This column will take another stab at fairness and equity. After
reading Ms. Kuwada’s letter published on Tuesday, I feel a response
is needed. Point by point we will go:
This column will take another stab at fairness and equity. After reading Ms. Kuwada’s letter published on Tuesday, I feel a response is needed. Point by point we will go:
Ms. Kuwada: “Am I to understand that teaching new teachers about fairness and equity issues in our schools is a bad thing?”
Teaching teachers about fairness is not a bad thing. Fairness cannot be taught by a person who has published their opinion that white students are “the privileged elite.” Show me an example of another Gilroy Unified School District employee who has painted any other group with such a broad brush. It doesn’t happen.
Ms. Kuwada: “I feel that our educators need to recognize that children come to school from all different backgrounds and family situations in order to determine how best to reach them educationally.”
I believe that our educators are well aware of this fact. I’m aware of this fact. The students in our schools are aware of this fact. There are nearly ten thousand students in GUSD. No one believes they all come from the same home.
Ms. Kuwada: “Ms. Apuzzo states that she does not want her children to be treated unfairly or to “lose” in the name of equity. How is it, specifically, that her children are being treated in an unfair manner? What services are being taken away from them in the name of equity?”
Here is a specific: there is not an equitable distribution of resources in our school district. The vast majority of time, money and effort go to serving the needs of those students of all backgrounds who are performing below grade level. I had a child go through three years of middle school without ever having a parent-teacher conference. Once you leave the elementary schools in Gilroy, teacher conferences are not an option unless you have a child who is failing or fighting. I have three children who should be receiving services for gifted and talented students. One of them receives services by virtue of being in a self-contained GATE class at Rucker School. The other two receive nothing from being GATE identified. GATE programs at the middle school are open to all students; the only component that is GATE is the funding. Money comes from the state to serve GATE students and winds up paying for programs that are not for GATE students.
Ms. Kuwada: “I find it hard to accept the notion that new teachers at GUSD are judging children based on the color of their skin as opposed to their ability in relation to how they are taught or what services they receive.”
As I said, my children have never had a racist teacher. I am fervently hoping that this will continue to be the case.
Ms. Kuwada: “Trainer and consultant politics aside, to demand that new teachers no longer be taught the concept of cultural competence is a mistake and a step backwards for education.”
I don’t know what is meant by “cultural competence.” I believe teachers should start the year off by telling each student that they are valued. Then they should get down to teaching. I couldn’t care less whether my child has a teacher with any knowledge of Irish culture or Italian customs. I don’t send them to school for that. I want my children to have teachers who are competent in their subject matter.
Ms. Kuwada: “Each child is born into a family whose parents may or may not be together, well-educated, financially secure, or with social support. The children enrolled in the GUSD come from all socio-economic levels, cultural backgrounds, and ethnicities and experience a multitude of challenges. It is important for educators to have an understanding of the cultural diversity in our community in order to effectively teach our children.”
Newsflash – this is true everywhere, not just in Gilroy. I believe that some in GUSD have internalized this problem and act as if Gilroy exists in its own universe.
School districts all over the country have diverse populations, and many of them are much more successful than we are in educating all students.
A diverse group of students can and do succeed every day in Evergreen School District just 20 miles away. The teachers in the Evergreen District are doing what teachers everywhere should be doing; educating the students.
We need a new mantra in GUSD. For all the years I have been here, it has been cultural awareness. I don’t know what it was 20 years ago – maybe it was all about the garlic. From this point forward, our new mantra should be academic excellence.
