Brighton's Hope

The Zip Code Issue

According to Webster, the word weary means worn out in strength, energy, or freshness. I realized recently I am weary, but not because of the hectic schedule of work and more work. I am weary because of the surroundings I pass daily on my drive up Jaybird Road to Brighton School.

I am very tired of seeing the huge tree stumps that have lined this road since last March, the many abandoned houses, and the cemetery with the sagging fence, crooked tombstones, and overgrown grass that is directly across the street from the school. This is the limited environment that the children of Brighton witness daily as they ride the school bus or walk through the graveyard to school.

Brighton children live a timeworn, run-down world that in places looks like something out of a Walker Evans Depression-era photograph. The only thing new in Brighton is a Shell gas station. Somehow the rising tide of American prosperity never reached this shore or lifted the boats of these children and their families. How do you break the generational cycle of poverty if you never even know what the world looks like outside of your threadbare community?

During our summer school program, each teacher took a day to ride the bus with the children to see the community. It was always interesting to hear their comments upon returning. The most insightful comment came from an 11-year veteran Brighton teacher. After her bus trip, she commented that we have to do everything we can to educate these children "so they can get out of Brighton." Then she corrected herself and said, "No, we need to educate them so they can go off and come back and help this community. There are too many people sitting on the porch!" She went on to explain that the children were not observing productive citizens going to work.

There has been much talk after the recent disaster of Katrina concerning the "zip code issue" and the likelihood of getting adequate help and support being dependent on where you live. I can so identify with the discussion because I see this first-hand everyday. The zip code of Brighton limits the children in so many ways as they lack access to the world that most of us take for granted. And that world is not paying much attention to their plight.

The one thing the zip code should not affect is the quality of the public school in the area. This is why I am so committed to helping make Brighton the school the children of this area deserve. School is their best hope of breaking through the zip code barrier. Yet we continue to hear negative comments from our own teachers about "these Brighton kids."

Let me tell you, "these Brighton kids" are the bravest and most strong-of-heart children I have ever had the opportunity to know, and the accident of their place of birth should not determine their future or lack of a future.

My Lack of Patience

In my last entry, you may have sensed my frustration as I see too little change in Brighton's learning climate. I believe that part of my frustration comes from my own personality.

I want an immediate fix.

I thought about this recently when cutting the grass. I love to cut grass even though I live in a hot humid climate. I enjoy cutting grass because I can see an immediate result. There is a special curve in the yard where I can turn and look back and see the results of my labor. It was at this curve that I realized the flaw in my personality that leads to much of my frustration about the slow, messy process of school change.

My lack of patience and the fact that I really enjoy the role of a fixer do not always mix well. My late husband and I spent years renovating an older house that had been burned. When my mother and mother-in-law saw the house for the first time, they cried and could not believe this was where we were going to raise their grandchildren. I could not understand their reaction because I had a total vision of the transformation of this burned house into a beautiful home. I knew I had complete control of the transformation, so I never became frustrated.

I have this same vision for Brighton becoming a model school. But I don't have the same level of control — far from it. And I want it to happen now! My sense of urgency stems from the needs of the children. I struggle to balance this sense with what is realistic for the teachers.

Last week, our reading coach asked a fifth grade student what was her reading level. The child responded 2.3. The reading coach went on to ask her if she knew what this meant and the student said that was these were the numbers she used to check out books. The reading coach in a gentle voice explained to the student that 2.3 meant second grade third month and that this was her reading level. The girl immediately began to cry and looked at the reading coach and asked, "What can I do to make it better?"

Of course, the real question is, what can we as professionals in this school do to make it better for this child? I know there are high-poverty schools in our state where most or all of the students are reading on grade level. So why do some of us continue to believe that our particular kids are incapable of the same success?

These are the questions I ask myself daily. How do we break out of this cycle of low expectations? How can I help make Brighton the school the children deserve — a school where teachers can thrive?

And, of course, how fast can we make this happen? Because the heat is on. The grass is growing.