How we can help the "forgotten middle" reach their full potential
-
0:01 - 0:05So, I want to talk to you
about the forgotten middle. -
0:06 - 0:12To me, they are the students,
coworkers and plain old regular folks -
0:12 - 0:14who are often overlooked
-
0:14 - 0:18because they're seen
as neither exceptional nor problematic. -
0:19 - 0:22They're the kids we think we can ignore
-
0:22 - 0:27because their needs for support
don't seem particularly urgent. -
0:28 - 0:29They're the coworkers
-
0:29 - 0:34who actually keep the engines
of our organizations running, -
0:34 - 0:38but who aren't seen as the innovators
who drive excellence. -
0:39 - 0:43In many ways, we overlook
the folks in the middle -
0:43 - 0:46because they don't keep us
up awake at night -
0:46 - 0:49wondering what crazy thing
they're going to come up with next. -
0:49 - 0:50(Laughter)
-
0:51 - 0:56And the truth is that we've come
to rely on their complacency -
0:56 - 0:58and sense of disconnection
-
0:58 - 1:01because it makes our work easier.
-
1:02 - 1:06You see, I know a little bit
about the forgotten middle. -
1:07 - 1:11As a junior high school student,
I hung out in the middle. -
1:12 - 1:15For a long time,
I had been a good student. -
1:15 - 1:18But seventh grade was a game changer.
-
1:19 - 1:24I spent my days gossiping, passing notes,
-
1:24 - 1:26generally goofing off with my friends.
-
1:27 - 1:32I spent my homework time on the phone,
reviewing each day's events. -
1:33 - 1:40And in many ways, although I was
a typical 12-year-old girl, -
1:40 - 1:46my ambivalence about my education
led to pretty average grades. -
1:47 - 1:52Luckily for me, my mother understood
something important, -
1:53 - 1:59and that was that my location
was not my destination. -
2:00 - 2:05As a former research librarian
and an educator, -
2:05 - 2:10my mother knew that I was capable
of accomplishing a lot more. -
2:10 - 2:13But she also understood
-
2:13 - 2:16that because I was a young
black woman in America, -
2:16 - 2:20I might not have opportunities
out of the middle -
2:20 - 2:23if she wasn't intentional
about creating them. -
2:24 - 2:27So she moved me to a different school.
-
2:28 - 2:33She signed me up for leadership
activities in my neighborhood. -
2:33 - 2:36And she began to talk to me more seriously
-
2:36 - 2:41about college and career options
I could aspire to. -
2:42 - 2:47My mother's formula for getting me
out of the middle was pretty simple. -
2:47 - 2:51She started with high expectations.
-
2:51 - 2:56She made it her business to figure out
how to set me up for success. -
2:57 - 3:00She held me accountable
-
3:01 - 3:06and, along the way,
she convinced me that I had the power -
3:06 - 3:09to create my own story.
-
3:10 - 3:15That formula didn't just help me
get out of my seventh grade slump -- -
3:15 - 3:18I used it later on in New York City,
-
3:18 - 3:21when I was working with kids
who had a lot of potential, -
3:21 - 3:26but not a lot of opportunities
to go to and complete college. -
3:27 - 3:30You see, high-performing students
-
3:30 - 3:33tend to have access
to additional resources, -
3:33 - 3:36like summer enrichment activities,
-
3:36 - 3:38internships
-
3:38 - 3:40and an expansive curriculum
-
3:40 - 3:44that takes them out of the classroom
and into the world -
3:44 - 3:47in ways that look great
on college applications. -
3:48 - 3:52But we're not providing
those kinds of opportunities for everyone. -
3:53 - 3:56And the result isn't just
that some kids miss out. -
3:56 - 3:59I think we, as a society, miss out too.
-
4:00 - 4:04You see, I've got a crazy theory
about the folks in the middle. -
4:04 - 4:09I think there are some unclaimed
winning lottery tickets in the middle. -
4:10 - 4:14I think the cure for cancer
and the path to world peace -
4:14 - 4:17might very well reside there.
-
4:17 - 4:19Now, as a former middle school teacher,
-
4:19 - 4:24I'm not saying that magically everyone
is suddenly going to become an A student. -
4:25 - 4:29But I also believe
that most folks in the middle -
4:29 - 4:31are capable of a lot more.
-
4:32 - 4:36And I think people stay in the middle
because that's where we relegated them to -
4:36 - 4:39and, sometimes, that's just
where they're kind of chilling -
4:39 - 4:41while they figure things out.
