TTCTWCH9
I think school culture is perhaps more important than anything else. School culture determines how happy the teachers are, and this has a direct impact on the students. When I walk in some schools, a feeling comes over me that everyone that works there takes pride in what he/she does. Things such as friendliness and cleanliness really matter, but these things alone are not, of course, enough. Teachers and administrators (and custodians, lunchroom workers and office worker) must really care about the reason that the school exists – the students. Some of the schools in Shame of the Nation, the book I just finished reading with my book buddy, Charlotte, were terrible places for anyone to work or learn; in contrast, other schools, even though they lacked the resources that they truly needed to foster learning, the teachers, administrators and other workers at the schools somehow made sure that learning was taking place and that the students knew they were really cared for and that the environment was a pleasant one to be in day after day. I can’t imagine a school like the one described in chapter 9 where racial tension exists between African American and Latino students. Kimberly Min says that “the staff generalizes about African American and Latinos-the African American kids are (according to the staff) louder and more physical, whereas the Latinos are more obedient and reticent.” At her school, the African Americans are seen as the aggressors while the Latinos are seen as the victims. The racism she describes is terrible! I admire her for trying to be a change agent.
