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Leadership: the action of leading a group of people or an organization.
Leadership: the action of leading a group of people or an organization.
About Us:
About Us:
-Lydia-
I am a third year at the University of Iowa and am majoring in Elementary Education with endorsements in Reading, English, and Talented and Gifted. This is important to know because a lot of my perspectives come from that of an education major. Though I did notice the social issues present, I often found myself focusing on the education itself, the curriculum being taught and how it was being presented to the students. This is sure to be present in my analysis of these organizations and schools and the leadership qualities I will discuss.
-Chris-
I am a first year student at the University of Iowa, my current major is English and Creative Writing, on a pre-law track. I also have a minor in Latino/Latina Studies and Cinema. Education has always played an important role in my life. It has always meant that I could succeed and help others do the same.
-Service Learning-
-Service Learning-
Kingdom House
Kingdom House
Kingdom house serves a communnity of young poeple in St. Louis. Not only children, but also their families. They have many amenities. This includes programs for children but also support for parents in the area as well. They have after school programs, a food pantry, clothing drive and more.
Positive aspects of kingdom House:
- Multiple programs for children
- Assisting families with low-income based daycare option
- Inexpensive need options, such as: diapers, razors, hygiene products and clothing
- Food pantry that allowed people in the area to get food at an inexpensive rate as well
Negative aspects of Kingdom House:
- Kingdom house did not have a diverse staff that reflected their students
Leadership Learned:
- Helped us get a better understanding of financial needs of others
- The importance of representation and exactly what that looks like
Sumner High School
Sumner High School
At Sumner High School, we all had a unique experience. This highschool is a place that is rich with Black history. We learned as a group about the school, and how important theri histoy is. Looking at the neighborhood, we could Sumner High school was located in an area that did not have money. Buildings were half torn down, many houses were torn apart even though people were still living there.
Going into the school, we felt very welcomed, regardless of the first thing us seeing being a metal detector. We were given a tour and a history of the school. Shortly after, we began our service, which consisted of us cleaning the auditorium, for an event that Sumner had planned. This was important to me because it is not our goal to disrupt the lives of the people there but to assist in anything they need. After a while we shifted towards cleaning the stairs and the locker room. During this time, we were able to see students going to classes. We noticed that every room was locked. Students had to have an adult with them to go to any room at all times. Students seemed to have to ask teachers, to walk them to the bathroom, just to unlock it.
Positive aspects of Sumner:
- The staff at the highschool seemed to represent the community they were teaching in. Many of the teachers, are Black, like their students. This allows for a connection between the students and staff.
- Some of the staff were very passiontate about how the school is being treated. The first person we met, Ms.Davis, was an alumni at Sumner who seemed to push for the school to be allocated more support.
- Students seemed to be supported through art, many of the walls in the building had art by students covering them.
Negative aspects of Sumner:
- Every door in the building was locked so students had to get a teacher to unlock any room they needed access too, such as restrooms
- Students were not supported academically, they did not seemed to be challenged at all
- Students did seem to be trusted by any of the staff
- Sumner did not have any sports, and if they did it was partnered with their rival school
Leadership Learned:
- How we can support students in school
- The importance of listening and how we can impact others by it
KIPP Inspire
KIPP Inspire
KIPP Inspire is promotes itself as a charter school that is focused on getting their students to college. KIPP stands for Knowledge is Power Program.
"KIPP Inspire Academy will serve as a catalyst for education reform by establishing and supporting a world class school that develops in all of our students the knowledge, skills, character, and pursuit of excellence necessary to succeed in high quality high schools and colleges and the world beyond" (KIPP Inspire Academy).
When we first arrived at KIPP Inspire, I was very excited to see how they worked to bridge the gap in Education Equity. Upon walking in, we noticed a drastic change from Sumner High School. There were posters with inspirational quotes on the wall, the rooms were not locked, and the students were being celebrated for good attendance. These were about the only good things we were to discover here.
First, let's focus on the positives:
- The teachers and staff called their students "scholars". This helps the students think of themselves as learners and connects them with the idea that they can get to college which is one of the main focuses of KIPP.
- Students are put in groups and are represented by a college. This gets the students use to being considered by a college name.
- At the end of each year, students take a picture with a sign indicating their current top choice in college.
- Every grade has 'Students of the Month' and their are also multiple posters and signs to praise students for excellent attendance.
- This is positive reinforcement. They are praising students that are in school by recognizing them on a daily basis.
