Editor’s note: The SHIFT Chronicles is a new monthly feature dedicated to amplifying student voices, where those most impacted by the public education system share their thoughts, reflections, and experiences. In collaboration with FaithBridge SHIFT fellows, these commentaries offer a genuine glimpse into the challenges students are facing within our city’s schools. These students represent a diverse range of schools across the city, each with distinct cultures and expectations, yet all united under the DPS banner. A special thank you to all the student writers who contributed their entries.
This month’s articles respond to the following prompt: Most people who are making decisions about schools and how we are educated are disconnected from our current lived realities as students. As a student this is what I think they should know about those current realities and this is what I would do if I were in charge.
Lily Becker, sophomore, George Washington High School
The individuals making influential decisions about our school system have not experienced it firsthand in years. They have not seen the effect of their policies on real students; the only thing they see are charts and numbers, not real people.
If I were in their position, and had the ability to make changes to the school system, I would first stop the practice of celebrating cultural and historical months within schools because of its destructiveness along with its exclusive nature.
Denver Public Schools has been celebrating cultural and historical months since the 1990s. In theory, the practice of celebrating cultural and historical months is excellent, appreciating every race and the struggles that they as a people have faced as well as their journey with overcoming those said struggles.
However, there are only five popular months dedicated to those celebrations: Black History Month (February), Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (May), Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15), Native American Heritage Month (November). There are many other Cultural Heritage months, such as Irish American Heritage Month in March.
While the average DPS student is likely familiar with most of these months, Irish American Heritage Month tends to be less well-known.
Through my experiences undergoing the DPS school system since the early years of elementary school, never once was Irish American Heritage Month mentioned; it has been a month of celebration since 1991. The only slight mention of Irish heritage is on Saint Patrick’s Day, which was once a day of learning and appreciating the impact the Irish had on American history, but has now become a day where it’s excusable to party like beasts and get heavily intoxicated.
I have learned the traditional and cultural practices of Black, Native American, Asian, and Hispanic heritages every time it is their month, but never for Irish American Heritage Month. Why is it acceptable to skip over a month of appreciation for a race while wildly celebrating others? Is that not a form a racial supremacy?
Irish American Heritage Month is not the only month that is not acknowledged in the DPS school system or even to the general public; there are many other historical months such as: Arab American Heritage Month (April), Jewish American Heritage Month (May), Italian American Heritage Month (October), and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (May).
These months are not as well known, but all still officially recognized by the United States government, and most of these months overlap with each other, therefore hiding in the shadows of the more recognized months. I have not had one lesson dedicated to the culture of these peoples and-or ethnicities, during their months of appreciation because it was their month; no mention of them at all, just swept under the rug and forgotten.
I have not seen schools decorate their halls in appreciation for these months, while for Black History Month, I see flags and posters showing support for African-American history and heritage. While technically, these ethnicities are still “represented” in reality, they are still excluded.
This raises the question: Is having cultural and historical months truly the right approach?
Even though we have these months, they are still one-time events, happening throughout the year; it’s creating a tokenism ideology. A feeling that this is a one-time gesture, rather than an ongoing commitment to racial equality and inclusion, may arise.
In this sense, cultural and historical months could unintentionally reinforce the idea that certain histories or cultures only matter during specific times of the year, rather than being integrated throughout the year and the curriculum. Why do cultures need to be separated so drastically to be honored and learned?
The school system is moving backwards when it comes to inclusivity and proper representation, through hard and clear divided lines of cultural learnings. The key is not to dive into them and only learn about certain heritages at certain times of the year, it’s to constantly learn about different people and their traditions throughout the entire school year.
By doing this, DPS would show students that the historical background of their ancestors is not something to be recognized for just a single month, but rather something of lasting importance throughout all of human history. Proper representation isn’t just for the select few, and it is not a right to be earned through the ‘hardships’ that a race has faced.
Representation is a fundamental right that every racial and ethnic community deserves.
Lawrence Thomas, junior, Colorado Early Colleges of Aurora
Today’s education system is designed by leaders who often seem disconnected from the realities students face in classrooms today. Over the past decade, the world has changed drastically, but the education system still functions as if the challenges students face haven’t evolved.
To effectively create change, we must recognize this shift and adapt.
Education leaders should understand students’ mindsets and attitudes, as their actions directly affect them. As the world evolves, education should reflect changes in how the next generation learns. Students know their needs better than anyone else, yet in major decisions about their education, their voices are ignored and go unheard.
The education system hasn’t completely failed, but it has fallen short in preparing students for life after high school. It often feels like some curriculum is sugar-coated, only giving the good and glamorous side of stories and history. By sugar-coating topics to avoid discomfort, schools create false narratives that do more harm than good.
If I had the power to change the education system, I would emphasize the importance of life skills, the alternatives to college, and the general attitude of education leaders toward students and their education. Teaching practical skills in school, such as financial literacy, the importance of physical and mental well-being, and strong communication skills, would benefit students throughout their lives.
