36 Children

Dr. Kohl's look inside a Harlem public school classroom is sobering. Fresh out of college and eager to teach, the reality of 36 children, none to whom the "system" expected to deliver anything resembling education, nearly left the young teacher depressed. But he did what great teachers always do: He met the students where they were, instead of forcing them into some pedogogical mode. Yet, after a year of accomplishment, Kohl looked on in despair as the "system" once again absorbed his 36 children into its mediocre attempt to do not much more than warehouse them for another year. A few of his children carried forward their one year with him into a lifetime of accomplishment, and for this he is pleased. This book provides a critical look inside the flawed presuppositions of a system of education that relies on mainlining children, rather than letting them become what God intended them to be.

The book "36 Children" is intersting to compare to Jonathan Kozol's more famous book "Death at an early age", written at about the same time, in the 1960s. I would say that Kozol had a better experience than Kohl, and he was a better teacher. But Kohl's book is valuable because it is brutally honest about the selfish motivations of the average teacher, as well as the difficulties, stereotypes and misunderstandings that get in the way of good teaching.Another difference between Kohl and Kozol is that Kozol had one class of children to teach, while Kohl was teaching children who were 1 or 2 years older and split into separate classes. It makes me wonder if it is easier to teach kids in a single class rather then divide them up into periods so that the teachers keep changing.Other books to recommend in this genre are "Savage Inequalities" by Jonathan Kozol, "Children of crisis" by Robert Coles, and "Ghetto schooling" by Jean Anyon.

Many time teachers don't see success in the class room but somewhere deep down know they are making a difference. It's when the years past and we forget the difference that we have made in lives of many. Be challenged to teach out of your comfort zone. Allow your sweet spirit to be given to kids who fall asleep in class because the gun shots at four am woke them up and are afraid to go back to sleep. Be reminded to learn from your students and allow students to teach you.Wherever you are, make your class room a safe place to share, learn and grow.One more thing; don't rely on records from the previous year tell you what kind of class you'll have in the fall, set high yet real expectations for your students. Your students will act as you you expect them too.