When I was in the sixth grade, my hometown of Avon, CT built a new intermediate school for the fifth and sixth grades. I remember walking into the building and being genuinely shocked by how ornate it was. Although I was only twelve at the time, I remember being somewhat horrified by the grandiose nature of the building. I knew from visiting a pubic elementary school in Hartford that my new school was extremely over-the-top and it bothered me greatly. Fortunately, my sixth grade teacher patiently listened to me as I rambled to her one day during recess. I will never forget what she did next.
Digging into her personal bookshelf, my teacher took out her copy of Savage Inequalities by Jonathan Kozol and told me that I should read it. I did just that.
I vividly remember sitting in my bed with pillows propped up behind me as I read each chapter. Kozol studied the public school system in Chicago and the stories of the teachers, students, and community blew my privileged mind out of the water. I especially remember reading about children that walked to school in neighborhoods where the septic system had exploded, which consequently led them to walking through human waste-soaked yards to get to school.
Savage Inequalities sparked an interest in education for me that only grew as I aged. Whenever I could choose a topic for a school project I focused on education. I read teacher memoirs and began to consider how I could blend my interests in education with my hopes of one day attending law school. Ironically enough, I never thought I was going to be a teacher. As I went through college, however, I began to realize that without teaching experience I would never really know the truth of America's struggling schools.
It is incredible to me that my sixth grade teacher gave me such a mature book. I am proud to know that at my young age I decided to read it and I feeling overwhelmingly blessed that one book in the sixth grade unknowingly got me started on such a meaningful path. Little did I know that one day, I would be a sixth grade teacher!
In 2014 I graduated with a degree in Cultural Anthropology from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. I spent the next six months working for a study abroad program as I worked on my MTC application. By the time I arrived back in the US from Ireland, I had been offered a spot with MTC. I told my family over breakfast and they were stunned by the news.
Lucky for me, it was the best move of my life.
Digging into her personal bookshelf, my teacher took out her copy of Savage Inequalities by Jonathan Kozol and told me that I should read it. I did just that.
I vividly remember sitting in my bed with pillows propped up behind me as I read each chapter. Kozol studied the public school system in Chicago and the stories of the teachers, students, and community blew my privileged mind out of the water. I especially remember reading about children that walked to school in neighborhoods where the septic system had exploded, which consequently led them to walking through human waste-soaked yards to get to school.
Savage Inequalities sparked an interest in education for me that only grew as I aged. Whenever I could choose a topic for a school project I focused on education. I read teacher memoirs and began to consider how I could blend my interests in education with my hopes of one day attending law school. Ironically enough, I never thought I was going to be a teacher. As I went through college, however, I began to realize that without teaching experience I would never really know the truth of America's struggling schools.
It is incredible to me that my sixth grade teacher gave me such a mature book. I am proud to know that at my young age I decided to read it and I feeling overwhelmingly blessed that one book in the sixth grade unknowingly got me started on such a meaningful path. Little did I know that one day, I would be a sixth grade teacher!
In 2014 I graduated with a degree in Cultural Anthropology from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. I spent the next six months working for a study abroad program as I worked on my MTC application. By the time I arrived back in the US from Ireland, I had been offered a spot with MTC. I told my family over breakfast and they were stunned by the news.
Lucky for me, it was the best move of my life.