Memphis is THE Place

Memphis, is the place.

Wow. This week has taken me by whirlwind. The amount of inspiring people, positive energy, and wealth of knowledge that I have been surrounded by at Delta State University, helps me to more fully realize my purpose here. I have always believed in Teach for America’s goals, and I have been a strong supporter of education reform, but now more than ever I feel a part of something bigger.

One of the most striking things has been how HUGE the achievement gap is here. I knew it was a problem, but I didn’t realize the exact severity of it all.

            STATS:

                        NATIONALLY

                        80% of students from high-income families graduate from college

                        8% of students from low-income families graduate from college

                        MEMPHIS

                        4% of students leave Memphis City Schools college ready

                        20% of students leave Shelby County Schools college ready

                        < ¼ of residents in Memphis hold a bachelors degree

                        1 child dies before the age of one every 43 hours

85% of teen moms are making less than 15,000

These are just a few of the statistics that we have heard in our many presentations on the achievement gap and the current climate in Memphis. I won’t lie, I was very overwhelmed upon initially realizing the task before us in the classroom. If I am being completely honest, it is still terrifying. In my opinion one of the worst things you can do is let fear hold you down.

Let me tell you why MEMPHIS is the MOST exciting city to be in right now.

• $$$--There is a huge influx in money towards Memphis education right now—and with money comes increased attention! The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has been supporting education reform here, and Memphis also qualified as one of the Race to the Top Cities.
• Policy—The limit on charter schools has been lifted. Although, I believe there is no reason the energy and focus that is put into charters shouldn’t be replicated in the MCS, the charter schools are doing some really amazing things. The improvements they have seen on standardized test scores is truly unbelievable. Also, all of the policymakers that we have encountered thus far are SO on board. They are ready to tackle this problem, which is really inspiring.
• Community—There are certain places in Memphis, like any city, that have a reputation. Also, like most cities, these reputations are not necessarily true. Frayser is one of these places. I had the pleasure of getting to know some of the residents here by walking through the neighborhoods and chatting with the community. This was through an organization called Rangeline Community Development Center. This place is doing everything it can to support the community, and truly working towards educational reform outside the classroom. The people of Memphis working towards these goals have created a community unlike anywhere else. The number of partners that Teach for America has here, and all of the individuals who have taken time out of their days to tell us just how much they believe in our work and the kids are both a testament to the family here in Memphis.
• THE KIDS. I cannot tell you how many kids have knocked my socks off this week. Man, Memphis is a lucky place to have so much talent and energy. The first night a performance group from a local school came to our dinner. These kids had written their own raps and songs. It was unbelievable. The emotion, the poetry, and the passion they put into these pieces of art definitely made me feel inadequate (I’m glad I am not teaching English). Really, it made me ashamed to listen to the radio on the way home. These high school kids were able to create more beautiful lyrics about their challenges and struggles than anything I have ever heard on the radio. Also, two girls did a dramatic reading, playing out difficulties that teenage girls face around dating, social pressure, and pregnancy. This piece brought me to chills and tears at different points. The courage that these youth had was really amazing. Tonight, a group of around 15 Kindergarten and 1^st graders from Memphis Prep Academy came and performed for us. They did various chants that they do throughout they day at school, most with a focus on their end goal: college. I have never heard a kindergartner shouting so loudly about gaining knowledge to go to college, and I wouldn’t mind witnessing it every day. Seeing kids believe in themselves is powerful stuff.

So, this is in a nutshell why I am really, really, excited to be here.

Keywords that I have been thinking about a lot this last week but don’t have time/energy to delve into right now:

“time to put a stake in the ground,” VISION, be a steward, crucible moments, transformation from something’s about to happen to something IS happening, post-secondary success, enduring, cultivation, capacity, leadership, movement, revolution, more than good enough, pioneer, “make young women ungrateful,” respect and humility, INVEST, fuel your passion, no excuses, consistency. 

Oh, I am also making friends. I know you were all worried. AND, I seem to have a bit of difficulty driving once you throw me in a city that I am not familiar with--still working on this, alongside the patience of my teammates.