Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Its almost Wednesday, almost our 7th day in school. I appreciate Carrie Underwood wrote a song, "I Aint in Chechotah Anymore" 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyzXfqcMAzE

I wish I had the talent/know how to write a song that states I aint in the South Bronx anymore.

The injustice in our society has really hard today... more than I recall... I think about my classroom in the Bronx that was a storage room and cleaned out for 12 students. How the college students from Lubbock, TX called the classroom a subway box car... how excited the kids were when it was our turn to use the overhead projector. I recall the smell of rats in the classroom, kicking the doors to scare rats/mice, I recall the 1,300 students grades 2-6 saying the pledge in the main autorium, the late nights of lesson planning, and saying have a nice weekend as I knew students were headed to the shelters. I recall the fourth grade hall-- seven classrooms in the hall, each classroom had 36 desks, 36 chairs, and one computer. I recall 43 students going into the classroom- rotating from desk, to chair, to floor, having students share textbooks, and not having enough chalk to last the school year.

This school year I have 23 fourth graders throughout the day.. not all at once. I walk into my classroom with a smartboard, 22 student computers, 1 teacher computer and only 11 students to fill the chairs. As I look at the empty chairs I am reminded of the Aarons who lived in shelter 51 and would love to have a seat in this classroom or the Khalil who wanted to be a doctor but could not the get grades to be accepted into a KIPP. The faces of the 8 children sitting on the floor with a broken clipboard. How teachers plan/grade for 43 students at one time in all subject area and I teach/plan/grade for one subject. How spoiled I am to have a teacher work room, abundance of parental support, excess computers, and excess workbooks.

I love my job and would not trade this position for anything... well except to go back to the Bronx and be with 43 students crammed into a classroom that seat 36.

When teachers say I have no room for students and I ask if they want a clipboard, I am being sincere and I hear your concerns, please understand I am not in the South Bronx anymore.

So how do you define, "And justice for all?"