Misstropolis

Monday, March 26, 2007

Academy of the Pacific Rim, What Earnest Learning Looks Like

by Heather Miller

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Last fall, with my 14 year old son in tow, I toured some of New England’s most prestigious private schools searching for the best educational environment (that would accept him). We looked at Andover, Choate, and Phillips Academy; every weekend driving to another fabled campus. Little did I know that I was overlooking one of the most impressive schools in the area - that some of the most imaginative teaching and progressive curriculum initiatives can be found at a charter school in Hyde Park, Boston.

The Academy of the Pacific Rim (APR) is a middle and high school set in a former Westinghouse factory a short drive from Readville Station. The school’s philosophy is based on the ancient Eastern values of excellence, purpose and respect. Offered a chance to get to know the school’s staff and students, I saw those values play out repeatedly, and regretted all the hours and gas I had wasted on those long weekend drives.

During my time visiting APR I frequently heard the word gambatte, a Japanese saying that is used on occasions where Americans are likely to say “good luck.” But rather than “hope you do well,” saying gambatte to someone means “persist, never give up, put in your full effort.” Rising to the occasion is hardly a new goal in education, but at APR I found a rare determination to instill this approach in the students’ moral fiber. Though half of the student population qualifies for free lunch - demographics that typically go hand in hand with low MCAS scores – nearly the entire 10th grade at APR achieved proficiency in both Math and English exams, scoring far above their counterparts in other Boston public schools. College admissions results are similarly impressive with 90% of graduates going on to 4-year college.

At APR’s morning assembly, middle schoolers in khaki pants and maroon tops sat quietly on the floor as a teacher made announcements. I’ve visited many urban schools and am accustomed to endless disruptive behavior and discipline, so I was a bit stunned by this placid group. Not only were they sitting quietly, they were paying attention. APR’s Executive Director Spencer Blasdale explained to me later that this was no accident. All students learn to SLANT: Sit up, Listen, Ask/Answer, Nod, Track. 

That same day I saw a presentation of the “Gambatte Award.” “What is a hero?” a teacher asked, then provided the ancient Greeks’ definition - a person with unusual powers. The 7th grade defines a hero as “someone who does the right thing even when nobody is paying attention,” she told the students, “someone who isn’t afraid to be themselves, and take risks.” She presented the award to a boy who she said fit the description, and who “is proud of his unique family heritage.” As the students applauded enthusiastically, I was struck by the award’s thoughtfulness. I realized that the careful, close observation obvious in the description of the week’s winner must have had a huge impact on that child; that such generous attention must contribute to the confidence that allows the kids to pay attention, contribute and stay motivated. I began to see the cycle.

Kelechi and Adrian, two 8th graders charged with showing me around, agreed that APR is unlike any school they’ve ever attended. It’s certainly more demanding. They get 1 and a half to 2 hours of homework each night, and Saturday detention from 9 to 12 if they don’t finish. But Kelechi and Adrian take the school’s high standards as a compliment. “My family is Nigerian,” Kelechi explained, “They’re very strict on education. APR was the first school [where] I ever got less than a 90. I was in shock because when I got here, my first grade was an 80. I had to really work to get my grades up. APR has taught me a lesson that I’ll never forget. Always work hard, never take it for granted that you’re going to do well just because you’re smart.”

Adrian has a special relationship with his teachers. “In my old school, teachers cared. Like they cared to see me in class and they might say hello to me in the halls. But here they greet you at the door and shake your hand… The whole Chinese religion is about respect. Respecting elders. We’re here to respect our teachers. They’re here to help us so we have to help them and be nice to them as though they were our family.” Kelechi nodded, “Teachers are like our second parents.”

A serious college preparatory school, APR starts in 6th grade when students make their first college visit. “We visited Amherst” Kelechi and Adrian remembered, and then argued over where next year’s college trip would be. MIT? Williams? And if college isn’t enticing enough, there’s the prospect of studying from 2 weeks to a semester at APR’s sister school in China. “You have to be really good at Chinese” said Kelechi who, like all APR students, began learning Mandarin in 6th grade.

I was about to ask Adrian and Kelechi to come home with me so they could “rub off” on my son, when they brought me into an 8th grade English class where a young teacher was reading Sandra Cisneros’ The House in Mango Street. The class discussion revolved around the book’s reflection on class issues and the American Dream. I wish I’d been asked such provocative questions in graduate school. In another room, a 7th grade class was role-playing in order to examine cultural identities and misinterpretations. When students offered examples as disparate as the Crusades, Borat, and a student’s birthday party that mixed quiet friends with rowdy friends, the teacher took each seriously, and wove them into the discussion.

In classroom after classroom, I witnessed an active approach to learning. Students were encouraged to flex their bodies in a lesson as well as their minds. I saw a Chinese class playing charades (in Mandarin of course) and a History class full of 17 year olds actually learning the Charleston.

If you are not wondering how to get your child into APR by this point, you must have a broken monitor. Unlike prep schools where you need to know the founder, admissions to APR is via lottery. Students can enter in 5th, 6th or 7th grade, but no new students are accepted into higher grades. Preference is given to students living within Boston city limits.

In the end what impressed me most about APR was the earnestness of the students and the teachers. That earnestness left no room for the cynicism which so often creeps into and cripples urban public schools. That earnestness meant that APR could “persist, never give up, and put in a full effort” creating a learning environment worthy of a towering Gambatte Award.

To find out more about APR: visit: http://www.pacrim.org/.