How we can help the "forgotten middle" reach their full potential | Danielle R. Moss

Prevodilac: Ivana Krivokuća Lektor: Tijana Mihajlović

So, I want to talk to you about the forgotten middle.

Htela bih da razgovaramo o zaboravljenom proseku.

To me, they are the students, coworkers and plain old regular folks

To su za mene učenici, kolege i obični ljudi

who are often overlooked

na koje se često ne obraća pažnja

because they're seen as neither exceptional nor problematic.

jer se ne smatraju ni izuzetnim ni problematičnim.

They're the kids we think we can ignore

To su deca koju mislimo da možemo da ignorišemo

because their needs for support don't seem particularly urgent.

jer se njihova potreba za podrškom ne čini naročito hitnom.

They're the coworkers

To su kolege

who actually keep the engines of our organizations running,

koji su pokretačka snaga naših organizacija,

but who aren't seen as the innovators who drive excellence.

ali ih ne smatraju inovatorima koji podstiču izuzetnost.

In many ways, we overlook the folks in the middle

Na mnoge načine zaobilazimo ljude u sredini

because they don't keep us up awake at night

jer se zbog njih ne mučimo da zaspimo

wondering what crazy thing they're going to come up with next.

dok razmišljamo koju ludost će sledeću da smisle.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

And the truth is that we've come to rely on their complacency

Istina je da je došlo do toga da se oslanjamo na njihovu uljuljkanost

and sense of disconnection

i osećaj nepovezanosti

because it makes our work easier.

jer to olakšava naš posao.

You see, I know a little bit about the forgotten middle.

Vidite, ja znam ponešto o zaboravljenom proseku.

As a junior high school student, I hung out in the middle.

U prvim razredima srednje škole držala sam se sredine.

For a long time, I had been a good student.

Dugo sam bila dobra učenica,

But seventh grade was a game changer.

ali sve se promenilo u sedmom razredu.

I spent my days gossiping, passing notes,

Provodila sam dane u tračarenju, dodavanju ceduljica,

generally goofing off with my friends.

i uopšte glupirajući se sa prijateljima.

I spent my homework time on the phone, reviewing each day's events.

Vreme kada je trebalo pisati domaći provodila sam na telefonu,

u raspredanju o svakodnevnim dešavanjima.

And in many ways, although I was a typical 12-year-old girl,

Umnogome, iako sam bila tipična 12-godišnja devojčica,

my ambivalence about my education led to pretty average grades.

moja ambivalentnost prema obrazovanju dovela je do prilično prosečnih ocena.

Luckily for me, my mother understood something important,

Srećom po mene, moja majka je shvatila nešto važno,

and that was that my location was not my destination.

da moj trenutni položaj nije moje konačno odredište.

As a former research librarian and an educator,

Kao bivši istraživački bibliotekar i pedagog,

my mother knew that I was capable of accomplishing a lot more.

moja majka je znala da sam sposobna da postignem mnogo više.

But she also understood

Ali je takođe znala da,

that because I was a young black woman in America,

pošto sam mlada crnkinja u Americi,

I might not have opportunities out of the middle

možda ne bih imala prilike da izađem iz proseka

if she wasn't intentional about creating them.

ako ih ona ne stvori namerno.

So she moved me to a different school.

Zato me je prebacila u drugu školu.

She signed me up for leadership activities in my neighborhood.

Prijavila me je na aktivnosti u mom naselju vezane za liderstvo.

And she began to talk to me more seriously

Počela je i da ozbiljnije razgovara sa mnom

about college and career options I could aspire to.

o fakultetu i mogućnostima za karijere ka kojima bih mogla da težim.

My mother's formula for getting me out of the middle was pretty simple.

Formula moje majke da me izvuče iz sredine bila je prilično jednostavna.

She started with high expectations.

Počela je velikim očekivanjima.

She made it her business to figure out how to set me up for success.

Potrudila se da pronađe način da me pripremi za uspeh.

She held me accountable

Pozivala me je na odgovornost

and, along the way, she convinced me that I had the power

i usput me je ubedila da imam moć

to create my own story.

da stvorim svoju priču.

