As anyone who has not been living under a rock this semester likely knows, tonight was the night that Dr. Jonathan Kozol came to Grinnell. Well before the scheduled start time of 7:30 P.M., students, faculty, and community members alike had packed into Herrick Chapel to listen to this author, educator, and activist speak. Personable, engaging, and surprisingly full of energy for a 78-year old, Dr. Kozol delivered a rousing speech that brought the entire crowd to its feet.
Why the excitement? Over the past 50 years, Dr. Kozol has established himself as a world-reknowned advocate for equal-opportunity education who has dedicated his life to undoing the inequalities of American public schooling. Although many of Kozol’s ideals– truly desegregated schooling, child- rather than test-centric teaching, and educational opporunity for all– have yet to be realized, his life’s work (including Savage Inequalities, The Shame of the Nation, and National Book Award winner Death at an Early Age) has blazed the way for multiple generations of education reformers.
Missed the speech? No need to worry– we’ve got you covered! Here are some highlights and takeaways from Dr. Kozol’s night at Grinnell:
1.) “We cannot let charity be a substitute for justice.”
In other words– although individual acts of kindness are important, this kind of charity is a stopgap measure. If we want to dismantle racist, classist, sexist and homophobic (etc.) instutitutions, we have to tackle them systematically, from the bottom up. This applies to public education as well as to every other sphere of life.
2.) “‘Pineapple’ was artifically retarded by the city of New York.”
This quote was in reference to a bright young grade-school girl (nicknamed ‘Pineapple’) whose curiosity and intelligence went undetected by standardized tests at her struggling inner-city school. While the choice of words here is problematic, Kozol makes an important point. We are a society that continually evalutes people with stereotypes, scales, and statistics. On both an instutional and an individual level, it’s important to remember that these supposedly “objective” judgments rarely capture the whole picture.
3.) “Find people who are older and wiser, who you can look up to. When you stick your neck out for a cause, it helps to have the endorsement of your mentors.”
Dr. Kozol has been a teacher for over half a century, yet he has never lost his passion for learning from others. As we navigate college and prepare for life in the real world (!), we would do well to follow his advice and identify mentors who can provide guidance, wisdom, and support.
4.) “If you mean ‘start’, don’t say ‘initiate’ — say start! In the words of my English professor, ‘If you find yourself wanting to write in unnecessarily complicated language, you should question your motives’.”
The old saying “If you can’t explain something in language that a fourth-grader would understand, you don’t know what you’re talking about” is a cliche because it’s true. Whenever you find yourself relying on excessive ornamentation in writing and life, think about whether you’re trying to hide behind it. Are you overcompensating?
5.) “A kid shouldn’t have to be a ‘little charmer’ to get a fair shot at an education.”
Everyone deserves the right to a quality education– as well as to be treated with decency and respect. If we only pay attention to the “best and the brightest” who demand to be noticed, we allow others (who may benefit the most from individualized attention) to fall through the cracks.
6.) “Oak trees and children’s curiosity will outlive us all. Pay it forward.”
Don’t lose sight of the bigger picture. We’re only here for a short time, but we have the power and the responsibility to leave a positive legacy. Pay it forward!