Marva Collins: Her Revolutionized Motivations for the "Unteachable" Kids

 

Born on August 31, 1936, in Monroeville, Alabama, Marva Collins was a pioneering American educator. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Secretarial Sciences from Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University). After moving to Chicago, she became a highly effective medical secretary before fulfilling her dream to teach, eventually spending 14 years in the Chicago Public Schools system. 

In the 1970s, Chicago's public schools were widely considered to be in a state of crisis. Classrooms were overcrowded, resources were thin, and a pervasive culture of low expectations plagued the system. Specifically, the children from low-income, predominantly Black neighborhoods were often mislabeled as "learning disabled," "disadvantaged," or "unteachable," "incapable of high achievement." However, it was Marva Collins who was brave enough to declare a radical idea: the problem was not the children; it was the teaching. With a firm belief in students' potential, she launched a revolutionary teaching method that inspired a nation.

To implement her faith in Black students' equal learning abilities, in 1975, Marva Collins invested her $5,000 retirement savings to start her own school located in her own home. Her school, Westside Preparatory School, began with just a few Black students, almost all of whom were diagnosed as problematic students and cast aside by their previous schools. Her goal was not merely to teach these students, but to prove that with the right education and encouragement, any child could succeed. She rejected the deficit-based narrative surrounding her students and focused on students' potential. Her mission was to empower them academically and personally, getting them prepared to defy society’s bleak expectations on Black students.

As an educator, Marva Collins used academic empowerment as a primary motivational tool. She fundamentally believed that children are motivated by an internal thrill of learning. By introducing her students to the highest forms of literature, philosophy, and language, she explicitly showed her trust in her students as she saw them as scholars capable of dealing with these profound ideas. For example, in her lessons, she guided her students to read Shakespeare and Chaucer, and she consistently ensured to her students that "You are smart enough for this." As a result, her students felt a responsibility to contribute to and uplift their learning community, making the learning a shared and joyful mission. Also, her students ended up with incredible academic outcomes above grade level in the public schooling system. 

Marva Collins' transformative impact was recognized with numerous accolades, including a National Humanities Medal and a prestigious MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grant." Her successful educational method demonstrates that high expectations, unwavering belief, and a rigorous curriculum can unlock potential in every child and help them strive for higher goals, regardless of their background.