Imagine for a minute that everything just came to a stop. All of it. Suddenly there was no work. No money. No cars on the road. Air pollution plummeted. Schools were closed. No one had to go to the office.
Everything stopped.
We all know right now that we don't need to imagine this because we're all currently living a variation of the above...or all of it. Maybe you lost your job because of the pandemic. Maybe you were told to work from home indefinitely. Maybe you're in a sort of limbo where you don't know how much longer you're going to have a job. Maybe you own a business and it was made to shut down. Maybe you were furloughed.
The point is that right now the world has drastically changed.
What if we find out tomorrow that we need to social distance for another month? What if we're told next week that this is how life is going to be until at least July...maybe longer?
What if, when this ends, in two years we experience an environmental crisis? Do you think we're ready to handle something like that?
It's no secret that we treat the planet like our personal dumping ground. We don't seem to care about it very much. Scientists have been warning us for some tome now - much like the ones warning of a pandemic - that something cataclysmic is going to happen environmentally and we don't seem to care. In fact, some of us (literally) laugh at the warnings.
What's going to change when this ends? Are people going to willingly begin pumping filth and exhaust back into the air like we were before? Do people still need to get into their cars in the morning, jam up the highways, bridges, tunnels, and roads to go sit in an office? It would appear that this has been completely and totally unnecessary for quite a while.
So why start doing it again when this ends?
What makes us think that we're above it all? What made us think that something like we're experiencing right now wasn't going to happen to us? Why did we believe that a global pandemic was out of the scope of reality?
I think it's because we haven't been living in reality for some time now. In the last fifteen years we have all become somewhat clueless and/or ignorant to the world around us. We have chosen to believe that none of us are connected. We look at politicians and rich people as if they're above it all - and they look down at us and think the same thing.
We also came to believe that we are separate from the environment. We don't believe we're a part of it. We think we're above it. We dump and pump filth and waste into the air, water, and soil like we own the place. Well - we don't own it. No one owns it. We're actually just another part of it - but we chose to stop believing that.
A virus is a natural biological thing. Think about that for a minute. It's not manmade. COVID-19 came from the natural world around us, and has brought the manmade world - literally - to its knees. A microscopic thing that you can't see or touch has bankrupted companies. It has taken your job. It shut down schools, universities, bars, and restaurants. It has cancelled concert tours and conventions. It shut down New York City. It cancelled graduations and proms. It wiped out 401K's, and it crushed the stock market.
It stopped everything.
What will it change though? How are we going to be better when it ends? Are we going to stop dumping filth and and waste into the air, atmosphere, oceans, rivers, streams, and lakes? Are we going to stop burying chemicals in the soil? Are we going to treat the natural world around us with the respect it deserves?
I think that we need to because I think that right now at this precise moment Mother Nature is sending us a very clear message: I don't need you.
Monday, April 13, 2020
The Pundit Effect
Recently the radio host and political commentator Rush Limbaugh announced he'd been diagnosed with lung cancer. I don't care what your political affiliations are, but this is horrific for anyone. I say this as someone who lost their mother to lung cancer when she was just fifty years old. Trust me when I say: No one deserves to go through this.
Due to this news, there's been a lot of discussion about Limbaugh - and his effect on American politics. To say that he has not changed the game completely is to say you have not been paying attention to American discourse for the last thirty years. After all it was Limbaugh who took the lightly acknowledged mindset of a liberally biased media and not only shoved it into the mainstream but can (and should be) directly acknowledged as the catalyst for Fox News. In fact, one could argue that you can draw a direct line from Limbaugh to Fox to Alex Jones to One America News to Sinclair Media to Breitbart...
You get the idea.
The thing with Rush is that he's not so much a well read intellectual high brow critic as much as he is a marketing genius. He did, after all, begin his career as a deejay who, typical to the profession, bounced around from station to station in an effort to gain prominence. He became disillusioned after a while and eventually changed gears to another career. When he eventually came back to radio, his timing was perfect.
Limbaugh returned to the air right after the Federal Communications Commission had repealed what was known as the Fairness Doctrine. This legislation had been in place since 1949 and served the sole purpose of making sure holders of broadcast licenses presented balanced views of controversial public issues. Basically, it said that radio and TV stations were required to give equal air time to both sides of an issue. When it was repealed (1987), the Fairness Act had been in existence for almost forty years. Its elimination meant that TV and radio stations were no longer obligated to present a balanced or differentiating perspective on anything.
Enter Rush Limbaugh.
In the time since, it is no secret what radio and TV "news" programming has morphed into. By and large they are simply spaces where pundits and/or personalities yell, scream, and berate the perspective that is not in agreement with their own. This is the Limbaugh model. He took to the airwaves and began delivering a message that essentially said "Don't listen to anyone but me". He made fun of the "mainstream media" and their biased perspective. He went as far as to call them outright liars. He began publishing his own newspaper of sorts - The Limbaugh Letter - and told his ever amassing audience to stop reading main stream newspapers and to, instead, read his (which one had to pay a subscription fee for).
This was all rolled into a narrative that chastised any perspective left of his. He didn't just criticize democrats, he vilified them. Since his station was under no obligation to present a different perspective or opinion, his word became Bible. And, perhaps most importantly, his audience grew.
Pretty soon the Rush Limbaugh Show was syndicated across the nation. America soon had a flourishing army of citizens who believed very little of what the "mainstream media" reported. They were good soldiers and didn't read the paper or watch TV news. They listened to Rush. Others saw dollar signs and soon, Fox News popped up. Their underlying message was (and still is) the same as Limbaugh's: Don't listen to anyone else. Fox featured their own Lihmbaugh-esque personalities who shouted the same message into the camera seven nights a week. Pretty soon there was a crossover and personalities like Sean Hannity not only had shows on Fox, but also radio shows. People could, literally, listen to Rush...or Sean...or Glenn...or Ann on the way to and from work then come home and watch/listen to them again on TV. The public were being bludgeoned with a message - and America was becoming more and more divided.
In addition, Americans were becoming less and less informed. We were not being very good democratic citizens - and how could we be? What was once an essential role of the news - keeping the citizenry of a democratic republic well informed - had morphed into a ratings game. Suddenly it had nothing to do with information and truth. What it did have to do with was advertising dollars and making money.
By the time the Internet age rolled around, the damage had been done and the door had been opened. The Internet didn't (still doesn't) have any guidelines for presenting fact or fiction. One can find entire websites and/or YouTube channels where complete lies and huge distortions are presented as "truth". This is how individuals like Alex Jones are able to present the inane and absurd lies he does. Because of him, grown educated adults believe nonsense like the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School was perpetuated by "actors". According to Jones, no children actually died. The entire thing was a "false flag" staged by anti-gun activists. And while this sounds insane, people did (still do) believe it.
This mindset, and language, has made its way into the mainstream. Limbaugh (who has millions of daily listeners) has used the term "false flag" in his broadcasts and has moved into pushing inane conspiracy theories to his audience. The peddling of nonsense has overtaken society and has caused grown educated adults to believe things like the Pizzagate conspiracy. This was a theory that said Hillary Clinton (and other prominent Democrats) were running a child sex ring out of the basement of a Washington DC pizza parlor. And while this sounds absurd, the whole thing culminated with a Pizzagate believer showing up to the DC establishment with a gun and firing off a couple of shots in an effort to "save the children". It is because of complete nonsense like this that right now in America there is no consensus on what qualifies as "truth".
Thanks Rush.
There is no truth in America now and this should scare the hell out of everyone. Our system of government is reliant on many things, but perhaps greatest of all is a well informed populace. It is this well informed populace that elects the politicians who make the laws. But if this populace believes things like Pizzagate...I'd say we're in trouble. If this populace believes that vaccines cause autism (they don't) then people stop vaccinating their children and diseases once thought to be eradicated suddenly begin increasing. This happens despite pleas from scientists and the scientific community telling the populace this isn't true, but because there's a website(s) telling them otherwise, they don't listen. In fact, we're beginning to not listen to anyone.
I have friends who are avid Limbaugh listeners and/or Fox News watchers and they tell me things like all scientists are lying. Why? I ask "Because they don't want to lose their government funding" comes the response. These same people don't read a newspaper anymore and find my daily reading of the New York Times outwardly hilarious. They don't read books - unless they're written by people like Dinesh D'Souza or Ann Coulter. They don't go to the movies because they're all made by the "Hollywood liberal elite". They tell me (a school music teacher) that public school teachers can't be trusted. Why? I ask "Because they're all trying to indoctrinate our kids!" They don't trust college professors either. The only people they do trust are the ones who've been bludgeoning them over the head for the last thirty years.
Mind you, many of these individuals are highly educated people. They have at least a Bachelors degree. Some have an MA or have attended law school. Yet, they stand in front of me and repeat nonsense as fact. Not only that, they do so indignantly. They scoff at anything that involves critical thought or insight. I don't find it insulting, I actually find it terrifying.
This is what is preventing a critical response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have grown men and women in the White House who don't believe in science. We have a President who pushes crazy conspiracy theories and who referred to the Coronavirus as the "latest Democrat hoax". Limbaugh himself told his (millions of) listeners the virus was "the common cold". It has reached that point. Now, people who were mere media characters, have enough power to sway a populace into believing things that could kill them. That's not only irresponsible, but outright criminal.
I am hoping when this madness ends, there will be a public reflection on our national sense of epistemology. What has happened to thought? What has happened to truth? How many people ended up in a hospital or, worse yet, morgue because they decided to listen to a voice on the radio? These individuals can no longer be allowed to spout unfettered nonsense on a daily basis without a sense of civic responsibility. If these individuals truly believed in America, they would stop doing what they're doing and encourage truth. They would encourage their listeners to investigate. They would encourage reading, listening, and the consideration of another perspective.
That's what democracy is.
Due to this news, there's been a lot of discussion about Limbaugh - and his effect on American politics. To say that he has not changed the game completely is to say you have not been paying attention to American discourse for the last thirty years. After all it was Limbaugh who took the lightly acknowledged mindset of a liberally biased media and not only shoved it into the mainstream but can (and should be) directly acknowledged as the catalyst for Fox News. In fact, one could argue that you can draw a direct line from Limbaugh to Fox to Alex Jones to One America News to Sinclair Media to Breitbart...
You get the idea.
The thing with Rush is that he's not so much a well read intellectual high brow critic as much as he is a marketing genius. He did, after all, begin his career as a deejay who, typical to the profession, bounced around from station to station in an effort to gain prominence. He became disillusioned after a while and eventually changed gears to another career. When he eventually came back to radio, his timing was perfect.
Limbaugh returned to the air right after the Federal Communications Commission had repealed what was known as the Fairness Doctrine. This legislation had been in place since 1949 and served the sole purpose of making sure holders of broadcast licenses presented balanced views of controversial public issues. Basically, it said that radio and TV stations were required to give equal air time to both sides of an issue. When it was repealed (1987), the Fairness Act had been in existence for almost forty years. Its elimination meant that TV and radio stations were no longer obligated to present a balanced or differentiating perspective on anything.
Enter Rush Limbaugh.
In the time since, it is no secret what radio and TV "news" programming has morphed into. By and large they are simply spaces where pundits and/or personalities yell, scream, and berate the perspective that is not in agreement with their own. This is the Limbaugh model. He took to the airwaves and began delivering a message that essentially said "Don't listen to anyone but me". He made fun of the "mainstream media" and their biased perspective. He went as far as to call them outright liars. He began publishing his own newspaper of sorts - The Limbaugh Letter - and told his ever amassing audience to stop reading main stream newspapers and to, instead, read his (which one had to pay a subscription fee for).
This was all rolled into a narrative that chastised any perspective left of his. He didn't just criticize democrats, he vilified them. Since his station was under no obligation to present a different perspective or opinion, his word became Bible. And, perhaps most importantly, his audience grew.
Pretty soon the Rush Limbaugh Show was syndicated across the nation. America soon had a flourishing army of citizens who believed very little of what the "mainstream media" reported. They were good soldiers and didn't read the paper or watch TV news. They listened to Rush. Others saw dollar signs and soon, Fox News popped up. Their underlying message was (and still is) the same as Limbaugh's: Don't listen to anyone else. Fox featured their own Lihmbaugh-esque personalities who shouted the same message into the camera seven nights a week. Pretty soon there was a crossover and personalities like Sean Hannity not only had shows on Fox, but also radio shows. People could, literally, listen to Rush...or Sean...or Glenn...or Ann on the way to and from work then come home and watch/listen to them again on TV. The public were being bludgeoned with a message - and America was becoming more and more divided.
