Vocation

The quote above comes from former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. On my spring break trip for Alternative Service Breaks, we left that quote, along with many others, to the students of Terrell Lane Middle School. I remember it most because it exhibited what I saw most in the students and that was young children bursting with potential. And so I am writing this letter to Franklin County Schools.

Dear Franklin County Schools,

There is love at Terrell Lane Middle School. I have seen it firsthand. The teachers and administrators fill the halls with love. They brag about their students and they sacrifice so much for them. The students are closer than they think to achieving the goals the county has set for them. They believe in their school. I only spent a week at Terrell Lane and I don’t see the everyday motions. I was a guest, one who was happy to just have an invite into the school. I won’t pretend to know the whole story, but from what I saw Terrell Lane will be an example for all Franklin County Schools. With inconsistency in what teachers are present, and what extracurricular activities are present, Terrell Lane makes it work and they do it through their teachers. The guidance counselor who fills in for the secretary and the nurse because they only work three times a week. Terrell Lane keeps going because they have eighth grade teachers that go above and beyond. They stay late to host the bookstore and coach the track and field team. They come early to donate food to a group of college students that they’ve never met and more than anything is they care.  I’ll support a school like Terrell Lane and any legislation that makes the lives of the students and teachers any day.

Despite my belief in Terrell Lane, there is work to be done. Invest in learning. Test scores and pushing the idea of “sixty or better” on students can only do so much. Test scores show growth and can work to a certain extent, but forcing teachers to teach to pass places a cap on education. There’s a deep need for education reform all around the country. Finding ways to make the classroom a place where students can come alive. I struggled to ignore the feelings of taking on the “White Man’s Burden” and treating the north as a place of higher learning. However, we have to continue to be a presence in the classroom and empowering students to see different ideas of success. I write this to say invest in the students. Not just athletics, but the classroom. In resources that make school a launching pad to something great.

Best,

Devin Harvin