In comparison of myself and the children who attend Lincoln Elementary, I was quite fortunate to have had the opportunity to go to New Life Academy. The price for attending such a school was immense, but my family made sacrifices in order for my younger brother and I to go there. Such minor sacrifices cannot be compared to those made by families residing in North Minneapolis. They face far greater hardships than most would in my area. The question of where to send their children to school is the last thing on the parents' minds. They have more important things to worry about like making enough money to continue living in their home and to be able to put food on the table. Survival is far more important than education. According to a map of North Minneapolis, 26.8% are living below the poverty level. In such a position, a majority of the children are on Free and Reduced Price Lunch to be able to purchase food. They would not have anything else to eat if they choose not to participate. Because parents place most of their attention in making money, it is difficult for the children to receive necessary love and attention from them. New Life is located in Woodbury. It is a whole different story when compared to North Minneapolis. Families living in Woodbury are doing well financially. They have little trouble in giving their children the love and attention that they need. Even more, they are capable of sending their children to nice schools. Such schools are able to provide the children going there with necessary materials and resources such as pencils, crayons, paper, books, and computers. Lincoln Elementary, however, has some difficulty in providing such things for the students. Woodbury provides the residents with a safe neighborhood. In doing so, the children feel safe. For children going to Lincoln Elementary, however, they feel unsafe even at the school. The school is located in the heart of North Minneapolis. The area is known to be the center of criminal activity including the sale of drugs and prostitution. When asked, 59% of the students said that they felt unsafe. All of the above are possible factors that contribute to students doing poorly at Lincoln Elementary.
at October 12, 2005 11:54 AM