-
4:43 - 4:45All of our journeys
-
4:45 - 4:51are made up of a series of rest stops,
accelerations, losses and wins. -
4:52 - 4:55We have a responsibility to make sure
-
4:55 - 5:01that one's racial, gender, cultural
and socioeconomic identity -
5:01 - 5:06is never the reason you didn't have
access out of the middle. -
5:07 - 5:10So, just as my mother did with me,
-
5:10 - 5:14I began with high expectations
with my young people. -
5:15 - 5:17And I started with a question.
-
5:17 - 5:21I stopped asking kids,
"Hey, do you want to go to college?" -
5:21 - 5:23I started asking them,
-
5:23 - 5:26"What college would you like to attend?"
-
5:27 - 5:28You see, the first question --
-
5:28 - 5:34(Applause)
-
5:34 - 5:38The first question leaves
a lot of vague possibilities open. -
5:39 - 5:40But the second question
-
5:40 - 5:45says something about what I thought
my young people were capable of. -
5:46 - 5:47On a basic level,
-
5:47 - 5:51it assumes that they're going to
graduate from high school successfully. -
5:52 - 5:54It also assumed
-
5:54 - 5:57that they would have
the kinds of academic records -
5:57 - 6:01that could get them college
and university admissions. -
6:02 - 6:05And I'm proud to say
that the high expectations worked. -
6:06 - 6:08While black and Latinx students
-
6:08 - 6:13nationally tend to graduate from college
in six years or less, -
6:13 - 6:16at a percent of 38,
-
6:16 - 6:19we were recognized by the College Board
-
6:19 - 6:23for our ability not to just
get kids into college -
6:23 - 6:25but to get them through college.
-
6:25 - 6:31(Applause)
-
6:31 - 6:35But I also understand
that high expectations are great, -
6:35 - 6:37but it takes a little bit more than that.
-
6:38 - 6:42You wouldn't ask a pastry chef
to bake a cake without an oven. -
6:42 - 6:47And we should not be asking
the folks in the middle to make the leap -
6:47 - 6:53without providing them with the tools,
strategies and support they deserve -
6:53 - 6:55to make progress in their lives.
-
6:56 - 7:01A young woman I had been
mentoring for a long time, Nicole, -
7:01 - 7:03came to my office one day,
-
7:03 - 7:08after her guidance counselor
looked at her pretty strong transcript -
7:08 - 7:11and expressed utter shock and amazement
-
7:11 - 7:14that she was even interested
in going to college. -
7:15 - 7:20What the guidance counselor didn't know
was that through her community, -
7:20 - 7:24Nicole had had access
to college prep work, -
7:24 - 7:27SAT prep and international
travel programs. -
7:28 - 7:31Not only was college in her future,
-
7:31 - 7:36but I'm proud to say that Nicole
went on to earn two master's degrees -
7:36 - 7:39after graduating from Purdue University.
-
7:39 - 7:45(Applause)
-
7:45 - 7:50We also made it our business
to hold our young people accountable, -
7:50 - 7:56but also to instill a sense
of accountability in those young people -
7:56 - 8:01to themselves, to each other,
to their families and their communities. -
8:02 - 8:06We doubled down
on asset-based youth development. -
8:07 - 8:09We went on leadership retreats
-
8:09 - 8:13and did high ropes courses
and low ropes courses -
8:13 - 8:17and tackled life's biggest
questions together. -
8:18 - 8:21The result was that the kids
really bought into the notion -
8:21 - 8:26that they were accountable
for achieving these college degrees. -
8:27 - 8:33It was so gratifying to see the kids
calling each other and texting each other -
8:33 - 8:36to say, "Hey, why are you late
for SAT prep?" -
8:36 - 8:40And, "What are you packing
for the college tour tomorrow?" -
8:41 - 8:45We really worked to kind of make
college the thing to do. -
8:46 - 8:50We began to create programs
on college campuses -
8:50 - 8:55and events that allow young people
to really visualize themselves -
8:55 - 8:59as college students and college graduates.
-
8:59 - 9:02Me and my staff
rocked our own college gear -
9:02 - 9:08and had lots of fun, healthy competition
about whose school was better than whose. -
9:09 - 9:11The kids really bought into it,
-
9:11 - 9:16and they began to see that something more
was possible for their lives. -
9:17 - 9:21Not only that -- they could look around
at that college-going community -
9:21 - 9:24and see kids who came
from the same backgrounds -
9:24 - 9:26and the same neighborhoods
-
9:26 - 9:29and who were aspiring to the same things.
