Tuesday, June 25, 2019
A Teacher's Thoughts on Dr. Bettina Love's September Visit to the City Club
by Charles Ellenbogen, Language and Literature Teacher, Campus International High School
Every year, there are countless books, articles, talks, debates and policies about education. It can be hard to sort it all out. Every once in a while, though, a voice finds its way through the morass and demands to be heard. Recent examples include Carol Dweck and Christopher Emdin. The most recent voice that demands to be heard belongs to Dr. Bettina Love, from the University of Georgia.
Her latest book, We Want To Do More than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom, puts together an argument that demands our attention in Cleveland, especially as we move into the Say Yes to Education Era. Love contends that instead of maintaining what she calls the “educational survival complex” which, at best, helps students of color navigate standardized tests and endure discussions of character education and grit. At worst, it plays a key role in the school to prison pipeline, an arrangement that profits many people who are currently in power.
Love has no use for any reform efforts. She calls on educators to act as modern day abolitionists. It’s not enough to tinker with the system. We must, with the students, name all of its parts and use that knowledge to tear it all down. What can we learn from the past from the likes of Fannie Lou Hamer and Bayard Rustin? What can we imagine for the future? It is no longer enough to compromise and help students endure the current educational system. We must consider what would allow students to thrive and then re-design our educational system to make that the goal for all of our students.
Her book is incredibly energizing but to see her in person is nothing less than a call to action that cannot be ignored. I am so excited that the City Club is bringing her to Cleveland on Friday, September 6 at noon. If you care about the future of education in this city, you need to be there. And if you can’t be there, listen to her talk at your earliest opportunity. She will change the way you think about the future.
Register to attend the City Club forum with Bettina Love here.
