Learning While Black [Kid starts a fight at school. Kid's dad, angry his son got punished, sues.]

http://www.time.com/time/education/article/0,8599,238611,00.html ^ | June 5, 2002 | Jodie Morse

[TheMole]

The conversation in Modesto has thus far been much less conciliatory. Despite repeated calls for reform from a small but vocal black parents' group, the district is not weighing any changes to its discipline code. Administrators will not comment on particular cases, but Jim Pfaff, Modesto's associate superintendent, points out that district policy stipulates a stiffer penalty for a student, like Russell, who inflicts injuries causing "stitches, loss of consciousness or a fracture." Pfaff attributes the high rate of black expulsions to an influx of black families from San Francisco "who do not understand" Modesto's discipline code, which provides few second chances - just consequences. He has little patience for charges of profiling. "Because we expel more males than females, does it mean that we discriminate against men too?" he asks. Even the black community has splintered over the issue, with some parents who want change accusing others of kowtowing to the district. "[She's] dealing with the people we're fighting, running to the white man with everything," sniffs Mack Wilson, education chairman of the local N.A.A.C.P., speaking of a black mother who joined with school officials to form Project Success, a group that tries to defuse small disciplinary matters before they escalate.

Nobody seems to have commented on this part of the story. San Francisco (and the Bay Area) is "whitening" as high property values cause people who can't afford them to move out, including many local blacks. They drive east to Congressman Gary Condit's district, a largely white area with an economy that was linked to agriculture for a long time. They're moving from Sin Freaksicko to the town that was the setting for American Graffiti. Small wonder they're having a few adjustment problems.

[summer]

"[She's] dealing with the people we're fighting, running to the white man with everything," sniffs Mack Wilson, education chairman of the local N.A.A.C.P., speaking of a black mother who joined with school officials to form Project Success, a group that tries to defuse small disciplinary matters before they escalate.

Thanks for focusing on that part of the article, as you're right; there is a change underway because of SF property values.

And, kudos to the black mother above, who is trying to work to the benefit of all concerned -- students, parents, and teachers -- by getting these small matters cleared up before bigger matters take over.

[summer]

In addition, kudos to the black male students mentioned in this article below:

Black Males Make Academic Excellence 'Normal'

[summer]

Thank you for your post #51. Good point you mention about the jewelry.

[summer]

...trying to get something for nothing, instead of working for it. A real good example for the kid.

Yeah, this is something the kid will remember: scream racism in the future, like when, perhaps, if you are committing a burglary in someone's house, and you get a cut while climbing over their fence on the escape -- because maybe you'll win more more in a lawsuit claiming the fence was not maintained than you'll get for stealing whatever was in the house. The fact you are breaking into the house and trespassing on the property shouldn't matter at all, should it? Just like this kid's foul mouth and chronic tardiness, and the fact he gave a classmate five stitches -- all irrelevant....

[summer]

The fact that the kid is still in school at all speaks volumes...

I agree.

[summer]

Re your post #60 -- He did not make a big deal of it, other than point out the statistics, and the fact that statistics do not lie. He made it clear that certain students needed to straighten up. It was an interesting assembly, to say the least.

Very interesting post, STC. Thanks.

I learned a similiar lesson when I taught in a different school, with middle school kids who had not done well on the state reading tests. I actually decided to devote a class to explaining to them, on their level of comprehension, the statistics about reading, tests, jail inmates (hs drop outs), etc. I thought this might not work, and they would be bored and fall asleep, but, to my surprise, they were fascinated by this bigger picture, showing them why they were in my class, and why it was in fact important for them to become better readers.

I was stunned when they started asking me questions after I explained where states were in reading scores (now they wanted to know exactly where FL was and was FL improving?) etc. It was a real eye-opener, to know that you can share with students the larger picture, beyond their classroom, and bring all back to their own individual lives -- and, they "get it." They really do. Thanks again for your post.

[summer]

Re your post #64 - Yes, perhaps -- and, BTW, there is no such group I know of that actually helps teachers in these cases either, for if the teachers union rep and others you deal with in the union also happens to be black, and you're a white teacher, chances are: you can forget it. My impression was the black teachers union rep hoped the black parent would win a ton of money from me in a lawsuit -- as if I had a ton of money making $26,000 per year.

[summer]

happens = happen

[summer]

We used to have an assembly at the beginning of the school year and the Principal would lay out the infractions that would earn you a suspension, or expulsion, and that was that....

I actually did later teach in a school where this is what happened, and, it happened TWICE per year, at the beginning of each semester (because many students were new to the school). The entire school had to attend, and the person who laid out the rules was a male assistant principal who sought to intimiate these kids with the facts -- and, he did a good job. The school could have had a gang problem, but didn't, because he made it crystal clear what symbols constituted gang symbols and would get you thrown out of school, period. It really helped.

Too bad most schools just have teachers distribute to students the written district policy on student conduct, and leave it at that.

[summer]

intimiate = intimidate

[summer]

LOL... :)

[summer]

...Nah, couldn't be....

If the NAACP spent half as much time solving the many real issues that exist in the black community, I would really respect them much more. When they spend time on matters like this one, I think they do a huge disservice to everyone, especially to blacks.

