Conrad Johnson
Education 355-001
Dr. Diaz
May 2, 2011
Midterm
Good evening teachers, parents and students of New York City, it is my pleasure to be your new elected chancellor. I am here today to address some concerns I have about our educational system. Some of these concerns can reflect on our current situation to the past issues we have faced. Over time our educational system has had highs and lows, but during my times as a student I often thought it would change for the better. Instead it has bounced back and forth, never improving. Growing up in New York City, I was faced with many different learning environments; whether with children from another country, unfair teachers, or unjust school policies. This is why I am here today so we can all come together and makes changes in our school system. I hope these changes will forever go on and continue to make New York City one of the best places to receive an education.
I am not sure how many of you here today are familiar with Margaret Mead; she is the author of “School in American Culture.” She discussed three different types of schooling that I feel are relevant to our school system today. The school I can strongly relate to is the “city school” as she called it. The city school, as it was called, can relate to our public schools today. The relation the city schools have with our public schools of today is that many of our students come from foreign parents. Unlike Margaret Mead’s “City Schools,” in our schools our students can learn about their past history, contrary to the city schools students who were cut off from the past. Mead discussed the conditions as to where the children who attended the city school came from. Just like then, today some parents are too busy to provide their children the adequate attention they may need once they arrive home from work. This is why as a community we need to step up and help that parent or guardian who cannot provide the help for their child due to having more than one job. As the new chancellor I plan to introduce or in other words recommend a buddy system. With the buddy system, upon the parents’ discretion, I would encourage students go to a volunteer parent, with any questions or concerns they may have outside of school pertaining to homework and/or assignments. Hopefully this buddy system will encourage our scholars to further their education knowing that there is endless help within their communities.
The parents of our students may not all be American born. With this being said some may have language barriers which hinder them from understanding what may be going on in their child’s education. David B. Tyack, author of “The One Best System: A History of American Urban Education” opens his book with an angry parent writing his son’s principal a letter. I will recite one to two lines of the letter to show you the language the father used. “I am vary sorry to informe that in my opinion you have shoed to me that you are unfit to keep a School,” (13) it was apparent that the father did not have a decent education. A question I would like to address is how long you think parents have been facing such a huge issue like this. This issue is the failure to read adequately not being to fully understand the note or letter their child bring home I feel some parents may be ashamed to say they cannot read what they just received from their child. A lot of parents today are afraid of coming to our schools when we have PTA meetings or volunteering at events because of the language barrier they may have. As a child growing up with a Jamaican parent, it was not as easy because I had to always explain to my mother certain things. So as chancellor today I understand and empathize with how most parents feels. I feel that as a community we should all show respect each other as one and not bash anyone based on where they come from. Often in our school system many are faced with discrimination and nothing is done about it. Being the new chancellor of New York City schools, I hereby announce that anyone who is discriminated against will face the necessary actions they should receive. We all are the same, despite the race or ethnicity we may have. I would like to have free classes for parents who would the opportunity to enhance their burst for knowledge. My recommendation of having these classes will be a great turn out because now a lot of parents will be involved in their students’ education.
Just Tyack, I believe in the school as a community and the community as a school. We need to be a strong team to stand together and build a better school system. An issue I often dealt with as a young student growing up was not having teachers who knew who I was outside of my school life. I personally think knowing your students inside out shows them that you truly care. In “Black Teachers on Teaching: A Collection of Oral Histories, by Michele Foster one of the teachers, Ms. Lorraine Lawrence, went into detail saying “too often their teachers don’t know anything about black kids’ lives outside school, so teachers conclude that these kids don’t have anything going for themselves” (183). This is something I do not want any teacher employed in New York City to say much less think, about a student, whether the student is black or white. Agreeing with Ms. Lawrence’s next point, “if the students had a little encouragement they could not only participate but excel in extracurricular activities” (Foster 183). Over the years teachers have sat down together and complained about the kids, how they are not smart or how annoying they can be. And that is the problem, the teachers having conferences with one another discussing a student (s) instead of helping the problem. I feel that all teachers need to think about the students belonging to them as their own, so they can teach well. My recommendation or advice to all teachers, new and old, is to put aside difference and do the job you were hired to do, which is TEACH!
I look forward in being your new school chancellor; I expect all great things this year and the years to come. I will reassure you teachers, parents and students that I will make you happy and do great things with our education system. We can reflect on the pass of the education system and see ourselves drifting off into new heights. Heights the education system has never reached before, but I know that by making some minor adjustments and recommendations New York City will be able to pull through and strive to the top. Our new motto is “soaring to new heights”. Once again it is my honor to be your new chancellor. I will make you proud.
Reference
Foster, M. (1996). Black Teachers on Teaching. New York: The New Press.
Mead, M. (1951). The school in American culture. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Tyack, D. B. (1974). The One Best System: A History of American Urban Education. Cambridge
: Harvard University Press.