Spike Lee: We need options other than sports, rap and the corner
Congressman John Lewis gets passionate about the role of education as Spike Lee listens at a Morehouse panel Monday. Vino Wong vwong@ajc.com
I just attended the U.S. Department of Education town hall meeting at Morehouse College featuring Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Congressman John Lewis, filmmaker and Morehouse graduate Spike Lee, Morehouse President Robert Michael Franklin, New Schools of Carver science teacher Christopher Watson, MSNBC contributor Jeff Johnson and Jonesboro’s Mundy’s Mill Middle School principal Derrick Dalton.
The point of the session – which was loaded with inspirational moments, including Lee recognizing two Morehouse professors in the front row for their role in his success – was to encourage black students to consider teaching.
The program opened with a personal, taped message to the Morehouse students from President Obama about the importance of increasing the pool of quality teachers. The stage backdrop was an Obama quote: “If you want to make a difference in the life of a child, become a teacher.”
Despite all the firepower on the stage, the real voltage came from the young men in the audience, including high school students from Clayton County and APS schools. Their questions were thoughtful and reflected a real interest in education and an awareness of the many problems besetting public education and, in particular, black males.
But if any institution has cracked the code of black male achievement, as one speaker noted, it has been Morehouse, which has been encouraging its elite students to consider teaching instead of law or finance.
The panelists laid the groundwork that we already discussed here in the earlier blog based on my telephone interview with Secretary Duncan: Only one in 50 teachers is a black male.
A common theme in the comments that posters made in response to that blog was “Why is it important to have good black male teachers? Isn’t the real goal good teachers?” Neither Duncan nor anyone else on that stage today would dispute the urgency of getting more strong college students to enter teaching, but there is a real dearth of black men. And diverse role models are important.
President Franklin opened the program with a wonderful quote from theologian, educator and civil rights leader Howard Thurman: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
Franklin won applause when he shared a Morehouse saying: “When a teacher opens the door of a classroom, he slams the door of a prison cell.”
Arne Duncan says only one in 50 public school teachers is a black male. He came to Morehouse Monday to try and change that. Vino Wong vwong@ajc.com
Duncan earned applause with his statement, “I think teachers are underpaid and undervalued in our country today.” But he told the 500 people in the audience that teacher pay systems must change to highlight and reward excellence and that high-achieving young teachers in some places experimenting with performance pay are earning $100,000.
While teaching jobs may be scarce now, Duncan assured students that positions will open up. A million of the nation’s 3.2 million teachers are at or near retirement, he said, and the time will come soon when schools will be hiring 100,000 to 200,000 new teachers a year. He also talked up the Income-Based Repayment, which forgives eligible federal student loans for teachers after 10 years of payments and employment.
MSNBC contributor Jeff Johnson announced his five-year national initiative to recruit, train, place and develop 80,000 African American male teachers by 2015.
Spike Lee is part of a Morehouse legacy as his grandfather graduated the college in 1927 and his father in 1951. (His grandmother graduated Spelman in 1929 and his mother in 1954.) His grandmother taught art in Georgia for 50 years and never had a white student because of Jim Crow, he told the audience. Lee considers himself a teacher as he teaches at his graduate school, NYU.
He reminded audience that at one time in American history it was a crime to teach black slaves to read and write. “If you were caught, you could be whipped, castrated or hung. And if the massa was having a bad day, it could be all three,” he said.
Too many black teens see only three career options, said Lee, sports, rap music or the corner. “Our vision is so narrow,” he said. “Black children have to see more options.”
Which brings us full circle: Seeing black men in front of the classroom would reveal another option to children.
—From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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113 comments Add your comment
hmmm...
January 31st, 2011
3:53 pm
If more bright black men go into teaching…
There will be fewer bright men going into other high profile, high salary positions — giving less competition for others.
The civil rights pressure on the education establishment will be so great that they will have to improve the teaching conditions for all teachers.
Any other possibilities?
Tonya C.
January 31st, 2011
4:01 pm
Teaching is not an option to any man with a real desire to support his family financially. I’m just saying. I’ve had to lower my standard of living expectations compared to the middle-class lifestyle I grew up in, and my father was a blue-collar worker. Duncan is talking about performance pay at a time when states are completely strapped for cash and struggling to make current payroll.
Poetry and inspiration don’t pay bills. Cute sayings and quotes won’t close the come disparity available in alternative professions. Let’s get to the meat of the issue and quit chewing around the fat.
Ashley
January 31st, 2011
4:16 pm
Keep in mind when atheletes get hurt they want a doctor, when musician are cheated out of album sales they want accountant and if you are working the corner you’ll probably need an attorney. I’m just saying in the end these people always need someone educated in their corner.
BravesFan79
January 31st, 2011
4:24 pm
I dont get the whole “performance pay” thing. Its pretty much luck of the draw on who you get in your classrooms. Some classes are brighter than others, regardless of the teacher.
Also, wouldnt performance pay just entice the teacher who wants that bonus to make the class easier, or not be such a harsh grader on something like an English paper?
More black men are needed for teaching, but they could start by finishing highschool first. 50-50 is not a good ratio.
Lynn43
January 31st, 2011
4:32 pm
I hope while they are encouraging black males to go into teaching, they are also preaching reproductive responsibility.
No matter what the race, the child of a single mom, especially where the father is absent, has a much harder time reaching academic success.
Just a Thought
January 31st, 2011
4:34 pm
Maureen,
Will there be video availabe of the event? Either here or on Morehouse’s website?
bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2011
4:37 pm
Spike Lee advising us on education.
we’re so screwed….
Burroughston Broch
January 31st, 2011
4:45 pm
I guess they didn’t have the courage to include Bill Cosby. The Cos tells it like it is.
J
January 31st, 2011
4:56 pm
I left teaching due to the lack of disrespect that teachers are given on many levels (salary, parents, etc.). A high school football coach gains more respect than a teacher.
Jamal
January 31st, 2011
5:04 pm
What I really need is a dad
APS Teacher for now
January 31st, 2011
5:04 pm
Physicians, neurosurgeons, entrepreneurs, physicists, jazz pianists, violinists, chemists, astrophysicists, U.S. Senators, electricians, RN’s, brick Masons….so many professions are out there for Morehouse grads including teachers…but the most important is still: father
father
father
Ed Johnson
January 31st, 2011
5:06 pm
It’s just a smokescreen to encourage a once disenfranchised but now greatly self-victimizing people to buy into the Broad-Gates-Obama agenda to bring on charter schools and such. The UNCF is on board with the agenda, so now on to HBCUs!
What irony. What a demonstration of intelligence without wisdom.
sissyuga
January 31st, 2011
5:27 pm
Would love to know where these high performing teachers in “some places” are earning $100,000. I hardly think the gold dome would go for that sort of funding.
catlady
January 31st, 2011
5:29 pm
APS, I’d say “husband” before “father.”
I have to laugh that the high school students were allowed to go. Our elementary students have to do flash cards as they wait to go into the toilet! No wasted time! No “fluff!”
Tweets that mention Spike Lee: We need options other than sports, rap and the corner | Get Schooled -- Topsy.com
January 31st, 2011
5:29 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Carrie Schneider, Arthur Mills IV and David Cauchi, Maureen Downey. Maureen Downey said: Spike Lee: We need options other than sports, rap and the corner http://bit.ly/g1F3eb [...]
historydawg
January 31st, 2011
5:39 pm
It’s too bad the Sec of Ed was a professional basketball player, but never a teacher.