In addition, Americans were becoming less and less informed. We were not being very good democratic citizens - and how could we be? What was once an essential role of the news - keeping the citizenry of a democratic republic well informed - had morphed into a ratings game. Suddenly it had nothing to do with information and truth. What it did have to do with was advertising dollars and making money.
By the time the Internet age rolled around, the damage had been done and the door had been opened. The Internet didn't (still doesn't) have any guidelines for presenting fact or fiction. One can find entire websites and/or YouTube channels where complete lies and huge distortions are presented as "truth". This is how individuals like Alex Jones are able to present the inane and absurd lies he does. Because of him, grown educated adults believe nonsense like the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School was perpetuated by "actors". According to Jones, no children actually died. The entire thing was a "false flag" staged by anti-gun activists. And while this sounds insane, people did (still do) believe it.
This mindset, and language, has made its way into the mainstream. Limbaugh (who has millions of daily listeners) has used the term "false flag" in his broadcasts and has moved into pushing inane conspiracy theories to his audience. The peddling of nonsense has overtaken society and has caused grown educated adults to believe things like the Pizzagate conspiracy. This was a theory that said Hillary Clinton (and other prominent Democrats) were running a child sex ring out of the basement of a Washington DC pizza parlor. And while this sounds absurd, the whole thing culminated with a Pizzagate believer showing up to the DC establishment with a gun and firing off a couple of shots in an effort to "save the children". It is because of complete nonsense like this that right now in America there is no consensus on what qualifies as "truth".
Thanks Rush.
There is no truth in America now and this should scare the hell out of everyone. Our system of government is reliant on many things, but perhaps greatest of all is a well informed populace. It is this well informed populace that elects the politicians who make the laws. But if this populace believes things like Pizzagate...I'd say we're in trouble. If this populace believes that vaccines cause autism (they don't) then people stop vaccinating their children and diseases once thought to be eradicated suddenly begin increasing. This happens despite pleas from scientists and the scientific community telling the populace this isn't true, but because there's a website(s) telling them otherwise, they don't listen. In fact, we're beginning to not listen to anyone.
I have friends who are avid Limbaugh listeners and/or Fox News watchers and they tell me things like all scientists are lying. Why? I ask "Because they don't want to lose their government funding" comes the response. These same people don't read a newspaper anymore and find my daily reading of the New York Times outwardly hilarious. They don't read books - unless they're written by people like Dinesh D'Souza or Ann Coulter. They don't go to the movies because they're all made by the "Hollywood liberal elite". They tell me (a school music teacher) that public school teachers can't be trusted. Why? I ask "Because they're all trying to indoctrinate our kids!" They don't trust college professors either. The only people they do trust are the ones who've been bludgeoning them over the head for the last thirty years.
Mind you, many of these individuals are highly educated people. They have at least a Bachelors degree. Some have an MA or have attended law school. Yet, they stand in front of me and repeat nonsense as fact. Not only that, they do so indignantly. They scoff at anything that involves critical thought or insight. I don't find it insulting, I actually find it terrifying.
This is what is preventing a critical response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have grown men and women in the White House who don't believe in science. We have a President who pushes crazy conspiracy theories and who referred to the Coronavirus as the "latest Democrat hoax". Limbaugh himself told his (millions of) listeners the virus was "the common cold". It has reached that point. Now, people who were mere media characters, have enough power to sway a populace into believing things that could kill them. That's not only irresponsible, but outright criminal.
I am hoping when this madness ends, there will be a public reflection on our national sense of epistemology. What has happened to thought? What has happened to truth? How many people ended up in a hospital or, worse yet, morgue because they decided to listen to a voice on the radio? These individuals can no longer be allowed to spout unfettered nonsense on a daily basis without a sense of civic responsibility. If these individuals truly believed in America, they would stop doing what they're doing and encourage truth. They would encourage their listeners to investigate. They would encourage reading, listening, and the consideration of another perspective.
That's what democracy is.
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
The Secretary
On Tuesday, February 7th, Betsy DeVos was confirmed as our new Secretary of Education. Her confirmation was not without controversy.
First off, this was not a landslide decision. It was a tie and Vice President Mike Pence had to cast the deciding/tie breaking vote. The resistance to DeVos came primarily because she has never worked in, nor attended, a public school. In addition, her children have never attended a public school. She is also a huge proponent of school choice, and this means - with the assistance of her amassed fortune of billions of dollars - she has spent the last thirty years advocating and supporting charter schools, school voucher programs, as well as for profit education.
My opinion of charter schools has been stated here repeatedly. While I agree with what they stand for (choice in education) I do not agree with the fact that too many are connected to corporate money. This, in my opinion, is having far too big an influence in the way we educate our kids.
During her senate conformation hearing Betsy DeVos was asked about the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act ("IDEA"). It wasn't just about the questions asked, but the fact that they came from Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire. Hassan is well versed in the area of special education because her son has cerebral palsy. She brought a level of insight and understanding that Devos clearly lacked. In fact, throughout Hassan's questioning (which was insightful, heartfelt, sincere, and well stated) the glaze in DeVos' eyes grew thicker.
One topic Hassan chose to address was how some voucher programs make participants sign away their rights in order to qualify (she specifically sighted the McKay voucher program in Florida). This essentially means that students with special needs sign away their rights to access the services required through IDEA. These students typically end up leaving the voucher school due to poor or inadequate services - but that school still gets to keep the money provided for that student. The student now goes to a public school whose funding is being depleted through voucher and charter schools and she/he will not get the proper programming they're entitled to. Hassan's worry is that this practice will grow under the Trump administration. When pressed on this particular topic DeVos, again, was obviously clueless.
Right now 13% of the American public school population receives special education services. That means just over 6 million kids report to school every day and demand some type of special programming. To allow the confirmation of a woman seemingly clueless to the needs of these kids is mind boggling. Public education has experienced a paradigm shift due to IDEA - and this shift has changed every aspect of the way our schools are run (and I mean this in a good way).
Betsy DeVos is going to make mess of it.
First off, this was not a landslide decision. It was a tie and Vice President Mike Pence had to cast the deciding/tie breaking vote. The resistance to DeVos came primarily because she has never worked in, nor attended, a public school. In addition, her children have never attended a public school. She is also a huge proponent of school choice, and this means - with the assistance of her amassed fortune of billions of dollars - she has spent the last thirty years advocating and supporting charter schools, school voucher programs, as well as for profit education.
My opinion of charter schools has been stated here repeatedly. While I agree with what they stand for (choice in education) I do not agree with the fact that too many are connected to corporate money. This, in my opinion, is having far too big an influence in the way we educate our kids.
During her senate conformation hearing Betsy DeVos was asked about the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act ("IDEA"). It wasn't just about the questions asked, but the fact that they came from Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire. Hassan is well versed in the area of special education because her son has cerebral palsy. She brought a level of insight and understanding that Devos clearly lacked. In fact, throughout Hassan's questioning (which was insightful, heartfelt, sincere, and well stated) the glaze in DeVos' eyes grew thicker.
One topic Hassan chose to address was how some voucher programs make participants sign away their rights in order to qualify (she specifically sighted the McKay voucher program in Florida). This essentially means that students with special needs sign away their rights to access the services required through IDEA. These students typically end up leaving the voucher school due to poor or inadequate services - but that school still gets to keep the money provided for that student. The student now goes to a public school whose funding is being depleted through voucher and charter schools and she/he will not get the proper programming they're entitled to. Hassan's worry is that this practice will grow under the Trump administration. When pressed on this particular topic DeVos, again, was obviously clueless.
Right now 13% of the American public school population receives special education services. That means just over 6 million kids report to school every day and demand some type of special programming. To allow the confirmation of a woman seemingly clueless to the needs of these kids is mind boggling. Public education has experienced a paradigm shift due to IDEA - and this shift has changed every aspect of the way our schools are run (and I mean this in a good way).
Betsy DeVos is going to make mess of it.
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
And So It Begins
On the morning after Election Day my fourteen year old daughter woke up and, upon hearing Donald Trump was voted in as President, asked "Are we safe?".
This is not supposed to be the response to a newly elected leader here in the United States - but this election was anything but normal. Donald Trump's campaign carried a tone that was simultaneously disrespectful and mean, while also being void of facts. In the wake of his election a majority of our media outlets have also forgotten how it was chock full of racism.
Fortune magazine reported how, back in January, Trump re-tweeted a Nazi sympathizer, and then - a mere three weeks later - did it again. The same Fortune piece goes on to show how many within the Trump campaign either followed or re-tweeted white supremacists or Nazi sympathizers themselves.
In addition to the re-tweeting, Donal Trump's son, Donald Jr., appeared on a talk radio show with a white supremacist. In the wake of that interview, Jr. shook the blame off of himself and onto the "liberal media" claiming he wouldn't have made the appearance had he known about its racist affiliations. His excuse would've held up nicely except months later his brother, Eric Trump, appeared on the same radio program. All the while the Trump campaign feigned ignorance. This despite the fact that the now infamous white supremacist radio host received press credentials to a Trump campaign event. Said radio host has stated, amongst other things, that Martin Luther King Jr's. "dream is our nightmare" and "slavery is the greatest thing that ever happened to" African-Americans. In all of these instances Trump either shifted the blame to people outside the campaign or went to the old faithful move of blaming the "liberal media" for changing the narrative.
Again, this would all hold up nicely except that Trump hired Steve Bannon onto his campaign staff. Bannon is the editor of the website Breitbart News which is the outpost for the ultra conservative/Alternative right/white supremacist movement. Bretibart has published headlines like: There's No Hiring Bias Against Women in Tech, They Just Suck at Interviews; Gabby Giffords: The Gun Control Movement's Human Shield; Teenage Boys With Tits: Here's My Problem With Ghostbusters; Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy....you get the idea. The Southern Poverty Law Center defined Breitbart as a "white neo-nationalist propaganda mill". To make this all worse, Trump just appointed Bannon as his Chief White House Strategist and senior counselor. The people most excited about Bannon's rise: white nationalists, American nazis, and former KKK imperial wizards.
So, I am not surprised with my daughter's response. While this election has proven we are divided over many things, it has also shown we are willing, and able, to overlook flagrant hate. How is this going to play out? Well when your President elect selects an individual who once described himself as a "Leninist" who wants to "destroy the state" and "bring everything crashing down" as one of his closest advisors? You tell me.
This is not supposed to be the response to a newly elected leader here in the United States - but this election was anything but normal. Donald Trump's campaign carried a tone that was simultaneously disrespectful and mean, while also being void of facts. In the wake of his election a majority of our media outlets have also forgotten how it was chock full of racism.
Fortune magazine reported how, back in January, Trump re-tweeted a Nazi sympathizer, and then - a mere three weeks later - did it again. The same Fortune piece goes on to show how many within the Trump campaign either followed or re-tweeted white supremacists or Nazi sympathizers themselves.
In addition to the re-tweeting, Donal Trump's son, Donald Jr., appeared on a talk radio show with a white supremacist. In the wake of that interview, Jr. shook the blame off of himself and onto the "liberal media" claiming he wouldn't have made the appearance had he known about its racist affiliations. His excuse would've held up nicely except months later his brother, Eric Trump, appeared on the same radio program. All the while the Trump campaign feigned ignorance. This despite the fact that the now infamous white supremacist radio host received press credentials to a Trump campaign event. Said radio host has stated, amongst other things, that Martin Luther King Jr's. "dream is our nightmare" and "slavery is the greatest thing that ever happened to" African-Americans. In all of these instances Trump either shifted the blame to people outside the campaign or went to the old faithful move of blaming the "liberal media" for changing the narrative.
Again, this would all hold up nicely except that Trump hired Steve Bannon onto his campaign staff. Bannon is the editor of the website Breitbart News which is the outpost for the ultra conservative/Alternative right/white supremacist movement. Bretibart has published headlines like: There's No Hiring Bias Against Women in Tech, They Just Suck at Interviews; Gabby Giffords: The Gun Control Movement's Human Shield; Teenage Boys With Tits: Here's My Problem With Ghostbusters; Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy....you get the idea. The Southern Poverty Law Center defined Breitbart as a "white neo-nationalist propaganda mill". To make this all worse, Trump just appointed Bannon as his Chief White House Strategist and senior counselor. The people most excited about Bannon's rise: white nationalists, American nazis, and former KKK imperial wizards.
So, I am not surprised with my daughter's response. While this election has proven we are divided over many things, it has also shown we are willing, and able, to overlook flagrant hate. How is this going to play out? Well when your President elect selects an individual who once described himself as a "Leninist" who wants to "destroy the state" and "bring everything crashing down" as one of his closest advisors? You tell me.
