How America's public schools keep kids in poverty | Kandice Sumner

Translator: Enara Caride Reviewer: Belén García Penerbosa

I want to talk to you about my kids.

Quero falarvos dos meus nenos.

Now, I know everyone thinks that their kid is the most fantastic,

Agora, xa sei que todo o mundo pensa que o seu neno é o mellor,

the most beautiful kid that ever lived.

e máis guapo que xamais existiu.

But mine really are.

Pero os meus sono de verdade.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

I have 696 kids,

Teño 696 nenos

e son os máis intelixentes, inventivos, innovadores...

and they are the most intelligent, inventive, innovative,

brilliant and powerful kids that you'll ever meet.

os nenos máis brillantes e poderosos que xamais coñecerás.

Cada un dos estudantes aos que tiven o honor de ensinar é o meu neno.

Any student I've had the honor of teaching in my classroom is my kid.

However, because their "real" parents aren't rich

Porén, dado que os seus "verdadeiros" pais non son ricos

and, I argue, because they are mostly of color,

e, tendo en conta que, como a maioría son de cor,

they will seldom get to see in themselves

rara vez serán quen de verse en sí mesmos

the awesomeness that I see in them.

a xenialidad que eu vexo neles.

Because what I see in them is myself --

Porque eu véxome reflectida neles

or what would have been myself.

ou no que eu podería ter sido.

I am the daughter of two hardworking,

Son filla de dous pais traballadores,

ambos con carreiras universitarias, afroamericanos,

college-educated, African-American parents

who chose careers as public servants:

que elixiron carreiras como funcionarios públicos:

my father, a minister; my mother, an educator.

meu pai, ministro; miña nai, profesora.

A riqueza non era unha prioridade na nosa casa.

Wealth was never the primary ambition in our house.

Because of this lack of wealth,

Debido a esta inexistente riqueza,

we lived in a neighborhood that lacked wealth,

viviamos nun barrio onde a riqueza non existía,

and henceforth a school system that lacked wealth.

e consecuentemente, nun sistema educativo que carecía da mesma.

Luckily, however, we struck the educational jackpot

Non obstante, e afortunadamente, tocounos a lotería a nivel educativo

nun programa voluntario de eliminación da segregación racial

in a voluntary desegregation program

that buses inner-city kids -- black and brown --

que leva en bus a nenos procedentes de barrios pobres, nenos de cor,

out to suburban schools -- rich and white.

ás escolas preto das cidades, ricas e brancas.

At five years old, I had to take an hour-long bus ride

Cando tiña cinco años, tiven que facer unha viaxe dunha hora en autobús

ata un lugar afastado

to a faraway place

para conseguir unha mellor educación.

to get a better education.

At five years old, I thought everyone had a life just like mine.

Con cinco anos, pensaba que todo o mundo tiña unha vida coma a miña.

I thought everyone went to school

Pensaba que todo o mundo ía á escola

and were the only ones using the brown crayons

e que eramos os únicos que empregaban as ceras marróns

to color in their family portraits,

para colorear os retratos que facíamos das nosas familias,

while everyone else was using the peach-colored ones.

mentres que os demais empregaban as cores carne.

At five years old, I thought everyone was just like me.

Con cinco anos, pensaba que todo o mundo era coma min.

But as I got older, I started noticing things, like:

Mais cando medrei, comecei a percibir cousas como:

How come my neighborhood friend don't have to wake up

Como é que que o meu amigo do barrio non ten que se erguer ás cinco da mañá

at five o'clock in the morning,

e ir á escola que está a unha hora de camiño?

and go to a school that's an hour away?

How come I'm learning to play the violin

Como pode ser que eu aprenda a tocar o violín

while my neighborhood friends don't even have a music class?

mentres os meus amigos nin sequera teñen clase de música?

Por que os meus amigos estaban aprendendo e lendo materia

Why were my neighborhood friends learning and reading material

that I had done two to three years prior?

que eu xa dera dous ou tres anos antes?

See, as I got older,

Como ven, a medida que medraba,

I started to have this unlawful feeling in my belly,

comecei a ter esta sensación contradictoria no ventre

like I was doing something that I wasn't supposed to be doing;

como se estivese facendo algo que non debera;

taking something that wasn't mine;

collendo algo que non era meu;

receiving a gift,

recibindo un agasallo,

but with someone else's name on it.

mais co nome doutra persoa escrito nel.

