As a young teacher in training, I’ve been assigned the task, if you would want to call it that, to visit an urban high school, in Newark, New Jersey, in order to observe and commence a series of field training exercises. I must admit that my initial reaction was, “oh my God”. I know the city, and I know that some schools there have a certain reputation for having certain deficiencies, to include difficult student behavior. In spite of all this I looked at it from a positive standpoint and with an open mind, and I must say that I was so pleasantly mistaken.
Driving into the city was quite an uneventful moment. I had visited there recently, so I was aware of the sights and sounds going on around me: from the construction on the highway, to the new stadium, to the Prudential Center Arena that was opened not too long ago. The movement of people was also as expected; tons of people pouring out of shops and the enormous amount of eateries available. You could see the crowd move almost like clock work, in synch with the changing traffic signals. Upon reaching the end of the street I was on, I could see the county court house to my left and the community college to my right which, on my directions were set as landmarks indicating that I had to make a left turn. I turned, and as I did so I looked at the street sign and realized that the street had been named after the school I was supposed to visit.
After parking my car, as well as taking a few deep breaths, I made my way to the school. I was quickly halted by the fact that I couldn’t open the front. Then it dawned on me. If the front door has no handles, then it’s probably no longer used as an entrance. So, after finally finding the entrance, I had another obstacle to take on, the metal detector. I must admit that it made me hesitate for a moment, but once I thought about it I realized that these days, most school, even some in suburbs, have installed metal detectors. Once I had regained my composure, I was able to enjoy the melody of sounds emanating from that building.
What makes this school unique is that there entire curriculum is centered on the arts, and although the core subjects (English, Math, History, and Science) have to be taught, their main focus is the arts. This makes an incredible difference because kids have to audition to be admitted, and once there, they get to do what they love every day and incorporate that into their learning of other subject areas. This means that these kids are thrilled to be there. I could see that all around me: kids singing and dancing in the hallways, students’ art being on display all throughout the school, and the sense of pride on behalf of the faculty for their students. I could also the history of it, this being the first high school of the arts in the country, all over the building, which explained why the street was named after it.
I made it a point to describe the school’s setting and location as detailed as I could, as briefly as I could, because I believe that it ties into the kind of kids that attend this school. In a place where opportunities are hard to come by, and where families are not your usual “suburban type” family, I met kids that were making their dreams come true in doing what they love, while improving their opportunities for the future. This school, and its faculty, is making that possible for them. I could sense the passion in these teachers, as well as the administrators, for wanting to inspire these kids to reach higher and achieve their dreams. And I must say that I am thankful for having the opportunity to meet these people. I have never been more glad to be wrong.
Driving into the city was quite an uneventful moment. I had visited there recently, so I was aware of the sights and sounds going on around me: from the construction on the highway, to the new stadium, to the Prudential Center Arena that was opened not too long ago. The movement of people was also as expected; tons of people pouring out of shops and the enormous amount of eateries available. You could see the crowd move almost like clock work, in synch with the changing traffic signals. Upon reaching the end of the street I was on, I could see the county court house to my left and the community college to my right which, on my directions were set as landmarks indicating that I had to make a left turn. I turned, and as I did so I looked at the street sign and realized that the street had been named after the school I was supposed to visit.
After parking my car, as well as taking a few deep breaths, I made my way to the school. I was quickly halted by the fact that I couldn’t open the front. Then it dawned on me. If the front door has no handles, then it’s probably no longer used as an entrance. So, after finally finding the entrance, I had another obstacle to take on, the metal detector. I must admit that it made me hesitate for a moment, but once I thought about it I realized that these days, most school, even some in suburbs, have installed metal detectors. Once I had regained my composure, I was able to enjoy the melody of sounds emanating from that building.
What makes this school unique is that there entire curriculum is centered on the arts, and although the core subjects (English, Math, History, and Science) have to be taught, their main focus is the arts. This makes an incredible difference because kids have to audition to be admitted, and once there, they get to do what they love every day and incorporate that into their learning of other subject areas. This means that these kids are thrilled to be there. I could see that all around me: kids singing and dancing in the hallways, students’ art being on display all throughout the school, and the sense of pride on behalf of the faculty for their students. I could also the history of it, this being the first high school of the arts in the country, all over the building, which explained why the street was named after it.
I made it a point to describe the school’s setting and location as detailed as I could, as briefly as I could, because I believe that it ties into the kind of kids that attend this school. In a place where opportunities are hard to come by, and where families are not your usual “suburban type” family, I met kids that were making their dreams come true in doing what they love, while improving their opportunities for the future. This school, and its faculty, is making that possible for them. I could sense the passion in these teachers, as well as the administrators, for wanting to inspire these kids to reach higher and achieve their dreams. And I must say that I am thankful for having the opportunity to meet these people. I have never been more glad to be wrong.
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