Week 11 - Kozol Ch. 8

“Despite these changes, the extent of segregation in the city’s schools was greater in 1963 than it had been in 1958” (Kozol P. 190)

I though the reason we learn history was so that we don’t repeat it…but then how can we put something in place that may have words that talk about desegregation but the truth is it created classism. More affluent families moved out of these areas and schools were left will more black or Hispanic population then before. Was “desegregating schools” a big smoke screen for the bigger agenda? What is the bigger agenda then? For the white rich to get richer and power powerful? Why can’t our government get their nose out of the air put egos down and do what is best for each individual in America, not do what’s best for a small group of people, I had a history professor call this small group O.R.W.M  or Old Rich White Men. We should kick out every senator and congress person and start over. 

“Yet, realism combined with working memory, invites the feeling that a familiar performance is about to be repeated….it is a performance that has been repeated many, many, times over the decades since” (Anthology P.193)

Once again I will bring up history, we should LEARN from our MISTAKES not do them over and over again….what’s the definition of insanity…doing the same exact thing over and over again expecting a different result. Well then it looks like the government’s attempt to fix education is pure insanity! I think that it is time for the government to simply be the money source in our attempt to fix the education system and let the educators figure out what’s best for the students. We need to work cooperatively with the government and they need to trust the educators of America will produce critical citizens. If schools can create critical citizens, then the government, I believe will be able to benefit from it and lucratively.

“Joesph Fernandez former superintendent of the Miami schools, ‘New Chancellor, New Hope for Schools’ ‘It’s a thrill to hear Joseph Fernandez talk about his plans…’.”   “ ‘Arrogant, abrasive or aloof’ ‘he made to many enemies’ ‘His greatest strength –a sometimes imperious distaste for compromise –became his fatal flaw’.” (Kozol P. 196 & 197)

This was a serious of quote and headlines from newspapers. It’s amazing that we just keep looking to the next person to come in and save the school systems….but the system doesn’t need saving it needs total reform! How can anyone expect to take on such a task when media is breathing down your neck and ready to turn on you in a moment? Like seriously how can you be excited for someone who has a “imperious distaste for compromise” and then rag on him down the road when that tactic didn’t work. We are ready to endorse but we are equally if not more ready to hang someone when it doesn’t work. Does media have the answers to how we can save our schooling system…obviously not….does government…obviously not….so who is left….teachers and educators….I think it’s time we let them do their jobs. Media should step aside or simply support the effort and government should work cooperatively with schools but more for finical backing.

“Joe Clark…where he was photographed holding his baseball bat in both hands and looking as if he would not hesitate to use it…called his school ‘a Mecca of education’ after Clark threw out 300 students who were often late for class or had high absence rates, whom he described as ‘parasites’ and ‘leeches’(Kozol P. 199) 

Really, kicking 300 students out of a school gets the label of “Mecca of education” This is ridicules…as educators we should be educating these 300 kids the best we can so they have a chance to survive. The reality is most of those kids are not going to have much success in their lives. In my opinion that’s no one’s fault but Clarks. What educator in their right mind gets rid of 300 kids…I can see kicking out a handful of kids…maybe gang members of some sort…anything that is a threat to your students and teacher safety then have at it, throw out those kids…but being late and skipping class not that I condone it, but is a pretty natural thing for an adolescent to do…bring guns, knives and drugs to school…that can and should get you kicked out of school. As a student, why would you want to learn from someone who teaches behind a freakin baseball bat?

“And indeed, before the president left office, many of his goals had more or less dissolved into thin air, and very few people that I knew could still remember what they were. Some of the goals that Mr. Bush (George H. W. Bush) were anything but new or “revolutionary” as the president proclaimed” (Kozol P. 202)

Once again, why does the government have to come up with the “ideas” of how to fix education or what direction it should be going in. This chapter shows you that every president who attempted to help essentially did that same thing as the presidents before them and the quote above speaks to that. A clear example of this in present day is NCLB followed by RTTT…if one pile of crap didn’t work then why add to it? Education is under piles and piles of it, a total reform is necessary the original picture is to blurry now and it seems that government can’t see what education should be anymore. Like I have said all throughout these quotes government should hand over the IDEA part to the teachers and work cooperatively with them from a finical perspective.

“Nationwide, only once percent of eligible children transferred from a failing school to a higher-performing school under the provisions of the federal law. If the president had used his leadership to advocate for transfers not only within school districts, but between them, the transfer option might have had real meaning and, indeed, if earnestly enforced, it might have opened up the possibilities of mighty expanded racial integration in suburban schools surrounding our core cities.” (Kozol P. 205)

1% that’s it, that’s that master plan the government, came up with to help with our “de-segregated” schools. And then to not enforce the transfer of student both ways. I always wondered why we would just redraw district lines, its apparent now there are still people in positions of power that are racists it’s just discrete racism. It exists in laws and bills but are hidden to the common folk. This piece of legislation is a wonderful idea, but its half complete (students should be sent the other way too) why wasn’t that enforced? No one is going to ask that question because they are kind of getting what they want (they – the people) It looked good on paper but its practice failed.