the new conspirators

in my reflection seminar, we read the dissertation of a uw phd candidate that looked at how poor, ethnic minority kids are socially ostracized in schools by students and teachers. the paper shared story after story of racist acts, and sadly, these were all recent examples around the seattle area. schools are supposed to be a social justice-oriented institution… they should give all students equal access to power, especially students of minority groups who historically have been denied access.  

the dissertation found that schools actually serve the opposite function.  despite being a foundational pillar of any democracy, our schools help the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.  how bizarre…

i’ve been reading a book called the new conspirators by tom sine.  a very well-researched book that definitely stands out to me as one i’ll want to revisit often.  on education, he says:

the public education system contributes to the widening gap between rich and poor in the united states. in the shame of the nation, jonathan kozol documents that over the past twelve years, american public schools are resegregating america.  unlike other western countries that fund public education through taxes, american public schools rely on local levies; consequently wealthy school districts often spend twice as much per pupil as poor school districts.  this means that the growing number of children who attend poorly funded urban public schools have less of a chance of going on to college than their suburban counterparts who attend highly financed schools with cutting-edge technology.  as a consequence, some, like their parents, will be stuck in dead-end service jobs that don’t pay a living wage.  frankly, this new global economy is going to leave growing numbers of the poor behind in all countries if we don’t discover how god might use our mustard seeds individually and collectively to be an expression of god’s compassion for the marginalized.  

[the new conspirators: creating the future one mustard seed at a time, by tom sine]

i was reminded of that quote today while i was talking to a student that i’ve really enjoyed working with. he stormed into class complaining about how his mom is crazy. i’ve been saying that teachers should keep personal conversations like this outside of classroom time to demonstrate that learning is the priority, but i broke my own rule and chatted with him about his life. like i have many times this year, i felt like a total poser giving him advice. my privileged upbringing doesn’t really qualify me to give anybody a lecture about the importance of staying in school and showing respect to your drunk mom and step dad; nevertheless, there i was, giving a stay-in-school speech.

he’s been intent on dropping out and getting a job, though i assured him that his high school diploma would really widen his job prospects (though, not by much). i was especially sad for his broken family relationships — his mom has mental health problems, and he’s working two jobs outside of school to help make ends meet. understandably, he’s grown resentful, and is hoping to save up enough money to leave his family altogether. he also mentioned how he wishes his teachers would understand why he never has homework to turn in…

i’ve spent time reflecting on the desperation of his life situation. according to the research papers, he is headed down a terrible path, but the problem is, he was set up for failure from the start, and nothing’s been able to intervene. has the school system let him down? i wonder, what’s a christian to do about this, what mustard seed can i offer here, how do i join the conspiracy…

Filed under: books, education, faith, personal, race, social justice