The McEducation of the Negro

[Hannah Bell]

Something wasn't right at the high school that Darwin Bridgers' son attends, so he sat in on the class to see for himself. All morning long, the instructor at the Washington, D.C., charter school pointed to a list of ground rules, a detailed list of rewards and punishments posted on a wall near the front of the class filled with black and Latino students.

Then the students filled out worksheets. That's how it went: rewards and punishments, then worksheets. No instruction, just worksheets.

At the end of the class, Bridgers, who works as an exterminator, pulled aside the teacher, a young white male and recent graduate. "I wanted to know when he was going to do some, you know, teaching," Bridgers explained to me recently. "You know, like, how we used to have in school? She would stand in front of the class..."

Many D.C. parents are finding that, sure, there are plenty of choices -- just not a lot of good, or even passable ones. When you mix corporate strategies with an ominous 2014 compliance deadline under the No Child Left Behind law, you often end up with scenes that look nothing like what most of us might recognize as a classroom.

http://www.theroot.com/views/mceducation-negro?page=0,1

[Mimosa]

1. The system fails the students.

Hannah, you find all the good stuff. It's frightening what has happened during my lifetime. In one way, I'm glad I'm old enough to have seen things change for the better (desegrgation, for instance). But other things , in fact most, have changed for the worst.

The big question is whether people will see it. And whether we can get the power, momentum and motivation to make things change. The disappointment of having elected a President who had appeared to have a clue about all this has stung many of us. Democratic leadership on these issues seems to be lacking. Can they all have been bought off?

[cali]

6. what is good about this article?

It's a piece that uses the word Negro, that compares teachers to the mythical welfare queen and that demonizes teachers.

[woodsprite]

2. It's not only minority students, but ALL students

My daugter is in what are supposed to be AP courses. The teacher
for her English class is supposed to be prepping them for that test,
teaching them how to write a resume, critiquing a sample college entrance
essay, and mentoring their Sr research projects, which are required
for graduation by every Sr in Delaware. She hasn't taught a day since
school started. She went out on planned surgery and left no lesson
plans. Now she's riding her sick leave until she's eligible to retire and
the state can't assign a permanent replacement for her spot until she
actually retires. My daughter said they watched a movie, took a vocal
quiz and played on their cell phones.

Her AP Psych teacher quit right before Christmas. He took everything and
left nothing for an incoming replacement or sub. He even took everything off of his class websites. They have a fresh out of
College history teacher doing the job. He at least has tried and went to the
administration and told them he needs a list of what the kids need to know
and they need to have a sub to see them through the rest of the year, at
least until the test. Otherwise, he told the students he'll only be there until Feb
because he is being assigned to fill in for someone taking maternity leave.

We get to find out next week if our son wins the lottery drawing for a charter
school spot. Last year he was 162 on the waiting list. We were lucky last year
his class had a wonderful teacher who taught way more than 'to the test'. This
year, his teacher is barely teaching to the test at all and doesn't believe in assigning
homework because this is their last year to just be kids and have playtime after school.
Those were her exact words. BTW, this is for 5th grade.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. Anecdotal evidence doesn't make it a trend

There is not one teacher at my school out on sick leave or showing movies in class. That doesn't negate your experience. But it's all anecdotal.

I also don't understand why a teacher is not expected to have health problems which may require surgery. Lesson plans should be the responsibility of the sub. You can't write lesson plans for a year. They can change daily, depending on the class and the progress they are or are not making.

Your beef lies with the school administration. They are supposed to be prepared for teachers getting sick and leaving in the middle of the year.

[sammytko]

8. Shouldn't that first year history teacher know what they are supposed to learn

for the grade he is teaching?

Even if they do not have a curriculum director, can't he/she find out on her own?

Here are the social studies standards for Delaware

http://www.doe.k12.de.us/infosuites/staff/ci/content_areas/socialstudies.shtml

[cali]

4. great. let's buy into the bullshit welfare queen crap.

[cali]

5. the "Negro"? What is this, 1962?

[Hannah Bell]

9. it references a famous text:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mis-Education_of_the_Negro

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carter_G._Woodson


and the reference to welfare queens is in opposition, not support.

[WinkyDink]

7. Personal example: After decades, I changed my essay final into Fill-in-the-blanks & MC

because my "latest and greatest" (Read: on the fast-track to become a Superintendent somewhere, which he was in 7 years) principal demanded an "answer sheet" he or anyone else could use.

Never read a word about Administrators, though, do you? "Dumbing down" is always because of teachers' unions.