That formula didn't just help me get out of my seventh grade slump --

Ta formula ne samo da je pomogla meni

da se izvučem iz nazadovanja u sedmom razredu,

I used it later on in New York City,

već sam je koristila i kasnije u Njujorku,

when I was working with kids who had a lot of potential,

kada sam radila sa decom koja su imala mnogo potencijala,

but not a lot of opportunities to go to and complete college.

ali ne i mnogo prilika da idu na fakultet i završe ga.

You see, high-performing students

Vidite, učenici sa odličnim uspehom

tend to have access to additional resources,

obično imaju pristup dodatnim sredstvima,

like summer enrichment activities,

kao što su letnje aktivnosti za razvoj,

internships

stažiranja

and an expansive curriculum

i ekspanzivan nastavni program

that takes them out of the classroom and into the world

koji ih vodi iz učionice u svet

in ways that look great on college applications.

na načine koji odlično izgledaju na prijavama za fakultete.

But we're not providing those kinds of opportunities for everyone.

Ali, ne pružamo takve mogućnosti svima.

And the result isn't just that some kids miss out.

Rezultat nije samo to da neka deca propuštaju stvari.

I think we, as a society, miss out too.

Mislim da ih i mi, kao društvo, propuštamo.

You see, I've got a crazy theory about the folks in the middle.

Vidite, imam ludu teoriju o ljudima u sredini.

I think there are some unclaimed winning lottery tickets in the middle.

Mislim da u sredini ima nekih neunovčenih dobitnih srećki.

I think the cure for cancer and the path to world peace

Mislim da se lek za rak i put do mira u svetu

might very well reside there.

možda tu kriju.

Now, as a former middle school teacher,

E, sad, kao bivša nastavnica,

I'm not saying that magically everyone is suddenly going to become an A student.

ne kažem da će svi čudesno postati učenici sa svim peticama.

But I also believe that most folks in the middle

Ali takođe verujem da je većina ljudi u sredini

are capable of a lot more.

sposobna za mnogo više.

And I think people stay in the middle because that's where we relegated them to

Mislim da ljudi ostaju u sredini zato što smo ih tamo potisnuli,

and, sometimes, that's just where they're kind of chilling

a ponekad samo tamo kuliraju

while they figure things out.

dok ne vide šta će dalje.

All of our journeys

Sva naša putovanja

are made up of a series of rest stops, accelerations, losses and wins.

sastoje se od niza odmora, ubrzanja, gubitaka i pobeda.

We have a responsibility to make sure

Imamo obavezu da se postaramo

that one's racial, gender, cultural and socioeconomic identity

da rasni, rodni, kulturološki i socioekonomski identitet

is never the reason you didn't have access out of the middle.

nikada ne bude razlog zbog kojeg niste imali kuda iz sredine.

So, just as my mother did with me,

Tako, kao što je i moja majka radila sa mnom,

I began with high expectations with my young people.

počela sam sa velikim očekivanjima od mladih sa kojima sam radila.

And I started with a question.

Počela sam pitanjem.

I stopped asking kids, "Hey, do you want to go to college?"

Prestala sam da pitam decu: „Hej, da li želiš da ideš na fakultet?“

I started asking them,

Počela sam da ih pitam:

"What college would you like to attend?"

„Koji fakultet želiš da pohađaš?“

You see, the first question --

Vidite, prvo pitanje -

(Applause)

(Aplauz)

The first question leaves a lot of vague possibilities open.

Prvo pitanje ostavlja mnoge nejasne mogućnosti otvorenim,

But the second question

dok drugo pitanje

says something about what I thought my young people were capable of.

govori nešto o tome za šta ja mislim da su moji mladi sposobni.

On a basic level,

Na osnovnom nivou,

it assumes that they're going to graduate from high school successfully.

pretpostavlja da će uspešno završiti srednju školu.

It also assumed

Takođe pretpostavlja

that they would have the kinds of academic records

da će imati takva akademska svedočanstva

that could get them college and university admissions.

koja će im omogućiti prijem na fakultet i univerzitet.

And I'm proud to say that the high expectations worked.

Sa ponosom mogu reći da su visoka očekivanja delovala.

While black and Latinx students

Mada studenata crne rase i latinoameričkog porekla

nationally tend to graduate from college in six years or less,

koji na nacionalnom nivou diplomiraju na fakultetu za šest ili manje godina

at a percent of 38,

ima 38 procenata,

we were recognized by the College Board

dobili smo priznanje Odbora za fakultete

for our ability not to just get kids into college

ne samo za našu sposobnost da upišemo decu na fakultet,

but to get them through college.

već i da im pomognemo da ga završe.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)

But I also understand that high expectations are great,

No, takođe razumem da su velika očekivanja super,

but it takes a little bit more than that.

ali potrebno je malo više od toga.

