School considers cancelling AP classes because too many white students are succeeding

wordpress ^ | August 25, 2012 | Dan from Squirrel Hill

[grundle]

Dan from Squirrel Hill's Blog

Berkeley public high school considers cancelling its Advanced Placement classes because too many white students are succeeding

Human Events reports:

The Berkeley (CA) Board of Education will consider whether or not to cancel before and after school Science Labs for Advanced Placement Science classes at Berkeley High School because the classes are attended largely by white students. The proposal is aimed at addressing “Berkeley’s dismal racial achievement gap.”

Berkeley’s AP Science courses are an outstanding success. In a time when we are constantly reminded of the need for American students to get better at Physics, Biology, and Chemistry, 82% of Berkeley’s AP chemistry students passed the national exam. The national passing rate is 55.2%.

The AP classes are open to all students, but because “minority” students don’t “show up” to these lab classes in the same percentage as the percentage of “minority” students attending Berkeley High overall, the classes must be cancelled to close the “dismal racial achievement gap.”

If classes are open to all students, why should those students who choose the harder classes be punished in the name of those students who did not choose to work as hard?

Berkeley High School has a first rate reputation for providing equal opportunity to all students. Unequal outcomes in student achievement are the result of the effort each student puts into taking advantage of those opportunities. Narrowing the “achievement gap” by eliminating the achievers doesn’t help either the achievers or the rest of the students.

This is absurd. The students already have equality of opportunity. Just because some students don’t take advantage of that opportunity doesn’t mean that the opportunity should be denied to those students who do want to take advantage of it.

This is the kind of nonsense that happens when an organization tries to make everyone “equal.” Trying to make everyone “equal” always end up dragging everyone down to the lowest common denominator. When everyone is “equal,” no one is allowed to be smarter than the dumbest person.

The truth is that each person is a unique individual. When presented with a chance to take Advanced Placement classes, some students will take advantage of that opportunity, and others will not. The fact that some students choose to not take the AP classes is not a legitimate justification for cancelling them.

Let’s take a look at that third paragraph again:

The AP classes are open to all students, but because “minority” students don’t “show up” to these lab classes in the same percentage as the percentage of “minority” students attending Berkeley High overall, the classes must be cancelled to close the “dismal racial achievement gap.”

My gosh – that’s just about the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.

Let’s look at it a third time:

The AP classes are open to all students, but because “minority” students don’t “show up” to these lab classes in the same percentage as the percentage of “minority” students attending Berkeley High overall, the classes must be cancelled to close the “dismal racial achievement gap.”

The fact that there are people in the world who think that this is a good idea is sad.

The fact that people who subscribe to this ideology are in control of the public school system is terrifying.

[grundle]

The ideas are timeless.

[Aetius]

Well this will go along nicely with the attempts to equalize discipline handed out to students based on race, regardless of the fact that black students misbehave more often in school.

It’s one hell of a system we’ve got here.

[VRWCmember]

They seem to think that Harrison Bergeron was a documentary about what life should be like.

[bobo1]

thank you for your kindness. BTW, i do not watch very many movies, thank you.

perhaps the teachers should be authoritative enough to get the students in their seats within the first few minuets of class time.

Seemed to work when I was a student, otherwise we were punished.

Sorry about the thug stuff, throw them out of the class as they do not want to learn, it is a free country. if they do not want to learn, don’t let them inhibit those that do.

i will kindly ignore the rest of your post. evidently, you are happy with the status quo that you are so adamantly trying to support.

My position has always been, throw those out that refuse to learn, or do not want to, teach those that do AND IF THE TEACHERS REFUSE TO TEACH fire them. just like any other job in America.

Blessings to you.

Bobo

[bobo1]

Nah, sense i am up i will respond further. I am old school. teachers demanded respect and enforced it.

We knew that the teachers were in charge and they played a genuine good role in our lives, they wouldn’t have put up with the nonsense you mention, if u do u are a wus. give me a break.

r u so castrated that u cannot handle a bunch of young ones? whos’s to blame here! Do you hide your head down in shame and just give up?

u called me some names. i do not do that. I grew up with respect for others and have a Christian background. Your excuse is that a bunch of teenagers run over the top of you?

Then you yell at me and call me names ‘cuz you can’t handle the job u chose?

Give me a break. this isn’t even a serious conversation.

Blessings, bobo

[EinNYC]

Just keep smoking that fairy dust, BOBO.

The way things run now, if the teacher raises their voice, they are guilty of "VERBAL ABUSE" and will be brought up on charges. You can be as "authoritative" as you please, but it won't work if no one is listening.

I don't know when you were a student, but it must have been when there was a modicum of respect for adults, authority figures, etc. Maybe back when cars used leaded gas. Now--there is no respect whatsoever given to teachers by most students, a product of poor parenting. Requests for a cessation to talking are answered with (1) being utterly ignored or (2) being told to suck the students d__k. Even the principal gets no respect now if they walk into a room. YOU work with that. Haha.

