Protesting for Their Future

            Last week students in a Detroit high school walked out of class demanding to be educated.  While their act of protest should have been applauded for their pleas to be educated, fifty students were suspended for their action[i].

            The student protest was sparked by concerns over lack of consistent teachers, the reassignment of the principal, staff who abuse sick time, and shortage of textbooks.  According to one senior:

                        “We’ve been wronged and disrespected and lied to and cheated.

                        They didn’t listen to us when we complained to the administration.

                        They didn’t listen to the parents when they complained to the

                        administration, so I guess this is the only way to get things solved[ii].”

            At a time when youth, specifically youth from economically distressed communities are labeled as not taking their education serious, these students as well as students across the country have exercised their rights to protest and express their concern for the injustice happening to them.  Understanding the importance education will play in their adult lives, the students stepped up and took the responsibility to demand their education, just as their grandparents (or great-grandparents) did during the civil rights movement.  It is unfortunate the adults in the building did not feel the need to listen.

            School Districts across the country should use this opportunity and listen to what students have to say.  School Districts should include students in the discussions on student engagement, education for a global economy, improving school climate, and elements of an effective teacher.  Student knowledge is often underutilized by legislators, educators, and reformers when it comes to improving schools.  Students’ have a unique knowledge about what works in school, what does not work in school, and what factors outside of school create barriers to learning in school. 

            It is time for the adults to stop trying to figure out what might work and learn from the insight of the students to develop strategies that could remove barriers to learning and increase academic achievement.  By doing this, students will have taken ownership for the direction of their education and become empowered to hold themselves, their peers, and their teachers accountable for teaching, learning, and academic achievement.  By demanding to be educated, students in Detroit and across the country have informed their districts, low expectations, inequitable funding, antiquated infrastructure, and lack of textbooks will no longer be tolerated.  Their demands also inform the federal and sate governments that students expect more from legislative and school leaders.

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[i] www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/30/detroit-high-school-prote_n_1392436

[ii] ibid