I went to an open house at KIPP Philadelphia tonight. Sigh. I love it.
KIPP is SO in line with my personal education philosophy and my goals for my own teaching. I want to teach like that, I want to inspire like that, I want to get results like that. They are doing AMAZING things with kids at ALL achievement levels, and there is such a family attitude among the teachers. They all care so much about making sure that none of their kids are failing.
KIPP is amazing. There's no doubt in my mind that it would be an incredible place to work, and I feel like I am cut out to be a KIPP teacher. I totally buy into their whole system.
I do, however, have a few concerns. Mainly...
1.) What about the kids who don't have parents that are proactive enough to put them in a program like KIPP? Or kids who don't win the KIPP lottery? There's a waitlist as long as my arm to get in there. What about the kids who are just getting by on their own in public school - there are a LOT of them. What about those kids?
2.) Most KIPP schools are currently running on a 5-8 model. They encourage every kid to see college in his or her future. I LOVE that. But, what happens when they leave KIPP? What about grades 9-12? And then, even if they do make it to college, I know from my work with Georgetown's Institute for College Preparation that getting in is just the beginning of the challenge. There need to be support structures all the way through for this to work, and I don't know that KIPP is all the way there.
3.) Is teaching for KIPP selling out? I am passionate about the importance of public school - its supposed to be the "great equalizer" and at this point, its not. I want to fight and work to make it better. I don't think abandoning ship is a good solution.
I suppose these are all things I'll continue to think about as I plan. I want to go back and visit KIPP again - I want to learn all that I can from what they are doing there (even if I am just going to go and apply it to my public school classroom next year...)
1 comment:
Hi Miss G- My cousin Kate told me about your KIPP post and thought I might have some input. I taught at KIPP for my first year of teaching after a crash course lateral entry summer program. Needless to say, I was overwhelmed and stressed out, and ended up changing schools so I didn't have to drop out of my master's program. I really value my time at KIPP, but it wasn't the best match for me at the time. I'm certainly not an authority on KIPP, but here are some of my ideas about the program based on my own experience. I totally respect the KIPP mission, they take very good care of their teachers (they sent me on a 3 day visit to a KIPP school in Dallas to work with another 6th grade teacher who was doing a great job), and it really is an amazing opportunity for the students and families involved. But, KIPP is not for everyone. If the families aren't in it, it won't work. If the alternatives (meaning other schools in the area) are just as good, it's unlikely to work. If the staff and teachers aren't willing to devote their entire lives to it, it won't work. I understand your issue in #1, but you have to think about the the good that you are doing for those who are there, and also it's important to realize that not everyone will function under such a strict environment. As for #2, I counted 7 KIPP high schools on the KIPP website. These programs are at the most established schools. A lot of the schools are new (within the last 5-10 years) and I imagine are just trying to maintain a high functioning, high quality program. I think as the leaders get more into a rhythm and the stress of starting a new school has passed, they really look to do that sort of thing. I've visited a KIPP school in Houston and they really push the students to go to private boarding schools for 9-12. Also, the middle years seem to be the ones that make or break the at-risk kids. The students either do or they don't during that time. Once you get beyond 8th grade, I think most kids accept their place in the world and those who have been at KIPP 5-8 in a seriously confidence boosting, very disciplined environment are able to have a vision of their future and know how to work hard (very hard!). Sorry for the long answer there. On to #3... teaching for KIPP is not selling out. Every child needs a teacher, but not every teaching environment is right for every teacher. If you would thrive in a KIPP-like environment, then that's where you can make the most difference. The teacher who dynamically and inspirationally teaches AP English Lit at the best private school in the country might be a disaster attempting to do the same thing in the poorest school in E. St. Louis, and vice versa. I would recommend you spend more time at KIPP before you look to work there. Most schools have an evening study hall called Wall Street where kids go who didn't turn in their HW that morning. It might be enlightening to volunteer there in the evenings. You're right, KIPP is incredibly inspiring and motivational, and does wonders for the right people... students and staff alike. Thanks for reading all of that. Anne
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