It was November 1, 2002, my first day as a principal, but hardly my first day in the school district of Philadelphia.
Bio je 1. novembar 2002, moj prvi dan na mestu direktorke, ali ne i moj prvi dan u školi u filadelfijskom okrugu.
I graduated from Philadelphia public schools, and I went on to teach special education for 20 years in a low-income, low-performing school in North Philadelphia, where crime is rampant and deep poverty is among the highest in the nation.
Maturirala sam u državnim školama u Filadelfiji i nastavila da predajem specijalno obrazovanje narednih 20 godina u siromašnoj školi s lošom reputacijom u Severnoj Filadelfiji, gde je kriminal u zamahu a siromaštvo je među najizraženijim u zemlji.
Shortly after I walked into my new school, a huge fight broke out among the girls. After things were quickly under control, I immediately called a meeting in the school's auditorium to introduce myself as the school's new principal. (Applause)
Nedugo nakon što sam ušetala u moju novu školu, izbila je ogromna tuča među devojkama. Nakon što su stvari ubrzo bile pod kontrolom, odmah sam sazvala sastanak u školskoj sali kako bih se predstavila kao novi direktor škole. (Aplauz)
I walked in angry, a little nervous -- (Laughter) -- but I was determined to set the tone for my new students. I started listing as forcefully as I could my expectations for their behavior and my expectations for what they would learn in school. When, all of a sudden, a girl way in the back of the auditorium, she stood up and she said, "Miss! Miss!" When our eyes locked, she said, "Why do you keep calling this a school? This is not a school."
Ušla sam ljutito, pomalo nervozno - (Smeh) - ali bila sam odlučna da podesim ton za moje nove đake. Počela sam da navodim, što sam odvažnije mogla, kako očekujem da se ponašaju i šta očekujem od njih da nauče u školi. A onda je iznenada devojka skroz s kraja sale ustala i rekla: "Gospođo! Gospođo!" Kada su nam se pogledi sreli, rekla je: "Zašto ovo stalno nazivate školom? Ovo nije škola."
In one outburst, Ashley had expressed what I felt and never quite was able to articulate about my own experience when I attended a low-performing school in the same neighborhood, many, many, many years earlier. That school was definitely not a school.
Jednim izlivom, Ešli je izrazila ono što sam ja osećala i nikada nisam bila u stanju da do kraja artikulišem, sopstveno iskustvo pohađanja niskorangirane škole u istom delu grada, pre mnogo, mnogo, mnogo godina. Ta škola definitivno nije bila škola.
Fast forwarding a decade later to 2012, I was entering my third low-performing school as principal. I was to be Strawberry Mansion's fourth principal in four years. It was labeled "low-performing and persistently dangerous" due to its low test scores and high number of weapons, drugs, assaults and arrests. Shortly as I approached the door of my new school and attempted to enter, and found the door locked with chains, I could hear Ashley's voice in my ears going, "Miss! Miss! This is not a school." The halls were dim and dark from poor lighting. There were tons of piles of broken old furniture and desks in the classrooms, and there were thousands of unused materials and resources. This was not a school. As the year progressed, I noticed that the classrooms were nearly empty. The students were just scared: scared to sit in rows in fear that something would happen; scared because they were often teased in the cafeteria for eating free food. They were scared from all the fighting and all the bullying. This was not a school.
Prebaciću se brzo deceniju kasnije do 2012, kada sam treći put za redom postala direktorka niskorangirane škole. Trebalo je da budem četvrti direktor "Stroberi menšna" za četiri godine. Škola je označena kao "niskorangirana i trajno opasna" zbog loših rezultata na testovima i velike količine oružja, droga, napada i hapšenja. Malo kasnije, kada sam prišla vratima moje nove škole i krenula da uđem, otkrila sam da su vrata zaključana lancem, i mogla sam da čujem Ešlinin glas u uhu kako govori: "Gospođo! Gospođo! Ovo nije škola." Hodnici su bili senoviti i mračni zbog lošeg osvetlenja. Bilo je na tone hrpa polomljenog starog nameštaja i klupa u učionicama, i bilo je na hiljade nekorišćenih materijala i resursa. To nije bila škola. Kako je godina prolazila, primetila sam da su učionice skoro prazne. Đaci su bili naprosto preplašeni: preplašeni da sede u redovima, strahujući da bi se nešto moglo desiti; preplašeni jer su ih često zadirkivali u menzi zato što jedu besplatnu hranu. Bili su preplašeni od svih tih svađa i maltretiranja. To nije bila škola.
