Schools That Change Communities

The insightful documentary Schools That Change Communities increased my respect for schools aimed at fostering a hands-on, involved type education. Previously I had a bit of reluctance to believe that a non-classroom based education could actually prepare the children as they progressed to the college level. I still am a bit wary of this approach. Although the documentary clearly showed to positive impact on the community, I wonder if the children will be penalized later in life for not being able to absorb material quickly and efficiently from vigorous book-learning.

I am also reluctant to say that the approach could work in Memphis. Because we are so urban, many schools just don't have the (agricultural) resources. Additionally, the community is very diverse; unlike the small town in South Dakota, we do not know everyone in our town. Maybe it is my ignorance to our city's possibilities but, other than schools encouraging their students to visit homeless shelters and such, I am not sure this type of learning would work in Memphis.

But it was an interesting way to start my Saturday, and I greatly enjoyed my shrimp salad from McCallister's.

Anna

Hatiloo Theater

Ekundayo Bandele's energetic insight on Hatiloo theater enlightened me to the lack of diversity in our city's entertainment industry. I was extremely surprised to find that before Hatiloo there were hardly any black theaters considering Memphis is 60% black. 

Originally Bandele had no intention of starting a black theather; however, once he was approached by a supporter of the arts, he realized the need for a theater. Since that fateful moment he has created 3 theaters in the needy areas of Memphis. 

He was quite vivacious while speaking to us, persuading us to visit his theaters. From this speaker I chiefly learned that there is actually a theater called Hattiloo but I also was able to recognize Memphis's need for diverse organizations, clubs, etc.

Cornerstone Prep Thoughts

This trip was a definite eye-opener for me. Going in, I know these children would not be as literate as normal  2nd graders; however, I had no idea that they would be as illiterate as they were. When the men talked with us initially, they mentioned that Lester had the worst scores in the whole state. I was blown away; yet I continued to be ignorant to the minimal extent of their learning. When we entered the classroom, a somewhat timid boy of 7 greeted me, book in hand. He proceeded to read to me, stopping every other line to question the pronunciation of a word. I asked him comprehension questions and directed him as I would a child in kindergarten - he was at that level grade level mentally. The next child was slightly more literate but still not at his age-level.  Both children were insanely sweet regardless. We then viewed a house re-constructed by binghampton development corporation. It was actually a very nice house, which was a great sight to see compared to the surrounding houses that were obviously very neglected. The woman, a recent graduate from UNC, told us that the BDC employed people from around that area and later gave them the connections they needed to have a permanent job, either in construction or in another field.


After that, we traveled to the Urban Farms where the gardener gave us a tour. The area around the farms is a food desert, there is no fresh produce being grown; staples in the community diet are cheetos and candy apples.

 



Finally, we went to the Art Garden. The woman who started it, a local artist, told us that in that area there is no safe place for the kids to simply hang out - the park is infested with drunks & drug deals. They apparently love coming to the garden and doing crafts. Unfortunately both Lester & Cornerstone Prep had to cut out their art programs so the art garden is a great outlet for the kids.

                                     

In conclusion, I am so happy I went on this trip. It really opened my eyes to how rough life is for some children in Memphis. I hope that someday I can go to the Tuesday craft nights at the Art Garden.

Anna Johnson

Opportunity Lost

Summary:

Opportunity Lost by Marcus D. Pohlmann details the struggle to bump the achievement rates up. He focuses mainly on the effects of early childhood education on poor families. He first notes that there are new causes for poverty including teenage pregnancy, adding the astounding number of poverty-stricken children in the United States. He observes that poverty contributes to family stress, poor nutrition, and insufficient medical care.

Pohlmann then moves to education issues. Difference in achievement scores relates to 5 factors: parents present in the home, the amount of pages read per night, hours spent watching TV, extent of reading material in home, and days absent, the Education Testing Service warns. He goes on to relate how critical the first years shape later education, mentioning that the scores of Memphis children entering kindergarten achieve, on average in 16% percentile in math and the 19% percentile language. We infer that the high poverty rate in Memphis severely impacts these low Memphis averages.

