Sometimes you just know when you are in the right place and doing the right thing. At the same time, you also know when you could and should be doing more or doing something differently. When I interviewed for my current teaching position, the moment I stepped foot on the campus, I knew that I would be hired because everything felt right. I had just been rejected from two doctoral programs, and I knew in my heart that this teaching position was the reason why. The idea of changing girls' lives while working in academia seemed absolutely perfect. Now that I'm teaching, after facing the challenges of being in a new place and then surviving the Winter Blues, I know that I'm doing the right thing, and I'm in the right place.
Girls who attend our school receive a top-notch education from highly qualified teachers (almost all of the 9-12 teachers have advanced degrees), and 100% of our graduates go to four-year colleges and universities. On top of creating an environment where students feel confident to be themselves and discover their abilities, our school gives teachers the freedom to develop and explore as well.
So, why do I feel conflicted? The truth is I've always felt slightly guilty about working in an independent school. Like most independent schools in the country, the school where I work comes with an expensive tuition price tag. While the school offers scholarships that can cover up to 90% of tuition, the majority of families pay SOMETHING for their daughters to attend. I know that my girls need me, but I also know that there are millions of children who do not even have the option to attend a quality school because they can't pay for education, and they live in a district with a failing school. Families should not have to pay for school for their children to have the chance at an education that will change their lives for the better.
Until this point, I have felt powerless to change the problems that I see in the public education system. After all, what am I supposed to do? Leave a job that I love and teach in a school system that's failing? Start my own school that will serve a limited number of students? Give up on teaching altogether? No. While I have no doubt that I am where I belong, I also have no doubt that I should be doing more. I have long recognized my calling to improve the lives of people all around me, to build communities and change perspectives. Instead of feeling guilty about working where I do, I am going to accept and use my talents as an educator and a writer to fight for our children, to fight for this country. I hope that if you read this you will join me in advocating for the rights of our children.
3 comments:
You wrote a wonderful reflection. It can no doubt serve to stimulate thinking among students that are considering their own direction post-undergraduate life.
Thank you. I hope that this post will stimulate thinking among students and educators alike. Putting one's college/work experience into perspective with one's purpose is truly eye-opening.
I have probably told you this before: I am unabashedly a ten percenter. I went to an independent high school that was predominantly white and more importantly, wealthy. I didn't have any role-model or true ethnic advocate in that school and in retrospect, after going to H.S.2.0, I know how much that would have made a difference for my education. Being on the exact 180th degree of your situation, teaching in the worst district in New York City, I can tell you that students of color in any educational situation need academic role models that look like them. Moreover, you're pulling double duty by teaching young women! We're attacking the trifecta of race, class and gender from all angles...
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