By Dwayne Campbell

Newark: A beautiful cultural place rich with history and interesting people albeit not without its flaws. Newark has a negative reputation in schools. whenever people talk about their experiences in Newark schools, whether it’s public or private schools, what always comes up is how badly the children are treated. The education system should have no room for these issues because the kids are the future; they are the ones that are going to change the world for good but when they aren’t being treated properly in the education system and at home, it hurts not just them but a lot of people around them. Some schools hinder kids from dreaming of being successful and because of that, they end up giving up on their education. I interviewed Ms. Jeannie Headley, a Newark native because she is a professor at Bloomfield College and she has a great deal of experience in Newark. My narrator Ms. Jeannie Headley was fortunate enough to overcome some of these issues in Newark but I often think about students that gave up on themselves because they didn’t feel like the education system in Newark was fair. From listening to Jeannie and writing this chapter, I found that settling, student-teacher relationships, and civic-mindedness can all contribute to how successful a student is.

Settling

From my interview with her, it was clear that some teachers in Ms. Headley’s schools were content with the students settling. Although some teachers cared very much about their students’ success, some won’t even give the students the attention they need or advocate for what they need. For example, Ms. Headley discussed: 

The standardized tests test, uh, we were not doing great with those. Um, they were really trying to help us with that, but they realized, like with the Magnet schools in particular, like with Arts High, we all got in because of our talent. So a lot of our classes were based on that. And because of that, it was really hard to focus on academics. Um, so there were efforts to do some, like SAT prep, things of that nature. We found out though the schools in the suburbs, it was just an automatic, like that was just a part of their curriculum. Having that. So, um, realizing that we didn’t have access to that made us definitely approach like the principal and say like, what are you gonna do about, you know, giving us SAT prep, you know, so we could get into these good schools, because I’m sure you’ve heard, and, and a lot of people from Newark will say the guidance counselors, they automatically just say, ah, just go to a county college, like that’s where you belong. (Headley)

Miss. Headley shows two ways that students in her school were asked to settle:  not being given SAT prep and also being told to just go to county college.

Something as important for a student’s future as SAT prep shouldn’t be treated as lightly as these administrators did. Children are motivated by the people around them and how much they push them. I just feel like the guidance counselors and administrators did a terrible job motivating Ms. Headley and her peers because instead of preparing them for an important exam that could impact their careers, they opted not to do so. The article “I Struggled But I Made It: Black Gifted Underachievers on Transitioning to College” supports this claim when they say “In U.S. schools, Black children are often subjugated to an experience where their deficits are seen more than their gifts and talents” (Sewell and Goings). This quote speaks specifically about black kids who struggle in school systems and how the ones that struggle are highlighted more because it’s more common. In Ms. Headley’s interview, she spoke about the difference between her school and schools in the suburbs. Ms. Headley attended a school that was in Newark in which the majority of students were minorities. This can be frustrating because schools with mostly minorities tend to have more struggling students. Not preparing students for exams could be the reason why so many struggle in these schools. Proving that the lesser-funded schools in the US are more likely to fail the children. I believe they should be looked at thoroughly and adjusted so that our kids can have the best opportunities. Teachers and administrators are not solely to blame; there are a lot of factors including teacher pay and funding that affect how these leaders treat their students.

Student-teacher bonding

“Student-teacher relationships have a large impact on student’s social and emotional experiences in schools, primarily because such relationships influence students’ perceptions of connection and belonging.”

Cooper and Miness

Even though some teachers and staff don’t push the students enough, some teachers look out for their students. Students really appreciate teachers that go out of their way to help them and I’ve seen multiple students praise these teachers for going the extra mile. Ms. Headley named some of her teachers in our interview and you can hear that they played a role in her getting to where she is today. In addition, from speaking with my classmates that are also from Newark, they had teachers that they adored because they treated them with respect and pushed them. The article “The Co-Creation of Caring Student-Teacher Relationships: Does Teacher Understanding Matter?” speaks about how important it is for teachers to have a good relationship with their students. One quote that stood out to me from the article was “Student-teacher relationships have a large impact on student’s social and emotional experiences in schools, primarily because such relationships influence students’ perceptions of connection and belonging” (Cooper and Miness). This shows how much a teacher can influence a student’s behavior, communication skills, or even their work ethic. Similarly to Cooper and Miness, Ms. Headley showed how her teacher Mr. Ryans helped her in school when she said:

But Mr. Ryans was definitely hands-on. Like he introduced me to so many, like different musics and, um, actually asked me how I was doing, interacted with my brothers, like he was, he felt like family, um, and encouraged me to actually go audition, uh, to Arts High School for the violin, even though the violin teacher at that same school thought I was horrible, I did not have a chance, but he thought I did. Um, and that encouraged me to go to Arts High, do the audition, and I actually got in. (Headley)

From the quote, you can see Mr Ryans invested his time and help into Ms. Headley’s future and for that, Ms. Headley is forever grateful for him. He didn’t do this expecting something back but expecting her to be successful, which is what she turned out to be. Honestly, I believe that we need more teachers like Mr. Ryans for more kids in Newark to succeed.

Civic-mindedness

If Newark schools had more teachers that cared for their students and encouraged their students not to settle, the kids could change Newark for the better. Teachers and administrators aren’t the only people that influence the children though. The civilians in Newark could help children be more engaged. We want more kids to be successful and to give back to their community and I believe the best way is to get them involved in community events. In the interview, we talked about people that are civically engaged in Newark and Ms. Headley brought up people that she knew that gave back to Newark. She talked about one of her friends, explaining:

She refused to move out of Newark and she actually has her own, um, uh, movie, I don’t wanna say movie studio, but she’s a director. Um, I don’t know if you heard of the, uh, drive-through movie, the drive-in movie. It’s outdoor, Summertime, happens in Newark every summer. She’s in charge of that. Like that’s her own thing, and that’s her way of giving back to Newark. (Headley)

This quote shows an example of a person in Newark giving back to the community in a way that will have the people engaged in a community event. Creating these memories in the community will make children appreciate their community more. One study has found that people today are less civic-minded and some of that has to do with their education. They say “Much concern has arisen over the decline in civic engagement in the U.S., especially among the younger generations” (Myers, et al). If we inspire the kids to uplift their communities in schools, I feel like Newark would be a better place. However, there are examples of people giving back to the community, such as Ms. Headley’s friend. I feel like young people seeing their parents and older people giving back to the community would influence them to do the same.

Conclusion

Moving forward, it is clear that there is still much work to be done to ensure that all students in Newark have access to quality education. The stories and insights shared in this chapter point to the importance of continued dialogue and collaboration in pursuit of educational justice for future generations. It also pointed to the need for great role models at school and home. By learning from the past and working towards a more inclusive and equitable future, we can honor the legacies of those who have fought for educational rights in Newark and beyond.

Sources

Cooper, Kristy S., and Andrew Miness. “The Co-Creation of Caring Student-Teacher Relationships: Does Teacher Understanding Matter?” The High School Journal, vol. 97, no. 4, 2014, pp. 264–90. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43281034. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

Headley, Jeannie. Interview. Conducted by Dwayne Campbell, 15 February 2023.

Myers, Carrie B., Scott M. Myers, and Martha Peters. “The longitudinal connections between undergraduate high impact curriculum practices and civic engagement in adulthood.” Research in Higher Education 60 (2019): 83-110.

Sewell, Christopher JP, and Ramon B. Goings. “I Struggled But I Made It”: Black Gifted Underachievers on Transitioning to College.” Journal of Advanced Academics 31.2 (2020): 111-128.