And then, there were the teachers, who were incredibly afraid for their own safety, so they had low expectations for the students and themselves, and they were totally unaware of their role in the destruction of the school's culture. This was the most troubling of all. You see, Ashley was right, and not just about her school. For far too many schools, for kids who live in poverty, their schools are really not schools at all. But this can change. Let me tell you how it's being done at Strawberry Mansion High School. Anybody who's ever worked with me will tell you I am known for my slogans. (Laughter) So today, I am going to use three that have been paramount in our quest for change.
A potom, tu su bili profesori, koji su bili izuzetno uplašeni za sopstvenu sigurnost, te su imali mala očekivanja i od đaka i od sebe samih i bili su u potpunosti nesvesni svoje uloge u uništavanju školske kulture. To je zabrinjavalo više od svega drugog. Vidite, Ešli je bila u pravu i ne samo za njenu školu. Jer isuviše mnogo škola za siromašnu decu, njihove škole uistinu nisu uopšte škole. Ali ovo može da se promeni. Dozvolite da vam ispričam kako se to radi u srednjoj školi "Stroberi menšn". Svako ko je ikada sa mnom radio će vam reći da sam poznata po svojim sloganima. (Smeh) Zato ću danas da koristim tri koja su bila od izuzetne važnosti u našem pohodu na promene.
My first slogan is: if you're going to lead, lead. I always believed that what happens in a school and what does not happen in a school is up to the principal. I am the principal, and having that title required me to lead. I was not going to stay in my office, I was not going to delegate my work, and I was not going to be afraid to address anything that was not good for children, whether that made me liked or not. I am a leader, so I know I cannot do anything alone. So, I assembled a top-notch leadership team who believed in the possibility of all the children, and together, we tackled the small things, like resetting every single locker combination by hand so that every student could have a secure locker. We decorated every bulletin board in that building with bright, colorful, and positive messages. We took the chains off the front doors of the school. We got the lightbulbs replaced, and we cleaned every classroom to its core, recycling every, every textbook that was not needed, and discarded thousands of old materials and furniture. We used two dumpsters per day.
Moj prvi slogan glasi: ako ćeš da budeš vođa, vodi. Oduvek sam verovala da je ono što se dešava u školi, kao i ono što se ne dešava odgovornost direktora. Ja sam direktorka a ta titula je od mene zahtevala da budem vođa. Nisam želela da budem u kancelariji, da prebacujem posao na druge i nisam zazirala od bavljenja bilo čime što nije bilo dobro za decu, bez obzira da li su me drugi zbog toga voleli ili ne. Ja sam vođa, pa znam da ništa ne mogu da uradim sama. Zato sam okupila vrhunsku ekipu u rukovodstvu koja je verovala u to da su sva deca sposobna i zajedno smo se bavili malim stvarima, poput ručnog menjanja svih šifri na sandučićima kako bi svaki đak imao bezbedno sanduče. Ukrasili smo sve oglasne table u zgradi svetlim, šarenolikim i pozitivnim porukama. Skinuli smo lance s ulaznih vrata škole. Zamenili smo sijalice i sve učionice očistili da blistaju, reciklirali smo ama baš sve udžbenike koji nisu bili u upotrebi i rešili se na hiljadu starih stvari i nameštaja. Napunili bi po dva kontejnera dnevno.
