Melissa,
Before I take a summer break from writing, I wanted to share some thoughts and ask some questions about the "keys to success" in education. As college professors, we are fortunate that the vast majority of students in our classrooms are well-prepared to face the rigors of higher education. Our students come from all walks of life, and while some are people of privilege, many of them have faced tremendous obstacles to graduate from high school and attend college. I am wondering why, despite some of the toughest circumstances, some students succeed despite the odds against them. It is a subject taken up by a recent op-ed piece in the New York Times.
In our blog, we have written extensively about the circumstances that many children of color face in their communities. High infant mortality rates; environmental racism that leads to higher rates of asthma; a crumbling urban infrastructure; unequal school facilities and resources; and lack of access to good nutrition are just a few of the problems that we have highlighted on this blog. We could include on this "hit list," indifferent and hostile teachers - like the one Malcolm X talked about in his autobiography who could not conceive that Malcolm was capable of being a lawyer. But despite these circumstances, and many more, some children will meet these obstacles and overcome them. How? What are some of those keys that make the difference in educational sucess?
Can one outstanding teacher, in a sea of indifferent teachers, who offers words of encouragement and who sees a special quality in an individual student be the catalyst for success? Can a summer program that provides a few weeks of gainful employment and a sense of purpose be a catalyst for success? Can early exposure to a powerful book, with a story that resonates with the reader's own experience, be that catalyst for success?
I am thinking about this as I prepare to attend a recognition ceremony tonight for the 25th anniversary of the Oliver Scholars Program. This program selects 7th grade African American and Latino/a students, offers them support and guidance as they apply to some of the most selective independent schools in the country, and continues to support them through the college admissions process. Many moons ago, as a 12 year old, I was chosen to become an Oliver Scholar and that program would change my life in ways that I could not imagine at that young age. At a moment in my life, in which life circumstances could have led me down a radically different path, it was the Oliver Program that encouraged me, challenged me, and equipped me with tools I still use today. For some of my friends, it was programs like A Better Chance or Prep for Prep. These programs have produced doctors and lawyers, teachers and professors, poets and dancers. Maybe many of these students who have succeeded in their chosen vocations without something like the Oliver Program; but I know without a doubt, given my personal circumstances, that this program made all the difference.
As the school year comes to a close, as we celebrate graduations, commencements, children moving to the next grade, and all the year-end educational achievements, I would love for all our readers to weigh in on whatever thing, either large or small, contributed positively to their educational experiences. Here is your space to thank those teachers, programs, writers, neighbors, and family members (or favorite bloggers), who taught you the power of education as a priceless gift. For me: my thanks to John Hoffman, the founder of the Oliver Scholars Program, and Albert G. Oliver, distinguished New York City public school educator and activist who devoted his life to the children of New York.
Yolanda
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21 comments:
Powerful post, Yolanda!
I stand on the shoulders of so many ... SO many people to thank who influenced me -- a sampling: my parents (John & Addlene Parker), grandparents, aunts, and uncles; my church family (Greenwood Missionary Baptist Church)-- which included lots of folks who worked "on campus" (Tuskegee Institute); teachers: Mrs. Olivia Reid, Mrs. Addlene Parker :), Mrs. Irma Williams, Ms. Vivianne LaPread (we still recite the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales in Middle English at our reunions), ... and many, many more.
Thanks for reminding me how very blessed I've been -- I have some phone calls to make and thank you notes to write!
Wow! I just began a journey in my mind. The first key to my success was my kindergarten teacher, Ms. Roach, who handled my rebellion against coloring with aplomb. Although the public school systems did not begin teaching kindergarten students how to read and write, when I informed Ms. Roach that this was why I had come to school, she took her own meager funds and purchased a phonics program. I'll never understand why she did, but I learned to read and to write and my educational pursuits took off.
Numerous other teachers embraced my thirst for knowledge, and they created additional lessons to nurture me. At every step along my educational path, there were teachers who kept the spark aflame. From Sr. Karen Marie and Sr. Susan Marie, who sent me to the 6th grade classroom for reading when I was in 2nd and 3rd grades, to Sr. Karen (SBS), who told us about the Howard University ALPS (Advanced Learning Program for the Summer), I was never limited by age or circumstance in their eyes, and I never limited myself either.
