Madeline - TFA - Blog 5

Our last day at Manley has come to an end. I’d be lying if I said that in my four days there I altered the course of any students’ lives. I feel like today was the first day I was even able to really communicate with the students on a very real level. Sure I’ve interacted with many regarding the class material or my experience as a KU student, but today I was able to completely put my guard down—joking with the students and asking them about their own lives and experiences. As I mentioned earlier in the week, I realized that I’d been distancing myself from the students, failing to recognize any common ground we shared as young people. So, from a personal standpoint, I feel better. It’s nice to know that I’m capable of adapting to such a foreign situation. As far as the students are concerned, however, I am beyond frustrated. Not frustrated at them, but for them. How is it okay for our society to fail them in this way? How is it okay for a junior in high school to not understand how to add negative numbers? How is it okay for a student to skip almost half of their classes without any repercussions? I’m beginning to question whether or not poverty is the central issue at play regarding educational inequality. It seems to me that the government could make so many changes that could help these students achieve success in school. Attracting better quality teachers, providing necessary resources to classrooms, enforcing more strict attendance policies, getting rid of ridiculous and illogical achievement requirements for schools that desperately need government funding—there are so many things that need to be done that are in the hands of the government. When I think of my own public school experience, I feel guilty. I also wonder how I would have turned out had I not been handed so many opportunities just because of where I grew up. Having had this experience, I really feel more motivated than ever to seek out  solutions to some of these problems, regardless of our government’s inability to solve such critical shortcomings.