By exposing students to alternatives and real-world careers, you show them that although college can be beneficial, it isn’t the only path. For the education system to evolve, leaders must not only listen to students but prioritize their needs.
Only then can this system truly prepare them for the future they deserve.
Clara Nogales, senior, South High School
As a student in today’s educational system, I often feel like decisions made by individuals far from our realities are not ideal and aren’t working.
These decision-makers, often policymakers, administrators, or board members, don’t fully grasp the challenges and needs of most students. They are making choices that shape our future without a true understanding of our present. Here’s what I believe they should know about our current realities and what I would do differently.
First, mental health is a significant issue that is often overlooked. The pressure of academic performance, future uncertainties, and personal circumstances take a toll on our mental well-being. Schools should provide more resources and support systems. This could take the form of more therapists, easier access to counselors, stress management programs, and in general a more supportive school environment.
It is crucial for decision-makers to understand the weight mental health carries on a student and how impactful it can be to their learning environment.
Second, the pressure to perform well in a stressful environment. For instance, Standardized tests are overwhelming. While these tests are intended to measure our knowledge and skills, they often fail to capture our true potential and creativity. They also support stressful environments by prioritizing test scores over genuine learning.
As students, we want a more comprehensive educational experience that values critical thinking, creativity, and emotional intelligence. Decision-makers need to recognize that education is not a one-size-fits-all process and that students have diverse talents and ways of learning.
The current curriculum is rigid and doesn’t allow much flexibility, which is needed to accommodate students for best learning outcomes. The inflexibility restrains our ability to explore subjects that truly interest us and limits our opportunities. We need an educational system that encourages our strengths and passions, rather than forcing us into a standardized mold.
If I were in charge, I would enforce several changes to address these issues. I would advocate for a more flexible and personalized curriculum that allows students to explore their interests and strengths. This could include internships or opportunities for creative expression.
Next, I would prioritize mental health by ensuring that every school has adequate mental health resources and an environment where students feel safe and supported.
Finally, I would reduce the emphasis on standardized testing and instead use a variety of different methods to evaluate student progress.
In conclusion, it is essential for those making decisions about our education to be in tune with our lived realities. By understanding the pressures we face and the support we need, they could create a more effective and compassionate educational system.
As a student, I believe that with the right changes, we can foster an environment where every student has the opportunity to succeed and feel valued.
Sophia Y. Shon, junior, Thomas Jefferson High School
I wish that policymakers knew that what they say is not a reflection of their character; it is what they do that we judge them on.
Anyone can put on a presentable shirt, and spew rhetoric about caring for students, but if you get out of that outfit and fail to take action on problems affecting us, then you don’t care.
I wish that the administrators knew that the way that students are treated in schools is unacceptable. Rich kids get away with disrespecting teachers, while those who are less fortunate and not white are punished heavily for small mistakes. They are not listened to, only profiled as “helpless” or “angry” and treated as such.
I wish that the administrators knew that we are smart. Students see your phoniness, your racism, your sexism, your lack of action. We are not blind to the different ways you treat certain students. We are not fooled by your, “we are looking into the incident” emails, and we are not convinced that you will stand with us.
Most of all, I wish the policymakers genuinely thought of students as young adults with awareness and cared about us. As much as people in power say they care, our shouts for safety in schools and transparency fall on deaf ears.
Those in power don’t see us students as aware or competent and don’t treat us as such, so we end up wasting energy screaming at walls that don’t budge. Then they ask why we don’t trust them, why copious numbers of advocacy organizations are created, and why the public doesn’t want to engage with them. They don’t see us as people who are educated, and they don’t care about what we think.
However, I won’t leave my complaints without proposed solutions , because if I did, then I would be no better than the adults that run the school system on their empty promises.
I want to see school board members, the superintendent and other elected officials come into schools and not follow a team established by the principal throughout the school. I want to see them follow students, especially those who are systematically oppressed, go through their school day and the challenges they experience daily. I want them to be in normal clothes and play the raw role of a student in a system that they have set up.
I want to see administrators take more classes on equity and how to act as an adult at schools with students who are historically treated as less than. I want to see them take cognitive bias tests, and have them work on biases that they project onto their kids.
I want to see administrators be honest. I want to see an email from my school with details on each step that is being taken against a white teacher who says the n-word, not once but twice. I want transparency and to be treated like the adult that a school is supposed to make me.
Most of all, I want to see policy makers as genuine people. I don’t want to see a phony article about “a day in their life” or about a sob- story that made them want to fight for kids. I want to see them as real people, out of their costumes and in normal clothes.
I want to see them actually interact with students, without cameras and not just writing down notes, but also writing emails to start conversations about our worries.
I want to see them exist in our school system and see if they could leave high school as a well- rounded individual ready for the world.
