As I type this I’m trying to remember what I was like in elementary school. Did I enjoy learning? I think I did, at least I hope so. But did I want school to take up every single waking moment of my day? Probably not. I think rattling off multiplication tables in line for the bathroom would have been too much for me…
Sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself.
You see, the article I just read was very cute and inspiring for the most part. It was about how Hartford Connecticut Superintendent Steven J. Adamowski is creating reform among urban schools by shutting down some schools, creating new ones, and making beneficial changes to the ones that just need a little boost to get them headed back in the right direction. One change that’s being made is the creation of Achievement First Public Charter Academies, where urban students who have met state testing goals are being enrolled. For the most part it sounds great and they have some pretty amazing plans.
It’s Cool To Learn
Jodie Mozdzer
The Hartford Courant, October 20 2008Achievent First’s goals in Hartford are lofty: By the end of the year, school officials want to have 95 percent of the students reading at grade level and mastering 80 percent of the math standards, and have 97 percent attendance rates. Students typically arrive at Achievement First schools reading about two years below grade level.
(CLOE POISSON / HARTFORD COURANT / October 8, 2008)
Excellent goals, Achievement First. And it gets even better. Not only do the schools have longer school days but they offer “intensive tutoring” after school. In doing this they’re not only creating huge opportunites for these kids to learn but they’re keeping them occupied and off the streets. Combine this with the small student to teacher ratio aimed to give students more one on one time with their educators, the constant mentioning of college to encourage the students to continue their education after they graduate high school, and refering to the students as “scholars” to…well, make them feel smart, I guess, and you’ve got one top notch school.
However, even though these schools are doing hundreds of things right to make sure the students are getting the absolute best education while preparing them for a future at a university, I have to admit, Achievement First freaks me out a little bit. Maybe it’s not as bad as it seems in my head, maybe I’m imagining it different than it actually is, but after reading the article I can’t help but feel like the students are going to graduate with a bit of the zombie effect. These students are constantly in learning mode. The article states, as I mentioned briefly earlier, that even while waiting in line for the bathroom the kids are going through math flashcards or being drilled on vocabulary or counting to ten in foreign languages. All of these, of course, contribute the the excellent education they are recieving, but what about recess? Do they have that? Do the kids ever get to do their own thing? Then I read this:
But first, the students learn behavior. During the first few weeks, students learn to sit still and walk with their arms down by their sides…”It’s cool to learn, cool to be smart,” (teacher) Unifred said. “Your brain grows and you get the knowledge to go to college.”
Um…anyone else envisioning the girls from the Madeline stories who do everything in two straight lines? And yes, learning IS really cool, but that last little rhyming phrase sounds like something you would hear on one of those tapes you listen to while you sleep.
I’m sorry if this is sounding overly critical of the Achievement First schools, I really do think they have a great idea and that tons of students who need help are going to benefit from them. I guess I just think it sounds a little serious for me. But who knows, maybe for those students who are thirsting for the education and structure they couldn’t get at their old schools, it’s just what they need.
Urban setting schools are by far one of the most challenging settings for teachers and students alike. In reading your reaction to the article I believe you have a very justified point. However, I can’t imagine the plan will work as wonderfully as they make it sound. Obviously they are aiming for perfection and whether or not that is what they expect the results to be it probably won’t happen. There will always be problems within an urban setting, whether it be drugs, gangs, or even a lack of caring. Therefore the parents of those students may not care enough to get their child(ren) to school on time or even at all. Even if the student does arrive at school what is to say they will be able to focus with possible problems at home or on the streets they are constantly fearful about? Jodie, the author of your article, would most likely claim the importance of after school tutoring which would mean the streets would slowly become a safer place. However, what is to say they students will use the after school tutoring? Most students including myself want to go home after school and spend the rest of the night relaxing and doing something enjoyable. In other words who is to say Achievement First will actually be successful to the degree they are predicting.