Friday, May 27, 2016
Panic
Now that Donald Trump has secured enough delegates to get the Republican nomination this summer, we can all officially begin to panic.
The rise of Trump has proven to be extraordinarily frustrating while also being confounding to many. But let's face it: this is not a coincidence. Trump is the bi-product of a number of things that have been boiling up in the American culture for decades now. If you're surprised, you haven't been paying attention.
The rise of right wing talk radio (RWTR) has produced an ill-informed populace that would rather believe crazed talk show hosts and their demagoguery than believe actual fact. The Wall Street Journal published a piece back in 2015 showing how RWTR essentially dictated the GOP Primary results. Their messages of "anti-establishment" and constant Obama bashing not only make for great ratings, but have shown where a majority of GOP voters are getting their marching orders.
A significant number of people listen to RWTR religiously and don't treat it as a source of entertainment, but a legitimate source of news and information. These "sources" constantly remind them to not read or believe what the newspapers say; and to not watch or pay attention to any other "mainstream media" TV or radio outlets because they're all liberally biased.
This message of supposed bias extends into our public school system and its teachers, as well as higher education. A recent piece reported on the Bill Moyers website, shows how the message of RWTR has begun to affect what gets funded and what doesn't at Colleges and Universities - especially at the state level. As far as most of these RWTR hosts are concerned - everyone is biased except them.
This message has a majority of people doubting science; embracing intolerance, and believing an underlying message that America is "under siege" from outside forces - be they political, cultural, or religious. Some high ranking GOP members have seen enough of the ignorance, intolerance, and lack of common sense and have jumped ship to the Democratic party.
This mindset brought us the first version of Trump: Sarah Palin. Ms. Palin further spread the gospel of not believing the "lame stream media" as well as not reading newspapers or...anything really, and made it a piece of our national narrative. She set the table for the rise of Trump by condemning truth, knowledge, and overall critical thought.
54% of Donald Trump supporters believe President Obama is a Muslim. What's even more frightening is 29% of Americans believe he is a Muslim. This is startling when you consider a.) he isn't and b.) he's proven it time and time again. But remember, we now live an in an age where ignorance is bliss and stupidity is the national mindset.
Even more frustrating is how the media has been treating Donald Trump. They treat him more like a reality show contestant, and less like the man who - if elected - will make policy decisions that will affect them, their children, their neighbor's children, the rest of the world and all of us. Instead of asking questions of substance, they insist on laughing along with his ignorance and carnival barker showmanship - thus playing further into his Barnumesque narrative and used car salesman winks and nods.
Donald Trump is not "cute". He's a cartoon character who recently responded to a question of who he's speaking with regarding foreign affairs by saying: "I’m speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain, and I’ve said a lot of things.”
What potential US President speaks like that? Seriously? To make this all worse, Trump announced yesterday that after his Presidency, he'd like to have a statue of himself in Washington DC that he'd share with Thomas Jefferson. Ahh yes, two great American thinkers sharing a single pedestal to remind of us of how far we've come.
Thomas Jefferson: a great thinker, innovator, and writer. Was he flawed? Yes, but not in the context of Donald J. Trump. Jefferson was a man of letters who built and lived on his estate Monticello. He was a voracious reader capable of critical thought, and progressive ideas regarding our democracy. He was an ardent Epicurean who constantly questioned the role of religious faith in government.
If given the chance, I would ask Trump if he's an Epicurean. I know he doesn't even know what that means - and why should he? He is, apparently, what we Americans want: a misinformed, narcissistic, nut job who is under the very false impression that running the greatest country in the world is just an extension of The Apprentice.
The rise of Trump has proven to be extraordinarily frustrating while also being confounding to many. But let's face it: this is not a coincidence. Trump is the bi-product of a number of things that have been boiling up in the American culture for decades now. If you're surprised, you haven't been paying attention.
The rise of right wing talk radio (RWTR) has produced an ill-informed populace that would rather believe crazed talk show hosts and their demagoguery than believe actual fact. The Wall Street Journal published a piece back in 2015 showing how RWTR essentially dictated the GOP Primary results. Their messages of "anti-establishment" and constant Obama bashing not only make for great ratings, but have shown where a majority of GOP voters are getting their marching orders.
A significant number of people listen to RWTR religiously and don't treat it as a source of entertainment, but a legitimate source of news and information. These "sources" constantly remind them to not read or believe what the newspapers say; and to not watch or pay attention to any other "mainstream media" TV or radio outlets because they're all liberally biased.
This message of supposed bias extends into our public school system and its teachers, as well as higher education. A recent piece reported on the Bill Moyers website, shows how the message of RWTR has begun to affect what gets funded and what doesn't at Colleges and Universities - especially at the state level. As far as most of these RWTR hosts are concerned - everyone is biased except them.
This message has a majority of people doubting science; embracing intolerance, and believing an underlying message that America is "under siege" from outside forces - be they political, cultural, or religious. Some high ranking GOP members have seen enough of the ignorance, intolerance, and lack of common sense and have jumped ship to the Democratic party.
This mindset brought us the first version of Trump: Sarah Palin. Ms. Palin further spread the gospel of not believing the "lame stream media" as well as not reading newspapers or...anything really, and made it a piece of our national narrative. She set the table for the rise of Trump by condemning truth, knowledge, and overall critical thought.
54% of Donald Trump supporters believe President Obama is a Muslim. What's even more frightening is 29% of Americans believe he is a Muslim. This is startling when you consider a.) he isn't and b.) he's proven it time and time again. But remember, we now live an in an age where ignorance is bliss and stupidity is the national mindset.
Even more frustrating is how the media has been treating Donald Trump. They treat him more like a reality show contestant, and less like the man who - if elected - will make policy decisions that will affect them, their children, their neighbor's children, the rest of the world and all of us. Instead of asking questions of substance, they insist on laughing along with his ignorance and carnival barker showmanship - thus playing further into his Barnumesque narrative and used car salesman winks and nods.
Donald Trump is not "cute". He's a cartoon character who recently responded to a question of who he's speaking with regarding foreign affairs by saying: "I’m speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain, and I’ve said a lot of things.”
What potential US President speaks like that? Seriously? To make this all worse, Trump announced yesterday that after his Presidency, he'd like to have a statue of himself in Washington DC that he'd share with Thomas Jefferson. Ahh yes, two great American thinkers sharing a single pedestal to remind of us of how far we've come.
Thomas Jefferson: a great thinker, innovator, and writer. Was he flawed? Yes, but not in the context of Donald J. Trump. Jefferson was a man of letters who built and lived on his estate Monticello. He was a voracious reader capable of critical thought, and progressive ideas regarding our democracy. He was an ardent Epicurean who constantly questioned the role of religious faith in government.
If given the chance, I would ask Trump if he's an Epicurean. I know he doesn't even know what that means - and why should he? He is, apparently, what we Americans want: a misinformed, narcissistic, nut job who is under the very false impression that running the greatest country in the world is just an extension of The Apprentice.
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Make America Great Again
I have spent the last few years writing on this page about the state of inner-city schools, violence in schools, and race relations here in the United States. These topics are inspired by my teaching of inner-city, at-risk and special needs students. I've taught in schools where the entire population was African-American. I've taught in schools where the population was all African-American and Hispanic. I've been in schools where the entire population was autistic and/or physically disabled...in other words I've spent the last eleven years of my life working with kids of every age, ethnicity, culture, and ability or disability.
We are in the midst of what can be defined as one of the more hate tinged presidential campaigns in our countries history. I've never seen anything like it in my life. Donald Trump has taken something initially seen as a joke and has become the Republican frontrunner. Now that he's won the primary elections in Florida, Illinois, and North Carolina he could very well be the GOP nominee.
Trump has managed to do this by pushing a rhetoric of racist, sexist, and xenophobic hate. He directly referenced the size of his penis in a presidential debate; called opponent Ted Cruz a "pussy"; acted like an eight year-old school boy when speaking of Hillary Clinton's bathroom break; and referenced menstruation when complaining about questions from Fox news anchor Megyn Kelly. This is in addition to countless Trump rallies that have been the scene of violence - specifically against African-Americans, Hispanics, and Muslims.
At one rally, a Hispanic protester was spit on by a Trump supporter. A young black woman was being escorted out of a rally and was pushed, shoved (by a veteran) as well as called a "ni**er" and other things all while Trump bellowed "GET OUT!". At another rally a young black man was sucker punched in the face by a white man, yet the black man was arrested. The man who punched him was proud and also threatened "next time we see him, we might have to kill him". Trump responded by offering to pay the man's legal bills, and also told supporters to "punch" protesters, and promised to pay their legal bills as well.
In addition to all of this, Trump initially refused to condemn an endorsement from former KKK Grand Wizard, David Duke. He re-Tweets quotes from neo-Nazis and Mussolini. He doesn't condemn KKK leaders but he does condemn Mexicans and Muslims.
At high school basketball games in Iowa and Indiana, teams that were heavily Latino were greeted with "Build The Wall!" and "Trump! Trump! Trump!" chants by opposing fans - who were mostly white. One of the those targeted was a Catholic school and the chants caused an outcry from the local Bishop. But guess what - people are not only voting for Donald Trump en masse - his polling numbers continue to go up - a phenomena that even seems to baffle Trump himself.
The worst part is, Evangelical "Christians" love Trump, and his messages of hate and intolerance. This baffles me. How can you classify yourself a "Christian" and respond overwhelmingly to hate and intolerance? How can you support a candidate who uses fowl and disgusting language? What is "Christian" about this man?
We are at a massive crossroads in America right now. The rise of Donald Trump is representative of something terrible in this country: A message of overwhelming hate and anger that's been in place since the election of Barak Obama. It's scary but worst of all, it's anything but "Christian".
We are in the midst of what can be defined as one of the more hate tinged presidential campaigns in our countries history. I've never seen anything like it in my life. Donald Trump has taken something initially seen as a joke and has become the Republican frontrunner. Now that he's won the primary elections in Florida, Illinois, and North Carolina he could very well be the GOP nominee.
Trump has managed to do this by pushing a rhetoric of racist, sexist, and xenophobic hate. He directly referenced the size of his penis in a presidential debate; called opponent Ted Cruz a "pussy"; acted like an eight year-old school boy when speaking of Hillary Clinton's bathroom break; and referenced menstruation when complaining about questions from Fox news anchor Megyn Kelly. This is in addition to countless Trump rallies that have been the scene of violence - specifically against African-Americans, Hispanics, and Muslims.
At one rally, a Hispanic protester was spit on by a Trump supporter. A young black woman was being escorted out of a rally and was pushed, shoved (by a veteran) as well as called a "ni**er" and other things all while Trump bellowed "GET OUT!". At another rally a young black man was sucker punched in the face by a white man, yet the black man was arrested. The man who punched him was proud and also threatened "next time we see him, we might have to kill him". Trump responded by offering to pay the man's legal bills, and also told supporters to "punch" protesters, and promised to pay their legal bills as well.
In addition to all of this, Trump initially refused to condemn an endorsement from former KKK Grand Wizard, David Duke. He re-Tweets quotes from neo-Nazis and Mussolini. He doesn't condemn KKK leaders but he does condemn Mexicans and Muslims.
At high school basketball games in Iowa and Indiana, teams that were heavily Latino were greeted with "Build The Wall!" and "Trump! Trump! Trump!" chants by opposing fans - who were mostly white. One of the those targeted was a Catholic school and the chants caused an outcry from the local Bishop. But guess what - people are not only voting for Donald Trump en masse - his polling numbers continue to go up - a phenomena that even seems to baffle Trump himself.
The worst part is, Evangelical "Christians" love Trump, and his messages of hate and intolerance. This baffles me. How can you classify yourself a "Christian" and respond overwhelmingly to hate and intolerance? How can you support a candidate who uses fowl and disgusting language? What is "Christian" about this man?
We are at a massive crossroads in America right now. The rise of Donald Trump is representative of something terrible in this country: A message of overwhelming hate and anger that's been in place since the election of Barak Obama. It's scary but worst of all, it's anything but "Christian".
Friday, January 8, 2016
Oh Yeah...Them.
These past few weeks I have been thinking a lot about our kids. It would seem we currently exist in a world where actions are taken, words are spoken, and deeds performed all without care or concern for the youngest members of our communities. We've seen mass shootings that resulted in the deaths of people while they attended church and the movies. Children have been killed in school. When the President recently spoke specifically of Newtown, CT he shed tears of sorrow and disgust. His tears were not viewed in the context of a father and husband, but as someone who was "weak". Some even suggested he was faking them.
