I learned about Shakespeare and had read Hamlet understood it, acted it out and saw connected it at Lincoln Center before 7th grade as well as Carmen and La Traviatta. I was in my Elementary Schools Opera club. I loved learning, and teachers made it fun and had a way of connecting it to my every day life. Summer school, failing, credit recovery, online classes were not options that existed. You did the work or you failed, and I never wanted to fail. I now work in my old school district as a Parent Coordinator in the building where I spent my middle school years. The district has changed, it went from being one of the strongest to one of the most unsuccessful and poorest. The neighborhood has not changed much in terms of demographics, the community is still poor and has become more dangerous. One of the main reasons I wanted to come back to "my school" was to serve as a role model for other students in that community. People give the South Bronx a really hard time, which is understandable because its a really rough neighborhood but it still has talent, love and a sense of community. I became a mom at the age of 18 although that wasn't the life I imagined for myself I got through it and raised a very amazing young man. I never forgot where I came from, but I never let where I came from deter me from where I wanted to go. I have traveled all over the world, have met some great people who do amazing things every day to make our world a better place, which is why it frustrates me when I see what goes on in NYC Public Schools, and Public Education in general. I don't make a lot of money in fact I make around $36,000 a year. There are so many people in our schools who don't do it for the money, or to build a resume they do it because they are dedicated, love what they do and see the potential when no one else does. I am thankful that over the years I spent as a student I had a solid foundation of teachers who saw talent in me that I didn't see in myself and pushed me to keep going. I always said if I could be that to a child one day, then I have lived a complete life. I am all about giving back, and today's society is all about taking. It can be so frustrating, and spirit crushing when you have to deal with the negative aspects of what is already a thankless job. In essence when you are a teacher or work with young people you are providing a service, and sometimes it takes years to know if you what you did or said made any difference. One of the things that pisses me off is the ineffectiveness of the way schools are run. How can a failing principal who has been a failing principal for years still collect a 6 figure salary? How is that allowed and who does that hurt? Teachers who come in to low performing or socioeconomically challenged areas to teach for 3 years and have their Masters degree paid for by a program if they can last and get tenured only to leave and teach in a better community that's less challenging? I see it as a lot of people profiting off of a problem without any intent to make it better. You have schools with less than 8oo students that have an administration budget that rivals Obama's cabinet, yet the special ed students don't have the resources they need or the teachers. Jonathan Kozol was one of the first author's I read that gave me a behind the scenes look at the fuckery taking place in our schools. If you are not familiar with him you have to read his books he offers amazing insight. My goal is to open my own school one day in Central America, I am starting an after school program in February for students in the South Bronx which will serve as the pilot for my mission. I love to play What If, and as it pertains to education in the South Bronx here is what I would do if I were Mayor or Chancellor.

1- What If instead of giving Principals bonuses sometimes upwards in the amount of $25,000 for their pocket that money had to be used for their school? The bonuses would  have to be based on performance from teachers, students, administration and Parental Involvement not just data and test scores. All involved parties should decide on what the school would do with the money.

2- What if teachers who come to teach in these communities were made to live in the communities for  6 months and spent 6 months observing students from Pre-K to High School. This way they would be familiar with behaviors, economic situations, poor living conditions, improper nutrition, and lack of resources. To truly understand someone and empathize you need to walk in their shoes, and by doing this teachers would not only understand their students and the issues they will be facing they will know if they are equipped to handle it.

3-What if Parents were made to sign a contract that they will be committed to ensuring they stay involved in their child's education but the school also serves as a resource to make that happen. School would take place Monday-Thursday and Fridays would be meeting days for Parents and Teachers to conference. This way there is communication all year long not just 5 minutes twice a year during a parent teacher conference.

4- What if teachers were allowed to rate the administration? A lot of time in schools there is an  US and them mentality between administration and teachers. Teachers are constantly evaluated and measured but never the other way around. One way to tear down that wall is to make things transparent, if everyone is on the same page and treated equally things could work better.

5- What if there were Parent Report Cards- I am all about accountability and Parents are the glue that holds things together. They need to know what they are doing and what they are not doing, not to be accusatory but to find out how best to help them. By helping them we are helping everyone after them they may be in a similar situation this is how we build strategies and implement effective programs to help our students achieve their full potential.

6- What if money was taken out of the pockets of failing principals and assistant principals, by doing this you have a better chance of someone working harder to prove results and be successful. I admire charter schools for their AT Will approach when it comes to hiring teachers and administration. If you are failing the students why do I need you?

7-What if we go rid of the High School Diploma and students graduated with an Associates Degree? I have been saying this for the longest time and read a New York Times article a few months ago about a series of new High Schools that will be 6 years and students will do just that. Glad to know I am not too radical and crazy in my thinking sometimes..

8-What if we took better care of our teachers? I don't mean only monetarily but mentally and physically. Teaching is not an easy job, and in some schools teachers have no say and are trying to educate under difficult circumstances.  Try serving 150 customers in a 5 hour period with only a 3 minute break in between each hour and not being measured on how much money you took in but rather that every customer felt they were provided with excellent service. How effective would you be? We need to protect our teachers in NYC you can get 5-7 years for assault for spitting on a MTA worker, such a law does not exist for teachers. Teachers need to have a mentor that they check in with 3 times a week to make sure they are OK, and have the support they need to do their jobs properly.

I could probably add another 20 things to this list but I am going to stop here, regardless of where my future projects take me I will always come back to the South Bronx. There is a need for role models and mentors there. Students need to know that there is a successful way out and they can go on to do great things and I will not stop drawing attention to those who see them as an easy paycheck.

Peace,
The Diva