Kentucky Knows About Hope

"Wow!  The research shows that what feels like 'the right thing to do' actually IS the right thing to do!"

After spending the day in Corbin, Kentucky working with teachers, administrators, and counselors in the Southeast/South-Central Educational Cooperative, I know a little more about why Kentucky regularly makes the news for education improvements.  I walked away from this day with a deep respect and admiration for educators in general, and the members of this education cooperative most of all.   What especially impressed me about the educators we worked with is how they truly understand the importance of hope, and of the social and emotional aspects of learning.   In communities with high levels of poverty, schools provide one of the only pathways out of poverty. But those who work in schools must address the culture of poverty and help students feel they belong in school by providing optimism, hope, and a welcoming atmosphere.  Only then can we provide opportunities for students to develop personal pride and find purpose for their schooling and lives.    

"It's about relationships!"

At one point, Bob asked the group, "Students are doing well in elementary and middle school, and then they reach the high school and start faltering, failing, and even dropping out. What is happening?    What happens to the progress?"    A gentleman called out, "Relationships.  There are too many kids in the big high schools, and they get lost. There isn't anyone they connect with.  It's about relationships."  

Bob gave this administrator the microphone, and we listened as he explained more about students' need for connection and belonging, talked about how his staff worked to provide that belonging and connection.  Counseling, time for teachers to meet with students, and freshmen support courses were among the many interventions his staff employed.   When I spoke with him later, he shared the long list of questions he had for his staff to consider. I asked what he'd taken away from today, since he obviously understood the importance of  the Culture of Hope.  "I take away more support for what I'm always preaching about at school.   I have new phrases, new language to explain how important relationships are for our kids."   He then told me his story of how he ended up in education.  Took my breath away....

"I was a good student.   But it changed in 4th grade, when I went for a drink of water. When I came back to class, my teacher asked where I had gone, and when I replied, 'I went for a drink,' she slapped me.  From that moment, my grades plummeted and I hated school.  I became that kid no teacher wants in their class. I figured, if teachers can disrespect students that way, why should I respect them?  I became that rebellious, belligerent student, I "passed" Geometry with a D-, because the teacher didn't want to see me again.  Eventually, I became a teacher because I wanted to make a difference, and help ensure what happened to me didn't happen to other kids.  As an administrator, I push my teachers to look beyond students' prickly presentation to see the pain, disconnection, and issues which may be behind the negative behavior. Those students who are pushing us away are the ones who need us the most."   

"The students who push us away the most are the ones we need to connect with the most..."

Every table shared stories of students, teachers, and situations that filled my heart to bursting.   At this table, educators struggled with how to challenge inequities that were perpetuated by administrators and school boards.  At another table, an administrator planned with his team of teachers and counselors how to build consensus with his school that All Students could learn and be held to high standards.   Over at that table, a lone principal sat, reflecting.   He said, "I can't begin to put plans on paper. I need to think about all we've been given today."   One superintendent pushed her team to consider scheduling and the benefits of semester vs. trimester schedules. She explained, "There are benefits to both, but we need buy-in of the whole team, and we're divided as a district."    Another team leader was trying to decide where to start, given the high turnover of staff in the last two years, and she talked through the issues, finally determining that optimism was the best place to start because everybody can contribute to optimism. It is a failure-free concept.

"Optimism is a failure-free concept. Everyone can contribute to optimism, regardless of their skill set or role in the school."

At one table, a principal worked with his team, looking like a general leading a war-room conference, except they were smiling and eagerly planning their next steps.  As I knelt down to listen in on their conversation, I learned this school had gone from bottom of their district (in the 300's for ranking in the state), to top 10 in the state in a period of 5 years.  How did they accomplish this amazing transformation?  Relationships, high expectations, optimism. And a lot of collaboration and community building. The Culture of Hope resonated with this group, and the principal indicated he'd read our book and found it to be one of the best books on educating students living in poverty.  (Wow!)   

To see what this school had done, the enthusiasm that poured off of each person at the table....   The vice-principal, when asked what they saw as next steps, said, "We're always looking for what's next.  We know we're never done, and there's always something we can do to increase the impact we have on every student."  One teacher at this table said that he benefited from the new language for things they were already doing. Another way to understand the why behind their actions.

"Our families are so poor, they can't even begin to think about education for their kids. They know it's important, but they just don't have the bandwidth to get involved.  We take care of the education piece, and help them access resources for the rest..."

When Bob presented information about the crushing nature of poverty, and the disconnect between poor families and the middle class institution of schooling, a principal stood up: "Our school serves a student population with over 85% poverty. Parents know how important education is, and they want education for their children. They just don't know how. It isn't that they don't care, it's that they can't muster the resources to do much. So we take responsibility for the education and we provide resources and support for the rest.  Our families are real pleased with what we are doing, and that keeps the kids in our school instead of moving every six months." 

One of my favorite comments came from a teacher who said, "I love getting the research that explains why what I've felt was 'the right thing to do' IS the right thing to do.   Nice to know my gut instincts have research to back them up."  This statement resonated with me, because my time with the Southeast/South-Central Educational Cooperative showed me that the Culture of Hope has solid, real-world, practical application.   Every time someone spoke, they brought to life an element of the Seeds of Hope or the Power of We.  While the Culture of Hope was borne of Bob's experiences working with schools for 15 years, my work with the Culture of Hope is from my own experiences as a teacher in high-poverty schools, as well as my research for the book. Witnessing the hope pulsing in the room, backed up by what these educators were doing every day with and for their students, humbled me deeply. 

"Kids don't have real futures in their communities.  If they want something more than minimum wage jobs, if they want a career, they need to leave home.  But they won't learn about the options unless we teach them."

Yes, Kentucky knows about Hope. Kentucky knows about the promise of a better life that is every child's birthright. Thank you, Southeast/South-Central Educational Cooperative. As educators, we have the ability to make a difference every day.  And that is why, when it gets hard and overwhelming and there are too many things that we need to do, we dig in, work with our students and colleagues, and never give up hope.

-Emily Gibson, 2014, Corbin, KY

 (Note:  All quotes are paraphrased from memory, and some stories are condensed from several stories for ease of reading. Thank you to all for sharing your realities and the realities of your students.)