Sup Teach?

I’m not here to save anyone. I’m just here to give the best education I can. It’s up to them to take it.

Two weeks ago, I revealed the bad news to my 6th grade kids that they’re averaging at a 3rd grade reading level. But I also revealed the good news to them: our Big Goals!

We played a game and now they all memorize our Big Goals that we’ll be fighting for through the end of the year so that we can beat the war against the Achievement Gap.

Statistics:
The average 6th grader in the South Bronx reads at a 3rd grade level.
12 students in a class our size will graduate from high school.
5 students in a class our size will graduate from college.
Big Goals:
2 years growth in reading.
1.5 points growth in writing on the rubric.
80% average mastery of all state standards.

During our independent practice, I had my scholars answer the question: When you look at these numbers, how do you feel?

Many of them said, “It makes me feel disappointed in myself. It makes me angry. It makes me feel dumb. It makes me want to prove those numbers wrong.”

I was THIS CLOSE to bursting into tears just seeing how the injustices of the education system were affecting my kids. I told them that when I was in my junior year of high school, I found out I was writing at an 8th grade level. It broke my heart. So I asked them if they wanted to find out now how behind they are, rather than me keeping it from them and then finding out later in life.

As I was grading their reading and writing diagnostics, I straight up did burst into tears. Who let this happen to them? Whatever. It doesn’t matter now. It stops here.