Dr. John Trotter
January 31st, 2011
5:54 pm
I see that Arne Duncan has weighed in on Atlanta at the apparent behest of Mayor Reed. Woopeedo.
factseeker
January 31st, 2011
5:58 pm
I can’t see why anyone would have anything negative to say about having more African American male teachers as positive role models and for academic instruction especially in our inner cities and developed urban areas. It certainly is not the cure for all but it is a wortwhile goal and a small piece of a very large puzzle.
Tonya C. I understand your argument and it’s validity in todays economic climate but the fact of the matter, many long ago professional African Americans with advanced degrees went into teaching not for the pay but for the need/crisis at that time and they made due just fine…it is called sacrafice for the greater good. They were unselfish people. Guess what, we are @ another crisis crossroad and we need others to step up to the plate once again. I agree performance pay is a joke and just another creation of a class system. Those who are being paid to do their jobs should do so to the best of their abilities with tangible results.
DMC
January 31st, 2011
6:01 pm
I think a lot of commenters are missing the point. The point is that there needs to be a cultural shift and education needs to be made more of a priority, as it is a more certain road to success than things like sports, rapping, etc (as Spike Lee mentions). There are a lot of intelligent, talented kids out there who are never encouraged to excel in academics because the focus is on these other areas. Having a positive black male role model in the classroom would speak volumes to kids, especially young black males. Black male adults have a unique power in this area, and they should use it to invest in the future. Also, I think the performance pay would be a huge benefit to attracting quality teachers of all kinds. Our educators are indeed greatly undervalued. If you want quality education, you have to pay for it somehow.
Tweets that mention Spike Lee: We need options other than sports, rap and the corner | Get Schooled -- Topsy.com
January 31st, 2011
6:09 pm
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Mr.I
January 31st, 2011
6:15 pm
Arnie “high-achieving young teachers in some places experimenting with performance pay are earning $100,0000″; AJC fact check please.
Truth Hurts
January 31st, 2011
6:20 pm
Why didn’t this fine collection of intellects discuss the real design of the RTTT system?
Don’t blame the welfare mama for the child’s lousy academic performance. Don’t blame the male responsible for impregnating the welfare mama. Blame the teacher. The teacher’s job is to teach, so it is their fault when the welfare nation fails.
Land Rover
January 31st, 2011
6:26 pm
Tonya C and her attitudes about AA men not making enough to support her in all of her glory is another part of the problem. She thinks she can do it all on her own or marry success. Once an AA man achieves success he wants no part of the likes of a Tonya C or her offspring to drag him down. You loose a taste for catfish once you’ve had lobster.
Maureen Downey
January 31st, 2011
6:29 pm
@Mr. I, I know at least one town that did this, a suburban Pennsylvania system. I think that there are now science and math teachers coming at higher pay levels and then earning performance bonuses in some districts as part of performance pay pilots.
Maureen
Did some fast checking: From the Chicago Tribune:
From the Bergen (NJ) Record:
redman
January 31st, 2011
6:33 pm
What? What? Do we have to blame anyone? Do You have a Dog, Cat ,Cow, Or anything to Feed?
What about inbred nothing>?Give me a check! OOPS, My color has faded.I will be The Man Again!
FU ALL
anon
January 31st, 2011
6:42 pm
They gotta get out of high school and jail first.
Lets face it, the academic performance of blacks and latinos is at the bottom of the distribution. Are these the people we need teaching our kids?
What ever happened to “best and brightest” ??
Stressed Educator
January 31st, 2011
6:46 pm
I attended today’s event at Morehouse. Overall, it was informative and needed, but I was not impressed with the plan for how their goal will be achieved. Until we respect the teaching profession like we do other top level professions, getting 80,000 AA males to teach by 2015 is going to be out of reach. As a former educator who now works to change educational policies and trains AA males to teach AA male students, I was disappointed to see so few males on the panel who were actually in education. How can we solve the problems in education if we continue to allow those without experience in education to make the decisions? We have got to include classroom teachers more in decision making and educational policy reform.
@Land Rover– your last line made me laugh because it is similar to what I told a colleague of mine whose wife (now ex-wife) use to say to him about his career choice.
Julie Worley
January 31st, 2011
6:58 pm
Shockingly, there persists a very discriminatory practice in 21st Century American Schools, Corporal/Physical Pain as Punishment, applied disproportionately to black students, disabled students and low-income male students. Search “A Violent Education” to view shocking statistics/education practices.
The U.S. Department of Education reports that approximately 250,000 incidents of corporal punishment are reported annually in the schools where such practices are allowed. Many children are seriously injured, often resulting in emergency room visits.
The beatings to which I refer most often take the form of paddling, the beating on the buttocks with a flat wooden board, often resulting in rather ugly contusions. These beatings are legal; parents frequently have little or no recourse. Research-based scholarship categorically rejects corporal punishment’s safety and efficacy, and there is not one accredited teachers’ college in the United States that instructs prospective teachers how to hit schoolchildren.
Pain as Punishment is legal in Schools in 20 U.S. States today where school employees hit children with wooden boards to deliberately inflict physical pain as punishment, known as corporal punishment, sexual assault when done to a non-consenting adult. Teachers/Coaches and other school employees having unlawful sexual relations with schoolchildren is an epidemic. We don’t hit our 3 children, yet they must witness/overhear teachers threaten/hit students with wooden paddles for minor infractions in hallways just outside class without parental consent or notification, not required by TN State Law. Our school board members ignored our demand to prohibit corporal punishment of children in our schools. Several “School Paddling States” have “Teacher Immunity Laws” to protect school employees from criminal/civil action. Our nation’s most trusted Children’s Health and Education organizations are Opposed to Corporal Punishment of Children in Schools as research shows that it is harmful to the healthy development of children and an impairment to the learning environment, often resulting in injuries to children and risk of lawsuits to school districts. Please Demand U.S. Congress Enact H.R. 5628 “Ending Physical/Corporal Punishment of Children in U.S. Schools Act”.
Eye Roll
January 31st, 2011
7:23 pm
… States today where school employees hit children with wooden boards to deliberately inflict physical pain as punishment, known as corporal punishment, sexual assault when done to a non-consenting adult …
V for Vendetta
January 31st, 2011
7:44 pm
Julie,
Take a breath, eat some dolphin safe tuna, and drive home in your Nissan Leaf. You need a rest. Wake up tomorrow calm and refreshed and have yourself a bowl of Kashi cereal. You’ll feel much better.
As to the topic at hand, I think it’s dumb. Plain and simple. Here are some reason why:
1. As long as schools must contend with the unenviable burden of educating every student who crosses their thresholds, they will be unable to fulfill their missions. Special education is an ENORMOUS money drain. Disciplining the same students over and over (and over and over . . .) again is an enormous time drain. Dealing with the educational cure du jour is an enormous brain drain. If charter schools such as KIPP have shown us anything, it’s that consistent, rigorous, and unwavering expectations produce results in any socioeconomic environment. The ability to remove persistently troublesome students is ALL it takes. Imagine that.
2. Some schools in the metro area have had their existing (white) administration replaced with new (black) administration. Many teachers have also been phased in/out as well. You know what happened? NOTHING. They got worse. Note: they didn’t get worse because of the race of the employees; they got worse because the community went into the garbage and the school was powerless to make any meaningful changes.
