THE
MOST PREVELANT ENABLER OF RACISM IS THE CURRENT SYSTEM OF EDUCATION!
Whether it is believing everyone in poverty will have their learning negatively affected or that no one in poverty will (poverty isn't destiny), the system is ill equipped to
serve all children in the way they learn best.
Everything from low expectations for those in poverty who are fortunate enough to avoid the roadblocks poverty causes to unrealistic expectations for those who are devastated by
roadblocks such as childhood stress, to malnutrition, to drinking too much Flint
Michigan water, to sleep deprivation, to Racism, the systems response is inadequate. And that inadequacy in itself is Racism!
When black children, with help from family and others, avoid the afore mentioned roadblocks, it is easy to dump them into the generalization of poverty thus leading to low expectations. However, when black children are devastated by those roadblocks, and the system puts them into a pass or fail mandate without teaching them in the way they learn best, and without waiting for them when the need arises, the schools systematically destroy them. THAT IS SYSTEMIC RACISM AND IT HAPPENS EVERY DAY IN ALMOST EVERY SCHOOL.
When black children, with help from family and others, avoid the afore mentioned roadblocks, it is easy to dump them into the generalization of poverty thus leading to low expectations. However, when black children are devastated by those roadblocks, and the system puts them into a pass or fail mandate without teaching them in the way they learn best, and without waiting for them when the need arises, the schools systematically destroy them. THAT IS SYSTEMIC RACISM AND IT HAPPENS EVERY DAY IN ALMOST EVERY SCHOOL.
“The biggest mistake of past centuries in teaching
has been to treat all students as if they were variants of the same individual and
thus to feel justified in teaching them all the same.” Dr. Howard Gardner
Envision a school where all children have equal access
to a quality education, taught in a way that is real, taken from “where they
are” on their pathway to success at their best rate. Where learning opens doors
to the dreams of every child, recognizing that no one will ever know where or
when genius will unfold until it evolves.
Imagine a school where assessment is not cheapened by
the narrow scope of the standardized test but broadened to become a stepping-stone
for the whole child learning experience. A school where, as in life, learning
is a constant flow of problem-solving experiences driven by the reality that
failure is not only an option but an integral tool, guiding students on their
pathway to success. And where teachers have the freedom to innovate in the best
interest of their students.
A solution is to subvert the system, for the agenda of
children, beginning in the trenches.
This is not as difficult as it seems, but it will take guts. I developed a fully public school (Milwaukee
Village School), years back, that proved that much of the change I recommend in
this book can be implemented.
This book will give teachers in the trenches a pathway to subverting their schools for the betterment of children while giving future teachers an eye opening experience.
Stop Politically Driven Education
Subverting the System to Build a New School Model
More info as well as a link to the book at www.wholechildreform.com
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