As a proud graduate of Detroit Public Schools, I take the recent sick outs personally. I stand with Detroit teachers in fighting against work environments that are counter-productive to student achievement. I learned early on in life that you must stand for what’s right.
I Respect Teachers Because My Mother Led By Example
My mother taught middle school math in Detroit for 52 years, so DPS runs deep in my blood. Every year students left her classroom well-prepared. Her eighth graders often went into advanced-placement math classes as they entered high school. She was old-school with her teaching methods–she expected a lot from her students.
To Be Young, Gifted, And Black
Along with my mother, I had a host of great teachers in the schools I attended. My teachers were as committed to my academic success as my mother was to my personal development. At MacDowell Elementary and Beaubien Middle/Jr. High I was loved and challenged equally. “I can’t” was not an option.
The Picket Line Taught Me About Solidarity
Whenever DPS went on strike I was along for the ride. Signs, donuts, and orange juice were staples on the picket line, which sometimes dragged well into late September. I remember complaining to my mother that she should just cross the line. The side-eye she gave me sent shivers down my back, along with a running list of why that would not happen. I never brought it up again.
Detroit Teachers Give Survival Lessons In Uncertain Times
In 2016, Detroit teachers face so many obstacles in educating students that it appears many schools are set up for failure. What DPS administration doesn’t seem to get is that Detroit teachers are the best. They go above and beyond to prepare students for life in uncertain times. Failure is not an option when survival depends on success.
I Have Mad Love For Detroit Public Schools
While the nation watches the deplorable conditions Detroit teachers work under, you, and they, should know that they are supported. They have the respect of DPS graduates and their parents. The fight is not over. Even though I now reside in Los Angeles, my heart is with Detroit. I am DPS.
Featured Image provided by author
l to r: Doris Ray Principal MacDowell Elementary, Mattie Milliken MacDowell Elementary Auditorium Teacher, Carolyn Williams- author’s mother and former Detroit Public School Teacher, C. Imani Williams (author). 1975.