3. The notion that young blacks are consigned to a life of crime, poverty, and gang violence–or rap and professional sports–stems from the attitudes and actions of many influential members of the black community. The thug/gangster lifestyle has been romanticized in song for the past twenty years. There is an entire generation of black males who think that’s how life is. As a result of this romanticized culture of poverty, crime is seen as legitimate, welfare is seen as acceptable, reproduction goes unchecked, and even relatively successful black males feel the need to lease luxury cars and wear bluetooth headsets at all hours to advertise they’ve “made it.”
4. Arne Duncan is dumb.
Lee
January 31st, 2011
7:59 pm
Let’s see, I never had a male teacher until I got to high school — and he tore my butt up with a paddle for shooting a spitball.
Take away points:
1. My academic development was not damaged because I didn’t have a male teacher in elementary or Jr. High.
2. I never shot another spitball in that teachers class again.
Dr. Proud Black Man
January 31st, 2011
7:59 pm
@ bootlicker fartsworth
“Spike Lee advising us on education.
we’re so screwed….”
Lets see; college graduate, renowned filmmaker, and graduate school teacher at NYU. Besides belittling or denigrating ANY AND EVERYTHING about black people you do…….?
Dr. Proud Black Man
January 31st, 2011
8:01 pm
@ V for Vendetta
# 3 is SO TRUE!
Spike Lee: We need options other than sports, rap and the corner - Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) | Rap Music
January 31st, 2011
8:30 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]
Top School
January 31st, 2011
8:30 pm
He reminded audience that at one time in American history it was a crime to teach black slaves to read and write. “If you were caught, you could be whipped, castrated or hung. And if the massa was having a bad day, it could be all three,” he said.
A sad day that still in 2011…The Black Folk in the ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOLS ADMINISTRATION have supported the retaliation of teachers in very much the same way…gang raping the teacher’s within their own APS minority leadership. Given the opportunity to lead without the oppression their ancestors endured as SLAVES those Black Folk in leadership roles of APS have used their position to HOLD BACK the honest and ethical teachers willing to stand up to their psychotic illnesses.
The SLAVE STATE oppression is as alive today…only in different ways. Might not be a total lynching …but the example used to scare the employees of the system still exist.
Police Escort Teacher out of Jackson Elementary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIBcd9dOsBc
http://www.TopPublicSchoolCorruptionAtlanta.com
Maybe SPIKE LEE needs to make a movie about the BLACK ADMINISTRATION in Atlanta Public Schools selling out to the BIG HEADS in BUCKHEAD. Black Folk in the position to make it better for their own people have failed to HELP.
Maureen Downey
January 31st, 2011
8:43 pm
@PBM, I have to agree. Spike Lee’s ancestors were attending college while my family was still in the fields in Ireland and Italy. His lineage is rich in education. He holds degrees from Morehouse and NYU. If he is not a role model for education, then who is?
Maureen
Maureen Downey
January 31st, 2011
8:45 pm
@Anon, I suggest you spend 15 minutes at Morehouse. I would be delighted to have any of those young men teach my children. My kids have all had wonderful male teachers, black and white. They loved the energy that the men brought to the room.
Maureen
GA Teach
January 31st, 2011
8:58 pm
Teachers are not making $100,000.00 under RTTT. The requirement is for teachers to hit the goal two years in a row and keep that number. What happens when teachers have one bad year? Are they going to lose 50,000 for that year? That is crazy. What about state budget cuts? Georgia cuts have affected teachers already and they will continue to cut pay. The first money to go is anything that is not part of the teachers base salary. Even if a teacher makes 50,000.00 a year there is no way the state is going to hand out 50,000.00 more to any teacher. If teachers are required to be under paid for performance then all federal and state employees (on all levels) should be required to take a pay reduction that is equal and put on a pay for performance plan.
Mr. Duncan….you must forget that most high school teachers do more than teach….I dare Mr. Duncan to enter the classroom for five years and be paid under the same model that he proposed…..The is more to learning then test.
annoyed student
January 31st, 2011
9:03 pm
To all the ignorant comments that have been posted:
I am a current student at Morehouse College and had the privilege of being able to attend this event. First off whether they are in education or not, each and every member of the panel made great points about the state of black education in this country.
Second, to address the ignorant post about the high school students being there, they were there because they had an interest in becoming educators and WANT to make a difference in their communities. Not only does Morehouse strive to create excellent students but she also strives to create great leaders not only in the classroom but in communities as well. To quote Morehouse alumnus Howard Thurman “Over the heads of her students, Morehouse holds a crown that she challenges the to grow tall enough to wear.”
Lastly, after the initial conversation and the press conference, many of the high school and Morehouse students attended a second panel made up of educators as well as successful black men who were overcame substandard education systems. Every single question that was asked pertained to the disadvantages black students have in their education and than addressed not what CAN be done to fix this, but what WE, the students, can do to fix these problems. Half the students that were there were already set on becoming teachers before the event ended and many more are probably considering that as a career after the conversation.
To say that black teachers, the small select few who went to college and got their degree, are unqualified and unfit to teach because of the education they had as a child is a clear sign of how far this country needs to go to eliminate racism. Those comments are completely ignorant and in no way true.
To all the ignorant comments that have been posted, please think before you open your mouths and spew out lies and garbage that do nothing but tear people down and please think before you attempt to spread lies about MY school. Morehouse students are constantly trying to wear that crown, we encourage you to do the same.
JacobLocke
January 31st, 2011
9:33 pm
@annoyed student:
Welcome to the Get Schooled board … it’s a cesspool of ignorance.
As to your post, you’ve provided some nice insight into the panel today. Congratulations on your successes at Morehouse. You attend an incredible institution and will graduate with a valuable education. Good luck to you.
Kobe Bryant And Kanye West Inspire Our Top Hip-Hop Sports Mashups – MTV.com
January 31st, 2011
9:44 pm
[...] Spike Lee: We need options other than sports, rap and the corner – Atlanta Journal Constitutio… [...]
Karma
January 31st, 2011
9:50 pm
Chill out, annoyed. What I see in most of these posts is not a condemnation of Morehouse, it’s a frustration over what these discussions should be about and who the leaders should be. I think John Lewis is a great man. But what experience does he bring to the table and isn’t there someone better qualified who should be involved? And yes, let’s have more AA male teachers. Great. But that is such a tiny part of a solution for such a huge problem – The public school system.
By the way, do you guys really wear those hats from BK?
Tonya C.
January 31st, 2011
9:54 pm
Land Rover:
Really? I be pissed if I didn’t know any better. But that’s not the point…my HUSBAND is smarter than his profession. WE have children of our own, and they shouldn’t be completely shortchanged b/c so many other black men won’t step up to the plate. The disrespect, lack of real income advancement, and the burnout is what gets me. I live this every day. To see the exhaustion on his face some days hurts my heart. I’ve given up on some of my OWN dreams because of his desire to serve. I helped him through college, and now his Masters. He LOVES teaching, but knows that the lifestyle we enjoy (which ain’t much, just the ability to cover the bills and have some pocket change) is at risk. Shoot, I drive a car with 180,000+ miles on it and shop at thrift shops and consignment sales…at what point does it end?
Being an educator should NOT be an act of piety. Screw that. I work for pay and benefits, and last time I checked most of the US population shared the same needs.
JacobLocke
January 31st, 2011
9:55 pm
@Karma – he never said people were condemning Morehouse. Try reading his post before you comment,
Spike Lee: We need options other than sports, rap and the corner – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) | eVirgin.net
January 31st, 2011
9:57 pm
[...] here: Spike Lee: We need options other than sports, rap and the corner – Atlanta Journal Constitutio… Tags: atlanta-journal · career-options · corner · journal · [...]
