School materials are a necessity. They are critical to a student’s success. Without them, many consequences can arise. One such consequence is low student morale. 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 went to. 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 They had outdated jerseys, a field not worth mentioning, and a school that couldn’t back the team up financially.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. Not having supplies breaks down the student, and can even lead them to give up on school. Another 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 directly said they didn’t go to class because there wasn’t any equipment. 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. This is why materials matter.
Not having materials in a school can also lead to students displaying 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. 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 so 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 rationings 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.
Not having materials has bad affects on a school, but what happens if materials are adequately supplied? If materials are adequately supplied students gain a huge academic advantage. Children have a better chance of getting good grades, going to college, and generally have higher chances at success. New Trier High, a well-funded school at Illinois, is a prime example of what a school can do if it supplies its students in abundance. “By the time they enter ninth grade at New Trier High, they are in a world of academic possibilities that far exceed the hopes and dreams of most schoolchildren in Chicago” (Kozol 65). Ninth graders already have an advantage over most kids in the city of Chicago! How can this be? Perhaps due to the various courses that are offered to the students. “Courses in music, art and drama are so varied and abundant that students can virtually major in these subjects in addition to their academic programs” (Kozol 65-66). With many courses at one’s disposal, a students has many options and paths that they can choose to go on. This indeed can inspire a student to pursue what they truly desire. Materials do matter, whether they be a crayon or an entire selection of courses, they aid to a student’s success. New Trier High has so many resources available to its students, and that allows them to achieve their goal- helping students find success. “With 93 percent of seniors going on to four-year colleges- many to schools like Harvard, Princeton, Berkeley, Brown and Yale- this goal is largely realized” (Kozol 65). If a student it to be successful they must have options of what they want to learn. From a young age children need to have materials they can use in school so that they can learn how to make choices on their own. Once they reach high school they should have many courses available to them that allow them to go on a path they wish to explore. In order for this to happen, in order for students to be successful, materials must be present. Materials are an essential part of a student’s chances at finding success.
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