Because I had worked in an entirely different environment at I.S. 24, also on Staten Island, I was shocked at the contrast between these two schools. Two schools in the same district were run differently, populated by different students, and obviously had different student outcomes. Was the educational system so flawed that it produced such radical inconsistencies? At the previous student teaching experience I had, from January to March, I was inspired to see the students responding to the material and to the teachers. The overall educational environment was stimulating and positive. It was not like that at McKee High School, which had a depressing learning environment. The contrast made me think about what specific issues were different at McKee, and how those differences might be changed so that all students can achieve their highest potential. Contemplating the differences helped me also comprehend...

Education is not about standardized tests or even about curricula; it is about the educational climate. The educational climate is not a product of town-down programs that emanate from a well-meaning school authority but it comes from the bottom-up: from the culture itself.
Because this was a high school learning environment, it becomes apparent that disadvantaged youth need to be reached much earlier. The behavioral patterns and attitudes toward education have already been ensconced into the students. I believe that many of the students can change, but it is an uphill battle to achieve those goals and many are too difficult to reach. The teacher can only do so much; the teacher is only responsible for so much. American society itself is in trouble when young people fail to see any value at all…