Much has happened in the first five weeks of my MTC internship. However, when I reflect upon my time here and all that I have seen, one theme appears throughout: the failures of our education system (and their origins) must be confronted honestly and by those most qualified. It does not take much research to realize that many decisions which define our school systems are made by the wrong people. Additionally, those most capable of making positive contributions far too often flee the challenge. Our failing education system was born of personal interests and will surely die by them too. You can’t clean up a mess without getting dirty. This is not to say that all involved with education are unqualified and do not have our best interests at heart or that we should forcefully siphon talented individuals from other critical professions, but those calling for changes must be willing to be involved. That is the true value of programs like the Mississippi Teacher Corps and organizations like the Southern Education Foundation. Rather than shirk their duties to others and opt for corporate benefits, they place themselves in the middle of things.
It was with this in mind that I read an article in yesterday’s Washington Post. The article, written by Bill Turque, was about Bill Kerlina, a former Washington D.C. principal who recently quit his job (link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/young-dc-principal-quits-and-tells-why/2011/06/19/AGfcP6kH_story.html). Kerlina had been the principal of Phoebe Hearst Elementary, located in Northwest Washington, since 2009. The school was not struggling nor in a poor neighborhood. Yet, without having previously aired his complaints, Kerlina quit his job and left the field of education in an unusually public manner. When asked why he was leaving his position, Kerlina cited the overall ineptitude rampant throughout the school system, stress, and ineffective methods of assessing school success.
It is not unreasonable for someone to decide that teaching, or running a school, is not for them. In fact, one might even commend those who recognize they are unhappy, ineffective, or both, and move onto other things. But, as the article indicates, Kerlina was not an unsuccessful educator and simply grew fed up and disinterested. Oh, and what new field did he pursue: the gourmet cupcake business. Kerlina now runs his own cupcake business called Cooks ‘n Cakes. Really Bill, cupcakes? The last thing the D.C. area needs is more cupcakes. His willingness to speak up and call attention to the systematic inadequacies of the D.C. public schools is admirable but his desire to slink off into the world of self-centered confectionary profit is simply embarrassing. So too is the Post’s willingness to paint him as the martyr unwillingly forced from his field of dreams.
I have remarked before on this blog about the interwoven existence of race, education, poverty, and other defining aspects of our daily lives. The more time I spend here in Oxford, and specifically working for MTC, the more I begin to recognize this. Simultaneously, I am becoming more aware that as more of us leave the heavy lifting for others, we are only hurting ourselves. This post is not even about Bill Kerlina, it is about our willingness to give up and take care of ourselves. This logic is severely flawed, as our education system is increasingly defining our collective future and intimately impacting our personal lives. It is for that reason that the highlights of this internship have been the people. For they have traveled to the area of greatest need, unafraid to fail and resilient against structural limitations, but determined to help.
