When anyone wants to insult someone who grew up impoverished, the first blow is generally that they’re trailer trash.

Well, I oppose that label as being negative.

When I was growing up I learned many valuable lessons, that had I not resided in a trailer park, I might never have known.

What’s more, I would argue that growing up in such a place as a trailer park or a project apartments is a positive experience and one that even educators could learn from.

So here goes.

First, in trailer parks there were no issues of ownership or territory because we all belonged. The land was ours to do with it what we willed. There were no deeds of possession, but only those that inhabited our minds.

If every educator gave up ownership of their singular room and embraced the entity known as the entire school, that every child and every subject and each activity belonged to them, there would no longer be issues of territory because all would feel ownership within the school.

For example, I’m not just responsible for my English class, but for all of my students. I should be able to help them with Algebra if they need it, and it’s not an issue of territory because they are all ours.

Second, in trailer parks there exists a strong sense of community. Individually the families feel isolated, but together, they feel a part of something larger than themselves.

In my own classroom usually on the first day I say to the kids: we are going to become a community of learners. Do you know the difference in a class and a community of learners? And they don’t know what I’m talking about, so I proceed with my speech.

In classrooms sometimes we are only in it for ourselves, meaning that our grades and performance is all that we care about. But what would happen if you guys learned to work together and support one another? Then we might really begin to learn. At least that is my goal.

We must first build authentic communities within our classrooms so that each student has someone to help them with their advancement.

Third, in trailer parks, if anybody had a problem with someone else, it was handled out in the open on the front lawn in front of everyone and then it was over, and by the weekend everyone was drinkin’ together again.

An easy application for educators is simple: Get everything out in the open immediately. Address issues as they arise; don’t let them boil and boil.

Too many times educators rarely say what bothers them in the right forum. Individual rooms become armories rather than sanctuaries.

Fourth, inevitably, there will be a community grill and/or convenience store within walking distance in which people meet and talk. Conversations are had. If we, as educators, would use our lounges to really talk about what was going on with our kids, we might have a different perspective of a situation by the time we return home to our classrooms.

Fifth, kids played outside and used their imaginations to turn tires into thrones, dirt into dungeons and fences into fortresses that were impenetrable.

If, as educators, we would step outside of our comfort zones, think outside the box wouldn’t just be a cliché, but a reality. If we dared to dream as those children I remember did, then learning would be meaningful and achieved once again.

When resources and funds are limited, we must be creative with what we have.

Sixth, people checked on each other and offered assistance whenever they could. Neighbors looked after children while parents were at work. You could eat with them when times were tight. People fixed and shared appliances.

Educators need to look in on each other.

How’s that first year doing at the end of the hall? I wonder what would happen if everyone at the school began to check on even the emotional state of each other. Then we might discover that someone else could help relieve our burdens.

Finally, everyone was equal. People didn’t think that they were better than others because they were all sittin’ in the same boat.

In education, many people lack humility. If it should exist anywhere, it should exist within the walls of the school house. Arrogance and pride are not conducive in building lasting relationships with students, parents, or staff. Remember that we’re all in a position of service, and that is what we should do: serve.

Lessons can be taught wherever we look, even in trailer parks.

The question is: when are we going to start learning them?



Jamie Hathaway, 27, of Tarboro is a mother of two boys. She has been a high school English teacher for the last five years and enjoys working in the community, creative writing and photography.