-
9:30 - 9:34That sense of belonging was really key,
-
9:34 - 9:38and it showed up in a remarkable,
beautiful way one day -
9:38 - 9:43when we were in the Johannesburg airport,
waiting to go through customs -
9:43 - 9:45on our way to Botswana
for a service learning trip. -
9:46 - 9:49I saw a group of kids
kind of huddled in a circle. -
9:50 - 9:52Usually, with teens,
that means something's going on. -
9:52 - 9:54(Laughter)
-
9:54 - 9:57So I kind of walked up behind the kids
-
9:57 - 9:59to figure out what they were
talking about. -
10:00 - 10:03They were comparing passport stamps.
-
10:03 - 10:04(Laughter)
-
10:04 - 10:07And they were dreaming out loud
about all the other countries -
10:07 - 10:10they planned to visit in the future.
-
10:11 - 10:16And seeing these young people
from New York City -
10:16 - 10:19go on to not just become college students
-
10:19 - 10:22but to participate
in study abroad programs -
10:22 - 10:25and to then take jobs around the world
-
10:25 - 10:27was incredibly gratifying.
-
10:28 - 10:29When I think of my kids
-
10:30 - 10:34and all the doctors, lawyers,
teachers, social workers, -
10:34 - 10:36journalists and artists
-
10:36 - 10:40who came from our little nook
in New York City, -
10:40 - 10:43I hate to think
of what would have happened -
10:43 - 10:46if we hadn't invested in the middle.
-
10:46 - 10:50Just think about all
that their communities and the world -
10:50 - 10:51would have missed out on.
-
10:53 - 10:57This formula for the middle
doesn't just work with young people. -
10:58 - 11:01It can transform
our organizations as well. -
11:02 - 11:04We can be more bold
-
11:04 - 11:09in coming up and articulating a mission
that inspires everyone. -
11:09 - 11:14We can authentically
invite our colleagues to the table -
11:14 - 11:17to come up with a strategy
to meet the mission. -
11:18 - 11:22We can give meaningful feedback
to folks along the way, -
11:23 - 11:26and -- and sometimes most importantly --
-
11:26 - 11:32make sure that you're sharing credit
for everyone's contributions. -
11:33 - 11:38What happened when my staff
aimed high for themselves -
11:38 - 11:41is that what they were able
to do for young people -
11:41 - 11:43was pretty transformational.
-
11:44 - 11:49And it's been so wonderful to look back
and see all of my former colleagues -
11:49 - 11:51who've gone on to get doctorates
-
11:51 - 11:55and assume leadership roles
in other organizations. -
11:57 - 12:03We have what it takes to inspire
and uplift the folks in the middle. -
12:03 - 12:08We can extend love
to the people in the middle. -
12:08 - 12:14We can challenge our own biases
about who deserves a hand-up, and how. -
12:16 - 12:21We can structure our organizations,
communities and institutions -
12:21 - 12:26in ways that are inclusive
and that uphold principles of equity. -
12:27 - 12:33Because, in the final analysis,
what is often mistaken for a period -
12:33 - 12:36is really just a comma.
-
12:36 - 12:38Thank you.
-
12:38 - 12:45(Applause)
- Title:
- How we can help the "forgotten middle" reach their full potential
- Speaker:
- Danielle R. Moss
- Description:
-
You know the "forgotten middle": they're the students, coworkers and regular people who are often overlooked because they're seen as neither exceptional nor problematic. How can we empower them to reach their full potential? Sharing her work helping young people get to and through college, social activist Danielle R. Moss challenges us to think deeper about who deserves help and attention -- and shows us how to encourage those in the middle to dream big.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 12:58
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for How we can help the "forgotten middle" reach their full potential | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for How we can help the "forgotten middle" reach their full potential | ||
Oliver Friedman approved English subtitles for How we can help the "forgotten middle" reach their full potential | ||
Oliver Friedman edited English subtitles for How we can help the "forgotten middle" reach their full potential | ||
Oliver Friedman edited English subtitles for How we can help the "forgotten middle" reach their full potential | ||
Oliver Friedman edited English subtitles for How we can help the "forgotten middle" reach their full potential | ||
Oliver Friedman edited English subtitles for How we can help the "forgotten middle" reach their full potential | ||
Krystian Aparta accepted English subtitles for How we can help the "forgotten middle" reach their full potential |