Next Pohlmann describes federal education programs, such as the Title 1 Early Childhood Program which significant results but was phased out. The Head Start program, created in 1965 by President Johnson, also impacted the national education scores and continues to serve 1 million young children. Pohlmann also mentions the Perry Preschool Project study, relating that the successful participants were those who had a good family background & role models.

In Memphis, studies show that children who had pre-school education scored significantly higher than those who did not on the TCAP. There is also a strong correlation between pre-school education and the ability to read in third grade.

One Tennessee early childhood education program was phased in in 1998 for 100,000$ per 20 person class. According to some, programs such as these are long term crime reducers. Unfortunately  one social stigma that education achievement brings is, in African American community, the labeling of accomplishment as "uncool" or "acting white." In the Caucasian community, high-scoring students are branded as "nerds."

Pohlmann stresses the need to close black-white achievement gap. He relates that this will be especially difficult, considering educational budgets are shrinking. He closes by informing the audience that from birth to age three 80% of brain development is acquired.
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My thoughts:

I had no idea that early education impacted brain development so much. I am trying (unsuccessfully - I was so young!) to remember all of the ways my parents nurtured me in order to foster my later growth. Although probably unintentional, I am so grateful for all of the early care they provided me with. Knowing now that care is so important to education development, I feel as if the reason for the low education achievement in Memphis is because of the mass of poor families who simply do not have the resources to provide care to their children. I believe this is a big problem to be addressed. 

Agape Thoughts

I absolutely loved the trip to Agape! From the passionate tour guide to the actual facilities, everything about the tour was amazing.

It was great to actually see the living spaces that Agape has provided for these women. Each was well equipped and seemed to be well taken care of. In addition, Agape's children center was extremely well put together. You could tell the staff had really considered the needs of the children. After viewing the children's center, we climbed the steps to the modest quarters which house what Agape uses to develop women into self-sufficient mothers and citizens. Bible verses adorned the walls and self-help pamphlets and books littered the shelves and coffee tables; the environment itself seemed to be very inspiring. The whole center fostered a sense of hope.

As we traveled to the next Agape location, we were greeting by a zealous woman who obviously had a great passion for her work at Agape. She reiterated what Agape strove for, but she also included her own tidbits about her personal experiences. She mentioned that the day before the tour a young girl told her that she had been molested by her step dad for many years. This was one of the main things that stuck with me out of the whole tour. I loved how Agape gave these children such empowerment to speak up and sponsored such a positive, caring environment.

I honestly enjoyed my trip very much. I hope to volunteer with Agape later in the year.

-Anna

Agape Anticipation

Overall, I am really interested to visit Agape. I just got my form signed tonight; hopefully I can remember to turn it in soon!

Anyway, my initial inspection of the Agape website left me feeling very grateful. When the messages flashed across the homepage relaying people's everyday fears, I tried to view life through their shoes, so to say. Honestly, it was quite hard. One girl mentioned that her father would not be able to walk her down the aisle...To think about not having a father in my life was totally heartbreaking - it made me a bit emotional.

I then moved to the About Us page. While reading through it, I was reminded of my trip in the spring to the Neighborhood School. Although I am sure Agape does not have the same goal as the Neighborhood School, from my first impression they seem similar. From my understanding, both have the same idea: to shape the community by keeping children educated, safe, and in a home.

Upon further delving into the site, I found at Agape was established over 40 year ago. I didn't realize that it had existed for that long - for some reason I had thought it was a relatively new organization. It seems Agape evolved from a small idea to a momentous project. I am always interested to see how community service programs expand. Whenever I think about doing something to help Memphis I never know where to start. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by such huge problems. I hope to find out how I can help as the years go on.

Although I am trying to adopt different perspectives, I do struggle with it. I hope that this trip will make me more aware of my own life and how many opportunities I have available.


Anna