Interesting series of articles in the St. Pete Times the last couple of weeks about a liberal black journalist (Bill Maxwell) who decided to “give back” to his community, quit his job as a journalist, and teach at a black college. Boy was he surprised at how unprepared the kids were.
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/05/13/Opinion/I_had_a_dream.shtml
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/05/20/Opinion/A_dream_lay_dying.shtml
On the other hand, we homeschooled through 9th grade, “the kid” went to community college during high school years, earned his AA, transferred to University, and is graduating from college in December at the age of 19. He’s no genius, we just chose, not to do it the “traditional way”...which doesn’t seem to be working for a lot of kids. (P.S. the whole degree will have been tuition free...dual credit for AA, state merit scholarship for final two years.)
Maxwell’s article is quite sad.Stillman College sounds like a typical ghetto high school rather than a four year institution of higher learning.I have to think that at higher level colleges like Howard,Fisk and Morehouse that standards are much stricter.
Yet from my own experience in our school systems,these young black kids are being shorchanged by the system and then doing more damage by shortchanging themselves.Example-I’m on the Westside today about One O’Clock or so and see dozens of kids on the corner just “chopping it up”.Lunch officially ended 15 minutes earlier.Two security guards are sitting across the street having a smoke.No administrators are out there cajoling the kids back to class.Two weeks ago when I was over there students would walk in an out of class at will.Anytime during every period you would look out your door and see the hallway filled with small groups and individuals cutting class.
They would never let these antics go on at a white school.Black kids have to own up to their part in letting this nonsense continue.Yet where are the ADULTS who condone and enable this behavior?Are they THAT lax in doing their jobs?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
My kids aren’t geniuses either. They too were homeschooled to the 9th grade.
They entered community college at the ages of 13, 12, and 13. All finished all general college requirements and Calculus III by the age of 15. The two younger earned B.S. degrees in mathematics at the age of 18. The older of these two recently finished a masters degree in math at the age of 20.
The oldest took a different trajectory. He is a nationally and internationally ranked athlete. He has traveled worldwide. He attended a business college in the evening and majored in accounting. At the age of 19 he took off two years to assist our church in Eastern Europe and returned home fluent in Russian. He is again training in his sport and will finish his accounting degree at the same age as his contemporaries.
Again...my kids are **normal**!
It is institutionalized children ( especially those in government schools) who are artificially and wrongfully retarded in their educational and social development.
Uh..oh...I just criticized the government schools! There will be some nit wit teacher ( or parent who uses the schools) who will then claim that I have **personally** insulted them.
Awesome links - thank you so much.