The fate of the environment is being discussed, young black men continue to be the target of police; and one of the leading candidates for president says horrifically racist and xenophobic things - yet receives applause and rises in the polls.
I would love it if reporters, as well as regular folks, would ask presidential candidates about our children. Are any of their decisions or statements made with them in mind? The same goes for the world leaders and people who lobby for more guns. The two sided question What kind of world do you see for our children and how are we going to get there needs to be asked ad nauseam. I think it should be hammered at politicians. I also think it should be asked of pundits. I'd be curious to hear their answers.
Has anyone given any thought to the tone of our discourse and what our children think of it? As I wrote earlier, some pundits stated the President faked his tears when speaking of the tragedies in Newtown. A few weeks ago a retired US military officer went on national TV and referred to his Commander and Chief as a "pus*y" live on the air. I have seen friends and family pick that up and post it on social media with pride and endorsement. If you tune into talk radio all you hear is hate, anger, and vitriol.
The great writer Marilynne Robinson talks about how we need to find the aesthetics in our discourse. She called it "the beautiful argument". I love that. I think it's time we begin to speak with more aesthetic value instead of this disgraceful tone we've seemed to embrace. We are the country that gave the world Hemingway, Whitman, Emerson, Hughes, Thoreau, Plath, and Dickinson. Former political leaders like Jefferson, Franklin, and Lincoln expressed and wrote their thoughts more like poetry and prose. It's time to bring that back. Maybe beautiful arguments will lead to beautiful answers and a better world for the people who truly matter most: Our children.
The fate of the environment is being discussed, young black men continue to be the target of police; and one of the leading candidates for president says horrifically racist and xenophobic things - yet receives applause and rises in the polls.
I would love it if reporters, as well as regular folks, would ask presidential candidates about our children. Are any of their decisions or statements made with them in mind? The same goes for the world leaders and people who lobby for more guns. The two sided question What kind of world do you see for our children and how are we going to get there needs to be asked ad nauseam. I think it should be hammered at politicians. I also think it should be asked of pundits. I'd be curious to hear their answers.
Has anyone given any thought to the tone of our discourse and what our children think of it? As I wrote earlier, some pundits stated the President faked his tears when speaking of the tragedies in Newtown. A few weeks ago a retired US military officer went on national TV and referred to his Commander and Chief as a "pus*y" live on the air. I have seen friends and family pick that up and post it on social media with pride and endorsement. If you tune into talk radio all you hear is hate, anger, and vitriol.
The great writer Marilynne Robinson talks about how we need to find the aesthetics in our discourse. She called it "the beautiful argument". I love that. I think it's time we begin to speak with more aesthetic value instead of this disgraceful tone we've seemed to embrace. We are the country that gave the world Hemingway, Whitman, Emerson, Hughes, Thoreau, Plath, and Dickinson. Former political leaders like Jefferson, Franklin, and Lincoln expressed and wrote their thoughts more like poetry and prose. It's time to bring that back. Maybe beautiful arguments will lead to beautiful answers and a better world for the people who truly matter most: Our children.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
What You Call "Life"
I have taught music in a number of unique situations. I've worked in a true inner-city, urban school in Newark, New Jersey. I have taught in schools exclusively for children on the autistic spectrum, and where the population were all physically disabled. I have also worked in alternative education settings where the students were classified as having behavioral and/or emotional issues, and where the population was labeled "at risk". I've also worked in suburban schools where the students were classified as "typical".
When we hear the term at risk we don't think of upper middle class suburban kids. The sad part is, this is a new context in which that term is viewed. A recent study done by Arizona State psychology professor Suniya Luther was designed to zero in on inner-city at risk kids, and why they engaged in certain behaviors. While doing a comparative study between that population, and a typical suburban school, Luther discovered the suburban teens were engaging in more damaging behaviors (drugs, alcohol, internalizing problems) than those living in inner-city settings. The end result is the term at risk has become applicable to a wider range of young people.
I am not shocked by this. In the varied populations I've worked with I've seen an extraordinary amount of pressure being placed on young people. The world around them is changing at a staggering pace, and in every way possible - socially, politically, technologically, environmentally, and economically. The pressure is on them to not only go into this world, but go in and excel. This mindset has crept into every aspect of their lives - and not just academics. In upper middle classes, extra curricular activities are no longer "for fun", but are done to bolster college applications and/or earn a scholarship. Kids in our inner cities can't even fathom academic success when half their battle is getting to school, then getting home without getting beat down or shot. In addition, both populations have to navigate an adolescence made more complex by social media and a youth culture in a constant state of exposure and judgement.
The end result is an American public school population more complex than ever before. Our kids are more emotionally fragile than they've ever been. According to the CDC, children between ages 3 and 17 now suffer from attention deficit/hyper activity disorder at a rate of 6.8%. The same age group has a 3.5% rate of behavioral and conduct problems, 3.0% suffer from anxiety based issues, and 2.1% from depression. These numbers are unreal (consider that the rate of autism diagnosis in that group is 1.1%). We can sit around and shrug our shoulders - or we can take a step back and think about that in a not so distant future these young people will be out in the world trying to run it. How do you think that's going to go?
As adults we need to create a world, and systems, that encourage healthy youth. After all, our future is dependent on their well being. We seem to be in denial of that. What kind of a world are we creating for our kids...and do we care?
"Everything around you that you call life was made up by people...and you can change it."
- Steve Jobs
When we hear the term at risk we don't think of upper middle class suburban kids. The sad part is, this is a new context in which that term is viewed. A recent study done by Arizona State psychology professor Suniya Luther was designed to zero in on inner-city at risk kids, and why they engaged in certain behaviors. While doing a comparative study between that population, and a typical suburban school, Luther discovered the suburban teens were engaging in more damaging behaviors (drugs, alcohol, internalizing problems) than those living in inner-city settings. The end result is the term at risk has become applicable to a wider range of young people.
I am not shocked by this. In the varied populations I've worked with I've seen an extraordinary amount of pressure being placed on young people. The world around them is changing at a staggering pace, and in every way possible - socially, politically, technologically, environmentally, and economically. The pressure is on them to not only go into this world, but go in and excel. This mindset has crept into every aspect of their lives - and not just academics. In upper middle classes, extra curricular activities are no longer "for fun", but are done to bolster college applications and/or earn a scholarship. Kids in our inner cities can't even fathom academic success when half their battle is getting to school, then getting home without getting beat down or shot. In addition, both populations have to navigate an adolescence made more complex by social media and a youth culture in a constant state of exposure and judgement.
The end result is an American public school population more complex than ever before. Our kids are more emotionally fragile than they've ever been. According to the CDC, children between ages 3 and 17 now suffer from attention deficit/hyper activity disorder at a rate of 6.8%. The same age group has a 3.5% rate of behavioral and conduct problems, 3.0% suffer from anxiety based issues, and 2.1% from depression. These numbers are unreal (consider that the rate of autism diagnosis in that group is 1.1%). We can sit around and shrug our shoulders - or we can take a step back and think about that in a not so distant future these young people will be out in the world trying to run it. How do you think that's going to go?
As adults we need to create a world, and systems, that encourage healthy youth. After all, our future is dependent on their well being. We seem to be in denial of that. What kind of a world are we creating for our kids...and do we care?
"Everything around you that you call life was made up by people...and you can change it."
- Steve Jobs
Friday, October 30, 2015
Sorry Kid, You Gotta Go
As I have written here before - the greatest thing about the American Public School System is that it legally has to educate every child who walks through the door. This is regardless not only of ethnicity, race, or economic background, but also ability or disability. If your child has been diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder, your district school doesn't only provide an education - it also provides the services, procedures, and protocols to ensure that your child will be educated properly. This includes, and is not limited to: speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and social skills classes. Perhaps your child will be placed in a inclusive classroom along with an aide, so that she can observe and learn from, as well as amongst, typically developing children. Maybe she will be in a self contained classroom with aids and a specially trained teacher, because this is what the district feels is best. Your child would be evaluated at some point and perhaps moved to an inclusive room if she progresses.
The above would apply to children who may have physical disabilities as well as to those who have behavioral and emotional problems. Perhaps there are children with processing delays who need specific individualized education plans (IEP's) so they can grow and learn accordingly. The reasons our public schools do this are not only legal. Educating our kids is vital, not just to our communities, but also our society. I have seen many children with IEP's as well as varied diagnoses not only go onto productive jobs after high school, but also trade schools and community college. In other words: they become functional members of society.
Today there's an article in the New York Times about a charter school in Brooklyn who created something called the "Got to Go" list. This was a list of students who displayed behavioral problems and rather than help them - the school threw them out. The school made some effort, but apparently got frustrated with repeated behaviors and rather than try to accommodate and educate, just let them walk out the door.
This is not uncommon in charter schools. In fact, it's policy. I know from firsthand experience. When I taught in Newark Public Schools we had many a student show up mid-way through a month or the school year who were behavioral nightmares. When these students were asked where they came from, the answer was always the same: "I was kicked out of a charter school." When people ask why do charter schools do better than public schools? the answer is easy: they can throw kids out...and they do. Rather than scuff up their almighty test scores, and invest money into special teachers and staff as well as programs and protocols, they just throw kids out. Why bother with them?
This, I believe, speaks volumes of what charter schools have come to symbolize. They don't want to educate all kids - they want to educate some. In many cases, they don't have a choice. The school is on a schedule and any student who may possibly slow that down is viewed as a nuisance. Nothing else.
I have said it before, and I'll say it again: If I ran a school where I could throw kids out and only teach who I wanted...my school would be better than any public school within 100 miles. The motto of any school should never be "Got to Go". It should be "Come to Learn, Stay 'til You're Done."
The above would apply to children who may have physical disabilities as well as to those who have behavioral and emotional problems. Perhaps there are children with processing delays who need specific individualized education plans (IEP's) so they can grow and learn accordingly. The reasons our public schools do this are not only legal. Educating our kids is vital, not just to our communities, but also our society. I have seen many children with IEP's as well as varied diagnoses not only go onto productive jobs after high school, but also trade schools and community college. In other words: they become functional members of society.
Today there's an article in the New York Times about a charter school in Brooklyn who created something called the "Got to Go" list. This was a list of students who displayed behavioral problems and rather than help them - the school threw them out. The school made some effort, but apparently got frustrated with repeated behaviors and rather than try to accommodate and educate, just let them walk out the door.
This is not uncommon in charter schools. In fact, it's policy. I know from firsthand experience. When I taught in Newark Public Schools we had many a student show up mid-way through a month or the school year who were behavioral nightmares. When these students were asked where they came from, the answer was always the same: "I was kicked out of a charter school." When people ask why do charter schools do better than public schools? the answer is easy: they can throw kids out...and they do. Rather than scuff up their almighty test scores, and invest money into special teachers and staff as well as programs and protocols, they just throw kids out. Why bother with them?
This, I believe, speaks volumes of what charter schools have come to symbolize. They don't want to educate all kids - they want to educate some. In many cases, they don't have a choice. The school is on a schedule and any student who may possibly slow that down is viewed as a nuisance. Nothing else.
I have said it before, and I'll say it again: If I ran a school where I could throw kids out and only teach who I wanted...my school would be better than any public school within 100 miles. The motto of any school should never be "Got to Go". It should be "Come to Learn, Stay 'til You're Done."
Monday, September 21, 2015
The Bigger Picture
Last week a 14 year-old Texas teen named Ahmed Mohamed was handcuffed in school, and suspended, because teachers and staff mistook a homemade clock he'd brought in for a bomb. Yes, the boy is a Muslim. Did Islamophobic based paranoia play a role in his treatment? Probably. Truth be told, though, this incident is less a commentary on how Muslims are viewed in the US, and more a commentary on something else: Guns in our schools.
I can tell you from personal experience that when teachers report back after summer, one of the first things reviewed is lockdown/live shooter procedures. Typically there is at least one more staff session devoted to this during the year. In addition, there are multiple lockdown drills with students during school hours. Ask any school teacher (or college professor) how many staff development, in-service training hours, and regular school time is spent on school lockdown drills, and live shooter protocols. You'll be shocked to hear. There's a reason for this: We live in a country where mass school shootings occur on a semi-annual basis. In fact, I can say with a tone of certainty (and sadness) that there will be at least one this year. It's not out of the question.
Since the horrific Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, the Washington Post reports at least 44 school shootings at k-12 schools or college campuses. The non-profit group Everytown For Gun Safety reports 94 school shootings. In the k-12 shootings, where the shooter's age was known, 70% of the gunmen were minors. Take that in for a minute: 70% of school shootings were done by kids less than 18 years of age. So when we ask was there some paranoia involved in Texas, the answer is "Yes" - but this is justified. That fact should piss off any parent with a child in school.