All these amazing things that I was being exposed to

Todas aquelas cousas marabillosas que estaba descubrindo e experimentando...

and experiencing,

sentía coma se realmente non debera telas.

I felt I wasn't really supposed to have.

Como se non debese ter unha biblioteca, instalacións deportivas ben equipadas

I wasn't supposed to have a library, fully equipped athletic facilities,

or safe fields to play in.

ou patios seguros nos que xogar

I wasn't supposed to have theatre departments

Como se non debese ter departamentos de teatro

with seasonal plays and concerts --

con concertos e obras cada temporada;

digital, visual, performing arts.

artes dixitais, visuais, escénicas...

I wasn't supposed to have fully resourced biology or chemistry labs,

Como se non debese ter laboratorios de bioloxía ou química ben equipados,

autobuses escolares que me levasen ata a porta,

school buses that brought me door-to-door,

almorzos preparados no momento

freshly prepared school lunches

or even air conditioning.

ou incluso aire acondicionado.

Esas son cousas que os meus nenos non teñen.

These are things my kids don't get.

You see, as I got older,

Como ven, mentres medraba,

ao tempo que estaba agradecida por esta marabillosa oportunidade que recibira,

while I was grateful for this amazing opportunity

that I was being given,

there was this ever-present pang of:

sempre sentía esta intensa punzada:

But what about everyone else?

Pero, que pasa cos demais?

Hai miles de nenos coma min que tamén merecen isto.

There are thousands of other kids just like me,

who deserve this, too.

Why doesn't everyone get this?

Por que non todo o mundo o consegue?

Why is a high-quality education only exclusive to the rich?

Por que a educación de calidad está soamente reservada aos ricos?

It was like I had some sort of survivor's remorse.

Era como se eu tivese algún tipo de remorso de supervivencia.

Todos os meus amigos estaban a experimentar

All of my neighborhood friends were experiencing

an educational train wreck

un desastre educacional

that I was saved from through a bus ride.

do que eu me salvara grazas a unha viaxe en autobús.

Eu era coma un Moisés educativo berrando:

I was like an educational Moses screaming,

"Let my people go ...

"Deixade ir aos meus a unha escola de calidade!"

to high-quality schools!"

(Risas)

(Laughter)

I'd seen firsthand how the other half was being treated and educated.

Vin de primeira man como a outra metade era tratada e educada.

Vin a terra prometida da educación

I'd seen the educational promised land,

e non teño forma algunha de xustificar a disparidade.

and I could not for the life of me justify the disparity.

I now teach in the very same school system from which I sought refuge.

Agora ensino no mesmo sistema educativo do que me quería refuxiar.

I know firsthand the tools that were given to me as a student,

Sei de primeira man as ferramentas que me deran como estudante,

and now as a teacher, I don't have access to those same tools

e agora, como profesora, non teño acceso a esas mesmas ferramentas

to give my students.

para darllas aos meus alumnos.

There have been countless nights when I've cried in frustration,

Foron incontables as noites nas que chorei de frustración,

indignación

anger

and sorrow,

e tristeza,

because I can't teach my kids the way that I was taught,

porque non podo ensinar aos meus nenos do mesmo xeito no que eu fun educada

because I don't have access to the same resources or tools

porque non teño acceso aos mesmos recursos ou ferramentas

that were used to teach me.

que foron empregados para ensinarme.

My kids deserve so much better.

Os meus nenos merecen algo moito mellor.

We sit and we keep banging our heads against this term:

Sentámonos e seguimos golpeándonos as cabezas contra o termo:

"Brecha educacional, brecha educacional!"

"Achievement gap, achievement gap!"

Is it really that hard to understand

É tan difícil de entender

why these kids perform well and these kids don't?

porque estes nenos se desenvolven ben e estes outros non?

I mean, really.

Quero decir, en serio.

I think we've got it all wrong.

Creo que nos equivocamos en todo.

