Education's Best Friend

"The whole object of education is...to develop the mind. The mind should be a thing that works."
Sherwood Anderson

Before I cam to Kenya, I got a link from a friend to an upcoming movie trailer. Since I would be teaching this summer, the friend sent me the link to 'Bad Teacher' starring Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake. Diaz is the 'bad teacher' who is inspired by her school board's new policy of providing bonuses to teachers whose classes do well on standardized tests. The same sort of ethical dilemma entered my Grade Five Class this week and is continuing to frustrate me to no end.

Monday morning was one of those classes where I felt under the gun because there was just so much material to cover in so little time. Then the most dreaded thing for a teacher happened: A class interruption. Now I understand what its like to loose precious class time in an already shortened assembly period. Five precious minutes later, I got the class back but they were very excited from the previous announcement. After the interruption, it was no longer the interruption that bothered me but the announcement itself.

Kenyatta University is offering the students at my primary school the opportunity ti take part in a Standardized test. To write, each student must pay 30 Ksh ($0.30 CAD approx.), if a student scores 85% or above they win a free trip to a place that the kids were all fascinated by and I couldn't make out because I didn't understand the name because it was in Swahili. If the students score between 75-85%, they receive a free watch. The kids got so excited. Not to be a pessimist but I have great difficulty in endorsing this idea when the highest midterm score was 80% within the class. This is the problem with incentives in education: It sets students up for great failure. Not only does the university benefit but its as if the University is stealing money from the children by charging them 30 KSH that could be better spent elsewhere. The children will also suffer having their hopes dashed and making it seem like education is out of reach yet again in an already fragile childhood.

Incentives are a high risk in education. Part of the reason is because even with ideal classroom environments, external factors are always a risk especially in this community where all of the children are living in slum environments. Incentives also pit teachers against each other. The Grade 5 Class that scores the highest average (minimum average is 70% to qualify) will receive free brand new textbooks. Incentives are giving teachers future unfair advantages as to how their students preform by offering materials that other teachers don't have access too. Incentives can also be dangerous to the classroom model. We must first ask ourselves; What the purpose of education is? If the purpose is too create a long game or to offer hot trends then incentives are the way to go but if we are looking to create sustainable leaders that work hard then we must be extremely careful offering lessons other than education in the classroom.

Education is not supposed to be easy. Education is not meager or belittling; education is challenging, ever-changing, and empowering. I don't protest to be an expert and I am sure that these comments and reflections just scratch the tip of the iceberg. Hopefully, over time, I will gain valuable experience and be able to further reflect on the meaning of education. Notwithstanding the previous disclosure, the meaning of education that I have formed thus far reflects someone who has been educated to a certain extent and just because I understand the meaning does not mean that its easier to set the same example for the students I teach because just like students before them, they must learn these lessons on their own. It's a lot harder to understand the power of education when you are the one sitting in front of the blackboard in your own desk.

I went to the first public appearance of the newly sworn in Chief Justice of Kenya in Korogocho, a slum on its own. A man obviously on some sort of drugs shouted at Emma and I "Do you know your in Korogocho where the poor people live?" We understood where we were and so did the Chief Justice who grew up in the neighbourhood and who is one of the few that was nurtured, educated and transformed into what Kenya hopes will be an honest, mature and progressive government leader. It was a powerful message for the Chief Justice to choose Korogocho to make his first public appearance and what it means for the challenges in the neighbourhood.

Its amazing to see what an honest education will do for someone. Education doesn't need flashy buzzwords or fancy gimics. All it needs is qualified teachers, a safe place, decent enough materials and students thirsty to learn. It shouldn't take much for those things to fall into place and when they do its more then sheer magic, its right. Education is right because it moves people out of poverty, it transforms ideas and transforms people. The Chief Justice did not need incentives and neither do my students. These children are too young to be conned by the education system and hopefully will learn that hard work is what raises them to the next level not valueless temptations.

Lets start a real conversation about real empowerment so that all children can grow up and be capable adults.