17% of 8th graders in CPS read proficiently, 15% of 8th graders in CPS do math proficiently. I will never accept this lack of educational structure that has afflicted so many students in Chicago's various communities. The video "Explaining the Inequalities in Education in Chicago" brought back memories of when I was in 8th grade with an amazing teacher that actually cared about our well being and academic performance. During eighth grade we were granted extended school hours, exclusively for us, so that our graduating class would raise our standards and succeed in high school.
My teacher sacrificed her time in order to ensure that we would do well in our PLAN exams. Because of her maternal and authoritative yet supportive attitude towards us we were all able to graduate and go on to attend high school. In a public elementary school in CPS that was and still is on probation after steadily declining test scores and academic performance, we were still able to maintain hope. All of us have pursued optimistic and ambitious goals and stayed out of trouble. Unfortunately, as the video says, many students are not given sufficient attention because teachers have to deal with so much and are overworked and underpaid. Clearly, politicians in Chicago have hardly address issues such as these and instead, as Rahm Emmanuel intends, fund Charter schools.
The poem,"Louder Than a Bomb: High School Training Ground" written by Malcolm X. London, truly exposes the reality and failures of Chicago's public education system. London obviously recognizes the various unjustifiable issues in CPS. There were a few lines that stood out to me in his poem. "...I open the doors to a building dedicated to building, yet only breaks me down." I feel that CPS like other inner-city public schools does not empower students to pursue academic goals, instead it impedes them. Sometimes school to students is just,"my parents are making me" or "this is bull I just want to get out and get enough points to pass." Speaking from experience, high school is hard but high school in CPS is harder. CPS school are not the best suited environment for motivating students. Austerity only goes so far to control students and to a certain point causes retaliation.
Although I have faced challenges and seen other sadly go into oblivion because of their disconnection with academics, I still managed to graduate and attend college. My biggest motivators are my parents and in a way the community. Even though CPS has its various faults, one thing that I admire about it is that they require service learning hours in which students are involved with the community. Doing venerable deeds in communities that you care about helps students create self-esteem and a sense of responsibly, social and academically. In the video "How Bad Do You Want It (Success)", the speakers illustrates that success must be as important as the air you breathe. It should be your number one priority in life. It is this type of resolve that pushes us to exceed standards in school.
If policies were harmonious with Chicago and education, instead of harmful, so many obstacles of the city like gentrification and segregation would gradually improve. People with educations tend to have better futures and have more opportunities to lead better lives. Chicago is such a large mesh of cultures and backgrounds, but they are oppressed. "My high school is Chicago; diverse and segregated." London brings up a good point that in the education system, children are left behind, while other continue to do better with disregard of those who struggle in class. This division between honors and regulars does create some resentment in reaction to inferiority. Public school system such as Chicago's enters a vicious cycle where students are suspended because they behave badly, which makes them become less motivated in school, because schools want to weed out these students to get more funding, but leaves students with bad grades. In turn, these "bad" students become criminals because they are ostracized and neglected which makes them lose touch with opportunities that could have been a result of a high school diploma.
Working with Amundsen High School is a great opportunity for us college students to motivate students to get that diploma and attend college with a changing world. I knew students who attended Amundsen and they have experienced similar challenges the Von Steuben has also faced. I hope to make an impact on these students to let them know that with all the social, economic, and cultural impediments in the city and its education system, graduating is very doable and obtainable.
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