I think we,

Creo que nós,

como Gloria Ladson-Billings di,

as Gloria Ladson-Billings says,

debemos darlle a volta ao noso paradigma e idioma e chamalo polo seu nome.

should flip our paradigm and our language and call it what it really is.

It's not an achievement gap;

Non é unha brecha educacional

it's an education debt,

É unha débeda educacional,

por todos os recursos escolares pasados nos que nunca se investiu

for all of the foregone schooling resources that were never invested

in the education of the black and brown child over time.

para educación dos nenos de cor ao longo do tempo.

A little-known secret in American history

Un segredo pouco coñecido da historia americana

is that the only American institution created specifically for people of color

é que a única institución americana creada especificamente para a xente de cor

is the American slave trade --

é a trata de escravos

and some would argue the prison system,

Algúns debatirían sobre o sistema penitenciario

but that's another topic for another TED Talk.

pero iso sería tema para outra charla TED.

(Risas)

(Laughter)

The public school system of this country was built, bought and paid for

O sistema de escola pública deste país foi construído, mercado e pagado

using commerce generated from the slave trade and slave labor.

empregando o comercio xerado na trata e labor de esctravos.

While African-Americans were enslaved and prohibited from schooling,

Mentres os afroamericanos eran escravizados e se lles prohibía estudar,

their labor established the very institution

a súa labor construía a mesma institución da que foron excluídos.

from which they were excluded.

Desde entón, cada caso xudicial, cada política educativa, cada reforma,

Ever since then, every court case, educational policy, reform,

foi un intento de modernizar o deseño,

has been an attempt to retrofit the design,

rather than just stopping and acknowledging:

mais ca de deterse e admitir:

fixémolo todo mal dende o principio.

we've had it all wrong from the beginning.

An oversimplification of American educational history.

Unha simplificación excesiva da historia da educación americana.

All right, just bear with me.

Ben, teñan paciencia comigo.

Blacks were kept out -- you know, the whole slavery thing.

Os negros foron afastados, xa sabedes todo o tema da escravitude

Grazas á axuda de humanitarios brancos,

With the help of philanthropic white people,

construíron as súas propias escolas.

they built their own schools.

Separate but equal was OK.

Separatista pero igualitario estaba BEN.

But while we all know things were indeed separate,

Pero aínda que saibamos de certo que existía esta separación,

they were in no ways equal.

de ningún xeito era igualitaria.

Enter Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas in 1954;

Segundo o caso Brown contra o Consello de Educación de Topeka,

Kansas, 1954

legal separation of the races is now illegal.

a separación de razas é agora ilegal.

But very few people pay attention to all of the court cases since then,

Pero moi poucas persoas prestaron atención a todos os casos xudiciais desde entón,

que arruinaron a educación prometida para cada neno

that have undone the educational promised land for every child

that Brown v. Board intended.

que pretendía Brown contra o Consello.

Some argue that today our schools are now more segregated

Algúns argumentan que hoxe as nosas escolas están máis segregadas

do que estaban antes de que se intentasen cambiar nun primeiro momento

than they ever were before we tried to desegregate them in the first place.

Teaching my kids about desegregation, the Little Rock Nine,

Ensinar aos meus nenos sobre desegregación, os nove de Little Rock,

the Civil Rights Movement,

o movemento polos dereitos civís

is a real awkward moment in my classroom,

é un momento moi incómodo da miña clase

cando teño que escoitar a voz dun neno preguntando,

when I have to hear the voice of a child ask,

"If schools were desegregated in 1954,

"Se as escolas foron desegregadas en 1954,

how come there are no white kids here?"

por que non hai nenos brancos aquí?"

(Laughter)

(Risas)

Estes nenos non son tontos.

These kids aren't dumb.

Saben perfectamente o que está pasando

They know exactly what's happening,

and what's not.

e o que non

They know that when it comes to schooling,

Saben que cando se trata da educación,

black lives don't matter

as vidas da xente negra non importan

nin nunca o fixeron.

and they never have.

For years, I tried desperately to cultivate in my kids a love of reading.

Durante anos, tratei desesperadamente de cultivar nos meus nenos

o amor pola lectura

I'd amassed a modest classroom library

Acumulara unha modesta biblioteca de clase

of books I'd accumulated from secondhand shops,

con libros que conseguira de tendas de segunda man, de trasteiros...

thrift stores, attics -- you know.

