The Calling

http://blogs.phillymag.com/the_philly_post/2010/09/30/philly-is-number-one/

Yes, I should be studying for my two exams. But I stumbled upon this, and it's too important to me to not write some thoughts on.

I have become increasingly aware over the last few years of the 'Philadelphia Dichotomy'. As the article states, there are two very different sides to Philly. There's the ritzy, million-dollar condos, posh coffee shops, designer stores, and towering glass skyscrapers of Center City. There is a series of gentrified (and Penntrified, if you live in West Philly) neighborhoods branching out from Center City. But outside of these is a very different story.

It is very easy for those of us who are fortunate enough to live in those neighborhoods that a few blocks in the right direction will land you in neighborhoods where, to quote my roommate's father, "it looks like a war was fought--and lost." And I work with some of the kids who come from these neighborhoods. For these kids, it's normal for their fathers to not be present, their sisters to be pregnant, and their brothers standing on the corners. Two weeks ago I had one boy tell me that there had been a shooting a few blocks from where he lives. And some of these kids are so skinny, I can only wonder if the one meal they get at Mighty Writers, and possibly a school lunch, are the only things they are eating consistently.

I don't have any brilliant ideas on how to deal with the poverty in Philadelphia, but my heart is rooted here. It's what drives me to teach--I know what one good teacher who believes in your ability can do. I hope someday I can live up to that calling.