People need to understand that todays teachers are required to do more than teach. In addition to coming up with creative and inspiring methods in which to bring our subjects to our students, we must also be their protector. This is overwhelming. In one school where I taught, the building went into actual lockdown. I had a classroom full of kindergarten students at the time (I'm a music teacher), and I can tell you the anxiety that hit me - once I had all of the students under the table and out of sight - was harrowing. As I was calming down a crying five year-old girl, I suddenly became aware that I was responsible not just for her, but the other 24 lives as well. You can't imagine what that feels like (after it all ended, we discovered the individual who'd entered the school was unarmed). In addition, we have to listen to what kids say. How they appear. What their mental or emotional states are like, and whether or not they're being bullied at school. If something is missed and people die - it's our fault.
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has said "Effective teaching and learning cannot take place unless students feel safe at school". Has anyone ever thought that maybe the ever important US test scores are lower than our competitor's due to our rate of mass school shootings? When you compare the number of school shootings between us and Europe, the numbers are unreal. In fact, they're embarrassing.
One of my nieces recently told her family "I try and be friends with as many kids at school as I can." Her father said "That's great. Be nice to everyone." To which she replied "That's one reason I do it, but the main reason is, if one of the kids at school brings a gun in, I don't wanna get shot."
There you have it.
I can tell you from personal experience that when teachers report back after summer, one of the first things reviewed is lockdown/live shooter procedures. Typically there is at least one more staff session devoted to this during the year. In addition, there are multiple lockdown drills with students during school hours. Ask any school teacher (or college professor) how many staff development, in-service training hours, and regular school time is spent on school lockdown drills, and live shooter protocols. You'll be shocked to hear. There's a reason for this: We live in a country where mass school shootings occur on a semi-annual basis. In fact, I can say with a tone of certainty (and sadness) that there will be at least one this year. It's not out of the question.
Since the horrific Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, the Washington Post reports at least 44 school shootings at k-12 schools or college campuses. The non-profit group Everytown For Gun Safety reports 94 school shootings. In the k-12 shootings, where the shooter's age was known, 70% of the gunmen were minors. Take that in for a minute: 70% of school shootings were done by kids less than 18 years of age. So when we ask was there some paranoia involved in Texas, the answer is "Yes" - but this is justified. That fact should piss off any parent with a child in school.
People need to understand that todays teachers are required to do more than teach. In addition to coming up with creative and inspiring methods in which to bring our subjects to our students, we must also be their protector. This is overwhelming. In one school where I taught, the building went into actual lockdown. I had a classroom full of kindergarten students at the time (I'm a music teacher), and I can tell you the anxiety that hit me - once I had all of the students under the table and out of sight - was harrowing. As I was calming down a crying five year-old girl, I suddenly became aware that I was responsible not just for her, but the other 24 lives as well. You can't imagine what that feels like (after it all ended, we discovered the individual who'd entered the school was unarmed). In addition, we have to listen to what kids say. How they appear. What their mental or emotional states are like, and whether or not they're being bullied at school. If something is missed and people die - it's our fault.
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has said "Effective teaching and learning cannot take place unless students feel safe at school". Has anyone ever thought that maybe the ever important US test scores are lower than our competitor's due to our rate of mass school shootings? When you compare the number of school shootings between us and Europe, the numbers are unreal. In fact, they're embarrassing.
One of my nieces recently told her family "I try and be friends with as many kids at school as I can." Her father said "That's great. Be nice to everyone." To which she replied "That's one reason I do it, but the main reason is, if one of the kids at school brings a gun in, I don't wanna get shot."
There you have it.
Monday, September 14, 2015
The Golden Rule
The single greatest thing about the American Public Education system is its obligation to educate all children who come through its doors. It does not base admission on race, creed, income level, or ability/disability. This is incredible. Many people do not recognize the magnitude of this nor do they see the big picture.
Let's say, for example, that your child is diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder. Not only would your district's schools be responsible for teaching her, but also providing the subsequent services so she could be educated fully. This includes, and is not limited to, speech and occupational therapy; and perhaps physical therapy and social skills lessons. She may be put into a inclusive classroom with other children on the spectrum which has one on one aids in addition to the teacher. Or, she may be mainstreamed into a typical class - again, with the help of an aid - so she can perhaps model their learning behaviors.
What if you had a child who was classified with a behavioral and/or emotional problem? Not only would your public school be obligated to teach her, but also provide the subsequent protocols needed so she can get a proper education. This might include an Individualized Education Plan ("IEP") that is created with the help of parents, teachers and therapists. This will include specific methods and/or approaches that may include outside therapies in addition to what goes on in the classroom. If this does not help, and your child still proves to be difficult in the classroom, she may then be given a Behavioral Modification Plan ("BMP") - which will also include additional methods and/or professionals. If that doesn't work, she may be placed in an alternative education program or perhaps an in-house "bridge" program. Regardless, the district must make every accommodation to ensure your child's education.
If the above child was enrolled in a charter school chances are she would be thrown out. Unlike true American Public Schools, charters operate outside of the rules - they have their own charter that stipulates the rules and regulations of their school. This is sketchy because while accepting public funding (aka "taxes) they are under no obligation to educate who comes through their door. I have spoken before about my experience in Newark Public Schools and the students who showed up around late December/January who'd been kicked out of charter schools. Many of these students could have benefited from an IEP or BMP, but charters don't want to be bothered with that. They have test scores to worry about.
It is these issues that played into the recent ruling by Washington State stating charter schools are unconstitutional. In the ruling, the courts sighted how charters use public funds, but don't abide by the same rules as true "public schools". Maybe this is why they often classify themselves as "public charter schools".
I've written here before about the weird connection between corporate money and charter schools. They seem to be more about profit and/or privatization than education. Educating a child fully takes time, patience, training, and empathy. It also takes additional costs as well as accommodations. These are two things that charter schools don't have - and certainly don't want to concern themselves with.
Let's say, for example, that your child is diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder. Not only would your district's schools be responsible for teaching her, but also providing the subsequent services so she could be educated fully. This includes, and is not limited to, speech and occupational therapy; and perhaps physical therapy and social skills lessons. She may be put into a inclusive classroom with other children on the spectrum which has one on one aids in addition to the teacher. Or, she may be mainstreamed into a typical class - again, with the help of an aid - so she can perhaps model their learning behaviors.
What if you had a child who was classified with a behavioral and/or emotional problem? Not only would your public school be obligated to teach her, but also provide the subsequent protocols needed so she can get a proper education. This might include an Individualized Education Plan ("IEP") that is created with the help of parents, teachers and therapists. This will include specific methods and/or approaches that may include outside therapies in addition to what goes on in the classroom. If this does not help, and your child still proves to be difficult in the classroom, she may then be given a Behavioral Modification Plan ("BMP") - which will also include additional methods and/or professionals. If that doesn't work, she may be placed in an alternative education program or perhaps an in-house "bridge" program. Regardless, the district must make every accommodation to ensure your child's education.
If the above child was enrolled in a charter school chances are she would be thrown out. Unlike true American Public Schools, charters operate outside of the rules - they have their own charter that stipulates the rules and regulations of their school. This is sketchy because while accepting public funding (aka "taxes) they are under no obligation to educate who comes through their door. I have spoken before about my experience in Newark Public Schools and the students who showed up around late December/January who'd been kicked out of charter schools. Many of these students could have benefited from an IEP or BMP, but charters don't want to be bothered with that. They have test scores to worry about.
It is these issues that played into the recent ruling by Washington State stating charter schools are unconstitutional. In the ruling, the courts sighted how charters use public funds, but don't abide by the same rules as true "public schools". Maybe this is why they often classify themselves as "public charter schools".
I've written here before about the weird connection between corporate money and charter schools. They seem to be more about profit and/or privatization than education. Educating a child fully takes time, patience, training, and empathy. It also takes additional costs as well as accommodations. These are two things that charter schools don't have - and certainly don't want to concern themselves with.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
The Ones Lucky Enough to Be Superkids
In his OP ED column in the New York Times today, Frank Bruni writes about "Today's Exhausted Superkids". These, by and large, are kids in suburban communities whose parents - in the last ten years or so - have completely lost their minds. They sign their kids up for fifteen activities a week, push them to take as many AP courses as possible, talk to them about the athletic scholarship beginning at age seven, and apply so much academic pressure, their kids are sleepless and burnt out by the age of sixteen. Bruni states how kids in these communities feel so much pressure, they cheat, take Adderall, and aren't getting nearly enough sleep they need to develop and grow.
I know what he's talking about because I live in a community like this. Far too many of the kids in my town get whatever they want, have never been told no, are pushed hard by their parents, and by and large, are spoiled rotten. My kids are surrounded by peers who show up for baseball games toting $500.00 dollar bats, and $275.00 dollar gloves. Two kids on my son's freshman baseball team this year made fun of the summer team he was playing on because it wasn't "elite" enough (the team they played on cost $3,000.00 dollars for the summer and that didn't include travel expenses). My niece is going into her senior year of high school, and her parents have been pushing college on her since the day she started eighth grade. She attends a high achieving magnet school, and is very smart, and also hasn't slept properly in years. I recently took her to a concert, and at dinner before the show, she complained to me about how "...no one sees me for who I am. There's more to me than just the smart kid whose applying to college." I felt terrible for her.
The funny thing is, I live in this world, but teach kids from a completely different world. My students have no idea who they are - or could be. The word potential means nothing to them. This past year, I was telling one of my classes that they all possessed the intelligence to do or be whatever they wanted. One girl looked at me and asked "Why you always gassin' us like that? Why you always tryin' to tell us we're smart?" They honestly didn't know how to respond to being told those words. One day at school, I had a female student confide in me she was pregnant. I had a boy tell me he and his mom were about to become homeless, and one of my favorite students came to school with his jaw wired shut. He told me it was the bi-product of a basketball game, but I knew he was lying. I knew from another student he had been "jumped in" by the local chapter of the Crips. That night I stood in my kitchen crying because I knew three of my students lives were never going to be the same.
On the Daily Show last week host Jon Stewart had President Obama on. The president spoke how the "best education of his life" was when he worked in a poor section of Chicago as a community organizer. He basically said that venturing into a poor, inner-city community was the best education he ever got. My own kids and their peers worry about what college they're going to get into. They live lives that are no different than the student sitting right next to them in class. They put all of these pressures on themselves, and never step out of the world they live in, and enter college with no real grip on the world that's out there. If they really want to know what it's like out there - they should drive ten miles up the road and see kids living in poverty. They should come to my school and meet the boy who was going to be homeless with his mother. They should the boy whose options consisted of joining a gang - not going to college or trying out for an elite travel sports team.
Want to take pressure off of our kids? Have them spend their summers working in an poor community so they learn and understand what's going on out there and also how blessed and lucky they really are.
I know what he's talking about because I live in a community like this. Far too many of the kids in my town get whatever they want, have never been told no, are pushed hard by their parents, and by and large, are spoiled rotten. My kids are surrounded by peers who show up for baseball games toting $500.00 dollar bats, and $275.00 dollar gloves. Two kids on my son's freshman baseball team this year made fun of the summer team he was playing on because it wasn't "elite" enough (the team they played on cost $3,000.00 dollars for the summer and that didn't include travel expenses). My niece is going into her senior year of high school, and her parents have been pushing college on her since the day she started eighth grade. She attends a high achieving magnet school, and is very smart, and also hasn't slept properly in years. I recently took her to a concert, and at dinner before the show, she complained to me about how "...no one sees me for who I am. There's more to me than just the smart kid whose applying to college." I felt terrible for her.
The funny thing is, I live in this world, but teach kids from a completely different world. My students have no idea who they are - or could be. The word potential means nothing to them. This past year, I was telling one of my classes that they all possessed the intelligence to do or be whatever they wanted. One girl looked at me and asked "Why you always gassin' us like that? Why you always tryin' to tell us we're smart?" They honestly didn't know how to respond to being told those words. One day at school, I had a female student confide in me she was pregnant. I had a boy tell me he and his mom were about to become homeless, and one of my favorite students came to school with his jaw wired shut. He told me it was the bi-product of a basketball game, but I knew he was lying. I knew from another student he had been "jumped in" by the local chapter of the Crips. That night I stood in my kitchen crying because I knew three of my students lives were never going to be the same.
