This is how I ended up with a passion for K-12 Education Transformation. I submitted this essay to the Newsweek "My Turn" people back in September '06 ; never heard anything.
Growing up on the Gulf Coast, hurricane-tracking maps were available at every gas station, bank, and McDonald's. When a storm was threatening, the radio DJ would announce the latest coordinates of the latest hurricane every 10 minutes or so, and we would mark an "x" on our map. My grandfather, known as Big Daddy to his 5 grandchildren, loved rolling out his huge, chalkboard map and charting out the hurricanes’ progress. Big Daddy and I loved it; our version of male bonding. It felt almost like tracking Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.
The days after the hurricanes were spent shuttling between relatives’ houses that were extra full with long lost aunts and uncles who were running from the path of the storm. With no electricity, these houses always had something cooking as we tried to eat everything in the ice box before it spoiled. Man, the food was good. The storms bore the names of the crazy cousins who’d come for a quick visit; Charley or Bobby. They made a mess and left us to clean up. They were chaotic, but certainly not frightening; who could be afraid of something called Betty?
Today, the scene is different. Our children anxiously watch the red, swirlie monsters on the Weather Channel, barreling across a geologically and geographically correct map and heading straight for the point they call home. Someone must want to bring back the anxiety of the Cold War by giving these storms mad Russian names like Boris or Ivan or Katrina.
Katrina. The history of the storm has been written, reported and turned into a Spike Lee documentary. In all, Katrina left over half of a million people homeless. Seventeen of these people are my extended family.
When the waters receded, Katrina exposed the poverty and other failures of the Gulf Coast. It left us to physically rebuild homes and businesses – and all of the systems that have failed generations of its people. The most broken of these systems is our K-12 education system.
Believe it or not, a lot of folks – my family and my friends included – feel lucky for Katrina. I guess we feel like we survived cancer; we’re forced to look at life in new ways. We’ve been given an opportunity to start fresh, an opportunity to think outside the box. Things can only get better, and there are a whole lot of people willing to help us. Personally, I feel like the luckiest man alive. My company, Cisco Systems, has given $40M and the knowledge and expertise of ten people over the next 3 years to help build 21st Century education systems in Mississippi and Louisiana. I am one of the ten who accepted a 12-month assignment to work directly with the schools and education reform experts. I’m helping my fellow Gulf Coasters create something great out of the nation’s worst natural disaster.
Our school leaders feel as lucky as I do. Thirteen months later, they’re still living in FEMA trailers in front of their irreparable homes. But they thank God for Katrina and the second chance it afforded them. They tell us that, if it weren’t for the hurricane, they’d never be able to do the things we’re asking them to do. We’re pushing them to rethink education and build a school system with no boundaries. We’re showing them how technology enables them – and their students – to explore and experience the world.
We connected the Moss Point, Miss., school district, nestled an hour down the road from Katrina’s worst damage, with another Cisco 21st Century Education project in Ethiopia. Now, two school systems from across the globe are planning to collaborate using video technology and the Internet. When I was growing up, Ethiopia was a reason for a rock concert, not a country; not a face. Now, kids in Mississippi are learning about Ethiopia first hand thanks to new technology. Teachers are also using high-tech digital white boards, school announcements are taking place on state of the art systems, and whole communities are beginning to see how a school can become the center of a community.
Over the next three years, we will be working to tackle the digital divide between students and teachers in the Gulf Coast. Today's video game generation is often asked to check their MP3 players and PDAs at the school's front door and, as a result, many students lose interest without constant stimulation. The teachers we are working with are excited to blend new technology into their lessons and further engage their students. New technology solutions will allow them to bring lessons to life and fuel higher student achievement.
Personally, the last 18 months have been mostly about emotional rebuilding. When I first returned to visit schools in Mississippi and Louisiana, it wasn’t out of the ordinary for a tear or two to be shed. People needed to tell their stories; people needed to cry; people need to summon their strength for the hard tasks ahead. Although tears still flow, they are tears of joy, tears of hope. Before the storm the students in the schools where I am working ranked near the bottom in the nation. We don’t yet know for sure what this year’s testing will say, but I can say that the enthusiasm, pride and renewed commitment to learning I see in classrooms is a large step in creating a better future for our children.
What do y'all thing?
If you've read the "My Turn" article below, you will see that I've spent much time in Louisiana the last 16 months (8 months living there + 8 months telecommuting). On one fly-through the NOLA airport, I picked up a little book by Chris Rose called "1 Dead in Attic". Rose is a journalist for the NO Times-Picayune, and the book is his blog postings from pre, during, and post Katrina (my own katrina blog here). It really hits the nail on the head of the feelings and attitudes in Louisiana. I laughed, cried and got angry. No, not just a cliche, I really did, and I'm man enough to admit it.
