Last year, in honour of Black History Month, I thought it would be a wonderful idea if my friend, the 6'4" first Haitian member of the House of Representatives, could speak to the children in my class to encourage them to aspire to higher things. I thought it would be so much more encouraging and inspiring that the usual pictures of famous dead people and the relevant art activities. So I approached the Principal about having the State Rep. visit the school one day, either on his way to or from court, seeing as our inner city school was only three minutes from the County court house.
Here is how the conversation went.
"Sir, I have a friend who is a State Rep and I thought it would be wonderful if he could speak to my kids and inspire them during Black History month."
Our principal, ever the astute politician, saw right through my request. "Well. Having a politician visit a school, can have its advantages as well as some serious repercussions for the school." Bidding for time, he asked me to put my request in writing, so he could forward it to the Superintendent of Schools, to get his approval. I never heard back.
I was approached by the Assistant Principal who was sufficiently impressed with my connections. We had a pleasent enough conversation about it as well as about my request for my Jamaican journalist friend to come and speak to the children.
I feigned indignation that my request was ignored. But they had seen right through me... the Disturber.
Here is the deal...
I wanted the politician to come to our school so he could see first hand how bad things really were in an inner city school. You know, the cockroaches, the rats, the missing light bulbs in the depressingly dark windowless classrooms with the broken air conditioners in 95 degree heat with the overflowing toilets. Not that he cared. It was not in his district. He always avoided making impromptu visits to the schools that were in his district. Every time I had suggested such a visit, he would claim that he had in fact visited the school in question officially. Yes that was true. He had paid a visit to the school. But how could he have possibly gotten a true picture of the state of the school when they had selected the two brightest students and dressed them up in their Sunday best to make a presentation in the Media Center while the rest of the school was in lock down?
The purpose of this really is not embarrass any one. Not the principal, not the assistant principal, not the politician, not the Superintendent of schools, not the teachers and certainly not the kids.
We all work very hard for those children, we all try our best for those children. But the fact is that we are failing them... MISERABLY. The leadership of the school wants to avoid embarrassment. The politicians want to side step the issue because it is too difficult, the problems too enormous. They feel powerless. They try, but ... but it seems like it is too little too late.
Listen, here is the deal. It takes a village, people.
It takes a a village to raise children. What we have to realize is that it is OUR village and we have to work hand in hand. For OUR future.
It is heartbreaking when these poor and, quite often black, children are given a substandard education simply by virtue of the fact that they are poor and black. We sit there so smug with a false sense of security that programs such as Title 1, are giving these children the chance and opportunities that they deserve.
Here is one example of a good thing gone bad.
Childern are given free and reduced lunches at school. Can it get better than that? Actually does that really happen? They are entitled to 30 minutes to eat their lunch. But the reality of it is that by the time they actually make it to the cafeteria, there is only 20 minutes left of the lunch hour. By the time they get their food, due to the sheer amount of children that are served, they are lucky if they get 10 minutes. Kids being what they are, with the talking and socializing, they really only have 5- 10 minutes to actualy consume the meal. Have you ever known a child to sit down at an actual meal and eat the food straight away?
Now here is the catch... The food provided by Title 1 MUST be consumed in the cafeteria. IN the cafeteria. That means that if the children are not finished with their food, in the 5-10 minutes, the food must be disposed of. Yes, it must be disposed of! People have tried to explain the logic and rational behind this to me , but I still do not get it. Here are these hungry children... and there is the food that is thrown into the garbage disposal. So basically , the tax dollars are buying food that is thrown out without being consumed. This is the only meal that some of these children will see that day... THE ONLY MEAL.
I had a student three years ago, whose mother had lost her job, so she had no money one weekend. He ate half a meal on Friday. On Monday, he came to school gaunt and in tears.
"Ms. B. I almost died this weekend."
"Why, honey?"
"My mom had no money for food."
His last meal had been that half a meal on Friday afternoon. Half of which was thrown into the garbage due to some insane rule.
After that, I made sure that there was always atleast cereal or granola bars in the classroom. And if the children did not finish their meals in the cafeteria, I looked the other way if they should happen to sneak some food under their shirts. Or did I actually encourage that? Gosh, it was so long ago, it is hard to remember.
I saw Sidney Poitier on Oprah yesterday. he said, "We are too rich a country for the eduaction in the innercities to be what it is"
Oh my God! Some one gets it! Some one actually gets it!
But this is not something that is unique to the US. It is the same in Canada. In Vancouver, there are schools and there are schools. In Shaughnessey, greatness is demanded from the children and they deliver. In the lower east side....
It takes a village.
