Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Tuesday Slice: Oz and Kansas

The last four days on my work calendar for the school year are quiet days.  I only counted seven people yesterday, minus the few that came in to interview for open positions--three administrators, the registrar, two custodians, and myself.

I'm able to get to the tasks that have eluded me during the chaotic month of May.  Yesterday, I tabulated the last of the funds that came in for birthday book donations, lost lunch cards, and lost and damaged books.

This is only my third year as a librarian, but I don't think I've had as many payments for lost books as those I tabulated yesterday.  It made me wonder if the books were truly lost, or was it just easier to write the check after a quick search didn't turn them up?

I headed to the office to let them know I was leaving for the day, and mentioned the payments to my assistant principal.  She pointed to four very large plastic bags sitting in the front hall, labeled "Goodwill".

"Jackets," she said.  "I haven't seen so many jackets left behind before.  Really nice labels on them, too.  And water bottles--some worth ten, twenty bucks, just thrown away."

While I was tabulating that money, a friend who subbed at my current school texted to tell me she was interviewing at my former campus.  What could I tell her about it?

Great principal, I texted back.  Smaller school means smaller teams means camaraderie.  It's an IB-PYP and Capturing Kids Hearts school, both wonderful programs that have made a positive impact there.

The teacher websites are lacking, she texted.  I replied that when the learning community doesn't have much access to the internet, the websites aren't a priority.  And there aren't as many volunteers--very few, really--because parents are working, home with younger siblings, and/or lacking transportation.  Teachers are busy doing there what volunteers help with here.  

There are more ESL students, more struggling readers, more behavior issues.  Low-income means homes with fewer books and extracurricular opportunities.  I told my friend that she needs to be very, very aware of the differences between here and there.

It hasn't ceased to amaze me, the existence of Oz and Kansas, just a twenty-minute drive apart in our school district.  



14 comments:

  1. I left a very Title I school in my district to teach at a very affluent school this year. It is startling how different two school in one district can be. Both are majority minority, but the minority groups are radically different.It is definitely Oz & Kansas in my district, too.

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    1. I have been in an affluent school for three years now, and I'm still surprised at the differences--and saddened by them, too.

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  2. So sad that we aren't working to end that Kansas, Oz gap. Again, I remember Finland and their goals to offer quality education for all.
    Bonnie K.

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    1. Truth, BK. And I think of John Green's speech on the importance of public education and its effect on all of us, at some point.

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  3. The details you wrote about speak oddly about responsibility (library fines for lost books) and carelessness (coats etc, left behind). Not sure what to make of that...

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    1. I agree, Mary Ann. Consumerism/ disposable income come to mind.

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  4. I teach in the suburbs of Chicago, but got my teaching degree from DePaul, a school with a mission to serve inner-city children. I see that same disconnect between the suburbs and city -- it's like two different countries that never meet.

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    1. I haven't had the inner city experience. These schools are both in quiet suburbs, one older, one newer. Makes the difference even more baffling.

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  5. I teach in a school like yours - so many expensive lost items. Oz and Kansas - that is our country right now...

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    1. Isn't it sad? So many coats going to Goodwill, and yet we hold a coins for coats drive every fall for new coats for those who need them.

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  6. I've taught in different kinds of schools, but not in the downtown Eastside of Vancouver area. I'm not sure which is easier to deal with, entitled students with affluent families, or students from poorer neighbourhoods. One school I taught in had both, but that is another story entirely.

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    1. I student taught in the last situation you mentioned, and it was surreal. Low-SES and affluent schools each have their own set of challenges. We educators know that there are definite, concrete things that aid a child's development--basic needs met of food, clothing, shelter, emotional bonding, appropriate play and rest, access to print resources in the home (and increasingly, access to the internet). It's hard to teach curriculum when you are trying to make up for those needs as well. And in the affluent schools, those needs are met, so children tend to thrive academically--though not always emotionally or socially.

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  7. About losing or forgetting or just not caring about things--it amazes me what these kids (and parents) just let go. I keep a lost and found in my room, and there were jackets, Starbucks metal mugs, and all kinds of "goodies". During the last week of school I laid them out on the table so the kids would grab them. Nope. No one claimed their things. I teach high school kids, and I wonder if it's because they didn't pay for their items, and therefore do not care / know their worth. just an observation I made this year as well. Have a great summer!

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    1. I find that interesting, since kids seem to be invested in their "stuff" at that age. Maybe its a pattern set since youth, losing something and automatically having a parent replace it without discussion or consequences. I know our Goodwill will have a coat bonanza this fall; the bags were huge!

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