[summer]

Thanks for pinging people to this thread, mhking.

[summer]

Re your post #89 - I agree, but it's a shame that schools and the participants have to spend so much time on litigation. The Teacher Protection Act, and other laws, prohibiting parents from sueing at all unless there is something like sexual misconduct on the part of the teacher, should be enacted. You would not believe how many students have learned to say to a teacher: "My parents will sue you if you give me a detention."

[mhking]

No one is saying Kenneth Russell is an angel. The 16-year-old high school junior from Salida, Calif., is a C student with a filthy mouth who has been known to saunter into class on his own schedule. And, yes, as Russell readily admits, after a bout of name-calling with a white classmate last fall, he threw the first punch in a fistfight that left him battered and his adversary with five stitches over his left eye. But is Russell actually a victim? The N.A.A.C.P. and some of his teachers think so. His father John has filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, charging that Kenneth was unjustly punished for the fight.

What makes the NAACP, Kenneth Russell and so many others think that black youths are exempt from being disciplined for wrong-doing? I hear time and time again that blacks are singled out more often than whites for discipline.

Of all many professors and researchers and civil rights "professionals" and talking heads on television, not a single one has been able to look at America and tell the truth. That the vast majority of those who are being disciplined -- both in school settings, and in the judicial system -- are there because of choices and actions made by the person who is being punished.

Am I missing something here? This article actually was written to justify the actions of this roguish 16-year-old?

Kenneth's father, John, needs to have his head examined. If his father is wrong-headed enough to attempt to sue the school over the disciplining of his rowdy teenager, when it has been shown that his son started the fight - especially in this day of "zero tolerance" within the school environment - you should not be surprised when this teen gets in trouble as an adult, and blames "the man" for his transgressions.

And for a venerable and respected (and supposedly unbiased) newsmagazine like Time to buy into the crybaby defense offered by the NAACP and this boy's father provides further proof of the "liberal bias" of America's media, contrary to those journalists who insist that the profession is unbiased and uninfluenced by one side of the aisle or the other.

If John Russell were truly concerned about his son's future, he would have disciplined the boy himself when confronted with Kenneth's foul mouth. With the kind of language that Kenneth uses at school, John certainly has to know that Kenneth regularly uses profanity. John has to have been made aware of Kenneth's issues with attending class on time. And rather than address Kenneth's casual use of violence in the academic setting, John chooses to focus on how his son is punished.

It seems to me that John is no better than Kenneth in that regard. In John's eyes, it's OK to be violent. It's OK to use profanity in school. It's OK to be a mediocre student that "saunters into class on his own schedule."

As opposed to emphasizing excellence from black youth, this is yet another case where the NAACP would much rather enable substandard performance from students and their parents. I would imagine that the NAACP will be right there, blaming the school and the "system" when Kenneth, due to his sorry performance in high school, is unable to realize his dream of going to college to become an architect. And while the NAACP will reap much in the way of donations on the Kenneth's back, but they won't be there to help Kenneth when he is unable to move forward in life.

"I lost out on a month of my high school life," Kenneth complained when interviewed by Time's Jodie Morse. Well, Kenneth, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you are a disrespectful, foul-mouthed teenager. I'm sorry that you don't have a modicum of respect for the institution of education. I'm sorry that you have a demonstrated propensity to be violent. I'm sorry that you are not able to shoulder responsibility for your own actions. I'm sorry that you have a father who enables your shortcomings and failures in life. But most of all, I'm sorry that, thanks to your father and the NAACP, you will become yet another sad, sorry statistic in America.

[al_possum39]

I hate it when that happens! I had a funny reply for #31 and while I was preparing it, #31 got rubbed out by the moderator.

[summer]

Thank you so much for your very thoughtful post, above, mhking.

And, speaking of sorry statistics in America, here are two more (one I already posted, but the other one is what makes both pathetic):

Roxbury teacher breaks up fight, gets indicted

Palatka teacher, aide accused of allowing student melee [yet, teacher risks punishment either way]

[Imal]

metioned = mentioned

I wouldn't sweat minor typos, summer. Longstanding 'Netiquette (dating back well before the Web to the ARPANet days in the '80s) allows for typographic errors or mispellings without criticism -- even for teachers. My Mom is both a teacher and writer and occasionally (but rarely) makes typographical, grammatical or spelling errors in emails, then seeks to correct them, whereupon I must reminder her of this ancient convention. It's endearing but unnecessary.

Of course, there are those who harp on such things either deliberately or through ignorance. In either case, you would be well-justified in ignoring such quibbling and focus on topical posts. After all, if you post an article for discussion and someone has nothing better to do than take potshots at your spelling, they're just yanking your chain, and you should simply hang up on them.

Oh, and THANK YOU for being a teacher. That's right up there with police officer, firefighter and soldier, as far as I'm concerned -- and you have probably found elements of all three of those other noble professions in your list of responsibilities. It takes courage to be a teacher, especially these days, and I respect that. For any other teachers who may be reading this, that goes for you, too: a BIG SALUTE.

Best regards,

Imal