Sun, Nov 22, 2009
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Name:
JamerDelta
Comment: WTF, that's all you had to offer--HOPE. Let me give you a clue, hope is not a strategy, hope is not a plan. This article is b.s. Yes, people are dealt different cards, yes, life is not fair, but your solution is hope. After all the isht you spew in this column about your wonderful gov't you couldn't offer a plan, a solution, an idea with some teeth. My god, you really are clueless.
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Name:
MzTee
Comment: This girl's circumstances need more than just hope. Hope is not a magical panacea for the world's ills. I'm sure the little girl, while at home caring for her siblings and watching her mother slowly decline toward insanity is 'hoping' and that hasn't done anything to improve her lot in life. And while I understand the teacher's lament, without knowing what she's done to reach out to this child in terms of staying after school to help tutor her or creating a program with the assistance of the principal/school board/school district for her special needs students, it seems as if JCP is expecting the child to miraculously lift herself up by her bootstraps. JCP also assumes that everyone has a relationship with the Almighty...and that ain't so. And even if she does, she's seen that 'praying' hasn't made her life any better. This child falls right into the category of President Bushit's 'No Child Left Behind' Policy; however, by all accounts it appears this child will be left behind -- especially if hope is all we have to offer her.
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Name:
Pamalicious
Comment: -- JamerDelta .... Oh my goodness, I think that was a little harsh. What do you suggest is done? I'll tell you two of my aunts are school teachers and these children are off the chain. There are some issues here, among which, is no parenting. Last time I check Mr Phillips is not GOD, and doesn't have all the answers...... An though he is a passionate man concerning the standards the Republican Party stands for, he also speaks out when there is something going on that he is not satisfied with. As a fellow, Conservative Republican, and yes, I am a black woman, in my early 30's and NO i'm not rich......The wonderful government in which you speak of has things in place to address the problem, in addition there are obstacles too.....but the parents need to step up to the plate.....this little girl should not carry the responsiblities of the family on her little shoulders. What about the mother? what about the system? Again I ask, JamerDelta, what would you.....as a Jamican American suggest?
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Name:
Pamalicious
Comment: MzTee the 'No child left behind' is an excellent program. Both of my daughters are benefiting from the Program and thriving. My youngest daughter school is very active in the program. It basically, uses methods that are proven to help children learn more effectively, using aspects of Emotional Intelligence, (spatial, verbal, interpersonal and intrapersonal) and other scientific research. There are workshops, once a month, zip kits (little packets to be completed at home), to encourage learning using little experiments. One in particular, we made a graph, paper, plain M&M's, and questions. This encouraged, mathematics, identification of primary, secondary colors, greater than less than, and addition and at the end of the experiment my daughter (5 years old) got to eat the M&M's. The workshop deals with social skills; communication skills and we are given books. (free books to build our personal library at home). My daughter is in preschool and she can read, (Early Reading First program) write her entire name and she is interested in learning...All of this is funded by the no child left behind program. During the parental workshops, the children and us are fed dinner, because these workshops take place after school/work and that way we don't have to buy dinner. The no child left behind program cannot and does not work without TOTAL PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT.
The program also allows parents to pick which schools that would better suit their children. My oldest daughter, 15 years, takes advantage of the free tutoring program for science. She is in the 9th grade and has been on the honor roll, every semester, (except one and even then she had a 2.75 GPA for the quarter). I'm not saying this as a Republican. I am saying this as a black, divorced, mother of two, -- I'm also a college student pursuing my Master's Degree
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Name:
MzTee
Comment: Pamalicious...in my connotation of the program, it means that NO Child and I mean NO Child regardless of parental support be left behind. This to me is one of the fallacies of the program, which is to assume that everyone comes from a functioning family. What about those children who don't have a strong family base like your children? Are they to be penalized and miss out on the opportunity because they don't have it? That's crazy. Based on how I interpreted the article, JCP offered hope as the only solution for this child, which is asisine. If this program is to work and live up to its name, it has to be inclusive of all family formats; otherwise, children -- especially impoverished children -- will continue to be left behind.
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Name:
MzTee
Comment: sorry for the typo...meant asinine.
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Name:
Train
Comment: Regadless of a person's background there is no excuse for bad behavior. I work in law enforecement and I have to deal with these excuses that people make on a daily basis. I wouldn't be a teacher if they paid a million dollars because these youngsters in the LAUSD just aren't worth it. Now private school I would seriously consider it because they don't play.
