Learning Outside the Box




Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

     The Martin Luther King Day Celebration in Chicago is an experience like none other. Praises for Dr. King's work begin before the federal holiday arrives and contiues throughout the week. This city keeps its rich history alive and educates youth on cultural heritage with the smallest details- the street signs, a schools' names, and the testimonies of those who lived through the Civil Rights Movement. One person who worked to record and gather history for future generations was the insatiable Dr.Margaret Taylor Burroughs.

Dr. Margaret Taylor-Burroughs,
 founder of the DuSable Museum of African-American History

        Burroughs was an educator and artist who founded the DuSable Museum of African American History in 1961. Her recent death last month has prompted hugh contributions and praise from the community for her work.
      When  I visited the museum on Monday,  I  was reminded about the obstacles Blacks have overcome and introduced to unsung heroes for civil rights. I saw the chains that bound enslaved peoples together. I saw a drawing of the bottom of a slave ship which depicted the brutal treatment of  Blacks on their voyage across the Atlantic.  But I also saw art dispaying the great kings and queens of Africa, artifacts from Buffalo soldiers and the Tuskegee Airmen, and the Let Your Motto Be Resistance exhibit. The museum's treasures were more than just things and pictures people found and donated; it gives people a chance to connect with history, to see what has happened and what can be done.
     The great Judith Jamison spoke of these possibilities in her speech for the University of Chicago's Martin Luther King Day celebration. She said, "Nothing will be done if we do not move. If I don't move, I feel pain in my bones to be everywhere at once. Move and never stop moving". This dancer wasn't simply speaking about the abilities of human bodies, but the need to keep a sense of urgency for a forward movement of progress. Since the death of Dr. King, America has shifted back and forwards for equal rights and justice. Now, what does this have to do with urban education?        
      Everything. There are two old saying that befit my point; "Apeople without a vision shall perish" and "A people without knowledge of their past are destined to repeat it". If students have no knowledge or their past and no idea of what they can be, the education system will fail. Students need more than just dates and names; they have to have a connection with the work and develop a passion to continue the movement in order to succeed. This a lesson that should be the mission of urban schools and principal goal of education.




 http://www.dusablemuseum.org/exhibits/details/opening-december-11-2010-let-your-motto-be-resistance-african-american-port/

Judith Jamison in Alvin Ailey's Cry

 

The Purest Thing

        Since my first week, I have found that I am most helpful as a tutor. Working one on one with students gives them the attention they need to do well in school and also allows them to share a piece of themselves with another individual. Like all schools do, YWLCS is going rough patch. Everytime students come back from a long break teachers have to retrace their steps in the classroom and find out what students remember, understand, and can work on by themselves. As an inclass and afterschool tutor, I help students understand concepts, theories, and convey their thoughts more clearly.
        One day while I was working with a student after school, a teacher stopped by to give me some advice. He said, "Don't get involved with frivolous things. Keep your focus and let your passion thrive. This is the purest thing. The relationship between a teacher and student is something magical where imagination, memory, and knowledge collide to build something greater".
     It's not just beautiful words, it's truth. Even as a fellow I can plainly see how easily misplaced priorities can tamper with the potential of a child. No matter what happens, students must remain the focus of the classroom. And they need more than just the support of their teachers. They need tutors, study groups, test prepartion, and skill building activities outside of the school. The responsibilty of a child's education is not solely in the hands of teachers; it belongs to all of us. And until we realize that we are accountable-not just the unions or the teachers or the school systems or whomever else we would tag as the scapegoat- then we will allow low quality education to be an acceptable societal norm. David Lange once said, "Today's Schools are not Tomorrows Schools. That's a fundamental misconception." Why does it have to be this way?
        Just think- what would happen if we all volunteered or gathered resources for schools- especially in urban areas?! We could transform drop out factories into inclusive learning environments where new knowledge is created on a regular basis and glass ceilings could be broken and deconstructed into crystal stairs for students to climb and rise to astronomical heights. We would be a part of something significant and magical. But hey, I'm just a kid. What do I know?
       

The Windy City: The Adventure Begins

December 31, 2010

Hey Y'all!!!


 Happy New Year’s and thank you for following me! My blog will detail my experiences as an Urban Education Initiative Fellow at the Young Women's Leadership Charter School (YWLCS) in Chicago, Illinois. I start on Monday, but I arrived a few days ago so that I can get use to the area. I do not have regular access to the internet, but I will document my experiences and add them as soon as I can.

Today, I was able to ride the bus route from my housing to the school’s campus.  It took a bit of time  to get there in a car, so I could only imagine my bus experience. I’m expected to be at the school at 8am, and I’ll most likely have to get on the bus by 6 or 6:30 in the morning. Yep, that’s pretty early in the morning. But I only have to do it for a couple of weeks, and I’m really looking forward to it.

 One thing I’ve been thinking about since my ride on the bus route, is what families and students have to go through on a daily basis to get to the school. Since YWLCS is a charter school, students are selected based on a lottery and they live in different areas of Chicago. It’s a pretty big city, and although students can use the buses, trains, and other modes of transportation, I don’t think it’s an easy feat to go to a school that is miles away and across town. This is one of the many things I’m wondering about and will definitely ask people at YWLCS this week. What are some things you think I should ask people during my first week?

Until next time, please feel free to comment on the blog and visit the YWLCS and Chicago Transit website to know more about the area. Thanks for reading my blog and I hope you have a lovely day.

Sincerely,


Lisa Daniels


Young Women's Leadership Charter School of Chicago Website
http://ywlcs.org/

Chicago's Regional Transportation Authority
http://www.rtachicago.com/