Spectacular Things Happen Along The Way

There were several challenges that Schultz’s students faced. The book points out some of the daily event that occurred the lives of these urban students in a Chicago school.

The students were expecting to receive their education in a building that was inadequate. The problems were a part of their school life. There was no lunchroom which means the students ate in the hallway. The restrooms leak and were dirty. The students refused to use them. There was no gym. The students had to use the facility of another school. The windows had holes. The holes in the window created a problem in the winter. The classrooms were cold and the heat and thermostat never worked. How could the student be expected to learn when it was so cold? There were so many problems facing these students. There were many promises made to the school from administration and politician’s however none were forthcoming.

In addition to the building problems, the curriculum did not meet the needs of the students. The students struggle with the basic education of reading, writing and arithmetic with no way of getting support. They did not have books. The curriculum itself and the way it was taught are often the driving forces responsible for gross an inequality that advances the unjust socioeconomic stratification in this country (Schultz 2008)

The problems the student faced in this school is a realistic view of what is being faced in many of the schools in the urban community. The curriculum is not a one size fit all. As an example, the students in Schultz’s book did not know how to react to their teacher’s style of teaching. The students were given choices and asked their opinion on issues in the classroom daily. The teacher was determined to change what was norm while empowers the students through the process.