The Equality of Innocence

In this chapter, Kozol writes more specifically about the role that race plays in public schools. He talks about the inequality in funding and opportunities between predominately white schools and black schools. The big questions he tries to answer in this chapter is: How can we find equality in these two different schools? Basically his answer is that we can't, but we can try; which was a little discouraging at the end. While studying a school in Washington, D.C., he also talks a bit about the role of the teacher and how the race of administrators and teachers can affect the way people look at the schools and also how the students will look at you as a teacher or administrator differently depending on the color of your skin.

"What they prescribe, is something that resembles equity but never reaches it: something close enough to equity to silence criticism by approximating justice, but far enough from equity to guarantee the benefits enjoyed by privilege" (175). During this part of the chapter, Kozol is sharing with us the inequality of the budgets from different states. For example, he talks about how some states have actually said that 100% equality was too expensive. They weren't willing to give the same amount of money to the suburban and urban schools because they couldn't afford it. Rather than finding a place to meet in the middle, they gave the urban school districts 75% of what the suburban districts received. Although it's only a missing 25%, its a lot more than it seems. This translates into schools not paying their teachers more, not providing enough books for the students, class sizes, etc. They give them just enough so that it isn't an outrage, but they still leave them in the dust. Honestly, as I continue looking back at this chapter its almost as if these districts are completely used. They're not cared for and it shows through the way that they distribute funding. Greed in people is disappointing, but its even more disappointing when they're willing to put a child's future in harms way because they are not willing to give more money to pay for books in a district. It really is an outrage the way that these schools are treated, tossed to the side, and forgotten about. The more I read, the more I hope that there is something I can do in my future that could possibly help stop this type of inequality.

"So they know this other world exists, and, when you tell them that the government can't find the money to provide them with a decent place to go to school, they don't believe it and they know that it's a choice that has been made - a choice about how much they matter to society" (179). Kozol practically makes this entire chapter about the lack of funding for urban school districts. Although it may upset faculty that they don't get enough funding, we need to also remember the message it is sending to the students. Many of them already have a low self-esteem from the homes that they come from; then we go on to not give them a nice school like the neighboring towns because of where they live, it ruins that self esteem even more. We send them a message that they're not worth it, and if we're telling them that at such a young age why would they ever think differently? It's our fault that these inequalities exist, we allow the states to fund schools unfairly and treat urban districts like they do not matter. One of the students when asked about how they felt about their school responded "By doing this to you, we teach you how much you are hated" (179). A young boy was talking about how he knows that other schools have more money, and he see's it as an attack against him, his friends, and family. We need to open up our own eyes and see the harm that these types of situations are causing.

"The schools is dirty. There isn't any playground. There's a hole in the wall behind the principal's desk. What we need to do is first rebuild the school. Another color. Build a playground. Plant a lot of flowers. Paint the classrooms. Blue and white. Fix the hole in the principal's office. Buy the doors for the toilet stalls in the girls' bathroom. Fix the ceiling in this room. Make is a beautiful clean building" (181). That statement was coming from a fifth grader in Anacostia. She is well aware that her school isn't what it could be. The walls are dull, the schools is run down, students don't have anywhere to play, and the inside of the school looks like a prison. This is something that is really unacceptable to me. How can an elementary school feel like a prison? That is the last place that should be dull looking, and there should be people willing to help fix that. I'm currently working with a teacher at Hoover Elementary. On the outside it does somewhat look like a prison, but they have done what they can to make it an inviting and colorful school. Last summer the teachers and parents took time to go outside and plant flowers. They have been allowed to paint their classrooms, but most of them just decorate it with vibrant colors. It isn't difficult to make a school look more inviting, and I understand that the funding may not be there to help with this. However, I think with a little extra work, the faculty could at least make it look like a fun place to learn. Elementary students have the fun aspect about them, which is why I want to teach elementary. If we don't provide them with a fun and inviting environment, I feel like we're cheating them. Everyone deserves to have a friendly and welcoming school.

"It is truly gifted black officials who seem often in the most unenviable role; and this is the case especially in public education. Some of these people pay an awful price for the symbolic role they fill: a symbolism that at times appears to freeze their personalities and drain them of their normal warmth and humor" (196). Towards the end of the chapter, Kozol writes about the differences between white and black administrators. It seems that the outside media puts more pressure on black principals and disregards when a white principal is unable to fulfill the job. Many of them enter the school enthusiastic, but after a year or two they usually leave because they can't handle the outside pressures. It's disappointing when someone is going in to try and help a school in any way that they can, but are constantly badgered. He also mentions how the students also look at black and white teachers differently. They feel more comfortable with someone like them, which isn't a surprise by any means; but they grow more anxious when talking with a white teacher. He gives an example of a young student who was grasping onto his inhaler so tightly while talking to a white teacher, then begins a conversation with a black teacher in a completely different manner. The student is much more composed and relaxed. This is something that is important for me to understand since I have the desire to work in a low-income school. Hopefully I will have the ability to make the students feel as comfortable around me as they would with anyone else.

Although this chapter focused more on race than education, I still really enjoyed reading and learning more about it. I need to understand that I probably will be looked at differently since I am a white teacher. It may take me more time to earn their trust, but that is definitely something I'm willing to work hard for. Along with that, I hope that if I am in a school that feels like a prison I will be able to find others to help me make it feel like a more inviting environment. I would hate to work in an elementary school that had no personality, and I can't imagine the students would enjoy learning in a place with dull colored walls. Jonathon Kozol is really helping open my eyes to some of the problems I may face in my future teaching career.