And, of course, of course, we tackled the big stuff, like rehauling the entire school budget so that we can reallocate funds to have more teachers and support staff. We rebuilt the entire school day schedule from scratch to add a variety of start and end times, remediation, honors courses, extracurricular activities, and counseling, all during the school day. All during the school day. We created a deployment plan that specified where every single support person and police officer would be every minute of the day, and we monitored at every second of the day, and, our best invention ever, we devised a schoolwide discipline program titled "Non-negotiables." It was a behavior system -- designed to promote positive behavior at all times.
I naravno, naravno bavili smo se krupnim stvarima, poput izmene celokupnog školskog budžeta da bismo mogli da preusmerimo sredstva kako bismo imali više nastavnika i pomoćnog osoblja. Potpuno smo izmenili dnevni školski plan rada kako bismo dodali razne termine rada škole, sanacije, zahtevnije predmete, vannastavne aktivnosti i savetovanja, sve to u toku radnog dana. Sve to u toku radnog dana. Napravili smo plan razvrstavanja kojim je tačno određeno gde se tačno nalazi sve pomoćno osoblje i policajci, svakog minuta u danu i vršili smo nadzor svakog sekunda u danu, a naš najbolji izum ikada je to što smo osmislili disciplinski program na nivou škole koga smo naslovili "Bez pogovora". To je bio sistem ponašanja - osmišljen da promoviše pozitivno ponašanje u svakom momentu.
The results? Strawberry Mansion was removed from the Persistently Dangerous List our first year after being -- (Applause) -- after being on the Persistently Dangerous List for five consecutive years. Leaders make the impossible possible.
Rezultati? "Stroberi menšn" je uklonjena sa liste Trajno opasnih već prve godine, nakon što je - (Aplauz) nakon što je bila pet uzastopnih godina na listi Trajno opasnih. Vođe čine nemoguće mogućim.
That brings me to my second slogan: So what? Now what? (Laughter) (Applause)
To me dovodi do drugog slogana: Pa šta? Šta sad? (Smeh) (Aplauz)
When we looked at the data, and we met with the staff, there were many excuses for why Strawberry Mansion was low-performing and persistently dangerous. They said that only 68 percent of the kids come to school on a regular basis, 100 percent of them live in poverty, only one percent of the parents participate, many of the children come from incarceration and single-parent homes, 39 percent of the students have special needs, and the state data revealed that six percent of the students were proficient in algebra, and 10 were proficient in literature.
Kada smo pogledali podatke i sastali se sa osobljem, bilo je mnogo izgovora zašto je "Stroberi menšn" niskorangirana i trajno opasna. Rekli su da svega 68% dece redovno dolazi u školu, 100 procenata živi u siromaštvu, samo jedan procenat roditelja prisustvuje, mnoga deca dolaze iz pritvora i domaćinstava s jednim starateljem, 39 procenata su đaci s posebnim potrebama, a državni podaci su otkrili sledeće: šest procenata đaka je uspešno iz matematike i 10 posto iz književnosti.
After they got through telling us all the stories of how awful the conditions and the children were, I looked at them, and I said, "So what. Now what? What are we gonna do about it?" (Applause)
Kada su završili sa pričanjem priča o tome kako su grozni uslovi i deca, pogledala sam ih i rekla: "Pa šta? Šta sad? Šta ćemo da uradimo povodom toga?" (Aplauz)
Eliminating excuses at every turn became my primary responsibility. We addressed every one of those excuses through a mandatory professional development, paving the way for intense focus on teaching and learning. After many observations, what we determined was that teachers knew what to teach but they did not know how to teach so many children with so many vast abilities. So, we developed a lesson delivery model for instruction that focused on small group instruction, making it possible for all the students to get their individual needs met in the classroom.
Uklanjanje izgovora na svakom koraku, postalo je moja glavna obaveza. Bavili smo se svim tim izgovorima kroz obavezni profesionalni razvoj, popločavajući tako put intenzivnoj fokusiranosti na obrazovanje i učenje. Posle mnogih razmatranja, utvrdili smo da nastavnici znaju šta da predaju, ali da ne znaju kako da predaju tolikom broju dece s tako širokim spektrom sposobnosti. Pa smo razvili nastavni model predavanja koji se usredsređivao na nastavu u malim grupama, omogućavajući tako da individualne potrebe svakog đaka budu ispunjene u učionici.
