I was a bit surprised when I first arrived and learned of the varying socioeconomic statuses of the students at Dandelion. I had come in with the false assumption that Dandelion, as a migrant school, housed and taught children of migrant workers who had monetary struggles or unstable households. While the average parental education is middle school, there are a fair number of students who are fairly well off or not a part of migrant families who go to Dandelion because their grades could not pass for other schools (or other reasons). With nearly 800 people vying for spots in only 6 small classes of around 35 students for the incoming 7th grade, the school is very competitive to get into and is not just a last-ditch educational center for migrant children with nowhere else to go. Over the past few days, we’ve seen many new students come in for sign-ups and interviews, some whose parents have begun loud altercations with staff when their children were unable to meet entry requirements. Dandelion is a school that many parents within the area view as the future for their children, that many people refer to with respect and renown, and that teaches using an extremely diverse curriculum. However, the pay for teachers at Dandelion is not great, and some cooks even make more than the teachers here do. While the school is focused on education, not all of what the teachers, who almost all work long, hard hours, are compensated fully. Regardless, some staff members are also well off and continue to teach at Dandelion for health benefits or simply because they enjoy doing so. The range of individuals here is much larger than what I had so narrow-mindedly thought, and this diverse school is definitely a reflection of that. The large focus on art and music, further supported by the beautiful paintings around the school (which were originally to make the factory more like an educational center), makes Dandelion an extremely unique migrant school. |