Solemnly beautiful words

I must have chosen the topic for this paper well (the history of school segregation in Miami), for I have become engrossed over the last few days in Supreme Court cases, Court of Appeals documents, commentaries, government records, and academic journal articles. 


I have been surprised at how I feel about these words from the BrownV.Board of Education decision, like they are almost as sacred as scripture: 


Does segregation of children in public schools solely on the basis of race, even though the physical facilities and other "tangible" factors may be equal, deprive the children of the minority group of equal educational opportunities? We believe that it does…. We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. Therefore, we hold that the plaintiffs and others similarly situated for whom the actions have been brought are, by reason of the segregation complained of, deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.


And these words too, from PresidentKennedy speaking in favor of the enactment of Title VI of the CivilRightsAct: 


"Simple justice requires that public funds, to which all taxpayers of all races [colors, and national origins] contribute, not be spent in any fashion which encourages, entrenches, subsidizes, or results in racial [color or national origin] discrimination."


I don't know how to explain this one. Simple, sensible goodness. 

Rough draft of informal project proposal

Thank you everyone for your input! This is a work in progress, so please continue to give feedback. If you see strange names or weird errors, it's probably because I disguised some proper names so they wouldn't show up on a G..gle search.  

Purpose of Project

The purpose of this project is to empower young women to reach their potential as individuals and to elevate their communities. I will accomplish this by establishing an after-school enrichment program for girls at my school.

Rationale

            In an environment where school accountability requirements lead urban schools to focus academic resources on preparation for high-stakes tests, the public school curriculum loses much of richness of education that would develop students into powerful participants in their communities. Students may learn to read, write, and do math, but are often left underprepared to solve the more complex equations of life. The adults these students will become will lack the human capital necessary to create thriving communities.

The quality of life of women in particular is directly influenced by the women’s ability to participate meaningfully in their communities (UNIFEM, 2008, p.2). The proposed after-school program (hereafter “the program”) will, therefore, focus on girls. It will provide empowering educational experiences that do not fit within the school-day curriculum. This program will reinforce girls’ sense of their inherent value, provide a safe environment for grappling with issues of adolescence, connect girls to other parts of the globe through study of foreign cultures and languages, and give opportunities implement projects that improve the status of women.

The girls will emerge feeling a sense of responsibility and capacity to influence what happens around them. Their families and communities will benefit from the girls’ ability to engage in decision-making. They will experience both less conflict and improved economic development because of the girls’ problem-solving skills and global perspective.

Method

Content

Empowerment of girls through the program will be accomplished by addressing these three aims: first, academic enrichment, primarily foreign language and culture; second, addressing of issues relevant to girls; third, participation in a project that improves life for women. Participants in the program will give feedback about the outline of the curriculum, which I will adjust according to their responses and interests. 

            Academic enrichment.

There is currently no foreign language instruction at my school. Enrichment will focus on global language and culture, as well as science and technology. Participants will receive basic language instruction in French, Mandarin Chinese, and Italian. They will learn to introduce themselves and have a simple conversation in each language. Cultures of the nations of France, China, Italy, Australia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan will also be highlighted, including food, traditions, dance, clothing, everyday life, government, history, and national values. Particular emphasis will be given to the status of women in each of these cultures: for example, education, life expectancy, number of children, civic participation.

The curriculum will integrate science and technology problem-solving activities into the cultural studies. For example, the study of France provides opportunities to have participants design towers or bridges; the study of China allows for learning how to address climate change.

            Issues of adolescence.

            Part of the curriculum will be discussing what it means to be a young teenage female in this city. This includes issues involving self image, family responsibilities, substance abuse, sexuality, domestic violence, and conflict resolution. Participants will read discuss the book Stargirl by JS as basis for discussions on tolerance, loyalty, and individuality.

            Project.

            The culminating aspect of the program will be a project intended to improve the lives of girls of comparable age in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Participants will plan, publicize, and implement the Pennies for Peace project, which raises money in the form of pennies for schools that teach girls in Central Asia. Participants in the program will read Three Cups of Tea by GM and DOR and compare their access to education with that of girls in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Logistics

            The program will meet for two hours every two weeks. A group of students who have already expressed interest in the program will recruit other girls through word of mouth and posters. Morning announcements will invite other interested participants. I will also consult the trust counselor for names of others who would benefit from after-school enrichment.

Necessary Resources

Financial

I will seek two grants. The first is a foundational Community Grant of about $4,000 from WFM. This will require communication with representatives of WFM to understand their grant-making process and how to submit a strong application. 

The second grant would be from DChoose. It would provide a set of copies of Stargirl and one of Three Cups of Tea, as well as poster supplies and journals for participants. This requires submitting a profile and project proposal on [the website].

Human

Experts whose knowledge is beyond my reach are necessary. I can provide basic language instruction in French and Italian, but I need to find a guest instructor for Mandarin Chinese. I will consult the M.O.ChineseAssociation and the ChineseLanguage School to find personnel. I will consult friends who are engineers for relevant science and technology projects. The trust counselor at the school will be essential for the issues of adolescence aspect of the content.

Intellectual

The knowledge gained from other local organizations with similar missions will be absolutely crucial to this program’s success. The group BIB operates at the elementary school that feeds to the middle school where I work. I will consult them for how to integrate meaningful sessions and possibly operate some joint gatherings. The BandGC program, SGirls, could serve as a partner in the self-image part of the curriculum.

