This is the achievement gap. My school director pointed to the poster on the wall. It showed a mountain that looked like it had been split in two. On one side were students with grim expressions. They had papers in their hands that had F’s on them. On the other side were students in caps and gowns. They stared at the other students with a blank expression. Underneath the split were people with apples on their backs flying through the air, carrying the missing piece of the mountain.
“This gap is wide and it’s real.” As my school director spoke, I thought about how my experience in school compared to the experiences of my future summer school students. I knew what side of that mountain I stood on and I was ashamed that I never considered the plight of those on the other side of it. Now, I was about to face the forgotten.
On the first day of class, I administered a diagnostic to my eighth grade student, Lisa. I listened to her slowly pronounce the words and struggle over the second grade list. I stopped her on the third grade list after a series of errors.
Second grade reading level.
As I continued the test to determine her comprehension, many questions flooded my mind.
How did this girl get so far behind? How was it that this girl could be in school for nine years and only absorb information equivalent to that of a student in school for three years?
Her almond-shaped brown eyes met mine as she struggled to verbally summarize the second grade text she just read. I pictured her on the poster I saw the day before. Her face began to signify the movement I joined; the movement to close the achievement gap. My job was to help Lisa get to the other side of that mountain.
Lisa met the summer school growth goal of six points on her last reading diagnostic. Lisa’s eyes went wide and she smiled as I told her that I was proud of her hard work. Even though I was proud and six points was significant growth for five weeks, I knew Lisa had a long way to go before she was caught up…before she was on a path to bridging the gap in her mountain. As I encouraged her to read over the summer, I knew that if I wanted to really make a difference in Lisa’s life, five weeks of summer school would not be enough. I would have to really commit.
So I collected her information and we made plans to go to the library the following week. I realize that I will not be able to take every student I teach under my wing but, as long as I can endure it, I will try to keep track of the ones that I feel need more work. Isn’t that the only way that I can guarantee lasting change in their lives if I feel like what I’ve done up until that point was not enough?
Lisa and I went to the library again a few days ago. She is making steady progress and I can see confidence emerging in those almond eyes. However, I know that what happens in her class next year will determine whether or not she continues her growth. I have committed to keeping in contact with her, not only for her progress but for mine too. Lisa represents my realization and I don’t ever want to become numb to the injustice that my students face.
Keisha is enrolled in the MAT@USC and has plans to become a teacher in Georgia where she aspires to teach upon graduating.