Penny
January 31st, 2011
10:05 pm
I have been thinking about this over the weekend and why dont we have more aggressive AA programs with in our school system. I know that is one of those terms that many of you may take the wrong way so lets make it more of an incentive program with perks to recruit well adjusted strong African American men. We need a motivator, signing bonuses, something special. Think outside the box.
Mr. Tibbs
January 31st, 2011
10:09 pm
“Seeing black men in front of the classroom would reveal another option to children.”
This is good stuff. But don’t stop with Morehouse, take the message to other colleges and universities that have black male students.
Ole Guy
January 31st, 2011
10:41 pm
STAND BY ONE…annoyed student, and many many more: In the first place, just why are we even discussing BLACK education as opposed to EDUCATION? After all, has there been rise to the need to discuss ORIENTAL education, EURO/AMERICAN education, IRISH CATHOLIC education, or any of the great number of social groups which, over the course of history, have experienced social adversity? Without appearing insensitive to the difficulties, UNIQUE to the Black population and to the Black culture, I am growing somewhat weary of this persistent concentration on issues superflous to the #1 reason why we, as tax payers, support public education. For cryin out loud, if any particular social group…Oriental/Americans, whiskey-swilling Irishmen, one-eyed purple people eaters, or even Blacks…wish to further study their histories, trials and tribulations, please feel free to do so. Just don’t do it on the publics’ time, and don’t do it under the guise of basic education.
Japanese Americans, Jews, Chinese laborers…a vast multitude of various peoples, throughout the history of the universe have undergone tremendous suffering and human dispair. Somehow, ALL these groups have managed to “get over” these past inequities and move on…to meld into the human adventure, as it were. WHY…HOW COME…the African American community is in such need of self-identification, of self-assertion, that we are constantly bombarded by “special programs”, “special studies”, and this constant awareness-tending. Is it a need to gain on-going/endless social attention?
Sure, we need more Black male teachers. We also need teachers to meet the Vietnamese community as well that of Estonia, the Baltics…and let us not dare to forget the Cuban population here in South Fla. Why we can go on and on: the Hispanics, the Pacific Rim…and the ever-growing influx of those from the former Soviet Bloc.
In case the absurdity has not set in yet, let’s just say…KNOCK IT THE HELL OFF. Just get with the program, start focusing on MARKETABLE educations, and save the other stuff for lunch time discussion groups.
Fred
January 31st, 2011
10:45 pm
There is one minority group in this country that beats all other groups, Asian Americans. They have the highest educational attainment of any group, almost 50% have a bachelors degree. Their combined SAT score is higher than white Americans. They also make up anywhere from 10-20% of those enrolled in Ivy League schools. Is this due to a large number of Asian American teachers? Nope, it’s because they have a culture that values education. We don’t see the same respect for education or work ethic among blacks, Hispanics, and whites. Unfortunately, the problem is higher in the black community than other groups. The cultural problem within the black community is up to them to solve. I don’t mean that in a negative way. I think that the black community doesn’t like other groups pointing out their problems and offering solutions.
Asian American’s also have a higher median income than whites, and higher levels of home ownership. This is proof that education is one of the best ways to break the cycle of poverty.
It starts at home.
say what?
January 31st, 2011
10:56 pm
I really try not to address a person on this blog. Tonya C. sorry that you cannot be as materialistic as your upbringing and possibly your sorority sisters. GRow Up and allow your husband to be a man and take ccare of his family. As long as you whine that your car has too many miles (some folk do not have transportation), you cannot spend money loosely, blah blah blah, you will be blinded to the true value of a spouse as a teacher. Too many times parents think that giving their children stuff (materialistic household devoid of knowing the true value of a person) fail to realize that one day their spoiled middle class bratz will soon grow up, procreate, and continue to ruin society. Where is tiger mom when u need her? Geesh.
UNC press has an awesome collection of literature on the African American diaspora. Two books that I read for graduate school that speak on the continuous need for education and the continuous problems that exist that keep blacks from achieving higher education: Schooling The Freed People (by ronald E. Butchart) and Self-Taught-African American Education in Slavery and Freedom (Heather andrea Williams).These are just two books on education from uncpress.
It is difficult to teach children about different careers when we, the adults, do not know much about history and seek to satisfy our want for a job that pays good and has benefits. In our lackadasical “just trying to maintain” lifestyle what can a male teacher in the classroom do to combat what is seen in the home?
Donovan
January 31st, 2011
11:34 pm
This blog post seems to have brought out the worst in some people. Let’s put it back in context. The panelists were encouraging college-educated, Black males to become educators because the nation is in need of educators; because they represent a group that historically has not been interested in teaching and they have the potential to connect with students that have been failing/failed.
Morehouse seems to be a great audience to make that pitch to seeing that Black males are performing the lowest in our nations schools. The Black men at Morehouse seem to be doing just fine and quite possibly hold the answer, based in their personal experiences.
This has nothing to do with welfare or affirmative action as some commenters have suggested. This is a targeted message within a much larger push toward education reform in this country.
We need to put away our zero-sum game hysteria and allow Black men to be encouraged to do something that will make the country better.
Tonya C.
January 31st, 2011
11:34 pm
say what?:
Why is it my husband, or any other decent black man’s job to combat social ills? Why not hold accountable the men that are SUPPOSED to be there? Spike Lee pushing a Husband First, Fatherhood Second initiative would have been a better use of resources. Materialistic..I wish I could be. Working for the sake of social justice is NOT the job of an educator. Again, why not ask the same of scientists? Or of CEOs? How is it selfish to seek to fulfill needs and satisfy a few wants? Is the ‘new black’ giving up all for those who chose NOT to do right? I’m amazed. I know MANY good men who rose from nothing to become something, and the deck was stacked against them. Why now should we hand hold people who actually have examples of how to change their position and willingly choose the path they are on?
My upbringing was COMFORTABLE. That’s it. My father was blue collar and worked his butt off to make us COMFORTABLE. Both my grandfathers became responsible, upstanding men without any examples of their own. What has happened to skew black people so far off that path?
It isn’t spoiled to want the lights on. It isn’t spoiled to need to pay back Sallie Mae. Decent vehicles and good educations for our OWN children. Being able to take our kids to the doctor when their sick without stressing out about the co-pay.
I adore my husband and we have spent our adulthood growing up with each other. Scraping together what we could to keep pushing forward. Me carrying us when no one would give him a chance. Him carrying me when the load got too heavy. But doing this for the long-term is unsustainable. Being used as the school bodyguard, the mountains of paperwork to track his every move, looking over his should to make sure he’s CYA himself against any false accusations, having to kiss behind to even have a chance at advancement, etc. No other community demands dang-near the blood of its young to be considered loyal.
I never said I wanted Gucci or Versace. Not a brand new vehicle in the driveway. But even after getting his Masters, with upcoming furlough days and insurance increases, he won’t break 40k. And he has ZERO hope of receiving a pay raise after getting his Masters bump b/c no one has gotten step increases for YEARS. Supplies come out of household funds for kids that manage to bring Iphones to school and get $150 sneakers. I say the black community has bigger fish to fry than getting black men in the classroom right now. That’s just offering up surrogate parenting and relieving the REAL parents of their God-given responsibility.
P.S. No sorority here. No spoiled kids either.
Donovan
January 31st, 2011
11:38 pm
@Maureen Downey
I wonder how much stagnation in education reform is due to the view, that many here seem to have, of those failing as mostly Black, welfare-dependent, and morally deficient. It seems as though people would rather watch our country go under than think that they were unfairly supporting a villainized “other.”