In graduate school, Dr. Cynthia Greer pushed us to operate as if we were pursuing doctoral work. I knew coming out of my masters degree that I was prepared to pursue a PhD. I only wish I had taken that next step as soon as I finished.
Finally, the most important key was my mother. Although she had dropped out of school to work, she went back when I was in elementary school to pursue her HS diploma. I had always known she valued education for my sister and I, but when she graduated, I saw that this was more than just a dream she had for us; education was something she valued in itself.
I hope I am still finding educational keys, as my love of learning has not waned over the years. And, as an educator, I hope I am able to provide educational keys for others.
I thought you were gonna post some study tips LOL
My grandmother and my father have been the greatest teachers and inspirations ever. My grandmother used narrative to depict to me the dangers of not getting an education, and not speaking your mind as a woman. My father has taught for Detroit Public Schools for over 40 years. He has taught me the meaning of perseverance. There are many students who were looked upon as failures, but he has always encouraged them to make the most out of the most minuscule circumstances. Both of these awesome human beings have taught me to speak when silence seemed to be the safest option.
Very motivational Yolanda.
I am an Oliver scholar, part of class 2013. I would love to thank the whole Oliver program. They have helped me gain many strategies not only to study and do my best in school, but to succeed in life. I know that the Oliver Program will definitely be a program that i will not forget. My experience there has been one of the greatest. The Oliver Program has definitely helped me realize thats giving back to the community is a necessity and that we must always help those who are in need. I know that the Oliver Program has me headed in the right direction, therefore i would like to thank it.
My parents supported me financially as well as emotionally. Some people have the notion that black students don't have to pay for college and that our education is funded through government grants and/or scholarships. That's so untrue. My parents were among the millions of black parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and siblings who have made great financial sacrifices to send their relatives to college.
I'm not from a wealthy family. My father was a postal worker and my mother was a homemaker who cleaned schools to support my education and my sister's.
The Oliver Scholars Program wants to express our deep gratitude for the profound message of dignity that Yolanda shared with us on Monday night. Dr. Pierce can deliver the word, truly!
I would like to thank Mr. Roberts - my sophomore English teacher for helping me to learn the power of books. We read some very interesting books that year but my favorite was The Grapes of Wrath. It wasn't the book per se but what Mr. Roberts did. Each day he would assign us a number of chapters to read. The next day in class he would stand at a podium and read the chapters to us. He had a wonderful way of making those books come to life and I will never forget it or him. I have been a daily reader since. In childhood it was my escape from a very dysfunctional family. There was also Miss Vanderlinden. She was my 5th and 6th grade teacher. It was the first time in my young life that I realized a teacher truly cared about me. I am sure there were others but she was the first who made that impact on me. She told wonderful personal stories about time spent with her father - camping and fishing - things I never did. Thanks Yolanda for helping me remember these two wonderful people who touched my life.
Crystal
I felt compelled to comment on Dr. Harris-Lacewell’s recent contribution to The Kitchen Table, "Educational Keys to Success," as significant items in the article fit my educational process like a well-fitted glove. I am person of color and a product of a ghetto in its traditional sense, i.e., predominantly one ethnicity, but it has never been a slum. From birth to 13 years old almost everyone with whom I came in contact was of African descent because when I was born, white flight was beginning to ascend toward its 1970 peak and by the time I went to school, most of the whites were already gone. Despite being overwhelmed with outgrowths of the 1960s, like gangs and authoritarian racism, our schools were pretty good. Between first and sixth grade I had three teachers who consistently demonstrated the characteristics Harris-Lacewell mentioned in her blog, and their impact on my life is something for which they should be commended.