You wouldn't ask a pastry chef to bake a cake without an oven.

Ne biste tražili od poslastičara da ispeče kolač bez rerne.

And we should not be asking the folks in the middle to make the leap

I ne treba da tražimo od ljudi u sredini da prosto uskoče,

without providing them with the tools, strategies and support they deserve

a da im ne obezbedimo sredstva, strategije i podršku koju zaslužuju

to make progress in their lives.

da bi ostvarili napredak u životu.

A young woman I had been mentoring for a long time, Nicole,

Jedna devojka kojoj sam dugo bila mentor, Nikol,

came to my office one day,

došla je u moju kancelariju jednog dana,

after her guidance counselor looked at her pretty strong transcript

nakon što je njen savetnik pogledao njena prilično ubedljiva svedočanstva

and expressed utter shock and amazement

i izrazio krajnji šok i čuđenje

that she was even interested in going to college.

što je uopšte zainteresovana da ide na fakultet.

What the guidance counselor didn't know was that through her community,

Ono što savetnik za usmeravanje nije znao je da je, kroz svoju zajednicu,

Nicole had had access to college prep work,

Nikol već imala pristup pripremama za fakultet,

SAT prep and international travel programs.

pripremama za prijemni ispit i međunarodnim programima putovanja.

Not only was college in her future,

Ne samo da je fakultet bio deo njene budućnosti,

but I'm proud to say that Nicole went on to earn two master's degrees

već mogu sa ponosom reći da je Nikol stekla dve master diplome

after graduating from Purdue University.

nakon što je diplomirala na Univerzitetu Perdu.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)

We also made it our business to hold our young people accountable,

Takođe smo se potrudili da pozivamo mlade na odgovornost,

but also to instill a sense of accountability in those young people

ali i da u njima usadimo osećanje odgovornosti

to themselves, to each other, to their families and their communities.

prema samima sebi, jednih prema drugima, prema svojoj porodici i zajednici.

We doubled down on asset-based youth development.

Udvostručili smo napore u cilju razvoja mladih na osnovu njihovih sposobnosti.

We went on leadership retreats

Išli smo na radionice liderstva,

and did high ropes courses and low ropes courses

na izazove sa preprekama u vazduhu i na zemlji,

and tackled life's biggest questions together.

i zajedno smo se bavili najvećim životnim pitanjima.

The result was that the kids really bought into the notion

Kao rezultat, deca su zaista usvojila tu ideju

that they were accountable for achieving these college degrees.

da su odgovorna da steknu fakultetsku diplomu.

It was so gratifying to see the kids calling each other and texting each other

Bilo je tako prijatno videti decu kako zovu jedni druge i šalju poruke

to say, "Hey, why are you late for SAT prep?"

da bi pitali: „Hej, zašto kasniš na pripreme za prijemni?“

And, "What are you packing for the college tour tomorrow?"

I: „Šta ćeš da spakuješ za obilazak fakulteta sutra?“

We really worked to kind of make college the thing to do.

Stvarno smo radili na tome da fakultet postane bitna stvar.

We began to create programs on college campuses

Počeli smo da stvaramo programe u studentskim domovima

and events that allow young people to really visualize themselves

i događaje koji bi omogućili mladima da zaista zamisle sebe

as college students and college graduates.

kao studente i diplomce.

Me and my staff rocked our own college gear

Moji zaposleni i ja nosili smo svoju odeću sa fakulteta

and had lots of fun, healthy competition about whose school was better than whose.

i nadmetali se na zabavan i zdrav način oko toga čija je škola bila bolja.

The kids really bought into it,

Deca su se zaista primila

and they began to see that something more was possible for their lives.

i počela su da vide da je nešto više moguće u njihovim životima.

Not only that -- they could look around at that college-going community

Ne samo to, već su i mogli da pogledaju oko sebe, tu zajednicu studenata,

and see kids who came from the same backgrounds

i da vide decu sa istim poreklom

and the same neighborhoods

iz istih naselja

and who were aspiring to the same things.

koja su imala iste ambicije.