Mais cando decía aquelas terribles palabras:

But whenever I said those dreadful words,

"Take out a book and read,"

"Colle un libro e le"

you'd think I'd just declared war.

Pensariades que acabara de declarar a guerra.

Era unha tortura.

It was torture.

One day,

Un día,

despois de que escoitara sobre unha páxina web chamada

after I'd heard about this website called DonorsChoose,

DonorsChoose, onde profesores fan listas de material

where classroom teachers create wish lists

of items they need for their classroom

que precisan para as súas clases e doantes anónimos llos facilitaban,

and anonymous donors fulfill them,

I figured I'd go out on a limb and just make a wish list

decidín aventurarme e facer tamén unha lista

da biblioteca soñada dun adolescente.

of the teenager's dream library.

Over 200 brand-new books were sent to my room piece by piece.

Máis de 200 libros novos foron enviados á miña clase un por un.

Every day there were new deliveries and my kids would exclaim with glee,

Cada día había novas entregas e os meus alumnos exclamaban con xúbilo,

"Semella Nadal!"

"This feels like Christmas!"

(Risas)

(Laughter)

Then they'd say,

Despois decían,

"Ms. Sumner, where did these books come from?"

"Señorita Summer, de onde veñen estes libros?"

And then I'd reply,

Entón eu respondíalles,

"Strangers from all over the country wanted you to have these."

"Persoas descoñecidas de todo o país quixeron que os tiverades."

And then they'd say, almost suspiciously,

Entón eles decían, con sospeita,

"But they're brand-new."

"Pero son novos".

(Risas)

(Laughter)

To which I'd reply,

Ao que eu respondía:

"You deserve brand-new books."

"Merecedes libros novos."

Toda esta experiencia tocoume no máis fondo cando unha das nenas díxome,

The whole experience hit home for me when one of my girls,

as she peeled open a crisp paperback said,

mentres abría un fráxil libro de bolsillo,

"Ms. Sumner -- you know, I figured you bought these books,

"Señorita Summer, pensaba que ti mercaras estes libros,

'cause you teachers are always buying us stuff.

porque vós os profesores sempre estades mercándonos cousas

Mais, o feito de saber que un estraño, que alguén que non coñezo,

But to know that a stranger, someone I don't even know,

cares this much about me

preocúpase tanto por min

is pretty cool."

é xenial."

Knowing that strangers will take care of you

Saber que descoñecidos coidarán de ti

is a privilege my kids aren't afforded.

é un privilexio que os meus nenos non poden permitirse.

Ever since the donation,

Dende a doazón,

there has been a steady stream of kids signing out books to take home,

houbo un fluxo constante de nenos collendo libros prestados

and then returning them with the exclamation,

e logo devolvéndoos exclamando:

"This one was good!"

"Este libro estivo ben!"

(Laughter)

(Risas)

Agora, cando digo "Colle un libro e le",

Now when I say, "Take out a book and read,"

kids rush to my library.

os nenos corren á miña biblioteca.

It wasn't that they didn't want to read,

Non era que non quixeran ler,

but instead, they'd gladly read if the resources were there.

senón que estarían encantados de facelo, se tivesen os recursos.

Institutionally speaking,

Institucionalmente falando,

o noso sistema de escola pública nunca foi xusto cos nenos de cor.

our public school system has never done right by the black and brown child.

Seguimos concentrándonos nos resultados finais

We keep focusing on the end results

or test results,

ou nos resultados dos exames,

e frustrándonos.

and getting frustrated.

We get to a catastrophe and we wonder,

Chegamos a unha catástrofe e preguntámonos,

"Como puido acabar tan mal? Como chegamos aquí?"

"How did it get so bad? How did we get here?"

Really?

En serio?

If you neglect a child long enough,

Se desatendes a un neno durante moito tempo

you no longer have the right to be surprised

deixas de ter o dereito de sorprenderte

when things don't turn out well.

cando as cousas non saen ben.