On the Daily Show last week host Jon Stewart had President Obama on. The president spoke how the "best education of his life" was when he worked in a poor section of Chicago as a community organizer. He basically said that venturing into a poor, inner-city community was the best education he ever got. My own kids and their peers worry about what college they're going to get into. They live lives that are no different than the student sitting right next to them in class. They put all of these pressures on themselves, and never step out of the world they live in, and enter college with no real grip on the world that's out there. If they really want to know what it's like out there - they should drive ten miles up the road and see kids living in poverty. They should come to my school and meet the boy who was going to be homeless with his mother. They should the boy whose options consisted of joining a gang - not going to college or trying out for an elite travel sports team.
Want to take pressure off of our kids? Have them spend their summers working in an poor community so they learn and understand what's going on out there and also how blessed and lucky they really are.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Summer Streets
As another school year winds down, those of us in urban education are in the midst of experiencing what we call "summer street syndrome". Basically this means that our students (who are mostly black, Hispanic, and poor) are not only preparing to leave school, but preparing to survive on the streets. When school gets out, their safe place is gone - as is their source of breakfast and lunch - as well as the people in their lives who provide love, structure, and discipline (aka "teachers").
When June begins, we shudder. Students who were involved, and committed to their studies throughout the year, suddenly stop studying - or doing any work for that matter. They become angry, hair trigger, and begin fronting. They're putting on a show for the students in school who may be involved in gangs or on the fringe. Some students even begin acting like they're in gangs - even though they're not - and change their posture, attitude, and way of dress. It truly is a metamorphosis - and not a good one.
I have a student who was an "A" student up until around April. Then, it happened. He began coming to school with a sneer on his face, and a new swagger and attitude. The funny thing is, he would pass me in the hallway, when no other students were around, and smile, then shake my hand. An hour or so later he would walk into my classroom, and curse at me. One day I asked him to complete an assignment and he threw the paper in my face and yelled Fu%k you!"
There was a video posted on Youtube a few weeks ago of a New Jersey teacher getting beaten up by a student. The teacher had taken the boy's phone, and the student proceeds to throw the man on the floor. Watch the video, and make sure you watch the students. Not a single student moves to help the teacher. At the very end, you finally hear a voice off camera ask "Should I get security?" The reason no one helps the man is because they're afraid of the consequences after school. The streets come into the classroom.
Teaching inner city kids is tough - and teachers who sign up to do it know that. But this time of the year is the toughest of all. When other teachers begin relaxing a bit, and wrapping it up, those of us in urban classrooms go on high alert.
When June begins, we shudder. Students who were involved, and committed to their studies throughout the year, suddenly stop studying - or doing any work for that matter. They become angry, hair trigger, and begin fronting. They're putting on a show for the students in school who may be involved in gangs or on the fringe. Some students even begin acting like they're in gangs - even though they're not - and change their posture, attitude, and way of dress. It truly is a metamorphosis - and not a good one.
I have a student who was an "A" student up until around April. Then, it happened. He began coming to school with a sneer on his face, and a new swagger and attitude. The funny thing is, he would pass me in the hallway, when no other students were around, and smile, then shake my hand. An hour or so later he would walk into my classroom, and curse at me. One day I asked him to complete an assignment and he threw the paper in my face and yelled Fu%k you!"
There was a video posted on Youtube a few weeks ago of a New Jersey teacher getting beaten up by a student. The teacher had taken the boy's phone, and the student proceeds to throw the man on the floor. Watch the video, and make sure you watch the students. Not a single student moves to help the teacher. At the very end, you finally hear a voice off camera ask "Should I get security?" The reason no one helps the man is because they're afraid of the consequences after school. The streets come into the classroom.
Teaching inner city kids is tough - and teachers who sign up to do it know that. But this time of the year is the toughest of all. When other teachers begin relaxing a bit, and wrapping it up, those of us in urban classrooms go on high alert.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Joe Pundit
Here we go again.
On the Saturday evening when Washington's political, media, and entertainment elite got together for the annual White House Correspondents Dinner, the city of Baltimore (about 40 miles away) was erupting into violent protest. CNN decided to cover what was happening on the Dinner's red carpet, and ask their fellow twenty-four hour news anchors questions like "What celebrity are you most excited to see?", while the city of Baltimore was getting ready to boil over. John Stewart did a critical, and sadly funny, bit on the April 27th installment of The Daily Show. It not only showed how out of touch our media is, but also how out of touch we are.
This was all in response to what has become the next chapter in the on-going saga that is America's police vs. black men. This time a young black man, while being taken into police custody, had his spinal chord severely injured and died later. Of course in the aftermath, the police are saying "It's not our fault!" and the inner-city youth most affected by these things are saying "This is our life on a daily basis." Yet again, the latest incident has taken place in a city that is mired in crime, violence, and (of course) poverty. West Baltimore served as inspiration for HBO's The Wire and was also where the book "The Corner" took place. This community is not unlike Ferguson, Missouri, or East St. Louis Missouri, or Newark, New Jersey, or the south side of Chicago, or,,,you get the idea.
Sunday night, West Baltimore erupted into full scale violence. There was looting, burning of stores, and (of course) violent clashes with police. And (of course) there were the voices in media asking why "the people" of this community think burning the place down is going to make things better. They shrug their shoulders in confusion, and shake their heads in disgust while trying to act concerned. My question to them is: Where was this confusion, concern, and disgust while cities like West Baltimore were rotting on the vine for the last, oh I don't know, thirty years? Why aren't media pundits and/or politicians questioning why American cities, and their citizens, are allowed to erode into a third world country existence? Where was Joe Pundit when the number of people living below the poverty line in West Baltimore went below the national average? Where was Joe Pundit when the Ferguson Police were arresting and fining its citizens for "violations" like walking the wrong way down the street? Where was Joe Pundit when the young men on the south side of Chicago started calling their community Chiraq because of the violence and poverty?
The smoke has cleared from Baltimore, the ashes are swept up, and the he police involved in the death of the young man have been arrested and charged with murder. Funny thing is, the police will have the support of a strong fraternal community to turn to. Other departments around the country will have that community teach them new tactics and implement new protocols. They will receive help, guidance, and, hopefully, be taught how to change. Many community police departments have already done this (body cameras), and continue to do so. In other words: the police will have help in changing and evolving. But what will happen to West Baltimore? How is change going to come to that community? The community (like the others mentioned) is dysfunctional and lacks true resources to implement any significant change, and (sadly), I don't see any change coming soon.
I beg Joe Pundit to go back to West Baltimore in three years and see what has occurred. Check in with the community and see what problems have been addressed. Have their been jobs created? Are the streets safe? Have the schools improved? Has the rate of poverty decreased?
I think we all know the answer.
On the Saturday evening when Washington's political, media, and entertainment elite got together for the annual White House Correspondents Dinner, the city of Baltimore (about 40 miles away) was erupting into violent protest. CNN decided to cover what was happening on the Dinner's red carpet, and ask their fellow twenty-four hour news anchors questions like "What celebrity are you most excited to see?", while the city of Baltimore was getting ready to boil over. John Stewart did a critical, and sadly funny, bit on the April 27th installment of The Daily Show. It not only showed how out of touch our media is, but also how out of touch we are.
This was all in response to what has become the next chapter in the on-going saga that is America's police vs. black men. This time a young black man, while being taken into police custody, had his spinal chord severely injured and died later. Of course in the aftermath, the police are saying "It's not our fault!" and the inner-city youth most affected by these things are saying "This is our life on a daily basis." Yet again, the latest incident has taken place in a city that is mired in crime, violence, and (of course) poverty. West Baltimore served as inspiration for HBO's The Wire and was also where the book "The Corner" took place. This community is not unlike Ferguson, Missouri, or East St. Louis Missouri, or Newark, New Jersey, or the south side of Chicago, or,,,you get the idea.
Sunday night, West Baltimore erupted into full scale violence. There was looting, burning of stores, and (of course) violent clashes with police. And (of course) there were the voices in media asking why "the people" of this community think burning the place down is going to make things better. They shrug their shoulders in confusion, and shake their heads in disgust while trying to act concerned. My question to them is: Where was this confusion, concern, and disgust while cities like West Baltimore were rotting on the vine for the last, oh I don't know, thirty years? Why aren't media pundits and/or politicians questioning why American cities, and their citizens, are allowed to erode into a third world country existence? Where was Joe Pundit when the number of people living below the poverty line in West Baltimore went below the national average? Where was Joe Pundit when the Ferguson Police were arresting and fining its citizens for "violations" like walking the wrong way down the street? Where was Joe Pundit when the young men on the south side of Chicago started calling their community Chiraq because of the violence and poverty?
The smoke has cleared from Baltimore, the ashes are swept up, and the he police involved in the death of the young man have been arrested and charged with murder. Funny thing is, the police will have the support of a strong fraternal community to turn to. Other departments around the country will have that community teach them new tactics and implement new protocols. They will receive help, guidance, and, hopefully, be taught how to change. Many community police departments have already done this (body cameras), and continue to do so. In other words: the police will have help in changing and evolving. But what will happen to West Baltimore? How is change going to come to that community? The community (like the others mentioned) is dysfunctional and lacks true resources to implement any significant change, and (sadly), I don't see any change coming soon.
I beg Joe Pundit to go back to West Baltimore in three years and see what has occurred. Check in with the community and see what problems have been addressed. Have their been jobs created? Are the streets safe? Have the schools improved? Has the rate of poverty decreased?
I think we all know the answer.
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Follow The Money
The Washington Post issued its list of "America's Most Challenging High Schools"two days ago and, of course, an inordinate number of charter schools made the cut.
Let me state that I am in favor of what charter schools stand for: more choice in education. I believe that not all children learn the same, and I have taught - and continue to teach - in a wide scope of schools serving vast populations of students (I currently work in an all special and alternative ed. district, and teach autistic children, children with physical disabilities, and at risk inner city students). I know from experience that the more choices provided for kids to learn, the better off they'll be. And while charter schools started out as something to bolster that choice, they have since become something completely different: investment opportunities.
The number one school on the Post list is BASIS, Oro Valley in Oro Valley, Arizona. The BASIS Schools are a national charter network owned and operated by Michael and Olga Block.
BASIS schools are set up as a not-for-profit, but the Blocks have their privately held for profit company running the school. Mr. and Mrs. Block work for that company - not the school. Here's the best part: The state of Arizona can only audit the charter school - not the company that runs it. So even though BASIS receives state funds, the state can't examine their financials. This essentially means that schools like BASIS can take state funds (as well as money from private donors) and hire/pay private companies and/or people on the local school board. They can even hire/pay their own privately held company to do work for the schools and/or have those companies provide supplies and other contracts - and they're not required to report any of that information.
I have written before about the weird state of charter school money and outside investment. It stinks, and it's turning the education of kids into a business. That's not what education is. Education is a journey of self discovery and has nothing to do with turning a profit. Also remember that charter schools are not under the same rules and laws as public schools. That means it's easier for them to throw or kick students out. Ultimately, the kids being thrown out of charter schools go back into the public school system and, in many cases, the charter school keeps the state money received for those students.
When I taught in Newark public schools, we had more than one student show up in the middle of the year who was out of control - disrespectful and a behavioral nightmare. When asked what school they came from the answer was almost always "I was kicked out of a charter school."
Also remember that many charters are not required to admit/educate a population of students with special needs. In the case of Archimedean Upper Conservatory in Miami, Florida (#16 on the list) that means not admitting any students with special needs.
When a list like the one in the Post shows up, everyone sings the praises of charter schools and, in many cases, this is deserved. But when you begin to look into the money trail for a lot of them, they begin to resemble some kind of shadow corporation or, worse yet - the "dark money" politicians receive to fund their campaigns. I never thought I'd use the term "dark money" when speaking about the education of our kids - but it's become that.
I don't understand the privatization of schools. The greatest thing about the American public school system is its obligation to educate all kids - not just those who are going to improve test scores, bolster data, and increase the size of pocketbooks.
Let me state that I am in favor of what charter schools stand for: more choice in education. I believe that not all children learn the same, and I have taught - and continue to teach - in a wide scope of schools serving vast populations of students (I currently work in an all special and alternative ed. district, and teach autistic children, children with physical disabilities, and at risk inner city students). I know from experience that the more choices provided for kids to learn, the better off they'll be. And while charter schools started out as something to bolster that choice, they have since become something completely different: investment opportunities.
The number one school on the Post list is BASIS, Oro Valley in Oro Valley, Arizona. The BASIS Schools are a national charter network owned and operated by Michael and Olga Block.
BASIS schools are set up as a not-for-profit, but the Blocks have their privately held for profit company running the school. Mr. and Mrs. Block work for that company - not the school. Here's the best part: The state of Arizona can only audit the charter school - not the company that runs it. So even though BASIS receives state funds, the state can't examine their financials. This essentially means that schools like BASIS can take state funds (as well as money from private donors) and hire/pay private companies and/or people on the local school board. They can even hire/pay their own privately held company to do work for the schools and/or have those companies provide supplies and other contracts - and they're not required to report any of that information.