The results? After one year, state data revealed that our scores have grown by 171 percent in Algebra and 107 percent in literature. (Applause) We have a very long way to go, a very long way to go, but we now approach every obstacle with a "So What. Now What?" attitude.
Rezultati? Nakon godinu dana, državni podaci su otkrili da su nam rezultati popravljeni za 171 procenat iz matematike i 107 procenata iz književnosti. (Aplauz) Veoma dug put je pred nama, veoma dug put, ali sada svakoj prepreci prilazimo sa stavom: "Pa šta? Šta sad?"
And that brings me to my third and final slogan. (Laughter) If nobody told you they loved you today, you remember I do, and I always will.
A sad stižemo do mog trećeg i poslednjeg slogana. (Smeh) Ako vam niko danas nije rekao da vas voli, zapamtite da vas ja volim i uvek ću vas voleti.
My students have problems: social, emotional and economic problems you could never imagine. Some of them are parents themselves, and some are completely alone. If someone asked me my real secret for how I truly keep Strawberry Mansion moving forward, I would have to say that I love my students and I believe in their possibilities unconditionally. When I look at them, I can only see what they can become, and that is because I am one of them. I grew up poor in North Philadelphia too. I know what it feels like to go to a school that's not a school. I know what it feels like to wonder if there's ever going to be any way out of poverty. But because of my amazing mother, I got the ability to dream despite the poverty that surrounded me.
Moji đaci imaju probleme: društvene, emocionalne i ekonomske probleme, vama nezamislive. Neki od njih su sami sebi roditelji, a neki su potpuno usamljeni. Ako bi me neko pitao koja je moja prava tajna, kako zaista uspevam da "Stroberi menšn" unapređujem, morala bih da kažem da ja volim moje đake i da verujem u njihove mogućnosti bezuslovno. Kada ih pogledam, vidim samo šta bi mogli da postanu, a to je zato što sam jedna od njih. I ja sam odrasla u siromaštvu u Severnoj Filadelfiji. Ja znam kakav je osećaj pohađati školu koja nije škola. Znam kakav je osećaj strepeti da li ću ikada pronaći put iz siromaštva. Ali zahvaljujući mojoj divnoj majci omogućeno mi je da sanjam, uprkos siromaštvu koje me je okruživalo.
So -- (Applause) -- if I'm going to push my students toward their dream and their purpose in life, I've got to get to know who they are. So I have to spend time with them, so I manage the lunchroom every day. (Laughter) And while I'm there, I talk to them about deeply personal things, and when it's their birthday, I sing "Happy Birthday" even though I cannot sing at all. (Laughter) I often ask them, "Why do you want me to sing when I cannot sing at all?" (Laughter) And they respond by saying, "Because we like feeling special."
Zato - (Aplauz) - ako želim da poguram moje đake ka njihovim snovima i ka njihovim ciljevima u životu, moram da ih upoznam. Zato moram da provodim vreme s njima, pa svakodnevno upravljam menzom. (Smeh) I dok sam tamo, razgovaram s njima o duboko ličnim stvarima i kada im je rođendan pevam: "Srećan rođendan", iako uopšte ne znam da pevam. (Smeh) Često ih pitam: "Zašto želite da vam pevam, kad ja uopšte ne znam da pevam?" (Smeh) A oni mi odgovaraju rečima: "Jer volimo da se osećamo posebnima."
We hold monthly town hall meetings to listen to their concerns, to find out what is on their minds. They ask us questions like, "Why do we have to follow rules?" "Why are there so many consequences?" "Why can't we just do what we want to do?" (Laughter) They ask, and I answer each question honestly, and this exchange in listening helps to clear up any misconceptions. Every moment is a teachable moment.
