HEERA ALAYA

IN CONVERSATION

“The most important thing
we give children is love.”

AKBAR COOK
Principal, West Side High School, New Jersey, USA

January 1st, 2021

Principal Akbar Cook’s resolve and audacious persuasiveness inspire children to strive for a better quality of life. At West Side High School, New Jersey [USA], Principal Cook has cultivated an environment that reflects his values—a space characterised by equality and unity, where trust is wholeheartedly placed in the students. It’s no surprise that Principal Cook’s outlook and engagement with children are highly sought-after signatures.

Heera Alaya: What significance did having access to education as a child hold for you, and in what ways have your early experiences shaped your identity?

Akbar Cook: My grandmother was a foster parent to disadvantaged youth, and my two aunts were educators. Apart from my aunts, only one of my uncles went to college. So, we placed significant value on education to better my situation. I emphasised the importance of going to college and did well academically and in sports. I honed many skills outside my single-parent home, improving my craft as an athlete, and I earned a full college scholarship.

My babies [the students at West Side High School] struggle with feeding themselves and their siblings versus waiting on the payday of education; I didn’t have these barriers. Young children have to make decisions at an early age about caring for their mothers and/or sisters who might be on the streets or unavailable. So, I fully understand when children have to forgo college and enter a career.

My life’s mission is to ensure we follow these babies until they are gainfully employed.

Aside from conventional education, where have you gained your most profound insights?

I have received the most profound education from my students. At 15, I started working at a boys-and-girls camp called Life Camp in New Jersey. I noticed then that I had rapport with students, and it wasn’t because I was a big, black, strong guy—it was more because I understood the children, spoke their language, and led with love.

The relationship I developed with the students over the years as a camp counsellor (and I am still with the camp) indicates that I could significantly impact others’ lives.

How does poverty affect children’s academic success?

First and foremost, poverty impacts school attendance. For instance, if children don’t have the proper means to get to school, they have to walk as far as four miles; if they get bus tickets up to two and a half miles from school, they still have to walk two miles in inclement weather. And some children opt out. Caring for siblings or being a young parent can also influence children’s academic success.

Truancy is closely linked to poverty; the longer a child remains absent from school, the less likely they are to return. What are the early indicators of school non-attendance that can ultimately lead to absenteeism?

The early signs of truancy start in elementary school. If students are not reading on a third-grade level by third grade or, at the latest, by fifth grade, they won’t get to high school. If the children can’t function with reading, writing, and arithmetic to get between pivotal grade levels, I won’t see them at school. And if the children do move to high school, they won’t be able to function. The girls fare better than the boys—not only do the boys have to deal with peer pressure, but they are expected to be the man of the house and provide for the family and siblings.

How do you and West Side High School support children from low-income backgrounds?

The most important thing we give children is love. And then, when children present their barriers, it’s up to us adults to understand them. Having a parent in their home is a plus, but I don’t look for it; I assume a parent won’t be involved. So I figure out ways to help my babies succeed, providing strong parental support.

At my community school, we think outside the box to get the children across the finish line. However, we have taken it a step further—to stay with these babies until they are gainfully employed and earning a wage, because getting them across the finish line doesn’t mean they will succeed once they leave my school. I expect other schools to think outside the box and do whatever they can to make kids successful.

In contrast to approaches that punish children for truancy, you focus on identifying and addressing the underlying issues that contribute to absenteeism.

While dealing with truancy, we encounter a cohort of kids who break the rules—chilling with their friends at the corner store and not caring about classes. On the other hand, we have students who have to drop off their siblings or their children at school, and as a result, they miss school. When we see the narrative, we can better sense what the child needs to be successful.

Did your initiative to install in-house washing machines and dryers require specific infrastructure? Can other schools undertake similar projects?

The biggest concern was finding a suitable space to house the washing machines and dryers, which require substantial power. Along with low-cost detergent (We are blessed to have received laundry detergent from some big companies), we had to assign spaces to house the students’ clothes (while they attend school). Once the system was in place, we involved caring, non-judgmental adults to develop a washing schedule for children. We then contacted the parents, letting them know they could send their babies to school with soiled clothes. Initially, it takes the bravest students to move past the barriers of bullying to use the laundry facilities.