I would love to read something on this.
Spike Lee: We need options other than sports, rap and the corner – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) | Like My Comment
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OTOH
February 1st, 2011
1:33 am
While I would like to see more men teaching Elementary, Middle, and High school, the current fad phobia is of men coming anywhere near children. I would not recommend teaching to any man I liked because he could so easily be accused of being a pedophile and then, not just the teaching career but any career is closed to him. Rather, I encourage all college students to pursue science and business to create the technology and jobs that do so much for everyone. Scientists and small business successes are good role models too.
Bryan in South GA
February 1st, 2011
6:10 am
BravesFan79, It is not luck of the draw who you get in your classroom. The Administrative Team assigns students to teachers. With pay for performance looming on the horizon, the Administrative Team plays a pivotal role in a teacher’s career. For example, if a teacher is favored by the Admin Team, that teachers will probably be given “good” students. If not, oh, well, . . .
drew (former teacher)
February 1st, 2011
6:47 am
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
So, if being disrespected, underpaid, overworked, verbally abused, furloughed, and frustrated “makes you come alive”, then I agree…go for it!
BTW…students already have options beyond “sports, rap and the corner”. Unfortunately, many students are blinded by a “culture”, which eschews education. Now, will more black males in the classroom address this problem? Perhaps…can you say “drop in the bucket”?
We’d be much better off pushing the importance of fatherhood than trying to get black males in the classroom. The problem isn’t lack of black men in the schools, it’s the lack of black fathers in the home. And once again, we have the experts suggesting that the schools are the place to address a social problem: a lack or absence of fathers fathering.
I guess the logic is, if we can get enough black males in the classroom, we won’t need black fathers in the home. Problem solved!
Ole Guy
February 1st, 2011
6:56 am
Lee, it would appear that you, also, may be from the old school. Anyone whose had their butt cheeks made aglow from the working end of a paddle knows what it means for an educational institution to demand AND enforce the standards. Too bad those very institutions have grown soft from the influence of the pc gods; consequently, the kids who, today, attend those very institutions have grown equally soft, mentally, morally and psychologically.
While there are many who disdain the very notion of this sort of “badmouthing” of the state of education, it is these very people…those who prefer to hide their heads in the sands of ignorance…who perpetuate the current educational doldrums. Rather than take a stand and demand what’s right, though painful, they prefer the easy way in hopes that the good fairy of all-that’s-good will appear and wave the magic wand, sprinkle foo foo dust on the problem(s) and…with absolutely no effort whatsoever…all will be well.
While teachers excell in the art of complaining over their state of being, no one steps up to the plate of action. Everyone, in the education camp, is simply too afraid of the “big daddy in the sky”…supervisors, educational gurus of one type or another, their own shadows…so they come up with grandiose proclamations like “we need more male teachers”, “we need more Black male teachers”, etc, ad nauseum. The hard reality, people, is that YOU NEED TO TAKE COMMAND OF YOUR OWN PROFESSION…that’s YOU! Not the good fairy of wonderful ideas, not the dispenser of magic dust, but YOU.
GET OFF YOUR BUTTS, TEACHERS, STOP PISSING AND MOANING AND EXERCISE SOME INITIATIVE!
catlady
February 1st, 2011
6:58 am
I am sure Mr. Lee knows that black boys already have more options than sports, rap, and the corner. It also is a bit ironic, coming from him, for the black boys to eschew the glam life, when HE HIMSELF went after it (and has been very successful).
Patrick Crabtree
February 1st, 2011
7:01 am
If Eli Broad, the Walto Family, and Bill Gates have their way with vouchers and charters, a teacher’s salary would not be attractive, That is the problem now, especially for men responsible for families. So what makes Mr. Lee, et al, think they can do any better? Charters require teachers to teach from 7:30 to 5:30 and every other Saturaday. What kind of parent would these teachers be? Black men who are family men would never consider these ridiculous hours and low pay. Any man that would give up these hours would look for commensurate pay. Would you give up your family for another family??????? You get what you pay for!
Dr NO
February 1st, 2011
7:42 am
All these talking heads squawking and rambling on…what a joke. Seems black women have no problems taking responsibility for their actions, for the most part.
Look around…black women who are nurses, accountants, rap-stars, lawyers, real estate agents, waitresses, basketball players, managers, supers etc., and I might add looking hot and dressed to kill…
Seems mainly one leg of society refuses to particpate and that seems to be the majority of black men…rappin, sports are ok I guess but the odds of succes are slim.
Lotsa luck Spikey, Arney, Johnny.
RJ
February 1st, 2011
8:31 am
@Tonya C., I truly don’t understand your point. What is your salary? You seem to think that it’s your husband’s responsibility alone to take care of your family. You always have the option to further your education and enter a high paying field. Honestly, if he weren’t a teacher what would he be doing? And what do you think that salary would be? Also, why does he only make $40K a year? That’s REALLY low. I make nearly $70K a year. Are you in a rural county? Metro area salaries are much higher than that.
The AA community is plagued with a plethora of problems. However, so is the American community. That’s the part that I don’t get. I see just as many white women that are single and dad is absent as black. I guess I grew up in a box because not only my parents, but the majority of my friend’s parents are still married. I’m almost 40 so maybe it’s a generational issue.
I applaud Spike for trying to make a difference, however I won’t be encouraging my son to enter this field. Not because of pay but because of everything else. There is very little respect and unrealistic expectations.
one second
February 1st, 2011
8:32 am
only thing extra i would have liked to have seen is some conserative black males on the stage; Allen West should have been invited. He was raised in GA.
one second
February 1st, 2011
8:33 am
and if you dont know about (Lt. Col) Congressman Allen West; you better start now cause he may be the person that can beat Obama in 2012.
James Palmer in SE ATL
February 1st, 2011
8:34 am
Some links to some other stories on this topic.
Here is a link to a story on NPR from ‘07.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10174624
and a story about the response generated:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/newsandviews/2007/07/controversy_are_black_teachers.html
And here is a link to a story from ‘04 about a study in Tennessee on whether teachers are more effective in classrooms with students who are of the same race.
I think it is certainly a worthy discussion to have–and certainly in Atlanta where race is very much part of the debate in just about every area of city governance. But, I wish we could reject the notion that teachers of color are truly the best at engaging students of color. I would rather the focus be on hiring the BEST teachers possible–they black, white, Asian, etc… I like to think that quality teachers–working closely with engaged parents, will create the best outcomes. I worry that narrowing the vision to focus too closely on race will ultimately end up limiting our options for success.
Dr NO
February 1st, 2011
8:58 am
I would venture to guess most anyone except, Newter, Palin could beat Obama. After this latest ruling on HCare he is in the soup.
PS…Supreme Court will rule ObamaCare unconstitutional by a 5 to 4 vote. And all Senate Reps are willing to vote repeal. All that is needed is for a few Senate Dems to jump ship, which will happen. We will see if Harry Ream will yield to the will of The People.
Maureen Downey
February 1st, 2011
9:05 am
@catlady, But Lee pursued his “glam” life only after both getting his undergrad and graduate degree, which is why he is perfectly suited to deliver a message about the importance of education. And he comes from several generations of educators and teaches grad school himself as well.
I think he is a great role model.
