Poorly Funded Public Schools

Noelani Da Silva What types of citizens are produced from a lack of materials in poorly funded public schools? …by junior year of high school, if the neighborhood statistics hold true for these children, fourteen of these twenty three boys and girls will have dropped out of school. Fourteen years from now, four of these kids, at most, will go to college. Eighteen years from now, one of those four may graduate from college, but three of the twelve boys in this kindergarten will already have spent time in prison (p55) The children that attend poorly funded schools that severely lack in materials and resources have poor success statistics. They do not escape the cycle of poverty. They are less inspired to rise out of their situation. Very few continue through high school and only one child will graduate from college. With minimal education, the people have difficulty competing for a job. And without the financial means, they cannot leave to another city to better their situation. Because they are born into poverty and live paycheck to paycheck, there’s little opportunity to save money. So I think that choosing a patch of crime to make money is convenient for them. I believe this because the crime statistics are typically higher in poverty stricken areas. In this city in particular, there is less money for funding public services such as crime prevention or programs for children to keep them off the streets. So the people feel like it’s a battle that cannot be won and they feel less motivated to climb out of this cycle. Are bad teachers just as bad as bad parents? Teachers and parents both have the opportunity to inspire and influence children. They set examples and standards that must be upheld by the children. If the teachers exemplify a bad habit, the children think that it’s acceptable to do the same. “We have teachers, who only bother to come in three days a week. One of these teachers comes in usually around 9:30am. You ask her how she expects the kids to care about their education if the teacher doesn’t even come until 9:30am. (p63)” The children already feel hopeless and that the government doesn’t care about them. So when the teacher doesn’t make an effort to be there on time to teach, it further validates their belief. Because I have a son, I am conscientious of making sure that I am consistently setting a positive example for him. For example, I would be a hypocrite if I told him that saying bad words is not ok even if I use bad words. It would encourage him more if I can show him that even I can uphold the standards that I set for him. What I ask of him, is not unreasonable, because even I can do it. Just like a teacher, I have the power to influence, motivate and shape him. A good teacher and parent would recognize that and take advantage of that opportunity. A bad teacher would not care to work against the poorly structured system. Protecting the wealthy by providing a lesser education to the poor… What makes this observation true? One example of how the government protects the wealthy by providing a lesser education to the poor is when Dearborn Park development was built. The children from a neighboring housing project named Hilliard homes, were not allowed to attend the brand new school that was built near Dearborn Park. The children from Hilliard were already established residents of the city, but the new home owners protested to allow those kids access to these new resources. So the government did not allow them to attend the new school until the third grade. Also, less money was spent on each kid in Chicago in comparison to the kids from a suburban school. “ …any high school class of thirty children in Chicago received approximately $90,000 less each year than would have been spent on them if they were pupils of a school such as New Trier High. (p66) The money allocation is unfair to the poor. The needs are greater in these poverty stricken areas, but the government still spends more money on the middle upper class instead. My opinion was based on the facts that I read in this book. I was shocked when I read how the children were ignored in these areas. But Kozol makes his statements more credible when he includes facts to support them.