Andrea Clay, Summer Intern
Summer at YPP Jackson has been very busy for us interns. We’ve visited Duck Hill and Grenada to promote YPP, participated in a ton of fundraising events, and even worked with students at some of the math literacy workshop sites around Jackson.
One of the things I’ve loved most about this summer has been creating lesson plans for our “Quality Education as a Constitutional Right” workshops with the high school math literacy workers (MLWs). Believing every movement begins with a conversation, we’ve designed these workshops to get high school students talking and thinking about their own educational experiences in relation to the mission of QECR. In the last few weeks we’ve introduced students to relevant sections of Mississippi's education clause, court cases that have influenced Mississippi’s public education system, and we have also encouraged them to take part in reforming their own schools. During one workshop students compared Article 2 of the Education Clause’s in both the Mississippi and Colorado State Constitutions. Through this, students were able to see how varied public education can be across states as well as what states do and don’t promise in terms of public education.
Through the workshops we’ve been able to learn much about what YPP’s student leaders think about the quality of education they are receiving. Many feel frustrated by lack of resources and teacher performance. Students voted on areas they felt they could directly impact to improve education. Their plans included working to ensure that new books are provided every 5 years and that the students are able to take books home with them. Although I am sad to see the end of this workshop series, I am looking forward the final workshop during which we will help students implement strategies and plans for change in the upcoming school year.
