School materials are useful but they must be relevant to the course. If a class gets textbooks that are badly out-of-date or are irrelevant then they cannot be used. There was an instance in the novel Savage Inequalities where the author, Jonathan Kozol noted that eighth grader were using out-of-date textbooks, “Slow reader in an eighth grade history class are taught from 15-year-old textbooks in which Richard Nixon is still president” (63). This kind of quality for school textbooks is absolutely unacceptable. Textbooks that are older than the students themselves should not be used in any school, regardless of the institution’s financial status. A child cannot use resources like that, they are simply irrelevant to that time. Another example of outdated resources can be found in East St. Louis High’s science labs. “The science labs at East St. Louis High are 30 to 50 years outdated” (Kozol 27). Labs like these are inoperable. “The six lab stations in the rooms have empty holes where pipes were one attached” (27). The teacher at the school also notes there isn’t even running water in the labs. These rooms are essentially useless without proper repair. Materials must be up-to-date and fully functional in order for them to make a difference.
In order for students to be able to take advantage of resources they must have a proper learning environment. If the class or space being used is noisy or too small it will prove distracting for students. This is the case for a classroom at a high school located in the Bronx. “They’re doing construction all around me so the noise is quite amazing. They’re actually drilling in the hall outside my room. I have more kids than desks in all five classes” (Kozol 111). This teacher has to deal with the noise of construction work as well as kids having to stand up or sit on the floor. This is both unfair for the teacher and the students. Teachers cannot teach and students cannot learn under these types of conditions. Even if there are an abundance of resources at the teacher’s disposal, the distraction of noise and the lack of space would prove too difficult to learn. Not having space could prove distracting but it could also hinder resources from being utilized in another respect. Some programs are ready to begin, however they may not have rooms to start them. The principal of Public School 261 in District 10 of New York explains, “Lack of space, she says, prevents the school from operating a pre-kindergarten program” (Kozol 86). This program very well could have acted like a preschool. Preschool is known to help children. It is a shame that this program could have taken place had there been a space designated for it. This is why materials can only be used when there is a good learning facility.
If a school is under supplied the morale of the students will drop. Students notice when they don’t have much. When they see others and realize how little they have, they feel inferior. East St. Louis High in the 1980s had a football team that used nine-year-old jerseys, had a field without goal posts, and locker rooms that needed desperate repair. The coach, Bob Shannon, mentioned his players in the novel Savage Inequalities, “The basic essentials are simply missing here. When we go to wealthier schools I look at the faces of my boys. They don’t say a lot. They have their faces to the windows, lookin’ out. I can’t tell what they are thinking” (Kozol 26). The kids in this school took notice of the other schools they had to play against. They kept silent. Perhaps because they realized they had nothing to be proud about. They had outdated jerseys, a field not worth mentioning, and a school that couldn’t back the team up financially. The only positive thing they had was their faithful coach who did his very best to sustain them. These types of observations cannot be expressed with words, only the hearts of the children could express how they felt. Even Coach Shannon couldn’t tell what his players were thinking when they were on the bus. This demonstrates how school materials impact the morale of the students.
When materials aren’t supplied at school, it breaks down the student, and can even lead them to give up on school. A student’s thoughts were recorded in the novel Savage Inequalities, “I don’t go to physics class, because my lab has no equipment” (Kozol 30). This student wouldn’t go to class because there simply wasn’t a reason for them to go. It is very sad and depressing when students can’t be corrected for not showing up to class. Why should they go to class when they can’t perform activities that are necessary for them to learn? In order for a student to learn and discover at the highest capacity they must have adequate supplies to give them that chance. Without supplies, the student’s education is worthless. No student can feel good when they know they aren't learning anything valuable at school. This is why materials matter.
