Depiction of the public school system.

Image: "321" by TracingScrap

In Sapphire's novel Push the public school system is shown in a very negative light. I will agree that the idea that Precious is able to reach grade the ninth grade while being illiterate is completely appalling. It shows a blatant lack of responsibility on the schools behalf to actually be concerned with her education, also the fact that her teachers do not pick up on her illiteracy is equally as disappointing and for me it is nearly unimaginable that a school could allow this to happen.

At the same time however, I feel a level of sympathy towards the teachers in this school system that the book does not acknowledge. I could imagine that these public schools are both overpopulated with students, and understaffed with teachers and faculty. When Precious is sitting in Mr. Wicher's math class, she mentions how other students will attempt to "pull me into fuckin' with Mr. Wicher and disrupting the class." she also says that she will yell at the other kids in class for being disrespectful and disobedient, stating that she was "like the polices for Mr. Wicher. I keep law and order." I can only imagine how hard this man must have to work every day to maintain order within his classroom full of students who have no intention of learning what he has to teach or paying attention to him. I genuinely do not believe this man could even do much to help inspire most of his students to want to learn, that does not make him a bad teacher since he is placed into such extreme circumstances. 

A well deserved criticism I have however, is how Precious is just simply passed on from grade level to grade level, she even mentions that she gets GOOD grades in school! Considering that she is illiterate and thus cannot comprehend or turn in any assignments, getting good grades should be an impossibility. I think the fact that students who put in no work, yet still receive high marks is incredibly unfair to the students who do try. The idea that someone who does nothing can receive a grade as good as someone who really does make an effort is incredibly discouraging. I am sure that there many kids in those classes who are literate and could do the work, but why would they bother when they can do nothing and still have the marks to show for it? The teachers obvious pass them on because they want to get them out of their class, unfortunately for them though, I am sure there are plenty of kids who are just like them coming into their class for the next year.

The problem with public schools can be traced all the way back to the elementary school level. Prescoius tells us that in second grade her father began to rape her, after that she became incredibly silent and would not say anything in school. She would even sit there and pee on herself. When her teacher reported this to the principal, they told the teacher to "Let it be. Be glad thats all the trouble she gives you. Focus on the ones who can learn." I imagine again that the class sizes are very large and one teacher would have a very difficult time controlling the class. Between disciplining the troublesome students in the class, and attempting to teach the ones who show interest in learning, I can see how many students can go unnoticed by a teacher who is already incredibly distracted. There are some children in this circumstance who just refuse to learn, whether it is students who just do not want to pay attention, or students like Precious who are going through trauma and are incapable of learning at this time. It would be unfair to compromise the eager students education by focusing on attempting to control the disinterested ones.  So in that aspect I can understand why a greater emphasis would be placed on the students who show higher signs of intelligence. 

At the same time I am horrified that the teacher would not notice (or care) about the trauma that Precious is experiencing. It was mentioned in class that when a child pees on themselves, it is a psychological sign that they are being sexually abused. Also Precious mentions that she frequently goes to school with semen on her dress. I cannot believe that a teacher or principal would not want to look further into this matter, if precious could have been saved from her negative environment early on she might have had a better chance to become educated. So although I can completely understand Precious's illiteracy not being a focus of a teachers attention, I am surprised that further investigation was not taken into her well being.

I do think the public school system is worthy of the criticism that is depicted in Push, and at the same time the teachers do not receive the sympathy that they really do deserve. I have personally never wanted to become a teacher, but for anyone who spires to be I would imagine that it would be very difficult, even if they were fortunate enough to have a class of intelligent, and interested students. I do think these men and women who teach do deserve sympathy to their struggle to educate these children. I do hold the teachers accountable for neglecting their responsibility as an educator to Precious and not taking note of her illiteracy and abuse, but at the same time the responsibility for her well being should not fall entirely on them. They are just one of the pieces that influence what her life is made up of, and they are not the only ones who had not come through for her before.