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Name:
asimplegoddess
Comment: Well it seems to me that this teacher knows a great deal about what is hindering this child, mental health issues can be quite destructive and sometimes people become unable to recognize what they are doing and that they need help, so with knowledge of all these problems going on in this young girls life all parties who have knowledge of it have a responsibility to do what they can for her. Sometimes it really does take the whole village to raise a child, but if a child is receiving nothing from anyone in the home, in school, in the community, how can we expect a 12 or 13 year old to know what path to take? Every child is worthy, even the ones who have dysfunctional families/parents, you can not help what you were born into. If one behaviour is all you know and all you are taught, until someone comes along who cares enough to teach you otherwise, you are going to live by what you know. Education in North America, by the way, is bull$hit and needs to be completely overhauled.
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Name:
Pamalicious
Comment: I agree Train, there is no excuse for the child's behavior, not to mention it is disruptive to the other children that are there to learn.... MzTee with all due respect, I invite you to perhaps research the No child left behind program. I believe it is unrealistic to expect the government to cover every child, in spite of the absent involvement of the parent. My family is not functional totally, I , as a single parent falter in the way, but I prioritize. Are we expect the teacher, who is a parent with her own children, and a government run program to be totally responsible for this childs well being. What about her Mom, dad, other family members that have immediate access to her what are they to do? Asimplegoddess, of course the education system in North America is flawed. Nevertheless, it is a workable system, and every American child has a right to an education, and we are a country that offers it for free.
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Name:
Train
Comment: I think we need to raise the bar for these youngsters because a lot of "well minded" folks in society use all of these b.s. excuses for why these kid's don't succeed and it usually blows up in their face. Low expectations are a form of racism to me because it's telling me that black kid's can't succeed without handouts which I'am totally against. We have become a society of whiners and excuse makers and it's going nowhere. Are there any other states besides mine (Cali) that has the exit exam for graduating seniors??? This test consist of 8th grade math and 10th grade english and thousands of kid's throughout the state are flunking it meaning that a lot of them won't be graduating this month.....oh well!!!
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Name:
JamerDelta
Comment: Ms. Pamalicious,
I'm very glad that I'm a Jamaican American--you know why, I had a school foundation that most kids in America don't receive. Because of the emphasis on Education in Jamaica for those who want it, by the time I was 9 years old, I was already in the 6th grade and had already skipped 2 grades. Was I exceptionally smart, maybe (lol) but I believe it was more so the foundation I had about the importance of learning. I was shocked when I came here how lacksadasical most people's --parents and teachers alike--attitude were towards school. Anyhow, you asked what I would do? As someone else stated, how is it that all the adults in positions of authority in this childs life knows what's going on at home, but all they can offer this child is hope. If the mother has mental issues, then something needs to be done about that--its quite clear that the child is acting out. Instead of just punishment, maybe she should even be removed from the home along with her siblings. No, its not a simple solution--I know that, but DO Something. As for Train and his asinine comments, I'm tired of people like you who are so quick to throw our black children away. Children aren't born good or bad, they learn and they learn real quick from the adults around them. Don't just lay blame and throw hands up in the air, if you are part of the system, be part of the solution. I'm not naive to think that these kids don't share some responsibility, but they need to be taught another way because they probably only know the wrong way. Yes, it requires a multi-layered solution that involves everyone, but just to end with HOPE and or throwing the child under the bus are not the answers.
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Name:
dcdouglass01
Comment: As the first poster alluded, hope is not a plan or strategy that will get you far in life. A friend of mine who, after a couple of stints in jail, has decided to become a bum, called my house the other day HOPING I'd give him some money. A better plan for hm would be to get a job. But, JCP, what happened to all the pro-Republican, pro-Bush political commentaries? Too much corruption, too many lies (that have cost thousands of lives), and too low in the polls even for you, huh?
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Name:
Train
Comment: I'm not throwing anybody away so get off your high horse. I'm just stating that the way I was raised by my folks with the concept of sink or swim. If you can't swim then you're bound to drown, plain and simple. I don't think raising the bar for excellence is a bad idea at all. In fact it'll get better results. Not everybody is going to make it and that's a fact not an opinion. Those that want to put in the effort, roll up their sleeves and work hard will achieve but those that f'uck around will left behind in the dust and this is in every ethnic group. I don't feel a need to help those that don't want to do shyt for themselves and I have some cousins that are like that cause I consider it a waste of my time. Throughout history there have been some people that had the deck stacked against them but they rose up like a champ. When I worked at juvenile hall I used the late, great Ray Charles as an example and he didn't have shyt coming up but he came through like a champ and in the process became an american icon. The no child left behind is the stupidest idea in the public schools since biligual education and social promotion. You can't make kid's want to learn, it has to come from within and the sooner we stop making excuses for anyone that doesn't want to make something out of themselves the better off our people will be.