You are as naive as I originally pointed out if you think that you can "throw out" anyone who doesn't want to learn. You cannot throw students out of your classroom unless you want to get written up. The student runs to the Deans' Office, which used to be a disciplinary office for them but has turned into a sanctuary where students are believed every time over teachers, and tells the deans that Mr. So and So "won't let them into class" or "threw them out of class". The dean comes to your door with the snickering student and tells you that you cannot toss a student out. The student comes back in, emboldened by the teacher's authority having just been destroyed by the dean, and acts out even more. And so do the rest of the kids, knowing the teacher will never be backed up and that there are no consequences for their lousy behavior. I was physically assaulted in my classroom this past year and had to stand on the deans to exact some punishment. Only after THREE WEEKS was the student thug (a girl!) suspended for a few days. And the captain of the football team told me to "put my lips on his pen__s and suck real hard". I was called into a meeting with the principal, the kid's father, the head of Security, and the Vice Principal, where I was told that I would give the student extra work (he had completed no work up to this point, well into the year) so that he could pass the class and get credit for it. At no point was any punishment TO HIM discussed. Only extra work for me.

You have NO idea what is going on in today's classrooms. So you'd really save yourself a lot of embarrassment by not trying to apply 1950s homilies to today's reality.

[LtKerst]

The Key Word Here is “Berkeley”
A Suburb Of Moscow...Occupied By Leftist Parasites for
60 Years.

I go there and Park My Mustang GT and let it Idle for an Hour or Two outside a Coffee House full of Marxist Rats.

[djone]

” It is the year 2081. Because of Amendments 211, 212, and 213 to the Constitution, every American is fully equal, meaning that no one is smarter, better-looking, stronger, or faster than anyone else. The Handicapper General and a team of agents ensure that the laws of equality are enforced.
The government forces citizens to wear “handicaps” (i.e. - a mask if they are too handsome or beautiful, earphones with deafening radio signals to make intelligent people unable to concentrate and form thoughts, and heavy weights to slow down the too strong or fast)....{Wiki} he got the year wrong....

[bobo1]

I am a very easy going guy. i do not smoke fairy dust. you are very angry in your posts, i am sorry that being a teacher has put you under that much stress.

however, what you are arguing against is the system put in place by the left wing idiots that control the educational system.

You cannot teach without respect, yes, when i grew up we respected our teachers, and our elders, that was a given. You are agreeing with me on a lot of things, when we were at class, we listened. we were supposed to learn. I feel for your position and i know how hard it is.

however, i still believe that the teacher should be able to throw the kids out that disrupt the classroom, inhibit other students from being successful.

The problems are the rules imposed on u by the GOVERNMENT.

yes, and there is poor parenting, i raised three little girls by myself when my first wife left me to “find herself”, that’s been 40 years ago and she still has not reached her goal.

i understand you position. but until people stand up and demand respect i would throw all the idiots under the bus and allow those that can succeed, that they will. sorry, i think we are on the same page on a lot of things,

i just believe that the rules are wrong, and those that refuse to be taught should be thrown out. and yea, when I grew up, we respected authority.

Funny now, i have little respect for authority when it comes to the government.

I feel for you, and understand where you are coming from. sorry if i have offended u. not my intention.

blessings, bobo

[Secret Agent Man]

The classic difference.

If’conservatives’ever talk about making everyone equal, they would plan to have everyone do better and prosper more.

Her the left liberals illustrate their plan to equalize things is to take down those doing well, to spread the misery around.

Mother effing liberals.

[catbertz]

My sympathies to you. Sounds like your schools are horrible these days. My six grader attends a catholic school where the teachers are still respected and wield some authority. They may earn less perhaps, but I think may find teaching more fulfilling still. Maybe you could finish your career peacefully in private or parochial education.

[BobbyT]

Nope, Asians are even less equal than whites in the “social justice” hierarchy.

Spread the failure.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

If the thought ever occurs to you to to attenuate the learning of anyone for the sake of “balance” or “fairness,” you are not an educator.

You have subordinated education to a different mission - and taking a paycheck as an educator is fraud.

[Unam Sanctam]

If anything, take remedial measures to increase young black academic performance. Don’t penalize the successful by ditching the program...

[muwarriors92]

After reading this article I think the Berkeley school board should be forced to read Harrison Bergeron, the short story by Kurt Vonnegut.

That’s where liberals want to take us. It’s a good read, and right on target.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Bergeron

[chiefqc]

Expected nothing less from the state of Calif.

[jazzlite]

...”Penalize the successful and you will only breed failure. But then I suppose they already know that. Failure may very well be the goal”...

Failure is the goal of the leftists who intend to dumb down this society so that a system of Lords and Serfs can return, which, of course, brings all of us into a condition of gross poverty, death and destruction.

[ronnie raygun]

Couple this with PAYING inner city kids to go to school and you have a winnning situation. EDUCATION CONTROLLED BY THE PC FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS A FAILURE.

[MayflowerMadam]

“Trying to make everyone equal always end up dragging everyone down to the lowest common denominator.”

That’s the precise logic I used with my boss (H.R. Director) when she accused me of not being a “team player” — which I’m definitely not. The worst member of the team drags everyone down to his level and I always hated that. And, due to god-forsaken diversity, an epic loser was always assigned to the team. My boss was not impressed or amused. Go figure.

[Captain Rhino]

I’ve heard a similar stories from a very smart lady collegue who lasted exactly one semester as a mathematics teacher in a Prince William County, VA public high school before deciding she was not going to put up with being disrespected by both the students and the administration.

My questions to you are these:

1) Did the vulgar captain of the football team (who was not doing any work) do extra work satisfactorily and pass the class?

2) After the assaultive girl was punished, were there further incidents and, if so, how did the school react to them then?

3) Is there a racial double standard involved in the school administration’s handling of these incidents?

4) And, finally, are you still teaching?

Thanks.