Expanding the Oasis

I work in a tough neighborhood.

In an earlier entry, I described the appearance of the homes that I pass along my commute, but buildings don't fully capture a community in the same way that people do.

Let me tell you a little bit of what the statisticians have to say about the kids at my school:

• There are over two dozen active gangs which operate within a 5-mile radius of my school, some red, some blue, all recruiting.
  
• Many of my students, should they complete high school, will be the first in their family to do so.
  
• 65% of the students at my school are classified as socioeconomically disadvantaged.
  
• 58% of them are still learning English, to various degrees.
  
• 80% of the students are far below grade level in one or more subjects.

They are students who come to us already feeling defeated by the system, and often without the support structures at home to help, since many of their parents may have felt the same way. Along with low education levels tend to be low income levels, and with those levels of poverty, violence and drugs are not far behind.

My experience with the neighborhood, in some ways, is consistent with the aforementioned statistics and the premises which I've derived from them. I have broken up more than my fair share of fights; I've seen kids come to school loaded up on alcohol and worse; I've had to wear a stoic face as students excitedly show me what they found on the ground on their way to school - empty bullet casings. Others have come to me in tears because they were frightened of the sound of gunshots on their street last night. I've watched kids drop out, bleed profusely, lose their minds, become parents far too soon in their young lives, and I've even mourned the loss of a student whose life was cut short far too soon - not for any kind of affiliation other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Now let me tell you a little bit about what we have accomplished:

• Last year, our school had the highest increase in test scores out of any school in the state of California (a 122-point increase in API, for those familiar with educator jargon).
• 100% of our graduating class was accepted to college and are currently attending.
• 75% of them are enrolled at 4-year schools.
• We have been operating for over 15 months without a fight on campus. (This is uncommon for a high school!)
  

I have had the honor of training virtually all of them, some of them as students in my academic classes, others as members of my martial arts program, some as both, and all of them as people whom I've interacted with on a daily basis and had mentor-like conversations with. I'm not taking credit for this; it's their accomplishment, but I certainly helped to provide useful success tools from the martial arts world. They did the rest.

Want further proof of the power of martial arts in schools?

Here's more:

The students involved in our program and/or mentorship are some of the most accomplished students in the school. Nearly every seat of the student government is occupied by a current or former student, along with the leadership positions of each sports team and school club, the editors of the yearbook and school paper, the vast majority of honors-level students, many of the volunteers who are active in the community and with the school, the prom king, and either the valedictorian or salutatorian (or both) of each grade level.

All of them are martial artists of varied levels of experience.

These are students who are traditionally 'left behind' by the system - the same students who were supposed to be helped by the "No Child Left Behind" initiatives, which have only punished their struggling schools. Yet, when placed in the right environment and given the opportunity, many of them excel.

Respect and courtesy are not hard to earn. Just give it away and you will often get it back.

I work to maintain and expand an oasis...in a tough neighborhood.

Soon, our work will grow beyond the gates of our campus and reach out into the community. Perhaps our work may not completely revolutionize the community, but it doesn't have to.

All we need to do is add another candlelight to the darkness, show people how to make their own light, and encourage them to share it.