In second through fifth grades I had only one teacher who, at Temple Sinai taught her students every subject: Dr. Bowden. She always offered us “words of encouragement,” but she simultaneously put the fear of God into us regarding her academic expectations for us. For those of us who chose to follow her strict rules of educational engagement, we learned how to master and utilize the tools necessary for academic achievement, such as responsibility, time management, diligence, focus, and critical thinking. In the sixth grade I attended Samson Freedman School for the Humanitarians, but only after refusing to be bussed to a white school in the name of integration. My English teacher, Mr. Rafgaber, worked us to death! He looked like Santa Claus and he had his ways of metaphorically lumping coal into our stockings. He took his best student to see their first Broadway play, The Wiz, when Stephanie Miller was “Dorothy.” That lucky kid was me and by drilling me so hard in spelling and syntax and definitions, and yes, lots of literature that should have been over my head at the time, Mr. Rafgaber taught me that there was reward for high achievement and knowledge building, while he simultaneously showed me that the Humanities are both entertaining and socially relevant. Finally, and most importantly in my life, in first grade at Pennypacker Mrs. Reed taught me how to read and write. By age 6 I was already so dyslexic that I could only write upside down and backwards at the same time. To this day it is as neat, or neater, than my left to right handwriting (snicker). Mrs. Reed made a trade off with me. She allowed me to write the way I was most comfortable as long as I did not write on the back of the paper and I had to read a lot of books from the library. I read so much that Mrs. Reed (see the irony) gave me the opportunity to love old literature. I had no idea in 1977 that what I learned in the ghetto of Philly would be all that I would initially get from education; but the value and quality of what I received in those seven years was priceless and the history of that experience–the sense of achievement, sense of wanting to know, rudimentary foundation of discipline and excellence–would eventually serve its purpose.
This is the history of learning into which I tapped when, at age 35, with my GED and 6 college credits in hand, I decided to finally get that education I always wanted. And it is from the lessons of how to learn, retain knowledge, and appreciate the Arts, which I acquired from Reed, Rafgaber, and Bowden decades before, that held me in check from September 1998 to May 2009, when I finally graduated with my Ph.D. in African American Literature. My educational history is proof-positive that the "one," or three, "outstanding teacher[s], in a sea of indifferent teachers, who offer[ed] words of encouragement and who [saw] a special quality in an individual student [is] the catalyst for success" (Harris-Lacewell), demonstrated by the doctorate I hung on my wall today.
Thanks for reading/listening and thanks for the article.
Very nice inspirational thought provoking post it will definitely help most of readers to show the right path to success.
Great word Mrs Yolanda. Everything you shared is so true. My father-in-law sent this to me and I am so glad he did. My daughter attended a program called S.E.E.D.S., which I'm sure is similar to the Oliver Scholars program that you attended. There were 50 students who attended in her region, she being one. Only 25 were chosen to continue and be awarded the opportunity to attend a private school, tuition paid. Shaun was not one of those students chosen. There probably were a couple of reasons that attributed to her not being selected, but there is one thing among many that Shaun got out of this experience is that the choices you make could be the difference in the direction of your future. We chose to apply to private schools anyway not knowing how we would pay the tuition. Shaun got admitted with some financial support but not enough, but we are still looking. If you have any suggestions of where Shaun could apply for aid to attend a private school please pass on.
So I personally think that it is the choice we make that make the difference in succeeding during those trying times and experience in life that you menttioned. Shaun is very strong willed and she as well as her family have faith that she will suceed as long as she makes the right choices.
Shaun chose to miss the SEEDS program for 3 days to partipate in the AAU Nationals tournament in Missouri and those days missed were very significant and shaun believes this is why she was not chosen to continue in the SEEDS program, a choice that we allowed Shaun to make.
Thank-you again for those words of encouragement. We are proud of you and other women who have achieved such excellence in Education, keep up the good work. May God continue to bless you and your family.
Off topic, but do you want to hear about educational keys to helping white folks work on racist tendencies they grew up with? I was one of four students from Williams College who spent a week at Howard University in 1962 on a student exchange program. I got to talk with professor Rayford Logan and attend a lecture by E. Franklin Frazer, go to a Bobby Timmons concert, and be "read out" of four restaurants in Laurel, Maryland. That week left a permanent impression.
Dear Yolanda, I have been reading your blog for a while now and cannot remember how it came to me. Maybe I was looking for the meaning of "womanist" so I am convinced that the spirit works in many ways. I am a member of Brooklyn Meeting, served on the board of BFS, and have been a member of the Care Relationship Committee between the two Quaker communities. Well, I just received an email from the chair of the current BFS board with a link to the Brookln Eagle article with reference to you and your words when you received the George Fox award. Here is the link to the article: http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=9&id=28913
Without a doubt, my parents and grandparents were the one's who contributed most positively to my being able to graduate from high school, move on to college, and later attend graduate school. Above and beyond that, I always found that the few peers who supported me as friends throughout middle school and high school we ones who were focused on academic success.
