Don’t just close schools. Save Schools
Schools are being shut down in Chicago because of their crippling failures.
But are they the only ones who have failed? Who else is accountable? Who else needs to come to their rescue?
What else needs to be done?
Few stories matter as much as these school closings to communities and this is the time for the ethnic news media to find new ways to tell this story. My suggestion is to take the whole picture apart and tell parts of it. And keep up your reporting so that eventually you have covered everything possible and painted the whole picture.
You don’t need a staff of hundreds to get started.
Here is one start – listening to the schools social workers. This is an op ed piece written by a group of Chicago Public School social workers. Consider their points. Contact them. Let’s keep listening, looking and finding better ways of telling a story that truly matters and that keeps us a part of our communities.
Here is what they have written.
Steve–and if please share with us any stories you have written on this
THE VILLAGE MUST BE REHABILITATED!
As violent deaths of our youth continue, the pervasive sense that “nothing can be done” increases. Children and families are left with a marked sense of powerlessness that is compounded on a daily basis. The violent loss of our youth will always be a tragedy and must not be tolerated.
During the past decade we have been inundated with the African proverb “It takes a village to raise a child”. The Village is crumbling and we see blatant murders of the weakest in our society. The societal Village is fragmented, mutilated and discouraged; it has essentially renounced its responsibility. It is clear the Village has not only lost its way but is in need of a massive overhaul.
School social workers are acutely aware of the terrible toll youth violence has taken, yet they continue to be significant components of the Village, invested in preparing students to assume positive roles in society. In many ways, the school social worker has become the primary Village to many children.
School social workers see firsthand the tragedy of constant exposure to violence, the deep-seated anger and rage, the fear, the risk-taking, the disregard for life and the difficulty trusting others and themselves. School social workers see the catastrophic effect of students unable to focus and learn, thus reducing their ability to have a productive and positive future.
Students expect to be fairly safe within the school confines but when they emerge, it is indisputable that the “buck stops at the school door”. When students step outside there is a change of priorities and a harsh reality becomes shockingly conspicuous.
In order to combat these feelings, school social workers sponsor conflict resolution, anger management classes, positive problem-solving techniques, social awareness and improved social functioning programs all within the guidelines of the Social/Emotional Learning Standards.
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) for students is excellent and has been regularly proven to change attitudes and behaviors while improving outcomes for school communities that foster its engagement. Social Emotional Learning skills are organized around three simple but galvanizing goals:
Goal 1: Develop self-awareness and self-management skills to achieve school and life success
Goal 2: Use social awareness and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain positive relationships
Goal 3: Demonstrate decision-making skills and responsible behaviors in personal, school, and community contexts.
In order for the Village to be effective, everyone must be trained and share a similar view; we must restore the Village by teaching Social Emotional Learning standards to all its members. SEL must leap from school to society so there is no longer a collision of students trained and not those of the desolate Village. This would ensure the seamless transitions of students into society.
In order to encompass the Village foundations, several major groups must be immediately involved in the process of learning SEL.
All city employees, whether having direct contact with the public or not, must be trained. Parents must receive trainings; SEL should be a mandatory course for all graduates of higher learning institutions, all those in correctional system must be targeted.
A special department is necessary to establish SEL trainings, monitor them and issue relevant materials. Ongoing public service announcements related and adapted to SEL skills is necessary. These trainings, and eventually, the associated activities would be integrated into the culture of the City of Chicago.
A cultural shift is required to save the Village and all of its inhabitants. The Village culture must be steeped in the basics of maintaining a civil and humane society.
It not enough that school social workers heed this message. The goal is to be inclusive of all. SEL must no longer be limited to students, as we all know being a life-long learner is optimal. Life-long SEL makes for an improved quality of life for all
