Lessons taught and lessons learned

I have had field placement at a number of different schools with a wide range of socio-economic statuses. Atwater, where I worked with students for one semester, was very well funded. It had everything the picturesque school could have which includes after school programs, computer labs, and a beautiful library. I have also worked at schools that could use a little more help such as Milwaukee Academy of Science. They still had a lot of resources for their students, but almost all of the students qualified for free or reduced lunch. They had large classes with a lot of behavioral issues that needed better classroom management and in my case, a better teacher. There are many schools that are worse than Milwaukee Academy of Science, especially in a city such as Milwaukee but I have yet to visit those schools. My point is that in America there are a lot of issues with equality, the resources go to the schools in districts that have money and the schools in other districts suffer. This ends up perpetuating the achievement gap and furthering inequality in the education system.

We took up a lot of discussion time talking about what was a just education and we never came to a real solid conclusion because it is such a broad topic. I found that in most cases we need to be making more conscious decisions for equality, which means giving up some of our opportunities for our children and allowing other people to benefit from them. After listening to the interview with Nikole Hannah-Jones I realized that a lot of people struggle with being conscientious in their decision making for their children. She felt that it would have been wrong for her to send her children to private schools because it really went against her moral code. The issue here is that she couldn’t help but feel a pull to give her child the best opportunities by sending them to schools that only few can afford. It is easy to generalize and say something along the lines of being against inequality, it is much harder to make the decision of sending your child to a less prestigious institution. When I think about my own education I know that I am very lucky because I was sent to private institutions that are among the best in the state of Illinois. I was given every opportunity to succeed in my life and that is what got me into Marquette. I don’t know if I would be having the same conversations or feel comfort in my abilities to talk about education in such a critical way if I hadn’t gotten these opportunities. So what I have really picked up on is that it may seem selfish for parents to send their children to places that only they can afford, it’s in their nature. Most parents, obviously not the ones we see in dramatic TV shows, want their babies to be successful, flourishing, and well-rounded individuals and that is why they give them the best opportunities that they can afford. What they do not realize is that they are taking away these opportunities from other students who may need a little extra help just to get on the same level as the people with more privilege. They don’t realize that their decisions, no matter how big or small, are perpetuating the achievement gap. I think that a small thing that we can do as citizens of the world is to become more mindful of what people from other SES’s situation. We all need to open our eyes and splash some cold water on our faces so we can wake up and see that the system is rigged… but that there is something we can do about it. We can be aware of what our decisions mean for the world around us.

When we were in Peru a lot of people looked down on the poverty stricken areas such as Pamplona Alta and Pueblo Zeros. There was such a divide between who had money and who did not. The areas without money in Peru had it pretty tough because they were on huge hills far away from the city center. They had a more difficult time getting water, transportation, and safety was always an issue. They were looked down upon by anyone with money and a permanent home because they had “invaded” the area and the land was not theirs to take. But they were hard working people that did a lot for their families and the best that the found they were able to do was to move their families into these shanty towns so that they could make more money. In Lima in general there is a theme of overcrowding, which means that the school districts that were set up long ago and now not able to take care of all the students needs. There also aren’t enough teachers because of how bad the pay is, so they have less options for the students. Its pretty rough out there and even though there are activists doing everything they can to take care of these areas, they are struggling. Due to Peru’s location, there is a constant fear of earthquakes. People in these shanty towns would be completely wiped out if there is an earthquake extreme enough and people are saying that this will be in the foreseeable future. But these people don’t move, there is no where for them to go and that is a huge issue too. There is a lack of compassion from the rest of the people in Lima, especially in areas such as Miraflores. There is a huge wall, called the Wall of Shame that separates an area of extreme poverty from extreme wealth. It was put up to block out the people who kept moving in, which makes sense. But it also sets a stigma that the people on one side of the wall are better than the other side… and its very evident that this feeling persists in Peru.

I think there are a lot of issues with the government and the policies on education in peru, that is very evident. There is a lot of corruption and people have a hard time getting anything done because they are constantly running for elections and then have a different person in charge of each district. If there could be more done to promote equal opportunities for education to all of the children in Lima, I do believe that things can change. At the same time what I still feel is that people aren’t being mindful of the situation of those with worse circumstances. There is no feeling of responsibility of changing the way that things work in Peru, unless the person has had first hand experiences with poverty, having a water crisis, and being constantly made to feel shame. I don’t really understand how they can be ignored by so many people, but they are hidden behind the fact that they do not belong on this land so it is their fault if something happens to them. I cant believe that this is a mindset, but it makes me think a lot about how people in the United States feel about immigrants. They think it is okay to treat them like trash because they don’t actually live here, they don’t belong here, and yadda yadda yadda. For these reasons, they aren’t humans and they don’t matter. I think this is weak minded thinking of people who are too selfish to realize that they aren’t so different from the people living in Pamplona Alta after all. They all want the best for their children, but some just have it easier than the others. Some already have the opportunities, the resources, and the ability to give their children what they deserve. The system supports them and allows them to succeed without fuss because they fit the norm. The rest of the world doesn’t have it so easy, they have to fight for equality, for better opportunities for their children and for a better place to live. But is it that much easier to point fingers and reject someone than it is welcome them into your home and your heart?

I’m gratfeul to have had this experience because it made me realize that a lot of the problems in Peru are problems that we find in the United States. We put up blinders to try and ignore what other people need and we justify being selfish because we are protecting our children. We have a ton of problems in our Government and we need to do better. We need to push people to become closer to the issues, get down and dirty so that they realize that these are people too. People that exist, that matter, that belong here. And doing this would actually make a difference in closing the achievement gap because its authentic, and its real. If only people could care more… Says the girl who’s going to get out of my fifth year of college and have no debt. Who works to pay for shopping because my family pays my rent. You get the picture. I’m one of these people that I have been talking about and I know that. But I’m ready to start making a difference in my own community. Feel free to comment with ideas and directions for what to come next.