In the beginning, I read the article and
made numerous notes on the context. Wanting to have a clearly picture, of the
entire article I listened to the audio version.
Nikole Hannah-Jones is an educator reporter, she discussed school integration
in length concerning the state of Missouri.
After reading I am sure why attention was brought to the Normandy school
district was because of the Michael Brown’s shooting. Michael Brown was a graduate of the Normandy
school district and was shot shortly after his graduation.
For 15 years the Normandy school district did
not meet the state standards and has lost it accreditation in the year 2013.As
school educators, we should advocate for our students and their families in our
community. The school system knows that
we always need to look at better policies, have better funding in our
areas. Integration can also help us
better the students and help them have a better success story.
At one point while at a meeting,
the parents from the Francis Howard one women stated; Beth Cirami
T"his is what I want to know from you. In one month, I send my
three small children to you, and I want to know is there going to be metal
detectors?"
[APPLAUSE]
B"ecause
I want to be clear. I'm no expert. I'm not you guys. I don't have an
accreditation. But I've read. I've read, and I've read, and I've read. So,
we're not talking about the Normandy School District losing their accreditation
because of their buildings, or their structures, or their teachers. We are
talking about violent behavior that is coming in with my first-grader, my
third-grader, and my middle schooler that I'm very worried about. And I want to
know. You have no choice, like me. I want to know where the metal detectors are
going to be, and I want to know whether your drug sniffing dogs are going to
be. And I want-- this is what I want. I want the same security that Normandy
gets when they walk through their school doors, and I want it here. (part one)
Other parent voice concern thru the night. I did like a comment by a woman who
stated " Woman-
''We have both-- my husband and I both have worked and lived in
underprivileged areas in our jobs. This is not a race issue. And I just want to
say to-- if she's even still here-- the first woman who came up here and cried
that it was a race issue, I'm sorry, that's her prejudice calling me a racist
because my skin is white and I'm concerned about my children's education and
safety."
[CHEERING]
''This is not a race issue. This is a commitment to education issue.''
song It is all black by Sly Johnson on you tube http://youube.be/6.JNwqRF322l
song It is all black by Sly Johnson on you tube http://youube.be/6.JNwqRF322l
In this
audio and written words, I stopped several times and wonder about blacks and
whites and how they do live in different. So when the children are segregated in
the city , they may be segregated in school.
The
conclusion was that a judge stated, “Every day a student attended an unaccredited
school, the child could suffer harm that cannot be repaired.” So, The state
wants to look into charter schools and virtual schools, and they will send
teachers from wealthy school districts.
The main point they avoid is the thing that they would work is integration.<iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6JNwqRF32ZI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>.
I also wonder why the Normandy School District was on probation for 15 years. Why wasn't something done in those years in order to better the district and ensure the students a quality education!?!? It bothers me that there is still segregation in any school district in this country. But I guess my next question should be, "What can I do about it?"
ReplyDeleteMary, your comment that "children are segregated in the city" and therefore wind up in segregated schools interests me because it is one that I have particularly wondered myself over the years as I have taught in many settings. I wonder quite frequently if the segregation of our schools and communities is tied directly to the gentrification that happened (and is happening) in major cities. Many times, white, affluent individuals move in to low-income communities, and as rents and other costs of living rise, the original habitants are forced out into even poorer, more run-down areas. Many African-Americans are displaced into other communities (Zak Cheney Rice, 2014) and those children are then forced to attend different schools. As the community demographic make-up changes, we start to see a change in the influx of resources to that community...and many times, that community houses a school. It would be interesting to compare those communities with a heterogenous population to those communities with a homogenous population and see if there is an affect on the school's (and district's) performance.
ReplyDeleteLove that idea, Victoria - and this is so embarrassing to admit, but here goes..often when I go into underperforming schools with a "minority majority" population, and I see one student that doesn't look like the rest, I immediately wonder "What are they doing here?" I never, ever wonder that the other way around (when I am in a predominantly white school and the roles are reversed). I want to know the best way to help.
ReplyDeleteMary, I must also admit that my first day in Central Falls was my reality to how few white students went to my school. I was a substitute teacher and was actually afraid to pick up jobs at Calcutt Middle School, where I currently teach. I heard stories and felt like it "wasn't the place for me". The city is the poorest in the state and these high poverty school districts are known to struggle. We struggle to get the supplies we need to teach and that isn't the half of it when you learn about a student who shares a bed with three siblings, another without warm clothes or a coat, and still others who's source of food is school provide breakfast and lunch. It's no wonder with all the struggles these students face in life carries over to school.
ReplyDeleteAnd I also think about Karen's challenge...What can I do about it? Because clearly things need to be done!