- Some of the teachers had pictures on their walls of them with their students. This shows that their students are important to them and that they all make up the classroom. This is a positive leadership technique because it indicates that the teacher and the students are in it together and helps form relationships.
Negative showings of leadership:
- The teachers did not answer students' questions. They would ignore them or tell them to get back to their work. This reinforces the idea that the students should not ask questions which caused some students to just sit and do nothing instead of asking for help.
- Teachers have the unique opportunity to be a positive role model for their students and be a source of support for them. Unfortunately, many of the teachers were on their cell phones during class and some even left the room to face time leaving us alone in the classroom with their students.
- Every classroom we observed (a total of 11) taught solely with packets and did not integrate the information in any other way. This was the only source of media they used. Students were learning that there is only one way to be taught and they were not even being engaged in the material through that technique. Teachers should strive to make connections between the different material that is being taught. They should engage the students and not just teach them how to fill out a packet. At KIPP Inspire, students are not being taught to think critically. In one class, the teacher just had them copy down everything she wrote and she did not provide any extra dialogue or information to what they were copying.
- They punished those who engaged with the material creatively. For example, two students were in English and they finished their packet early. The teacher did not assign them anything else after they finished and did not tell them to sit quietly. In this free time, the students decided to create a book in which they both would add to the story. The teacher saw this, and instead of encouraging the students- since they were going above and beyond and working with creative writing,- the teacher took the book away and said, "This isn't art class."
- This discourages students to think creatively or to use the skills they are being taught in any other manner. It teaches them not to take initiative in their education.
- They have no art programs, no music programs, and no extracurriculars. All of these help build students' confidence and help them find an area they might succeed. They also provide students with a chance to meet new people and to expand their perspectives and knowledge of others. By not having any of these programs, KIPP robs the students of a chance to learn in a different way and to build relationships.
- The students are treated as if they are expected to misbehave. The teachers and staff walk them from class to class (this was a middle school) and they were expected to walk quietly in a straight line. All of the windows on the doors leading to the hallways were covered with paper. The bathroom stalls did not have any locks.
- These factors teach the students that they are not trusted by the school. Trust goes both ways and for those in the leadership positions to show that they do not have any of those they are suppose to lead, not only trust by respect is lost.
- KIPP Inspire seemed to focus more of test scores than on actually learning and thinking critically. Whenever we asked about their curriculum, they would talk about how they work on their test scores and pride themselves on having higher scores than that of the public schools.
- Those the students may be achieving higher test scores, no emphasis is put on actually teaching the students anything. They are not learning how to engage with material and to think through it which is critical for a leader. Leaders must be able to problem solve, be creative, and to make decisions. KIPP Inspire does not teach any of this in their school.
What did KIPP Inspire teach us?
What did KIPP Inspire teach us?
KIPP Inspire taught us not to just accept the information that we are being told. We need to think for ourselves and investigate further. If we had just took the principal for his word and did not engage with the students and teachers, we would not have been able to see past the false face in which we were presented.
I know that I will now think critically about other schools that I visit or work in. I will think about if the way I am being asked to teach is actually the most valuable to my students and if not, how can I improve it in an appropriate manner. My eyes are now open to really assessing different environments and the tactics they use. Though I am not a fan of KIPP Inspire, I am better for visiting it.
KIPP Inspire was my greatest disappointment on this trip. They preached inclusivity and teaching their students how to get to college, but they only taught them how to take a test. They were so focused on the positives that their school had that they overlooked all of the things they still needed to work on. As a fellow peer stated when referencing their students, "They deserve better."
Ready Readers
Ready Readers
Ready Readers prepares preschool-aged children in low income communities to become readers by reading out loud to them and by providing them quality books. A large part of the program is run by volunteers. These volunteers are the ones who go out into the schools or programs to read to young children. Most do this on a weekly basis. Ready Readers then provides its volunteers with at least four books every year to give to each of their students. One of their goals is to give these children books so that they can have some in their homes in which they can practice on their own or have others read to them.
At Ready Readers, we helped box up books that the volunteers can give to those they read to. All of the packages we boxed can be seen in the picture on the right. Each of these boxes contain 2 books for every student in all of the classrooms or programs the volunteers help out in.
Ready Readers taught us how a program can be based on volunteers and still have a huge impact on young children in the area. If you want to make a difference in your community, find a way to get involved. You would be surprised about the impactful programs in your area!
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