Excluding Beauty- Jonathan Kozol Chapter 7

Quote 1- "I see old alfurbet letter hanging on one nail on the wall.  I see a dirty fire exit I see a old closet with supplys for the class.  I see pigeons flying all over the school.  I see old freght trains throgh the fence of the school yard.  I see pictures of contryies hanging on the wall and I see desks with wrighting all over the top of the desks and insited of the desk."(Kozol, p. 162)
This was a quote that Kozol read from the assignment that he assigned when teaching in a school in Boston.  It amazed me to see the spelling that the student lacked as well as the picture it left in my mind of the school.  This chapter focused a lot on the resources in schools as well as the physical outlook of the school.  I couldn't imagine being in a school that looked like this.  It seems like life would be very tough at this school.  Also, it seems as though the students aren't getting a great education based on the fact that the students that were assigned to this activity were in fourth grade and they are having trouble spelling at grade level.  I wonder what teachers were like in this school?  Also, I wonder what these teachers think of the school as well as what they expect from their students?

Quote 2- "You have to do what children do and breathe the air children breathe.  I don't think that there is any other way to find out what the lives that children lead in school are really like."(Kozol, p. 163)
I enjoyed reading this quote because it is so true!  As teachers, we need to follow our students through their educating journey and understand each individual.  We need to know their needs and abilities in order to help them succeed.  Children need to learn according to their strengths and focus hard on their weaknesses.  I just loved how Kozol said the first sentence of the quote about breathing the air children breathe.  It seems like it fits to perfect.  Many teachers these days find ways to get their students to succeed in school, but do they get to know them and help them succeed to their fullest potential?  I will strive as a teacher to get to know my students and help them in every possible way!

Quote 3- "He told me that the high-stakes standardized exams his students had to take were starting to control the teaching-much more than I'd like.  There was, as a consequence, no recess at the school."(Kozol, p. 165)
Here, we revisit the whole standardized testing discussion.  I think schools need to do a better job balancing the testing aspect with the fun and learning portion.  These tests are very important, but they shouldn't control a classroom or take away certain activities, such as recess in this example.  Standardized testing helps fund these schools and if they do well they will benefit greatly.  If they don't excel to their fullest potential, they shouldn't be punished and further worry them for the next time around.  This creates so many boundaries for learning and can possibly lead to the failure of students, as well as further bringing the school into disrepair.

Quote 4- "Standardized tests in language arts and mathematics started in the first grade at the school, the principal reported.  A first grade teacher had ten pages of enumerated standards, correlated with the items to be tested, posted on her wall."(Kozol, p. 170)
This quote arises a new aspect of standardized testing.  The standards a teacher is supposed to memorize and learn in order to teach their students can be very tedious and hard to understand.  If you don't understand what the students are supposed to know, how are you supposed to teach them?  I feel like the teacher learning what to be taught in order to pass these standardized tests can correlate to a college student cramming for an exam.  There is so much to be learned and taught not only by the teacher, but by the students as well.  They need to complete this task before they can move on and take the actual test.  I believe that there needs to be a better well-rounded curriculum set in place in order to help the teacher out and maximize learning and readiness for these tests.

Quote 5- "When we have to assign their kids to summer semesters and to portables while three miles down the road they can see schools with traditional calendars and with sufficient space, I can understand it when they ask, why are our children no important?"(Kozol, p. 171)
This brings up the whole topic of unequal schools and the privileges some schools have over others.  It's sad to see this quote and know that schools exist like this.  One school with so little and not enough resources and another school three miles away with so much.  Also, this quote talks about the insufficient space in schools and overcrowding that exists.  Why can't we just bus these children to the school down the street?  Would it be fair to the others at the school three miles back down the road?  Maybe we can zone the schools better and upgrade the school with little space and less resources to even out both schools.  This might create an equal opportunity for all, but would these parents in the "nicer" school allow this to happen?

Quote 6- "Why is it, she asked, that students who do not need what we need get so much more?  And we who need it so much more get so much less?"(Kozol, p. 183)
This is a perfectly respectable question to ask.  Why is that?  I think that people don't like to share and like to show off all the resources they have.  Even if the fact is that they don't even use half of what they have available to them.  Is there any program out there that connects schools with less resources with those that have a ample amount?  If not, maybe I will start one.  It is sad to see such great resources go to waste and collect dust, while other schools can't even afford to provide a pencil for a student.  Schools should have a checklist of stuff they really need and the extras can be shared through a system of give and take amongst schools.  Programs like these would greatly benefit the schools in need.  This will also show the students that we as a society need to help our peers in need.  Maybe it could lead to equality for all, but that is a stretch.