Maureen
Competition and Choice are Healthy
February 1st, 2011
9:36 am
Mr. Crabtree, once again you are propagating false and inaccurate information. Only the KIPP charter schools have the time commitment you mention, not all charter schools. APS have one of the highest pay scales in metro Atlanta. Many APS charter schools stipulate in their charter that they will pay their teachers equal to or a percentage higher than the APS pay scale. Besides, know one is forcing charter school teachers to work at a charter school. That is a personal choice. Choice is good! Options with choice create competition in traditional school systems. Are you afraid of competition. Please disclose that you are an APS teacher and lead a dues collecting teachers association.
catlady
February 1st, 2011
9:39 am
You are right about his degrees, etc. But what field did he settle in? Not as a teacher (sorry, but teaching filmmaking in grad school does not count). He isn’t living a teacher lifestyle, either, but more closely akin to a musician or athlete. If he had those degrees and became a teacher making and living on $45,000 per year, he would have more cred (to me). As it is, it appears he, like Dick (”Let’s You and Him Fight”) Chaney, has other things to do besides actually serve.
Ivan Cohen
February 1st, 2011
9:40 am
Yes, Spike we do need other options. The corner is going to become passe as the 21st century moves along, its inhabitants are dying off. Real Estate companies are going to stake out the turf and put buildings on it. Indirectly our schools feed the sports engine, especially with the local news coverage on ball games and tournaments. The jewel in the crown is the film footage showing the athlete signing a letter of intent to attend the university. His parent or parents and coach are depicted beaming smiles over his shoulder. The Alumni have dollar signs in their eyes because he will increase the gate receipts. If he is really good, the major leagues will be recruiting him. Indirectly I credit our schools for the rise and popularity of rap. This genre fills a void that was created with the abolition of music programs, one of those “cost cutting moves”. Some high schools retained enough program per se to field their marching bands. But these bands only play during parades and half-time shows. There is no Stax or Motown records, glance through Billboard Magazine and you will get an idea as to who the major labels are. I wish Georgia Public Television had been present to tape the town hall meeting. What sort of follow-up will take place? Maybe Maureen Downey will share that with us on a future blog. Now that I learned that Spike has been teaching at NYU, I now understand why there has been an absence of films on the screen with the byline of ” A 40 Acres and a Mule Production.” Truth be told, MSNBC contributor Jeff Johnson will be carrying the ball on this issue along with the Morehouse students.
Dr NO
February 1st, 2011
9:45 am
” I credit our schools for the rise and popularity of rap.”
LOL…thats funny and as usual sidesteps the issue…LOL.
JoeV
February 1st, 2011
9:56 am
Check out the Call Me MISTER program sponsored by Clemson University. They are doing great work to bring minority men into the classroom in the state of South Carolina.
http://www.clemson.edu/hehd/departments/education/research-service/callmemister/
Dr. Craig Spinks/ Augusta
February 1st, 2011
9:58 am
Granted, our kids need more good men, particularly Black men, who are effective teachers.
Granted, our kids also need to keep in their classrooms effective teachers who are good men, whether these good men are Black or white.
But, while we are rightly concerned about recruiting good men, particularly Black ones, to teaching, what will our USDOE, GDOE and GAPSC do not only to recruit such men to our classrooms but also to retain them there?
Spike Lee: We need options other than sports, rap and the corner … | FIND BEST EDUCATION INFORMATION
February 1st, 2011
10:17 am
[...] See the article here: Spike Lee: We need options other than sports, rap and the corner … [...]
What if
February 1st, 2011
10:27 am
Wow. The cynicism is expectable, I suppose, but in many cases quite justifiable.
@catlady, indeed going to be hard to get ‘em out of high school, thru college and on to teaching as long as “education” is flash cards on the way to the bathroom. What an image. You’ll appreciate recent posts on Yong Zhao’s blog, I suspect. Just google.
On “teachers making $100k” – one year that, the next fired. the rating systems, based primarily on kids’ test scores, are STUPENDOUSLY unreliable. I don’t have the research in front of me, but something like half the ones in the top were not there the next year, and a quarter of the ones in the BOTTOM were in the TOP the next. The rating systems at this point are “throwing darts blindfolded.” See the wonderful Dilbert cartoon at http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2010-11-07/
TheTruthHurts
February 1st, 2011
10:28 am
I taught for a while and it was one of the toughest experiences I have ever had, including Boot Camp. The level of respect afforded even the best of teachers and administrators is dismal. The parents send these little monsters to you and expect you to teach them while you spend your day trying to discipline them instead. Add to that the challenges of trying to keep rolls and attendance up, which means limiting suspensions, which most of the difficult kids are happy to have, and you have a very volatile situation. My hat is off to today’s Teachers and Administrators. They are doing a wonderful job and all they get is crap from local governments all the way to Washington. Sure there are some bad eggs, but having spent some time in this profession, 99% of the teachers and administrators I came across were doing a fine job. May God Bless the United States education system!
Tonya C.
February 1st, 2011
10:28 am
RJ:
The end of your statement speaks volumes. With all that, you would not encourage your own son to enter the teaching profession. I make the same as my husband, without a degree. I have been the breadwinner for the better part of our relationship/marriage and if he stays in education will most likely outpace him in the next 5-7 years. He was a career changer that actually LOST money by becoming a teacher.
If the salary wasn’t so bad, maybe I could get over the disrespect he faces every day. Or the apathetic parents and clueless administrators. Or the coming out of pocket for what I consider to be office supplies. Or the health insurance that goes up in price faster than any possible step increases but goes down in benefits. He went into education because he loved kids, wanted a stable career, and to change the world. I supported him because I could see it was his passion. But passion cannot sustain you when the burn out creeps in. The stability is gone and the the kids he serves (title 1) are not being provided for much in the home. The only way the world is changing is to place the blame on educators.
Had this panel included actual TEACHERS I could have been more open to what they were saying. Had Arne Duncan described how cash-strapped states were going to pay for for all this great teaching, I would have been pleasantly surprised. But what I heard is what I’m tired of hearing, that the Good Black Men need to step up and fill in for all the sorry ones en masse. That is not fair when the last four decades of black men have had role models to look to for betterment, and so many have chosen to turn a blind eye.
Dr. NO:
Don’t bother. I’m not. I’m tired of feeling bad because we have done okay. I’ve tired of being told to ‘give back’ like our parents and grandparents didn’t put in work to get us here. I’m over the people asking for more black males in everything, like the good ones have no families of their own. We have come into contact with some amazing people who have shown us how to be better, and surround ourselves with those who want more out of life (whether black, white, or other). That’s what weighs me down in this. More is being asked of those already giving the most without addressing the crux of the issue, which is the breakdown of the black family.
This is a real issue
February 1st, 2011
10:28 am
I have not bothered to read all of the comments but I am sure they fall into the typical ajc range of insightful, ignorant, to racial overtones. Anyway….
This is a real issue whether people want to believe it or not. Yes I am an Black male teacher and so is my brother. I spent three years of my career when I was the only Black male teacher in the ENTIRE school. My brother spent 4-5 years when he was the one of 2 Black male teachers in his ENTIRE school, the other was a PE teacher; neither of us are PE teachers. Although we teach in different states, our school districts were very similar. Suburban, upwardly mobile, and medium to high incomes. What people fail to understand that many of our students do not experience their first male teacher in the classroom until middle school, many do not see their first Black male teacher until high school. So after 5-9 years of education a student and their parents have never interacted with a Black male in the teaching and authority role. I am going to let you guess what happens when we have to discipline these students and the “kickback” we have received….
James Palmer in SE ATL
February 1st, 2011
10:33 am
@JoeV Thanks SO much for the shout out for the Call Me Mister program at Clemson. As a Clemson grad it’s good to see that program get some attention.
