The Daily Dot
"I'd cry every day": Teacher explains how working at the richest vs the poorest…
"What radicalized me as a teacher is I was working at the richest school in Ohio and the poorest school."
205
17k
1k
105k
Cleveland Teacher's Stark Revelation: Bridging the Divide Between Elite and Underfunded Schools
A Cleveland teacher, Nathan Ramos-Park, recently shared his profound experiences working in two vastly different educational environments within the city, revealing the stark disparities that "radicalized" his perspective. Ramos-Park taught at Hawken Lower, a private school in Ohio with tuition exceeding $40,000 for preschool and kindergarten, catering to children of doctors, lawyers, and NBA players. He described a privileged environment where students learned multiple languages, including Mandarin, Spanish, American Sign Language, and English, and enjoyed organic lunch buffets with vegan options. In stark contrast, Ramos-Park also ran an after-school program for disadvantaged youth in inner-city Cleveland. He recounted how these students often lacked basic necessities, with schools unable to afford textbooks. For many, the first meal of the day would be a banana and juice box he provided from his own pocket. Ramos-Park expressed deep guilt and frustration over what he described as the "school-to-prison pipeline" that seemed clearly set up. He passionately argued that every child deserves access to clean water and education, emphasizing that it should not be up to a six-year-old to navigate complex societal structures. He concluded by stating that children should not be expected to be "perfect" from a young age just to have a chance at a decent life. His account sheds light on the significant educational and resource gaps impacting youth in different communities.
