Phila. public schools discussed

Penn students who volunteer in Philadelphia public schools don't necessarily think of the youth they work with as their younger brothers and sisters. Philadelphia educator Barbara Moore Williams does, however -- so much so that she fondly refers to the children in the Philadelphia public school system as "her babies." Last night, in the rooftop lounge of Harnwell College House, Williams stressed the importance of faith in the capabilities of Philadelphia's public school students before an audience of about 30 Penn students and Civic House staff members. "Human beings are encoded to learn. Every child can learn. Every child wants to learn," she said. Williams facilitated the third of a series of this semester's five Service Training Workshops, co-sponsored by Civic House and the Center for Community Partnerships. As the director of the Teaching and Learning Network of the Philadelphia School District, Williams has worked with about 5,000 teachers since she began her career 32 years ago in the Philadelphia Public School System. She discussed the state of the current public school system in Philadelphia and explained that Penn students can indeed play an important role in helping to improve the system. Williams encouraged the audience to make an effort to get to know the children in their classrooms. "They are living in a world that adults created," Williams said. "They are just trying to survive." According to Williams, the purpose of the public school system in America is "sorting and slotting" children into specific categories that undermine academic confidence. It may not be surprising then that the Philadelphia public school system currently has a 52 percent student drop-out rate, according to Williams. The workshop was based upon the concept of the Urban Learner, a notion advanced by urban education researcher Belinda Williams. The concept aims to improve the current public school system by making its culture fit the culture of its students. "Anyone who has an inkling whatsoever in their soul to teach should speak to this woman," said College senior Josh Croll, who has teaching aspirations. Many students who attended the workshop said they found it informative, helpful and interesting. "It is important to do service and to learn about what you are doing," Wharton sophomore Jenny Wang said. "There are actually skills involved and there are things that you need to aware of." Civic House's Associate Director, Heather Kilmer said last night's event was intended to "promote student responsibility in the community." "There is a real need for students to look critically at their service work. This workshop isn't a final answer," she said.