I have written before about the weird state of charter school money and outside investment. It stinks, and it's turning the education of kids into a business. That's not what education is. Education is a journey of self discovery and has nothing to do with turning a profit. Also remember that charter schools are not under the same rules and laws as public schools. That means it's easier for them to throw or kick students out. Ultimately, the kids being thrown out of charter schools go back into the public school system and, in many cases, the charter school keeps the state money received for those students.
When I taught in Newark public schools, we had more than one student show up in the middle of the year who was out of control - disrespectful and a behavioral nightmare. When asked what school they came from the answer was almost always "I was kicked out of a charter school."
Also remember that many charters are not required to admit/educate a population of students with special needs. In the case of Archimedean Upper Conservatory in Miami, Florida (#16 on the list) that means not admitting any students with special needs.
When a list like the one in the Post shows up, everyone sings the praises of charter schools and, in many cases, this is deserved. But when you begin to look into the money trail for a lot of them, they begin to resemble some kind of shadow corporation or, worse yet - the "dark money" politicians receive to fund their campaigns. I never thought I'd use the term "dark money" when speaking about the education of our kids - but it's become that.
I don't understand the privatization of schools. The greatest thing about the American public school system is its obligation to educate all kids - not just those who are going to improve test scores, bolster data, and increase the size of pocketbooks.
Monday, April 20, 2015
Combat Pay
Last week in Hempstead, Long Island, a middle school math teacher, - whose been teaching more than twenty years - was choked until unconscious by a student's mother. Once out cold, the teacher was kicked repeatedly by students. Earlier in the day, she had broken up a violent fight. The mother claimed the teacher had "laid hands" on her daughter in the process. It should be noted that Hempstead teachers have been complaining for months how they feel "unsafe" in their schools. Students have also expressed this, but obviously, nothing was done.
In the same week, at my old school in Newark, New Jersey, a teacher also broke up a fight. As the students were calming down one of them turned and slapped the teacher across the face. When asked why he did it, the student said "Because I can and there's nothing anyone can do about it." A parent, who witnessed the whole thing, claimed the student did it "by accident".
Both of the communities mentioned above have many things in common: They are poor, urban communities; are infested with gang related violence; and both are within a short drive (or walk) of upper middle class suburban communities. Hempstead is so bad, it sounds and looks like something out HBO's The Wire. Newark is no better. We are barely four months into 2015, and it has already seen 22 people killed by gunfire.
What's scary is how the violence from the street is now making its way into the schools. The alternative high school where I teach is made up of students coming from inner-city at risk backgrounds. Gang signs are flashed daily, and students openly discuss gang related topics in the hallways. A fight a few weeks ago left a teacher injured after he was struck with a pool cue. Kids who were good students in September have morphed into individuals who could care less about their studies. I recently confronted a student on his academic slide and he said "I'm more concerned about the target on my back than my school work." A few days later, I sat a group of boys down to speak with them about what was going on. I asked how they were doing and reminded them that, we, the teachers cared. I talked to them about Starbucks' announcement regarding how they will pay employees college tuition. I also told them about programs at the local community college and technical school that would give them loans and/or grants. When I finished talking, one boy looked me square in the eye and said "College? I ain't gonna make it to seventeen mister. Why you talkin' to me about college?"
Our inner-cities are a mess. We have people living what can and should be classified as a third world existence, and they're doing this not too far from you. Currently, the United States ranks sixth in the world in children living in poverty. Number five is Mexico. Think about the images that come into your head when you hear the word "Mexico". Now consider the fact that our kids are living a similar existence. That's awful.
Often times I find myself sad and depressed when thinking about my students. I leave classes on the verge of tears - and not because I am threatened or scared. Rather, I am upset when I think about their future. The boy who told me he has a "target on his back" is a bright, sensitive kid who needs to realize his potential. I remind him every day and I hope it's getting through.
A child's education is supposed to be a journey of self discovery. It's about finding out who you are, what you're good at, and what interests you. Youth is not supposed to be about survival and schools certainly are not supposed to be places of violence. Students should not go to school anxious or scared and teachers shouldn't qualify for combat pay. These things need to be addressed sooner than later. Remember, the kids growing up - and being educated - in our inner-city schools are not minority kids, urban kids, or ghetto kids. They're American kids and need to be educated as such.
In the same week, at my old school in Newark, New Jersey, a teacher also broke up a fight. As the students were calming down one of them turned and slapped the teacher across the face. When asked why he did it, the student said "Because I can and there's nothing anyone can do about it." A parent, who witnessed the whole thing, claimed the student did it "by accident".
Both of the communities mentioned above have many things in common: They are poor, urban communities; are infested with gang related violence; and both are within a short drive (or walk) of upper middle class suburban communities. Hempstead is so bad, it sounds and looks like something out HBO's The Wire. Newark is no better. We are barely four months into 2015, and it has already seen 22 people killed by gunfire.
What's scary is how the violence from the street is now making its way into the schools. The alternative high school where I teach is made up of students coming from inner-city at risk backgrounds. Gang signs are flashed daily, and students openly discuss gang related topics in the hallways. A fight a few weeks ago left a teacher injured after he was struck with a pool cue. Kids who were good students in September have morphed into individuals who could care less about their studies. I recently confronted a student on his academic slide and he said "I'm more concerned about the target on my back than my school work." A few days later, I sat a group of boys down to speak with them about what was going on. I asked how they were doing and reminded them that, we, the teachers cared. I talked to them about Starbucks' announcement regarding how they will pay employees college tuition. I also told them about programs at the local community college and technical school that would give them loans and/or grants. When I finished talking, one boy looked me square in the eye and said "College? I ain't gonna make it to seventeen mister. Why you talkin' to me about college?"
Our inner-cities are a mess. We have people living what can and should be classified as a third world existence, and they're doing this not too far from you. Currently, the United States ranks sixth in the world in children living in poverty. Number five is Mexico. Think about the images that come into your head when you hear the word "Mexico". Now consider the fact that our kids are living a similar existence. That's awful.
Often times I find myself sad and depressed when thinking about my students. I leave classes on the verge of tears - and not because I am threatened or scared. Rather, I am upset when I think about their future. The boy who told me he has a "target on his back" is a bright, sensitive kid who needs to realize his potential. I remind him every day and I hope it's getting through.
A child's education is supposed to be a journey of self discovery. It's about finding out who you are, what you're good at, and what interests you. Youth is not supposed to be about survival and schools certainly are not supposed to be places of violence. Students should not go to school anxious or scared and teachers shouldn't qualify for combat pay. These things need to be addressed sooner than later. Remember, the kids growing up - and being educated - in our inner-city schools are not minority kids, urban kids, or ghetto kids. They're American kids and need to be educated as such.
It's Not Gone
We just marked the 50th Anniversary of the march on Selma, Alabama, and we reflect at a good time. We've heard from pundits and commentators lately on how racism is "no longer a problem" in the United States. Many choose to believe that we live in a "post-racial" society. To bolster this theory, the Supreme Court repealed part of the Voting Rights Act of 1964. Apparently, we as country have moved on.
Well that was proven wrong.
As the President marked the anniversary of Selma by marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the Department of Justice released a report on the Ferguson, Missouri police department. It turns out the Ferguson PD has been engaged in blatant race based practices for years. In fact, they treated their African American community as a source of revenue rather than citizens. The African American community makes up 67% of the Ferguson population, but accounted for 93% of arrests from 2012-2014. The DOJ report included stories of black citizens routinely charged with petty crimes and subsequent fines. Often these started out as "mere" $100 dollar fines but soon escalated into thousands of dollars, jail time, or both. In addition, FPD officers spoke down to and/or hassled African American citizens it would seem "just because".
On top of the Ferguson report yet another unarmed black male was shot and killed by police in Madison, Wisconsin, and finally, a short video emerged of an Oklahoma University fraternity singing a disgusting racial slur laced song on a bus trip. Perhaps the post-racial society theory is a bunch of B.S.
Despite what some choose to believe, we still have a LOT of race issues in this country. In the wake of the Michael Brown shooting, grand statements were made like "This is not Birmingham in 1965". Based on the DOJ report, it actually is. When a municipality treats a populace of its citizens like objects and not as humans, that's a problem. In addition to the racially based fines and/or arrests, the DOJ report also showed racist emails amongst the Ferguson police and town officials. Megyn Kelly on Fox News defended this by saying "There are very few companies in America [where]...you won't find racist emails". Mind you, she didn't follow that up by saying "...and that's a problem" or "...this shows that racism is not exclusive to one police department." Nope. She chose to essentially defend the problem.
Frankly I find it shameful that we still need to have these discussions. I don't understand how and why people look within our urban and/or inner-city communities and see the residents as them. I teach at an alternative High School whose population is made up of at risk inner-city kids. My students are around 60% African-American, 40% Hispanic/Latino. They look at themselves as separate from everyone else. I don't think this is a coincidence. I feel terrible for many of them because I know they're going to graduate high school and enter the world - be it as a college student, in the military, or in a job - at a disadvantage. I say this not in a hyperbolic sense but as fact. Too many of my students live in poverty, are coming from dysfunctional communities or both. Their lives are dominated less by regular living and more by survival.
As the marchers came across the bridge that day in Selma they were greeted as an "enemy" and not as citizens. We need to end this separation between "us" and "them" and look at each other as who we are: Americans.
Well that was proven wrong.
As the President marked the anniversary of Selma by marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the Department of Justice released a report on the Ferguson, Missouri police department. It turns out the Ferguson PD has been engaged in blatant race based practices for years. In fact, they treated their African American community as a source of revenue rather than citizens. The African American community makes up 67% of the Ferguson population, but accounted for 93% of arrests from 2012-2014. The DOJ report included stories of black citizens routinely charged with petty crimes and subsequent fines. Often these started out as "mere" $100 dollar fines but soon escalated into thousands of dollars, jail time, or both. In addition, FPD officers spoke down to and/or hassled African American citizens it would seem "just because".
On top of the Ferguson report yet another unarmed black male was shot and killed by police in Madison, Wisconsin, and finally, a short video emerged of an Oklahoma University fraternity singing a disgusting racial slur laced song on a bus trip. Perhaps the post-racial society theory is a bunch of B.S.
Despite what some choose to believe, we still have a LOT of race issues in this country. In the wake of the Michael Brown shooting, grand statements were made like "This is not Birmingham in 1965". Based on the DOJ report, it actually is. When a municipality treats a populace of its citizens like objects and not as humans, that's a problem. In addition to the racially based fines and/or arrests, the DOJ report also showed racist emails amongst the Ferguson police and town officials. Megyn Kelly on Fox News defended this by saying "There are very few companies in America [where]...you won't find racist emails". Mind you, she didn't follow that up by saying "...and that's a problem" or "...this shows that racism is not exclusive to one police department." Nope. She chose to essentially defend the problem.
Frankly I find it shameful that we still need to have these discussions. I don't understand how and why people look within our urban and/or inner-city communities and see the residents as them. I teach at an alternative High School whose population is made up of at risk inner-city kids. My students are around 60% African-American, 40% Hispanic/Latino. They look at themselves as separate from everyone else. I don't think this is a coincidence. I feel terrible for many of them because I know they're going to graduate high school and enter the world - be it as a college student, in the military, or in a job - at a disadvantage. I say this not in a hyperbolic sense but as fact. Too many of my students live in poverty, are coming from dysfunctional communities or both. Their lives are dominated less by regular living and more by survival.
As the marchers came across the bridge that day in Selma they were greeted as an "enemy" and not as citizens. We need to end this separation between "us" and "them" and look at each other as who we are: Americans.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Parents
I'm tired of reading about parents messing things up for children. I say this as a response to many things, but primarily because of what happened recently to the Jackie Robinson West Little League team out of Chicago. If you don't know, that team won the National Title this past summer in the Little League World Series. This was significant because they were the first all black team to ever do so. Sadly, they have now been stripped of that title because the adults involved with the team cheated. They recruited players from outside designated boundaries in order to create a better team.
The worst part for me is that the Title represented so much more than baseball. Chicago is a city mired in serious gun violence and last summer's victory for those kids stood for something very significant. It meant that despite their surroundings, and if given an opportunity, with hard work and commitment you could accomplish something spectacular. It sent a great message to other kids within that community. Now, it's gone.