Every school can install in-house washing machines and dryers; they need to take the time and allocate the funds appropriately, knowing the impact such an undertaking will have on children’s lives.

You highlight the generosity of companies that have resulted in a surplus of resources. What strategies do you use to teach children to be mindful consumers?

We learnt mindfulness on the fly. Initially, some children didn’t have the life skills to wash clothes; as a result, they would use far more detergent per wash load or too many dryer sheets. So, we introduced an adult to oversee the laundromat and teach children how to use it.

There is a prerequisite to using the laundry facility—the children have to attend a biology class. A typical wash load takes an hour and fifteen minutes, a whole class period. As the child learns about stem cells, their clothes get washed. The teacher doubles as a life skill coach and a biology educator.

How does your reform initiative, the Lights On program, benefit children?

We created the Lights On program because we lost kids to gun violence. My first bout with death was finding a dead lady in an abandoned building. Later that year, I lost another student to a brutal murder. Death became the new normal. The death of a young man in a drive-by shooting led me to tell my alum association that I wasn’t going to go through another summer watching my kids get slaughtered. I wanted to prevent crime by providing boys and girls with a safe place during peak crime hours—6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Children could get a hot meal at the Lights On program on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. And to encourage kids to be kids, we introduced basketball and jump rope, board games, and video games.

The Lights On program held its own for a while. Then Barry Carter, a young man who writes for the local newspaper, put the word out about the Lights On program, taking the number of participants from approximately 50 to 150 that summer. It was a beautiful summer with no acts of violence. But on the last day of the program, a street bullet killed a lady who had given me a high five earlier that day at the celebrations. This incident made me realise we needed to do something during the school year (not just in the summer), so we started with Friday nights during the school year, introducing various classes, until we reached 350 participants a night. It is beautiful. We started two school years ago, and we haven’t lost any more kids to violence–because we didn’t just sit back and watch our kids get slaughtered; we addressed the situation.

A specific segment of society designates education and eloquence as elitist.

Labelling is a cultural phenomenon. When I was growing up, speaking properly was often associated with being white, while using slang was linked to being from the hood. Students must understand that they need to navigate two distinct worlds—corporate America, where they must earn a living, and their own neighbourhoods, each of which demands a different mode of communication.

How would you envision the evolution of the American education system?

Firstly, the modern urban education model should prioritise students’ individual needs to better equip them for society. Second, it is essential to reduce education costs. 

No one wants to spend four years in school and graduate with a hundred-thousand-dollar debt. While some parents can save for their children’s education, many of my students come from underprivileged backgrounds, and my undocumented students face significant barriers to accessing college.

We hold teachers to high expectations, yet they are often deprived of the recognition and salaries they genuinely deserve. Why is that?

I have no idea. As a school principal, I find it difficult to identify the best talent. We want to get the brightest minds, but how do you tell a brilliant child who excels in science and engineering that they can be a teacher when they can make triple the salary as an engineer? We have individuals who went into education for the right reasons, but we now also have people who were once in business or the corporate sector returning to teaching. I know the system has to change, but I don’t think it will be in my lifetime.

What qualities of yours draw children to you?

I look and sound like my students and am a cool guy.

[Laughter]

Students feel my love. My mom was probably the toughest person in my life, but also the most loving. Similarly, like a parent, when I can suspend a child for several days, I will also take him home and feed him, trying to remove his barriers. I respect the grace of God and the test of time that has enabled me to develop a happy disposition. I continue to build by hiring expansive individuals with “Match my Flight,” matching my passion and willingness to do whatever is possible for underprivileged children.

What gives you the impetus to shape your dreams?

As an Aquarian, I naturally lean towards being a dreamer. Moreover, I am blessed to have an alumni support system that helps me bring my dreams to fruition. Recently, my alumni community raised $20,000 to support the Lights On program.

I am a dreamer, but you need a support system. And I am blessed to work with wonderful children.

President, Farm Sanctuary, USA