Supports

I expect intellectual and social support to come from the organizations I have identified that have similar missions. I hope to recruit other teachers who are impressed with the program, especially first-year TforA teachers who could continue it when I leave the school.

Impediments

The most significant impediment I expect is transportation. Most students ride the bus to and from school. Parent cooperation in allowing students to remain at school and getting them home will be crucial. I will find parents who may be willing to participate in carpools through the participants. Meetings will be biweekly to minimize complications with travel. 

There may be conflict between my program and after-school tutoring through Supplementary Educational Services (SES). The purpose of SES is in part to prepare students for standardized tests, so I will make sure my program is academically strengthening to minimize opposition. 

Note to Savanna of 2011

Sometimes resented grad school papers bring nuggets of inspiration that chart a few more dotted lines onto that treasure map

(The treasure, of course, being The Future. You always reach it, but I prefer to navigate with a map and compass.)

A poem to my 1st year of teaching

GOODbye.
GOODriddance.
GOODthing I never have to see you again.

What would you do?

Options for housing next year:

1. Live alone in a 1 bedroom or studio for within my budget of $650
2. Live with random person (i.e. they're looking for a roommate on the internet) for within and possibly under my budget
3. Live with someone I know and like in a really nice apartment for $250 beyond what I pay now and $125 beyond my budget (ouch! 125x11=airplane ticket to Australia)

I'm leaning toward option 1. Liabilities: possible loneliness, having to buy my own apartment stuff, and not feeling safe. Positives: my own space, location and price of my choosing.

Research design

excuse me?

more from my 6th graders

Advice I wrote on the board when I left my class with a sub one day:

Be good humans!

Note that was on my board when I returned:

Be bad monkeys!

I'm a cactus. I'm in a desert.

Essay prompt: Your friend claims that a virus is alive. Use what you know about the characteristics of living things to convince him that he is wrong.

Response from SStA: Get a lot of books and show him that viruses is not real. If he don't belive me am just gone have't go around the world a find a real scientist and he will tell him that viruses are not real. And he gone belive.

Response from DF: Just give me two points off

Essay prompt: Why do plants have adaptations?

Response from VB: Because I don't want to die. Ex: if I'm in a desert and I'm a cactus and there is not a lot of water in the desert, obviously there is not a lot of water so I will do anything to get a lot of water where I can.

Sometimes I <3 <3 these kids.

I have ESPN.

Last night, I dreamed that was riding my bike (Bartolo Antonio the Beach Cruiser, named after a character from the opera Il Barbiere di Siviglia [The Barber of Seville] and the classic Italian film Ladri di Biciclette [Bicycle Thieves]) and the chain fell off.

This morning, I put on a new swimsuit and a yellow sundress and rode my bike in perfect sunny 80something degree weather past the little shops of northside Miami Beach to an Argentine bakery, where I got an empanada jamon y queso and an empanada caprese, then to the beach to meet a few of my TforA friends. On the way to the bakery, the chain fell off my bike while I was switching gears. No problem, I had just fixed this situation probably 8 hours earlier in my dream. Weird?

(This has also been a subtle advertisement to attract more visitors to visit me and my new hometown.)

My social change project

Listen. I'm pursuing a Master of Science in Education and Social Change. I really like grad school, more especially now that we are starting courses on politics in the education system. (In case you haven't heard, studying politics is delicious to me.) For our next class, I get to read the Constitution and two Supreme Court cases, one of them being Brown v. Board.

As part of the social change component of the degree, we have to implement a social change project. I have been dreading choosing my project because I can foresee it being either a very meaningful experience or a disappointment that doesn't ignite me. My senior political science paper, which interested but did not captivate me, qualified as a bit of a disappointment. It was on whether religion overcomes socioeconomic status in forming voter preference.

I had a moment of literal magic today: all of my ideas and interests for this social change project coalesced in an instant, literally like a lightening strike brought them together. I had turned in a preliminary proposal that I didn't really believe in and was on my way to discuss it with a group. I suddenly realized that I want to create a safe girls-only after-school zone where we can discuss self worth and adolescence issues, get girls interested in careers in math and science, learn art/music/writing/dance/whatever they want, learn about the status of women all around the world, and raise money for schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This may not seem original but things like this are often left out of the urban education story. This burst of revelation was full of recharging, energizing excitement for a future accomplishment. 


The underlying factors influencing my decision:

• A few weeks ago, a few of my girl students said they had had thoughts of suicide and that those thoughts were common among their friends.
• Most urban enrichment programs focus on boys.
• These same girl students said one of their shared big fears are that their boyfriends will hit them. 
• One of my friends teaches a Saturday girls-only engineering class and loves it. 
• I have the most problems with connecting with female students; the weird competitive tense dynamic that sometimes happens between female friends apparently extends to the middle school female student-female teacher relationship. 
• I have been looking for a way to do Pennies for Peace and think it will work much better if the girls are invested in it and represent the program rather than having me do all of the promoting. Even more relevant is that we would be raising money to help elevate and educate girls in Pakistan. 

I think I need to do a lot of research to figure out how to make this incredibly meaningful and transformational, not a feel-good hour to fill the time. I want a logo and an awesome group name. Please let me know of ideas for experts, books, or if you have any suggestions!

(I am also excited because I can see how this project can lead to future opportunities...)