Before the adults involved in this nonsense moved forward with their scheme, why didn't they bother to think about the consequences? In addition, truly accomplishing what they did with integrity would have been inspirational to so many other inner-city kids. The adults had to realize that doing what they did would have terrible results. But apparently they didn't care. They basked in the moment and enjoyed all of its perks (the kids and their coaches got to go to Washington and meet President Obama) all the while knowing it was wrong. The kids are just innocent bystanders in this whole mess. They did what they were supposed to do: stay true to something and perform at a high level. Again, they did this despite some tough surroundings.
Of course there are questions now. Were the other teams scrutinized as much as the Chicago team? Were they held to tougher standards? Maybe it's the Chicago adults who should be questioning their standards. Those standards, or any for that matter, sure as hell weren't there when those decisions were being made.
The worst part for me is that the Title represented so much more than baseball. Chicago is a city mired in serious gun violence and last summer's victory for those kids stood for something very significant. It meant that despite their surroundings, and if given an opportunity, with hard work and commitment you could accomplish something spectacular. It sent a great message to other kids within that community. Now, it's gone.
Before the adults involved in this nonsense moved forward with their scheme, why didn't they bother to think about the consequences? In addition, truly accomplishing what they did with integrity would have been inspirational to so many other inner-city kids. The adults had to realize that doing what they did would have terrible results. But apparently they didn't care. They basked in the moment and enjoyed all of its perks (the kids and their coaches got to go to Washington and meet President Obama) all the while knowing it was wrong. The kids are just innocent bystanders in this whole mess. They did what they were supposed to do: stay true to something and perform at a high level. Again, they did this despite some tough surroundings.
Of course there are questions now. Were the other teams scrutinized as much as the Chicago team? Were they held to tougher standards? Maybe it's the Chicago adults who should be questioning their standards. Those standards, or any for that matter, sure as hell weren't there when those decisions were being made.
Thursday, November 27, 2014
They're All Our Kids
At the end of the DVD for the Tom Hanks film "Captain Phillips" there are the added bonus features that accompany most releases today. In one segment, the film's technical advisor talks about when he consulted with the US Navy Seals. The Seals, when speaking of Somali pirates, told the man that the "...pirates aren't the problem. What's happening on the Somali mainland is the problem." The Seals were speaking of the fact that Somalia is a rogue state mired in poverty, corruption, gangs, and violence. These things force its people to go out onto the sea and perhaps do something they don't really want to do.
When the shooting of Michael Brown first occurred, I wrote a post asking the question "would you?" I explained how Ferguson's population has over 20% living below the poverty line ($23,492.00/year for a family of four). In addition, the unemployment rate amongst black men is 50%. The Brookings Institute points out that in America's 100 largest metro areas, the number of suburban neighborhoods with more than 20% below the poverty line doubled between 2008-2012. In addition, 2011 census data revealed the average net worth of black owned households in America is $6,314.00 dollars. The average value of white owned households: $110,500.00 dollars. We now boast a worse race related income gap than South Africa did during apartheid. Also, a black male is 25 times more likely to get shot by a cop than a white male. Five times the number of whites use drugs than African Americans, yet African Americans go to prison for drug offenses ten times more. Our black communities are the equivalent of a failed state, like Somalia, except these states border America.
There are other problems facing our inner-city communities, and I know this because I spent a year teaching at an inner-city school in Newark and then two years mentoring young men at the school. Now I teach at a High School for at risk inner-city kids where the population is all black and hispanic. The young men tell the same story as those in Newark: lack of a positive male influence in their lives. I am not dumb and know this factor plays a significant role in what's going on in urban communities. But instead of pointing a finger and shaking our heads, or driving by (quickly) with the windows up, or driving through on the way to somewhere else; maybe it's time to look at urban communities more like our cities and less like theirs. We look from the outside in and then have the audacity to claim there is a prevalence of white racism. No better example of this, then Ted Nugent's asinine post-Ferguson rants. A friend of mine who is a New York City policeman, and has a unique perspective on this recent mess, wrote a note to me saying Michael Brown "...completely scripted his own death".
Michael Brown didn't write his script. That script was written a long time ago when our inner-cities began rotting on the vine in the 60's and 70's. Brown was just the latest character in this tragic scene. My male students tell me stories all the time how they are followed by police or stopped. The boys constantly talk of the struggle they have with doing the right thing as opposed to falling into the narrative that has been written. They don't realize they can write their own narrative and this is largely because they're living a life mired in poverty, crime, violence, and lack a strong male to help build a sense of self expectation.
The one question no one has asked in this whole mess: How do you think Michael Brown viewed himself? Here was a kid who had graduated high school and was on his way to college. Was he an angel? No. But he was about to embark on a path that would have allowed the penning of a new script. Instead, he fell into his old part. We look at him and ask why. The fact is his story is not unique, it's constant (If you want to read a great example, check out the book by Jeff Hobbs which tells the story of Robert Peace from Newark. It will blow your mind). That's the problem here. We look at Michael Brown and shake our heads. We'll forget about him until the next one happens (there will be a next one), and then the same questions, accusations, and assumptions will be made. Here's an idea: Let's not wait. Let's do something to fix this problem because it's no longer a their problem. When young kids are dying in the streets either at their own hand or someone else's, it's time to take a step back and ask Why is this happening to OUR kids?
One of the most upsetting things about these incidents is too many people turn to the fact that black men kill black men more than cops do. Instead of constantly leaning on this, why don't we change it? Instead of looking at the young black men dying on our impoverished, dysfunctional inner-city streets and saying "it's their problem" why don't we take a step back and look at the big picture: This nonsense is happening in American communities. This is the greatest country in the world and, yet, young men and women with hopes and dreams never get a chance to realize them. Think of Michael Brown not as a "black", "minority", or "inner-city" kid. Think of him as what he really was: an American kid just like yours and mine.
When the shooting of Michael Brown first occurred, I wrote a post asking the question "would you?" I explained how Ferguson's population has over 20% living below the poverty line ($23,492.00/year for a family of four). In addition, the unemployment rate amongst black men is 50%. The Brookings Institute points out that in America's 100 largest metro areas, the number of suburban neighborhoods with more than 20% below the poverty line doubled between 2008-2012. In addition, 2011 census data revealed the average net worth of black owned households in America is $6,314.00 dollars. The average value of white owned households: $110,500.00 dollars. We now boast a worse race related income gap than South Africa did during apartheid. Also, a black male is 25 times more likely to get shot by a cop than a white male. Five times the number of whites use drugs than African Americans, yet African Americans go to prison for drug offenses ten times more. Our black communities are the equivalent of a failed state, like Somalia, except these states border America.
There are other problems facing our inner-city communities, and I know this because I spent a year teaching at an inner-city school in Newark and then two years mentoring young men at the school. Now I teach at a High School for at risk inner-city kids where the population is all black and hispanic. The young men tell the same story as those in Newark: lack of a positive male influence in their lives. I am not dumb and know this factor plays a significant role in what's going on in urban communities. But instead of pointing a finger and shaking our heads, or driving by (quickly) with the windows up, or driving through on the way to somewhere else; maybe it's time to look at urban communities more like our cities and less like theirs. We look from the outside in and then have the audacity to claim there is a prevalence of white racism. No better example of this, then Ted Nugent's asinine post-Ferguson rants. A friend of mine who is a New York City policeman, and has a unique perspective on this recent mess, wrote a note to me saying Michael Brown "...completely scripted his own death".
The one question no one has asked in this whole mess: How do you think Michael Brown viewed himself? Here was a kid who had graduated high school and was on his way to college. Was he an angel? No. But he was about to embark on a path that would have allowed the penning of a new script. Instead, he fell into his old part. We look at him and ask why. The fact is his story is not unique, it's constant (If you want to read a great example, check out the book by Jeff Hobbs which tells the story of Robert Peace from Newark. It will blow your mind). That's the problem here. We look at Michael Brown and shake our heads. We'll forget about him until the next one happens (there will be a next one), and then the same questions, accusations, and assumptions will be made. Here's an idea: Let's not wait. Let's do something to fix this problem because it's no longer a their problem. When young kids are dying in the streets either at their own hand or someone else's, it's time to take a step back and ask Why is this happening to OUR kids?
One of the most upsetting things about these incidents is too many people turn to the fact that black men kill black men more than cops do. Instead of constantly leaning on this, why don't we change it? Instead of looking at the young black men dying on our impoverished, dysfunctional inner-city streets and saying "it's their problem" why don't we take a step back and look at the big picture: This nonsense is happening in American communities. This is the greatest country in the world and, yet, young men and women with hopes and dreams never get a chance to realize them. Think of Michael Brown not as a "black", "minority", or "inner-city" kid. Think of him as what he really was: an American kid just like yours and mine.
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Most of Us Don't Get It
I am a white man, thus I have spent most of my life in a white world. Every school I attended until I got to college was predominantly white. When I think back to kindergarten through sixth grade, I can barely recall two black kids throughout the experience. Middle school (7th and 8th grade) were no better. By the time I got to High School, I'm pretty sure there were three (3) black kids in the entire school.
There were no black people in our neighborhood until I was around eleven years old. That was the summer that a black family - the Robinsons - moved in right behind us. This caused quite a stir. My mother was the only woman on our block who went over and welcomed them to the neighborhood (she brought a bundt cake), and she brought me, my brother, and my sister with her. I can still see Mrs. Robinson's smile when my mother handed her the cake. After that, we became friends. Our backyards butted up against each other and we would say "hi" and chat over the bushes. I remember one summer, the Robinson's had a big family barbecue, and they invited us over. We were the only white people there and for the first time in my life I felt aware of my skin color. After about three years, the Robinson's moved because of a job relocation. The day they left, Mrs. Robinson came over and hugged my mother to thank her for being so nice. That's when it hit me that no one else seemed to talk to them while they lived behind us. It was like there was something wrong with them.
How many white people go through life having black friends? If you are white and live in a predominantly white community ask yourself how many black people you hang out with. Have you ever been in a black person's house? These are relevant questions right now and too many of the answers speak to our current state of race relations.
In a great piece from today's New York Times, Nicholas Kristof writes how the current black/white income gap is is 40 percent greater than it was in 1967. In addition, the average life expectancy of a black boy is five year's shorter than that of a white boy. The net worth of of the average black household here in America is $6,314 dollars. The net worth of the average white household: $110,500 dollars. The US now has a worse wealth gap specific to race than South Africa during apartheid. There's something wrong here.
Kristof also mentions a study done by The Public Religion Research Institute that states within a network of 100 friends, a white person, on average, has one (1) black friend. There is a disconnect between "us" and "them". We can all sit around and pretend that it doesn't exist, but we still live in a very segregated society. Yes, we elected a black President, but obviously we need to do more.
How are we supposed to know or understand what's wrong in our black communities when no white people are going to them? How are we supposed to understand the differences between blacks and whites when we don't really know each other?
There were no black people in our neighborhood until I was around eleven years old. That was the summer that a black family - the Robinsons - moved in right behind us. This caused quite a stir. My mother was the only woman on our block who went over and welcomed them to the neighborhood (she brought a bundt cake), and she brought me, my brother, and my sister with her. I can still see Mrs. Robinson's smile when my mother handed her the cake. After that, we became friends. Our backyards butted up against each other and we would say "hi" and chat over the bushes. I remember one summer, the Robinson's had a big family barbecue, and they invited us over. We were the only white people there and for the first time in my life I felt aware of my skin color. After about three years, the Robinson's moved because of a job relocation. The day they left, Mrs. Robinson came over and hugged my mother to thank her for being so nice. That's when it hit me that no one else seemed to talk to them while they lived behind us. It was like there was something wrong with them.
How many white people go through life having black friends? If you are white and live in a predominantly white community ask yourself how many black people you hang out with. Have you ever been in a black person's house? These are relevant questions right now and too many of the answers speak to our current state of race relations.
In a great piece from today's New York Times, Nicholas Kristof writes how the current black/white income gap is is 40 percent greater than it was in 1967. In addition, the average life expectancy of a black boy is five year's shorter than that of a white boy. The net worth of of the average black household here in America is $6,314 dollars. The net worth of the average white household: $110,500 dollars. The US now has a worse wealth gap specific to race than South Africa during apartheid. There's something wrong here.
Kristof also mentions a study done by The Public Religion Research Institute that states within a network of 100 friends, a white person, on average, has one (1) black friend. There is a disconnect between "us" and "them". We can all sit around and pretend that it doesn't exist, but we still live in a very segregated society. Yes, we elected a black President, but obviously we need to do more.
How are we supposed to know or understand what's wrong in our black communities when no white people are going to them? How are we supposed to understand the differences between blacks and whites when we don't really know each other?
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