Come On Son
February 1st, 2011
10:34 am
I think this is a great avenue because so many AA males do not pursue career fields. Forget all the hogwash about pay, respect, etc. As oppose to what, continued climbing prison rates? I am sure RJ would prefer her son to be a teacher than in jail for a white collar crime. (no pun intended).
The same goes with nursing and science fields. Part of the reason the unemployment rates are so high is because many Americans lack the necessary education to fill the positions many companies desire. It is ironic that companies are asking for an increase to higher more HB1-Visa employees while the unemployment rate is sky high. Are educational system is forcing US corporations to outsource because the parents/student/schools keep blaming each other instead of bearing down.
pj
February 1st, 2011
10:37 am
the field of nursing is in desperate demand too. I was surprised at the lack of “african american” students at one where I was doing some technical work. Men and women could pursue this field.
Keep it Real
February 1st, 2011
10:41 am
If people are serious about getting more black men in the classroom, something must be done about these power tripping black female principals and superintendents…
Dr NO
February 1st, 2011
10:56 am
HERE HERE!! Again I must agree with Tonya. Her case is more than valid and her family understands that this constant giving, giving more, being the asked to give again becomes, over the years, exasperating.
One cant legislate fatherhood and expecting others to pick up the ball and run with it is a little extreme.
One makes it or not based on their own decisions/choices!
JoeV
February 1st, 2011
11:01 am
@James Palmer in SE ATL
Clemson BS ‘04, wife: BA ‘05 and MEd ‘06.
Go Tigers!
J. Brown
February 1st, 2011
11:07 am
This is from another perspective for Tonya C.
I understand your frustation in that your husband’s choice of occupation has garnered low pay for the stress and responsibilities that he and your family has to face. I sympathize because I grew up in a house with a mother who was an elementary school principal and aunts on both sides who were teachers. I heard the stories. I know.
However, I want you to know that the kids need your husband. Like yourself, I grew up with my husband. We married at age 23, had our only child five years later, and lived a happy life as husband and wife for almost twelve years. My husband passed suddenly from blood poisoning a year ago. Imagine telling your six-year-old that he will never see his dad again. And knowing full well that the child does not understand the impact what you are saying.
I have no brothers or a brother-in-law. My husband was an only child. We live in a city away from much of our family. So, my son’s role models are now the men his enviroment. They are the male teachers, family friends, neighbors, church members, etc.
To sum up what some of the other posters wrote, you should be happy that your husband is in the position to influence many. Better yet, what if you were in my position? Materially, I am fine. I was fine with my husband alive and I am still fine in his absence. I have the education to support my lifestyle. Truthfully, I made more than my husband but we worked together and accomplished a lot together. What saddens me most about losing my husband is that he will not be around for our son as he grows up.
There are women who recognize that my son needs positive male role models. They support their husbands when they include my son in their family activities. I am so happy to know that my son, though he has lost his father through death, has other positive men to emulate.
Tonya, support your husband. Be proud that you married a real role model.
Come On Son
February 1st, 2011
11:14 am
Dr. No, the time and money spent on trying or repeal the HC law is a joke. The House knows the senate is not going to repeal it and the Supreme Court overturning it is a “pipe dream”. Where was all this zeal when the Patriot Act was passed, stripping us of our privacy and civil liberties? Face the fact, the GOP does not have a strong enough person in next year that can defeat President Obama. We agree that the most “popular” Palin/Newt will not have a chance to win in a national election, they would just win the deep south states. Only our “allies in North Korea” or the “family values” crowd will support those two (joking) because Newt will never overcome how he treated his ex-wife, a la John Edwards style without the baby.
Dr NO
February 1st, 2011
11:22 am
LOL…Perhaps, but you forget the Indpendents have swung away from “O” as have some of the Dems. I would agree a candidate other then the usual suspects is needed for the Reps to win. I would disagree on the Supreme court voting…5 to 4 in favor of OCare being unconstitutional.
The commerce clause cant legislate inactivity because if it were able the Feds could use the most preposterous reasons to force Americans to purchase anything stated.
Come On Son
February 1st, 2011
11:29 am
The commerce clause cant legislate inactivity because if it were able the Feds could use the most preposterous reasons to force Americans to purchase anything stated
Like car and home owner’s insurance; try driving a car or borrowing money to purchase a house without them.
Dr NO
February 1st, 2011
11:38 am
One chooses to by a car and home. Auto Ins covers the other persons property not yours ie collision. Home ownership…unsure if having Ins is forced by law.
See…with auto or home one CHOOSES to participate hence the mandates.
With HCare one can choose to not participate or be “inactive”.
HAHAHAHAHA
February 1st, 2011
11:42 am
Teach what? Looting, raping and killing?
HAHAHAHAHA
February 1st, 2011
11:43 am
Or perhaps how to be a better baby daddy?
Dekalb Oldtimer
February 1st, 2011
12:00 pm
@Old Guy & Fred:
After teaching ALL of the ethnic/cultural/racial/etc. groups you mention for more than 30 years
[ beginning in the 70's during which there was a great influx of students from other countries ], all of your statistics and comments reflect exactly my experience in the classroom.
That experience caused me to realize that respect for parents and PARENTAL EXPECTATIONS… not PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT are the most important issues in education.. I reached this conclusion after seeing the Asian and European students excel in all areas…. even though most, if not all of them, had absolutely no parental involvement…..nor even parental supervision at home. THeir parents were working 2 and 3 jobs in restaurants/construction/house cleaning and other jobs that required them to be away from home. They were not even able to see their children most days…gone before they got up in the morning and home long after their bedtime. The parents had to depend on the children to supervise themselves and do whatever necessary to not only to survive but to excel. Excellence was expected.
Success in school does NOT require….a comfortable, quiet place at home with good lighting, loving parents who provide healthy meals and supervision, and all the other things suggested by the education czars.
Come On Son
February 1st, 2011
12:02 pm
Unless you live in a NY or Chicago or even in the city of Atlanta, you can not fully function without an automobile. It is hardly a “choice”. The government has allowed the banking/lending industries to require home owners insurance to obtain a loan; traditionally that had been an encouraged path to establishing wealth in this country. Yet we see how the scams have left the real estate market.
The cost of persons not going to the doctor for preventive health care through yearly checkups versus the uninsured needing treatment/surgery for a lifestyle disease such as diabetes/lung cancer must be taken into account.
The health care initiative has been championed by both Dem and GOP presidents in one form or another. President Obama had the votes to do it and he got it done; like President Bush had the votes to push through No Child Left Behind and the Patriot Act, two of the worst pieces of legislation EVER passed in the United States.
Tonya C.
February 1st, 2011
12:05 pm
J. Brown:
My sympathies for your loss. What you wrote is beautiful, and I get your position. Priorities are different for everyone, and sustaining a family of five is mine. People aren’t donating to us when there are furloughs. There are no ‘SAVE EDUCATION’ telethons. Heck, the citizens he serves didn’t even have a march when the boo-boo started rolling downhill. Most actually want more work out of educators despite dwindling resources, often at their own dime. In a perfect world, more MEN would choose education as a profession. As a matter of reality, the concrete reasons they choose not to do so need to be addressed and rectified before any ‘call to action’ is made. Where were all of you when Race To The Top was being discussed? Or performance pay? Or layoffs? These things all effect black students but where was the summit on that?
I am proud of my husband because he is a man of integrity and strength. Because he has accomplished so much in so little time. I think what he does is amazing, but that doesn’t change the realities of the job. If society as a whole, but especially the black community, would acknowledge and at least attempt to repair the social ills that hinder us I could re-consider my stance. He can be a role model in the professional sense without having to serve as de facto parent to his students. Dr. NO summed it up, he is expected to give till it hurts. Well I’m saying ouch.