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Name:
onyxeyes
Comment: Anyone who has risen above their circumstnaces did so with some help from somebody. A parent, teacher, relative, community etc. No one does anything by themselves, even if they like to think so. sometime people are helping behind the scenes that you were unaware of. I agree that the desire has to come from within, but direction is still an important factor. Some kids need some direction and then their desire or determination will push them along.
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Name:
Pammy
Comment: I mentor foster kids in Harlem. Two girls and one young man. I went into it all wide-eyed and eager to help. I called them often, bought school supplies, and listened to them whenever they needed an ear. When the young man started skipping school, I didn't go ballistic I would just point out bums and beggars as we rode the train and tell him that's what his future might turn out to be if he didn't get an education. He got it together and started doing what he was supposed to do. My girls however are a different story. They hoodwinked me into believing they were in school when in fact they'd been kicked out the year before. The social workers didn't communicate with me so there was no way I would have known. They had opportunities to get their GED. I offered to go with them to sign them up, see what the classes were like. They never showed any interest. All they wanted to do was put the latest ring tones on their phone, get drunk with the neighborhood thug/thuglette and coo over the babies their friends are having. It is very very disheartning. All I can do is be there when they are ready to do something for themselves but you cannot make people want an education, nor do the work to get a good one. At this point, life will teach them the lessons they need to learn. All I can do is be there to listen and help if I can.
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Name:
amethyst
Comment: JP didn't just offer hope as an option, he states that "they also need hope in the form of human hands that will reach to offer them council and support." (that should be counsel) And he says that effort and work are required, hope alone won't get results. This is a complex issue, because the responsibility for OUR children's success has to be shared by the children, their families, and the community. JamerDelta is right in asking, What are you going to do? If it's tutoring, teaching, mentoring, or giving a hug and kind word to a child, it is action. And Pammy and Train raise good points about helping those who want to help themselves. Like Train, I have relatives who are clueless and/or suffer from low self esteem. They don't dare to strive for much because they might fail. It saddens me, but I will not allow them to exhaust my resources or destroy the peace in my life. I just pray that one day they will get the point, and decide to improve their lives. Then, I will gladly offer my assistance. The adage applies: You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.
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Name:
xavixavi
Comment: Mmmph!!!
JamerDelta -- I agree whole heartedly. EMPHASIS on Education is the key in OUR community! My first years' Education was in Jamaica, and though I didn't know it then, it was a godsend! I could read, by the time I was 4, and by 5 I was reading 2 years past my grade level! It is important to most parents in Jamaica even if they aren't that well educated themselves. That is the hope!!!
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Name:
xavixavi
Comment: Pamalicious No Child left behind is supposed to be for children like this 13 year old. The problem w/ that and many other programs is that a majority of the ones who take advantage of it aren't the ones in DIRE need of it.
Your education level tells me that you have the know how to investigate, and see what is best for your child. I believe that in all liklihood she would do well w/out the program....
This program is meant for the underpriveledged, but instead is being used by lower to upper parents to give their children an even better edge!
How can you move to a better school, if that school is 2 hours away?
Your school sounds like a wonderful beacon of light, but please remember that they are few and far between, some people have to wait on waiting lists miles long to get into some of those better schools, and finally those shools then tend to have the better teachers. That final point is important. If you have the majority of the "good" teachers in a few schools, that increases the disparity amongst the schools even further.
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Name:
Train
Comment: In addition to the no child left behind initiative, everything that Bush has done has been a disaster. In life some people want it more then others...the sink or swim philosophy. If a lot of these kid's can remember every gangsta rap lyric they dayum sure should know how to speak proper english. Out here in Cali the exit exam consist of 8th grade math and 10th grade english and thousands of kid's have failed the exam..can you believe that????
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Name:
xavixavi
Comment: Train I can believe that.
The sad part is you need the skills of math to reason, and live.
High School Math, is mostly for academia. You use very little of it, once you graduate, and the same for english.
It really puts them at a disadvantage.
In NY for instance: with that kind of education, most of your written news will come from the Post or The Daily News -- both rags, that tend to skew things against our people even more so than the Times (You need above 10th grade english to read that one)
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Name:
McNasty
Comment: So in the midst of all this rhetoric - this little girl gets left behind!
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Name:
ShadowKnows
Comment: The word is "lackadaisical" not lacksadaisical. lack·a·dai·si·cal. When using big words, use them correctly.
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Name:
JamerDelta
Comment: um, Shadow, I stand corrected. I did spell the word wrong, but did use the word in the proper context. Now, do you have a comment on the subject matter or just want to be smart about me using "big" words. Darling, don't you worry, I know how to use big words, I have a masters degree, but thanks for noticing.
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