I believe one of the major issues facing our nation’s schools at this time is the outstanding disconnect between schools and the communities in which they exist. Educators too often ignore the fact that a major portions of a students learning occurs outside of the classroom, in the home and in the community. In order for teachers to succeed in fully educating students who are not simply products of their schools, they need to understand and engage with the effects that communities have on education. Jessica Singer and Ruth Shagoury presented a spectacular way to engage students with their community in their article. By viewing education and learning as political acts that are affected by issues of equality and social justice, students are able to partake in learning that focuses on their own homes and the spaces where they live. In this way the school is connected to the community and learning that occurs in the community compliments what occurs in school.
In addition to bringing together the school and the community, learning that focuses on issues of social justice, allows students to make a choice as to what to study while still mastering the necessary literacy skills. In this way students are more positive about the learning experienced and are much more engaged. Focusing on social justice allows all students to deeply involve themselves in the world around them and begins to close the gap between the school and the community.
I think that Joe’s response to the “Stirring Up Justice” article by Jessica Singer and Ruth Shagoury relates to our discussion about students’ funds of knowledge from last week. I agree with Joe’s observation that one of the main problems with education today is a disparity between what students are being taught inside the classroom and what they encounter beyond the walls of the school. This article demonstrated that when students’ funds of knowledge are called upon and validated in the classroom, their learning experience becomes positive. I think that Singer’s unit plan demonstrated a realistic way for students to bring their community experience and funds of knowledge into the classroom, while simultaneously giving them the tools to engage in their community in a positive manner. What struck me most about the findings in the article was the passion the students demonstrated when they were allowed to incorporate their personal knowledge and interests into the curriculum. For instance, Shagoury notes that on the final day of the school year “students arrived at Jessie’s door 45 minutes before the bell with posters, paintings, collages, mobiles, audio CDs and tapes, photographs, slides, poetry, political cartoons, and other creative activism projects” (335). This scene was not only amazing because they students had arrived to class early, but also because they had come with assignments completed on time. This description of enthusiastic students makes me consider my experiences observing at Poughkeepsie High School: if connecting the curriculum to the students’ community could produce results half as good as the ones depicted in the article, then this is a mode of teaching that needs to be genuinely considered.
I think one of the most interesting things to me about this project and all these thoughts is that it’s really something that could be done anywhere. It worked for one diverse population in Oregon, and I could see it working just as well in an even larger city, or in my own small rural town, or a suburban area. The reading side of the project allows students to work at their own levels, and the personal side allows the project to apply to any student. Even in areas where students may not have personally encountered many issues of social justice, the project would force them to examine “smaller” issues they may have come into contact with. This would provide the framework for them to analyze and work at larger issues in and out of future communities. No one should be going without this sort of complete, active education, and a project like this makes it accessible to any population. I think it’s somewhat rare to encounter something so versatile that it can be used without leaving some students’ experiences out, without focusing all on one particular culture. I guess it’s a strong argument for personal voice and authority (a thing I firmly believe in engaging).