As for the NY Times article, I was a little bit confused by what seemed to be an inconsistency in the authors argument. In parts of the piece, he suggests that increasing social services, improving elementary and secondary schools, and making college more affordable are extremely important to lifting people out of poverty. In other parts, he suggests that people's cultural attributes have been what have lifted them to high levels of academic achievement. I think we will always have rare examples of extraordinary successes in education - our comparative system is set up such that some will always beat the curve. But I think if we're interested in making it so that most (all?) children are succeed at a high standard, we need to make system-wide changes.
Wow! I have seen so few blogs that express such high values as yours. I am moved. Thank you for the effort of love and commitment your blog seems to represent.
My inspiration came in the form of my high school boyfriend who realized in our senior year that my family had not prepared me or my sister for college in any fashion. He quietly and gently began telling me about the process of even applying to the local U. (Univ. of Nevada, Reno), where one building carried the name of his grandfather. How lucky I was to have him in my life then. I am positive that I'd never have gone without his encouragement. I worked the summer prior to our freshman year and so funded my first semester myself. In the meantime, that dear guy used family connections to secure a good part-time job at a local savings and loan...and then he introduced me to The Grandfather, who paid for the rest of my college years there.
I didn't graduate. Married another. Life happened. Over 20 years later I returned to an Oregon university and completed my degree. I owed my old boyfriend and his grandfather that and more.
Since then both have passed, the grandfather was aged, the boyfriend died at age 47 of a sudden heart attack. Five of us from the high school class began a scholarship in his name and have so enjoyed helping young students since then. At this year's 40th reunion (gasp!) there will be a golf tournament to build more funds for the scholarship to continue.
Come see my latest post, as the photo reminds me of the many photos of black children here at your blog that are so delightful.
For me, an adult woman diagnosed late in life with ADHD, my "catalyst of success" came from a social-worker who encouraged me to begin to think of it not as "success," but instead as "THE NEXT STEP." The solid plateau of success will probably never come for me; at 46, I'm still struggling against my disorder and poverty to finish my bachelors degree, while I cobble together part-time jobs to keep it all going. I have no illusions about what I'm going to be able to accomplish (or not) in the time I've got. But I can look at my life in a different way than others do, to appreciate and take pride in the fact that I made it to THE NEXT STEP. Which, to paraphrase a true success, is really a giant leap for me.
~ hb33 ~
My daughter is currently in a program in Seattle, WA modeled after NYC's Prep for Prep, called Rainier Scholars. We have just begun this journey; we are in the first summer of an 11 year commitment. She was one of 54 chosen out of 417 and we went through 6 months of testing and interviewing to be selected. That said, it was a proud moment for me when I opened the envelope telling us she had been selected as a Rainier Scholar, knowing that this was going to change the direction of our lives irrevocably. I didn't grow up with any emphasis on education so I feel this is the catalyst we both need to reach the success we both have in store for us. I am so glad that there are programs like these to change the trajectory of the lives of young people of color. As they say in RS, being smart isn't enough. It takes hard work, discipline, time management, and focus to achieve academically. So glad to hear that there are programs like this all over the country!
Wow! Such powerful remarks... I like the notion of the sea of indifferent teachers. Let's not beat up on them. Personally speaking, I found the most encouragement from the discouragement of these teachers. I recall a story of a teacher who told me "you are smart but you are not going to go that far." As I grew older and was faced with many challenges in acquiring an education, I always remembered those words. When I didn't want to study, I heard those words in my hear. When I didnt want to learn, I heard those words in my ear! Those words pushed me to where I am today. It pushed me to my mountain top of desires. Today, that young boy who was feed the negativity from that old naysayer teachervhas become a man of true success. Now that is how you benefit from the sea of indifferent teachers,,,,take the bad and turn it into good.
Curiosity leads to asking questions which puts you on the path to knowledge. Education is the key to success. Without a education you have nothing in this world. As a student I believe education is a must and it should be improved in many ways. First our schools need more teachers qualified in their subjects because, from what I've seen, there are teachers teaching subjects that they shouldn't be.
I personally like your post. It is very good to know that you don’t know. Fantastic post! Keep posting your good work.
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