Saturday, June 12, 2010

Outliers


I finished the book "Outliers" this week by Malcolm Gladwell. This was my first Gladwell book and I loved it! A friend who was with us in Korea sent Husband and I a whole batch of great books including this one.
The education lesson I learned from this book was simple, but profound: Our past dictates our future. The way we learn, behave with others, become successful/unsuccessful is not only based on the way we are brought up as children, but also in the way our ancestors (generations and generations) arrived to where our families are today.
At first I was frustrated (and validated) because I feel my biggest obstacle in teaching is not the student, but the family and environment they are raised in as children. The students who have parents that are interested in their education soar in the classroom.
Gladwell gave me hope though in the example of KIPP schools. KIPP schools focus on Math and Science for longer periods of time (hour and a half per day), work on Saturdays and have shorter summer breaks. The schools are in tough areas around the country, the kids are picked through lottery and it works. These kids are getting into top colleges in spite of their backgrounds...which is where I my hope lies. If I can keep my kids working in and out of class they can make differences in their lives in spite of their culture at home. There were no college graduates in my house growing up and I did it. I always tell my students and will continue to do so: You either let your past define you forever or you move on and become the person you want to be in life! I know it's not that easy...kids are up against much more than I ever was growing up, but sometimes their past becomes an excuse. What do you think?

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