BACKGROUND
ANN
BIANCHETTI
Grades 5-8
Academy of Performing Arts Middle School
Paterson NJ
"Knowledge
is heavy," a good friend of mine once said to one of her seventh grade
social studies students. The student had been complaining about the weight
of the textbooks she had to carry home in order to study. Sara replied,
"Yes, my friend, knowledge, and the responsibility that comes with it,
are heavy."
About Paterson Paterson is located in a corner of northeast New Jersey. We are within view of the New York skyline. Paterson nestles at the bottom of the Watchung Mountains and hugs the Passaic River. It was founded in 1791 by Alexander Hamilton and his "Society for Useful Manufactures" or SUM. Our city is home to the third largest waterfall on the east coast of North America The Great Falls. These falls inspired Hamilton to create an industrial city, with the rushing water providing power for turbine engines. The city flourished in the burgeoning Industrial Revolution, becoming the capitol of silk manufacturing in America and earning the nickname Silk City. Paterson has played a vital role in American and labor history. It was here that the first steam locomotive, submarine, and Colt revolver were built. Industries grew and with them the stories of immigrants and laborers one usually associates with Chicago and New York City. Beautiful architecture came to dominate the landscape with soaring factories, towering spires, and the elegant yet sturdy bridge over the falls. The falls themselves are gorgeous. While they can't compete with Niagara, they are stunning in their awesomeness and power. They still provide over 90 percent of the electricity for the city of Paterson. It's sad to see what has happened to Paterson. Gradually labor moved out and factories closed, leading to widespread poverty. Paterson has the potential to be a leading museum area for labor history (as Williamsburg is for colonial history) but it is so depressed, it would take a lot of money that just isn't here. The factory buildings are all abandoned and most of the city is in disrepair. A few years ago it was ranked the second poorest city in the state. The city government has been rocked with corruption similar to that of Washington D.C.
I love this city and hope to see it revitalized one day. The beautiful buildings and falls are still here, only marred with crime and pollution. The people are resilient and full of energy. Yet my students are so used to hearing Paterson talked about in negative terms on the news, they are shocked when I tell them the importance this city had in early America. One student said, "If Paterson is so great, why do people hate us so much?" You can find more information about Paterson through the Library of Congress's American Memory Project. In 1994 they documented labor history in Paterson through the American Folklife center in a piece titled "Working In Paterson." There was also a movie made about the bad conditions in our schools and the famous "Crazy Joe" Clark, who changed things around (Lean on Me starring Morgan Freeman).
About the district and my school Many poor districts in New Jersey are called Abbot districts, after a late 1980s court case. Ms. Abbot, the mother of a student from the Newark school system, sued the state claiming that the Newark schools did not provide a "thorough and efficient" education as our state Constitution promises all students. She won, and ever since various districts have been taken over by the state and labeled Abbot districts. The theory behind the state takeover was that the local district had become corrupt or was not providing safe and effective schools. The criteria for state takeover is based on per-pupil spending and the percentages of students failing our standardized tests. When the state takes over a district, they assign a special superintendent to work with the district superintendent to raise spending, with the goal to match the per-pupil spending of the state's most wealthy district. How this is to be accomplished is still being explored. The long-term goal is for the state to bow out after the district has been brought up to acceptable standards. Paterson has been an Abbot district for almost 10 years, and the state is still trying to improve the situation. I'm sure more about my frustrations with the decade-old state takeover will appear in my diaries.
One by-product of the takeover was the creation of small "academy style" public magnet schools. The aim was to reduce class sizes, which had swollen to 35-40 students. My school, The Academy of Performing Arts, falls in this group. We opened our doors in 1999, and I was one of the first teachers hired by our school's founder, who recruited me from another school in Paterson. We are a middle school with grades 5-8. Our students are 80 percent African-American, 25 percent Latino/a and 5 percent Middle Eastern. All of our students get free or reduced breakfast and lunch. We have one section of each grade, with 20-23 students per class. Our whole school, therefore, never has an enrollment of more than 80-90 students. We have seven full-time teachers (our vocal music teacher is also the school's founder and principal) and three part-time teachers (art, instrumental music, and resource room). We have had some success. Our test scores are consistently higher than other schools in the district, and we have achieved local fame with our traveling dance troupe and choir. Our students even performed in a professional/equity production this summer. The goal of the school and teachers is to raise the bar in all areas and reverse the downward spiral of inner city education. Since we are small, we are like a family with all the wonderful and difficult situations that can bring. Our smallness means that we have our students from year to year, and each of us teaches our subject to all four grades. It's wonderful to loop this way and see students grow from little fifth graders to 8th-grade young men and women. About me I am 31 years old and this is my fifth year with the district and my fourth at the Academy. I attend graduate school part time working toward my masters in social studies education. I started a student council at my school – we are in our second year, learning as we go. My goals for this year are to improve my teaching of social studies skills and to do research and reflection on student learning and education for democratic citizenship. I also intend to become a more organized grader, create a stronger student council, and get back in touch with why I became a teacher and what I love about education. I want to nurture that fire that burns in me, that belief that education is the great emancipator and equalizer, to embody the phrase "teaching for social justice." I want to demonstrate that despite the many obstacles my students face; they can rise above them with teachers who make a difference.
Read Ann's first diary entry