That sense of belonging was really key,

Taj osećaj pripadnosti bio je ključan

and it showed up in a remarkable, beautiful way one day

i pokazao se na izuzetan, divan način jednog dana

when we were in the Johannesburg airport, waiting to go through customs

kada smo bili na aerodromu u Johanesburgu i čekali da prođemo kroz carinu

on our way to Botswana for a service learning trip.

da bismo išli u Bocvanu zbog volontersko-edukativnog putovanja.

I saw a group of kids kind of huddled in a circle.

Videla sam grupu dece koja su se skupila u krug.

Usually, with teens, that means something's going on.

Obično, kod tinejdžera, to znači da se nešto dešava.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

So I kind of walked up behind the kids

Prišla sam iza njih

to figure out what they were talking about.

da bih otkrila o čemu govore.

They were comparing passport stamps.

Upoređivali su pečate u pasošima.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

And they were dreaming out loud about all the other countries

I maštali su naglas o svim ostalim zemljama

they planned to visit in the future.

koje su planirali da posete u budućnosti.

And seeing these young people from New York City

Kada sam videla te mlade ljude iz Njujorka

go on to not just become college students

koji su na putu ne samo da postanu studenti,

but to participate in study abroad programs

već i da učestvuju u programima za učenje u inostranstvu,

and to then take jobs around the world

a zatim i obavljaju poslove širom sveta,

was incredibly gratifying.

osetila sam neverovatno zadovoljstvo.

When I think of my kids

Kada razmišljam o svojoj deci

and all the doctors, lawyers, teachers, social workers,

i svim doktorima, advokatima, nastavnicima, socijalnim radnicima,

journalists and artists

novinarima i umetnicima

who came from our little nook in New York City,

koji su proizašli iz našeg kutka u Njujorku,

I hate to think of what would have happened

ne smem ni da pomislim šta bi se dogodilo

if we hadn't invested in the middle.

da nismo uložili u prosek.

Just think about all that their communities and the world

Samo pomislite na sve što bi propustile njihove zajednice i svet.

would have missed out on.

This formula for the middle doesn't just work with young people.

Ova formula za prosek ne deluje samo kod mladih ljudi.

It can transform our organizations as well.

Može preobraziti i naše organizacije.

We can be more bold

Možemo biti hrabriji

in coming up and articulating a mission that inspires everyone.

da osmislimo i formulišemo misiju koja inspiriše sve.

We can authentically invite our colleagues to the table

Možemo da iskreno pozovemo naše kolege za sto za kojim se odlučuje

to come up with a strategy to meet the mission.

da bismo smislili strategiju da ispunimo misiju.

We can give meaningful feedback to folks along the way,

Možemo usput ljudima davati značajne povratne informacije

and -- and sometimes most importantly --

i, što je nekad najvažnije,

make sure that you're sharing credit for everyone's contributions.

postarati se da se pripišu zasluge za svačiji doprinos.

What happened when my staff aimed high for themselves

Kada su moji zaposleni sami za sebe postavili visoke ciljeve,

is that what they were able to do for young people

bili su u stanju da u radu sa mladima

was pretty transformational.

ostvare velike promene.

And it's been so wonderful to look back and see all of my former colleagues

Bilo je sjajno vratiti se unazad i videti sve moje bivše kolege

who've gone on to get doctorates

koji su krenuli na doktorske studije

and assume leadership roles in other organizations.

i preuzeli liderske uloge u drugim organizacijama.

We have what it takes to inspire and uplift the folks in the middle.

Imamo ono što je potrebno da inspirišemo i uzdignemo ljude u sredini.

We can extend love to the people in the middle.

Možemo pružiti ljubav ljudima u sredini.

We can challenge our own biases about who deserves a hand-up, and how.

Možemo osporiti sopstvene predrasude o tome ko i kako zaslužuje priliku.

We can structure our organizations, communities and institutions

Možemo izgraditi organizacije, zajednice i institucije

in ways that are inclusive and that uphold principles of equity.

tako da budu inkluzivne i podržavaju principe jednakosti.

Because, in the final analysis, what is often mistaken for a period

Jer, na kraju krajeva, ono što se često pogrešno uoči kao tačka

is really just a comma.

u stvari je samo zarez.

Thank you.

Hvala.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)