Držimo mesečne sastanke veća kako bismo saslušali njihove brige, kako bismo saznali o čemu razmišljaju. Postavljaju nam ovakva pitanja: "Zašto moramo da poštujemo pravila?" "Čemu tolike posledice?" "Zašto ne možemo da radimo što nam je volja?" (Smeh) Oni pitaju, a ja odgovaram iskreno na svako pitanje i ova razmena razumevanja pomaže da se raščiste moguće zablude. Svaki tren je tren za podučavanje.
My reward, my reward for being non-negotiable in my rules and consequences is their earned respect. I insist on it, and because of this, we can accomplish things together. They are clear about my expectations for them, and I repeat those expectations every day over the P.A. system. I remind them -- (Laughter) I remind them of those core values of focus, tradition, excellence, integrity and perseverance, and I remind them every day how education can truly change their lives. And I end every announcement the same: "If nobody told you they loved you today, you remember I do, and I always will."
Moja nagrada, moja nagrada za to što su moja pravila i posledice bezpogovorne je njihovo zadobijeno poverenje. Insistiram na tome i zbog toga, zajedno možemo da ostvarimo svašta. Jasno im je šta očekujem od njih i ja ponavljam svoja očekivanja svakodnevno preko razglasa. Podsećam ih - (Smeh) Podsećam ih na suštinske vrednosti: usredsređenosti, tradicije, izvrsnosti, integriteta i istrajnosti, i podsećam ih svakodnevno kako obrazovanje može da im istinski promeni živote. I svaku objavu završim na isti način: "Ako vam niko danas nije rekao da vas voli, upamtite da vas ja volim i uvek ću vas voleti."
Ashley's words of "Miss, Miss, this is not a school," is forever etched in my mind. If we are truly going to make real progress in addressing poverty, then we have to make sure that every school that serves children in poverty is a real school, a school, a school -- (Applause) -- a school that provides them with knowledge and mental training to navigate the world around them.
Ešline reči: "Gospođo! Gospođo! Ovo nije škola" su se zauvek urezale u moj um. Ako uistinu želimo da postignemo pravi pomak u bavljenju siromaštvom, onda moramo da se pobrinemo da svaka škola u koju idu siromašna deca bude prava škola, škola, škola - (Aplauz) škola koja im pruža znanje i mentalnu obuku kako bi se snašli u svetu oko njih.
I do not know all the answers, but what I do know is for those of us who are privileged and have the responsibility of leading a school that serves children in poverty, we must truly lead, and when we are faced with unbelievable challenges, we must stop and ask ourselves, "So what. Now what? What are we going to do about it?" And as we lead, we must never forget that every single one of our students is just a child, often scared by what the world tells them they should be, and no matter what the rest of the world tells them they should be, we should always provide them with hope, our undivided attention, unwavering belief in their potential, consistent expectations, and we must tell them often, if nobody told them they loved them today, remember we do, and we always will.
Ne znam sve odgovore, ali znam da mi koji smo privilegovani i imamo odgovornost da upravljamo školom u koju idu siromašna deca, moramo da budemo istinske vođe i kada se susretnemo sa nepojmljivim izazovima, moramo da se zaustavimo i zapitamo: "Pa šta? Šta sad? Šta ćemo da uradimo po tom pitanju?" I dokle god smo vođe, ne smemo da zaboravimo da je svaki naš đak samo dete, često uplašeno zbog onoga što mu svet poručuje da bi trebalo da bude i šta god da im ostatak sveta kaže da bi trebalo da budu, mi bismo uvek trebali da im pružimo nadu, nepodeljenu pažnju, pouzdanu veru u njihov potencijal, stalna očekivanja i moramo često da im govorimo da ako im niko danas nije rekao da ih voli, neka zapamte da ih mi volimo i uvek ćemo ih voleti.
Thank you.
Hvala vam.
(Applause)
(Aplauz)
Thank you, Jesus.
Hvaljen Isus.