Not having materials in school makes students feel vulnerable. This leads them to perform negative actions that affect others. When one doesn't have something, and things are scarce, they tend to be selfish. If necessary, the person will make amends by stealing. This is obviously wrong, but although it’s unacceptable, it is not unreasonable. People who don’t have much may be desperate enough to steal in order to get ahead. A teacher is mentioned in the book Savage Inequalities who witnessed her student ripping a word out of a dictionary. The teacher asked the student what he was doing and said the dictionary must be shared. The student simply replied, “That’s their problem, this is my word” (Kozol 65). While the student had no right to rip a word out of the dictionary, they had a right to be concerned. The school they were attending didn't have much. When the student realized he had a chance to learn a certain word, he decided to take action by taking the word for himself. This should never have to happen. Students at school are supposed to feel free to learn without anything holding them back. They should not have to worry about how they are going to learn. They should not have to steal in order to be content. Schools are supposed to supply students so that the students are able to give their full focus on developing their knowledge bases on various subjects. Another illustration can be seen in the novel where a student is reprimanded by her teacher. “Keisha has been fighting with her classmate. Over what? As it turns out, over a crayon. The child is terrified and starts to cry” (Kozol 63-64). Keisha’s teacher yelled at her for her disrupting the class. Although she was being disruptive, Keisha simply wanted a crayon, nothing more. It’s quite stunning to realize that such a basic art tool as a crayon can be something that’s highly valued by a student. Why did Keisha want the crayon? One can assume that she wanted it because there weren't enough. “In January the school begins to ration crayons, pencils, writing paper” (64). These types of rations affect students and cause them to fight, steal, and fend for themselves. Students have a reasonable explanation for doing this at school, even if it isn't acceptable. It is the school’s job to supply students with materials so the students can focus on learning.
Poorly funded schools produce citizens that are homeless as well as unemployed. Without a proper education, it is very hard to make a living. Many well paying jobs require a degree of some sort. Minimum wage jobs may be attained without an education, but they still won’t guarantee enough money to live off of. One cannot expect to survive in America without money. East St. Louis shows what happens to people who come from poorly funded schools. “Dozens of men are living in the streets or sleeping in small, isolated camps between the burnt-out buildings” (Kozol 15). These men were victims of a poor education. The schools themselves may not be at fault, however the lack of funds they had definitely damaged the futures of many people. Unemployment can also be seen where there are poorly funded schools in North Lawndale. “According to the 1980 census, 58 percent of men and women 17 and older in North Lawndale had no jobs” (42). Considering these people most likely came from a poorly funded school, this does not come as a surprise, although it is very troubling to see. People cannot be expected to achieve at a high level of success if they don’t have a proper education. Citizens get crippled when their chances of learning in school are slim at best.
Schools that don’t have much financially produce people that resort to violence. It may either be through gang affiliations or outright hatred. When a school cannot offer a good education students have no longing to be there. This in turn causes them to look elsewhere for answers. North Lawndale, a city that has poorly funded education, is ridden with crime. A reverend speaks out about it, “With the arrival of gangs there is, of course, more violence and death. I buried a young man 21 years old a week ago. Most people that I bury are between the ages of 18 and 30” (Kozol 42). Many factors, such as upbringing and safety, may contribute to why there’s gang violence. Poorly funded schools may be a big factor in contributing to that. If children have nowhere to go after school, they look to others for help. Gangs often offer protection and a sense of belonging in return for unquestioned loyalty. Since this is often the case with gangs, it is not a surprise that many young people turn to this for answers since their educational institutions provide none. Other than gangs, out-of-control adults contribute to violence as well. A young boy named Smokey explained what happened to his sister who was offered a quarter to go behind a building, “They had beat her in the head and raped her” (Kozol 13). This type of violence, both sexual and physical abuse, is not uncommon in these areas where many people are uneducated. It is very sad to observe the consequences of a bad education (as well as the other factors that contribute to violence). Citizens produced through these poorly funded schools are often led to violence and other bad activities.
Poorly funded schools create citizens that are dependent on others. People are needy when they don’t have much, and as mentioned, people who come from poorly funded schools typically don’t make much money. Without money one must depend on someone else for survival. Whether it be a person or institution, an individual will rely on someone if they do not have enough supplies to live independently. East St. Louis contains people that are forced to depend on others. “Every child, every mother, in this city is, to a degree, in the position of a supplicant for someone else’s help” (41). Perhaps the reason for this are the many health hazards in the city. “Immediately behind these houses are the giant buildings of Monsanto, Big River Zinc, Cerro Copper, the American Bottoms Sewage Plant and Trade Waste Incineration- one of the largest hazardous-waste-incineration companies in the United States” (Kozol 15). People are exposed to toxic pollutants and often get sick from them. With no money one can assume health care is out of the question. Welfare is no doubt a necessity. These people are in the middle of a toxic wasteland which causes many problems for them. This puts them in need. No one can fight against these plants due to lack of money. People cannot afford lawyers or another place to live so they have to simply call out for charity. If the schools they attended had many resources and provided them with an education they would have a chance at going to college and making decent money, putting them out of need. They’d have an opportunity to either fight against the chemical plants or move away from them. This is simply not the case though because they have no real chance at getting a good education.
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