I know I usually keep my posts apolitical, but I wanted to pause today to remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I've committed my career to working in underserved, underfunded schools. Despite the fact that there are some bad days on this job (as with any), I've always felt that my work was important, that even making the commitment to do it was important. This past Friday, a student of mine looked up from his desk and stated that without Dr. King, I would not be teaching the students I teach. While I disagreed with him in terms of historical accuracy (Brown v. Board of Education was in 1954, one year before King's famous Montgomery bus boycott), I agreed with him in spirit.
However, I want to remphasize that I work in underserved, underfunded schools. And yes, these schools are predominantly African-American. King's legacy continues to be disregarded and disrespected by the way in which we fund our public schools, and in public policies such as No Child Left Behind. Until we demand parity in the way in which we fund school districts, and value all students--- all children--- on their potential rather than their race and their income, King's legacy will not be fully realized.
3 comments:
thanks
I've been trying to come up with a way to commemorate Dr. King today, too
I am glad to read this - yur right the no child left behind act makes my stomach hurt
thanks for writing this angela. i'm currently making my way through "savage inequalities"- one i'm sure you've read. it's pretty depressing, and what makes it even more depressing is that it was written (i think) about 15 years ago, and not much has changed.
i too work in a very underserved and underfunded neighborhood and i'm grateful everyday for those who choose to do the same work. thanks.
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