Stop being perplexed

Deixade de sentirvos perplexos

ou confusos

or confused

or befuddled

ou desconcertados

by the achievement gap,

polas diferenzas de rendemento escolar,

the income gap,

diferenza de ingresos,

the incarceration rates,

os índices de encarceramento,

or whatever socioeconomic disparity is the new "it" term for the moment.

ou calquera disparidade económica que sexa o termo "de moda" do momento.

The problems we have as a country

Os problemas que temos como país

are the problems we created as a country.

son problemas que creamos como país.

The quality of your education is directly proportionate

A calidade da túa educación é directamente proporcional

á posibilidade de acceso á universidade,

to your access to college,

your access to jobs,

ao acceso a un traballo,

your access to the future.

ao acceso ao futuro.

Until we live in a world where every kid can get a high-quality education

Ata que vivamos nun mundo onde cada neno poida ter unha educación de calidade

no matter where they live,

independentemente de onde resida

or the color of their skin,

ou da cor da súa pel,

hai cousas que podemos facer a gran escala.

there are things we can do on a macro level.

School funding should not be decided by property taxes

A financiación de escolas non debería decidirse en base a impostos sobre

a propiedade ou algunha novedosa ecuación económica

or some funky economic equation

onde os nenos ricos seguen beneficiándose das axudas do Estado

where rich kids continue to benefit from state aid,

mentres que aos pobres se lles está a quitar continuamente

while poor kids are continuously having food and resources

comida e recursos.

taken from their mouths.

Governors, senators, mayors, city council members --

Gobernadores, senadores, alcaldes, membros do concello,

if we're going to call public education public education,

se vamos chamar á educacion pública educación pública,

then it should be just that.

entón debería ser precisamente iso.

Otherwise, we should call it what it really is:

Senón, deberiamos chamalo polo seu nome:

poverty insurance.

unha forma de manter a pobreza.

"Educación pública:

"Public education:

keeping poor kids poor since 1954."

mantendo aos nenos pobres na probreza dende 1954."

(Laughter)

(Risas)

If we really, as a country, believe that education is the "great equalizer,"

Se realmente, coma país, cremos que a educación é a "gran igualadora,"

then it should be just that: equal and equitable.

entón debería ser xustamente iso: imparcial e equitativa.

Ata entón, non haberá democracia na nosa educación democrática.

Until then, there's no democracy in our democratic education.

On a mezzo level:

Nun nivel intermedio:

historically speaking, the education of the black and brown child

historicamente falando, a educación dos nenos de cor

has always depended on the philanthropy of others.

sempre dependeu da caridade doutros.

And unfortunately, today it still does.

E, desafortunadamente, hoxe segue sendo así.

If your son or daughter or niece or nephew or neighbor

Se o teu fillo, filla, sobriña, sobriño, ou veciño,

ou o pequeno Timmy que vive na mesma rúa e que vai a unha escola rica,

or little Timmy down the street

goes to an affluent school,

challenge your school committee to adopt an impoverished school

desafía ao comité escolar para asumir ao seu cargo unha escola empobrecida

or an impoverished classroom.

ou a unha clase nesas condicións de pobreza

Close the divide by engaging in communication

Pecha as divisións dedicándote á comunicación

and relationships that matter.

e ás relacións que si importan.

Cando se comparten os recursos,

When resources are shared,

non se dividen;

they're not divided;

they're multiplied.

se multiplican.

And on a micro level:

E a pequena escala:

if you're a human being,

se es un ser humano,

donate.

doa.

Time, money, resources, opportunities --

Tempo, diñeiro, recursos, oportunidades...

whatever is in your heart.

o que sexa que teñas no corazón.

There are websites like DonorsChoose

Hai páxinas web coma DonorsChoose

que detectan esta disparidade

that recognize the disparity

e realmente queren facer algo por cambiala.

and actually want to do something about it.

What is a carpenter with no tools?

Que é un carpinteiro sen ferramentas?

What is an actress with no stage?

Que é unha actriz sen escenario?

What is a scientist with no laboratory?

Que é un científico sen laboratorio?

What is a doctor with no equipment?

Que é un doutor sen equipamento?

I'll tell you:

Eu dígovolo:

they're my kids.

son os meus nenos.

Shouldn't they be your kids, too?

Non deberían ser os vosos, tamén?

Thank you.

Grazas.

(Aplausos)

(Applause)