Freedom Writer's Symposium #fw5515

I’m a dreamer. I’ve always wanted to make a big impact. Since I began teaching in a low-income-area over four years ago, I was shocked at the inequality I saw before my eyes. The schools were so vastly different than those I attended in my middle class hometown just a few miles up the road. The resources were scarce, and while I encountered many individuals who were committed to their careers and the students, I was also saddened to see some who were not. I was fortunate to be a part of a school that was closing the achievement gap and I immediately got involved in championing for more autonomy so our school could continue to soar despite low achievement and high drop out rates in our district. What I learned is that we have an incredibly powerful system in this country that seems to have its heart in the right place but is failing terribly in the delivery of an equal playing field in terms of education between poor and affluent communities. We have ourselves a case of the Haves vs. the Have-nots. For me, it is not enough to close the gap within the four walls of my classroom. I want to raise awareness about what is really happening in our low-income-area schools and change the outcome of these children’s lives. Through my research as a teacher and now as a graduate student in Education Administration, I become more and more angry as I discover that we have all of the answers to the question: How do we close the achievement gap? 

I now have the tremendous opportunity to attend the Freedom Writer Teacher's Empowerment Symposium in Washington, D.C. on March 5, 2015; National Teacher Appreciation Day.  I will bring my blog, www.closetheachivementgap.wordpress.com to raise awareness about the issues facing teachers and students in low-income communities.