Education in a Crisis

There is something to be said about reading or watching the news, without any connection to the piece being reported beyond a superficial level. It becomes a regular experience to consume copious figures about horrific topics, especially in trying times like the one we are going through right now with the coronavirus. While these facts and figures hold value in informing the general public what is going on in the world’s health sector, the number of cases, and those who are affected (schools, employment, etc.), unless you’re in a position of directly caring for these patients/those in crisis, holding the illness yourself, or see the devastation of this virus directly, it is hard to feel any other empathy for others when we’re so endorsed in fear for ourselves. We lack a certain connection and empathy to be able to understand the full gravity of the numbers and situations we are all in right now. I held a very similar sentiment towards issues such as immigration and institutionalized racism before volunteering at Next Generation Scholars. In class, lectures, and videos provided me with the facts behind the current issues with institutionalized racism, as well as stories behind some of those who are affected. This was a vital part of the start of developing my critical consciousness. However, just seeing and hearing about the problems without seeing the effects in person only gave me surface level empathy. When I initially read the options of volunteering, NGS caught my eye as a tutoring service. They also provide services including tutoring, college counseling services, food pantry, hot meal service, and even to the extent of healthcare and legal services. After volunteering at NGS, it gave me a new level of empathy for the situations the students at NGS as well as so many others in the United States went through, adding so much value to my knowledge and experiences in and out of the classroom. After the interview with Shawn-Cole Woods, the Director of Academics and Admission, my admiration for the organization and commitment to change only grew from there. NGS’s mission is to even the playing field in terms of academics, namely, giving those in underrepresented communities in Marin, such as minorities and immigrants, access to the priveledges such as tutoring and classes they would normally never be able to get. These priveledges are provided particularly through their private tutoring and group classes, to help children with subjects they need aid in class. The students have also found great success through this system, as according to NGS’s website, 100% of their students have been accepted into 4-year universities (Next Generation Scholars). Volunteering at NGS, I could see why they were so successful with their students, through the relationships the volunteers and employees had with all the students. NGS was a giant family, with addressing each other on a first-name basis and knowing every student’s background and needs, thus creating this very supporting and nurturing environment that allows students to grow on their own. Unfortunately, this system has been severely compromised by COVID-19, where no one can meet in person for tutoring or classes. This has also taken a hit on the students themselves and their families. Shawn stated that many of them come from low-income families, and this is exacerbated by the virus which essentially lays people off their jobs if they aren’t considered essential. Many of them are worried about putting food on the plate and some may not come from ideal home situations, worsened by the fact there is no escape such as school and interacting with peers as the stay-at-home is in effect. There are many added stressors to the students that may make it hard to maintain a commitment to their schools and classes, as well as NGS’s classes/tutoring. Shawn has planned. Many students do not have access to fast wifi or are competing with their families for the wifi, so this made transitioning to online classes more difficult. NGS is using several mediums, such as Zoom and Google Hangouts in which students can access to mirror the tutoring and classes they once had in-person. NGS has also been receiving angel donations in these times. They are looking at how to equitably distribute the money to students and families too with things such as gas, grocery money, and necessities to help somewhat relieve some of the primary concerns have, so students can more easily receive their education. Shawn is also planning to revise the summer program, so it can all be online. The benefit of zoom and google hangouts is that it can accommodate more people than a physical classroom. The plan is to expand the 6th-grade classroom to 16 people from 8, stressing the importance of getting younger kids education since they need that foundational knowledge and skill to succeed in the future. He also is focusing on many of the rising seniors and current high school seniors who are still dealing with college acceptances, not wanting them to miss out on opportunities these colleges carries just because of a pandemic. For the most part, Shawn wants everything to remain as similar as possible to before we went into quarantine, as to not add the element of shock that adds stress to the students’ lives, and to continue/build upon this wonderful community that NGS has built. In the interview, Shawn has told us about the past success of students graduating from NGS’s programs, as well as the successes of the current NGS students as everyone transitions online. Despite these trying times, students have remained committed to their classes, regularly attending their classes in school and NGS. The family NGS has built but also the commitment to change in the status quo by allowing students to foster connections between students and their situations. From what I observed while volunteering at NGS, the most important distinction that NGS has made within students is that it is supportive, not providing, and this distinction allows students to utilize the tools NGS has given them for academic success, and do the work for themselves. This encourages self-awareness of their strengths and capabilities, encouraging self-improvement. This also ties into critical consciousness, which, despite not using the exact term around the NGS house often, is being promoted in their organization every day. Critical consciousness starts with an awareness fo the self, and then their situations. NGS introduces topics of structural inequalities rooted in racism and economics that these students experience in their own lives, and encourages change, which NGS sees as a change in the societal structure that continually oppresses minorities from achieving their full potentials. NGS is aware that change cannot be done without advocacy work, so they encourage students to go into their own and other’s communities that may be experiencing oppression, and to help provide the resources to improve their circumstances, approached from a systemic standpoint. In the interview, as Shawn stated, NGS is a social justice warrior house, and they promote advocacy within their communities; to make a difference for themselves and others.