Dekalb Oldtimer
February 1st, 2011
12:12 pm
Among the first of my students from Asia in the 70’s were 3 siblings from Cambodia.
When they had learned a little English, we began discussing differences in the schools here and in their country. I still reflect one of their comments regarding our students in our elementary school being in small groups for reading/etc….[you remember, the Bumble Bees, the Bluebirds, etc ....everyone knew which group was high and which was low.] Their comment: In our country, everyone does the same work…..it takes some students 5 minute, some students 5 hours, but everybody is same!!!!
ANd one more…regarding punishment/discipline. If they misbehaved or didn’t do their work, they were given 2 bricks which they had to hold in their hands above their heads for a specified amount of time. They kept trying to convince us to use that instead of “time out” or calling parents….because they said ours did not work.!!!
Dr NO
February 1st, 2011
12:13 pm
Well COS…We could infinitely debate the good, the bad and the ugly but I guess we will have to agree to disagree. Time will tell about HCare and the “O” re-election.
Math Maestro
February 1st, 2011
12:45 pm
Okay Spike Lee, why don’t you teach 1-year in APS, and then decide if you can recommend to the black college males to enter a profession that has the 2nd highest turnover rate at 50% within 5-years?
February 1st, 2011
12:48 pm
“African Americans ”
Umm, you meant to say “black.”
I don’t know any black folks, including women I’ve dated, who have ever been to Africa. Please lay off the PC stuff.
one second
February 1st, 2011
12:50 pm
Allen West was also a Teacher in Florida. Its just funny that the left thinks they have the only role models for minorities.
Dr NO
February 1st, 2011
12:53 pm
COS…
Here is some info from Kyles Blog regarding HCare waivers. Can I have a waiver? Can you have a waiver? Probably not.
“Here’s the list directly from the Dept. of Health & Human Services of the waivers they’ve been granted to states, businesses, insurers, labor & other organizations, a total of 727 exemptions for millions of workers:
http://www.hhs.gov/ociio/regulations/approved_applications_for_waiver.html#state_mandated_policies
One-fourth of all waivers have gone to Big Labor groups. The Teamsters Union obtained waivers for 17 different locals. The United Food & Commercial Workers International Union secured waivers for 28 affiliates. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers received 8. The Communications Workers of America received a waiver that will spare 19,000 workers. The Service Employees International Union’s 7 waivers spare 45,000 workers.
4 states (Mass., NJ, Ohio & Tenn.) received waivers covering 2.1 million enrollees.”
PS…go read C Tuckers blog…even she concedes OCare is pretty much dead as the Supreme court will vote on party lines with Kennedy defecting to the conservatives. 5 to 4.
Dr NO
February 1st, 2011
12:54 pm
101ST and 102ND…YES!!
Ed Johnson
February 1st, 2011
1:14 pm
“I watched President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech and liked his appeal to the nation to encourage innovation, creativity, and imagination. But I was disappointed by his misleading description of Race to the Top. He said it is not a ‘top-down’ program and is not prescriptive. He thinks that it somehow emerged as a result of the good ideas of teachers, principals, local school boards, and communities. But nothing could be further from the truth. It was designed and written within the confines of the U.S. Department of Education by Secretary Arne Duncan and a flock of advisers from the Gates Foundation and the Broad Foundation.” –Diane Ravitch
The rest of Ravitch’s blog here…
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/Bridging-Differences/2011/02/the_presidents_speech.html
it's about time
February 1st, 2011
4:01 pm
@ Tonya C: I agree with you. Black people need to accept responsibility for their actions. Your husband is not the father of the children that he teaches, and he should not be expected to serve as a surrogate father. Why do we always look for excuses to justify failure? The bottom line is some black men and women have dropped the ball. Instead of buying books and school supplies, parents choose to buy $140 Polo boots. These same children are on free/reduced lunch. Let’s face it; we are where we are because of our actions. We cannot blame everything on racism (although it does exist). Parents, take an active part in your child’s education and stop blaming teachers and others for your decisions. If Hispanics, Asians, and other immigrants can come to America and advance, we should be able to as well.
Grant Blair
February 1st, 2011
5:31 pm
all is good when you believe and take all the necessary steps of faith. salope is a big fat lier and a believer of big fat lies. I ADMIRE YOUR WORK. YOUR A WONDERFUL HUMAN BEING.
Grant Blair
February 1st, 2011
5:34 pm
YUMMY YUMMY.
Suavez
February 1st, 2011
5:43 pm
I volunteer to send the black teachers at Morningside and SPARK down to the southside. Sadly, they are mostly incompetent.
Educated
February 1st, 2011
8:29 pm
Dr. Crawford Lewis is an exemplary example of positive role model for the African American students of the Dekalb County School System. He worked hard to become superintendent, and many African American students and teachers looked up to him. Then he got indicted on racketeering and theft charges. What an excellent role model he was for the African American community, ending up in jail. We need more African American educators like him for our children to look up to because he was so good.
Maureen Downey
February 1st, 2011
8:40 pm
@Educated, I have to point out that bad role models come in all colors and genders. I hate to keep bringing her up, but I still can’t over our former state school superintendent Linda Schrenko, who looted federal money designed for deaf children in Georgia to pay for her facelift.
Maureen
Education updates – Garysworld USA – Feb 2nd - GarysWorld USA
February 2nd, 2011
8:10 am
[...] Spike Lee: We need options other than sports, rap and the corner [...]
Nonsense, APS is Total Atlanta
February 2nd, 2011
10:42 am
Why do we have to discuss education for blacks versus whites? I thought we had solved this issue, God knows it has been discussed enough. Last time I looked we have an African American President and the entire city of Atlanta and APS is headed by African Americans, so what is the issue?
Please stop talking about race. Every child needs to be educated and it does not matter if the teacher is male or female or black or white or Asian or Latin, etc, etc
Hire, fire, recruit the best for educational jobs, pay them for their performance, get rid of tenure, get rid of affirmative action and stop whining. I am not responsibile for raising your child or anyone’s child, but my own. I am happy to tutor, volunteer and help in schools and my community as we all should, but nobody gave my parents anything for free or held meetings on how, Irish, Italian, German children should be educated and where they should spend their time and we turned out graduating from high school and going to college because our parents cared and worked five jobs or whatever it took, so while John Lewis runs around giving away my tax dollars to those that dont know how to practice birth control and or work and he gives the jobs to % using affirmative action and Obama went to Harvard for free via affirmative action, my blue collar family worked their fannies off to pay for y state college and nearly went broke doing it, but never did they whine or expect the govt to pay for it, so Spike Lee , go away and make a film called be a parent and teach your own children to turn off the rap, get off the corner and please stop the race card.
Arthur
February 3rd, 2011
3:57 pm
I have met many good young black males in the teaching environment I work part time with on the Eastside. My problem that I see in Duncan ,Lee and the MSBNC contributor Johnson who advocate” placing 80,000 black males in teaching postions in the next 4 years…” If these are the best hires related to the pool of apllicants than good. If this is a quota system similar to what has permeated the government and private sector than it is blatant discrmination against Caucasians ,Asians and Hispanics of both sex who are more qualified. It would be an atrocity for the Department of Education to pursue a stated policy such as is suggested in the article.
Bibay
February 3rd, 2011
4:07 pm
John Lewis is running around giving out money! “Nonsense”- your name fits!