How I Joined Teach for America — and Got Sued for $20 Million

City Journal Vol. 13, No. 1 ^ | Winter 2003 | Joshua Kaplowitz

[BlueOneGolf]

Sooner or later these inner city school teachers are going to learn to put video surveillance equipment in their own classrooms. Surely they are begging to have some kind of record of actual events to refute the lies that will be told about them in court.

[FreePaul]

Cut the poor guy some slack.

I will as soon as I see him actively working to stop this foolishness. He seems willing to take on noble causes. He can really make a difference if he can help stop the public school scam that has been sold to the people in this country.

[Poohbah]

On a more positive note, my source in an urban school district tells me that many of the immigrants from Africa in his district are quite a different story. The first time he called in the parents of one of these students to deal with a disciplinary problem, two things really stood out: 1) Both parents showed up, and 2) The father demanded to know why his son had not been severely beaten by the teacher for acting up in the classroom.

It's not uncommon for Somali immigrant parents to admonish their children "you'd better not act like the n***ers."

[SaveTheChief]

General comment:

Anyone who believes that this and similar horror stories apply only to the toughest inner city schools better take a look around. The leftist education system has done away with the policy of teaching fundamental cognitive skills to America's youth and implemented a policy of "everyone is equal." Such a policy invites chaos into classrooms by allowing children with cognitive, mental, or emotional problems to be grouped with more capable students. Many of these students have no problem with doing everything they can to disrupt the learning process on a daily basis, and teachers have been rendered helpless to deal with the situation.

Even in suburban schools, a disciplined, healthy learning environment is becoming a thing of the past, as teachers are strongarmed into giving passing grades for the most disruptive and neglegent students.

Unless there is a NATIONAL movement to get back to preparing children to succeed in life, by demanding they have sufficient skills in mathmatics, reading, writing, science, history and civics, this problem will continue to exist. This includes taking care of children who cause disruptions in the learning environment. Such a movement will not begin with teachers unions or government agencies. Ultimately, it is the parent's responsibility to see this through, and it is the responsibility of parents to care for, nurture, and demand the most out of their children.

Society needs to wake up.

[Poohbah]

Districts are already doing this. Wait until the first kid gets hauled off to prison because of the tape--video cameras will suddenly be racist.

[M0sby]

I used to work with a man from South America.
He was a professional something or other but was working in our district as an teacher's aid while he went to school here
.Anyway, people kept calling him "AFRICAN AMERICAN". Drove him crazy! He kept saying he was just black!

[1L]

Sooner or later these inner city school teachers are going to learn to put video surveillance equipment in their own classrooms.

Are you kidding? It'll be gone in minutes.

This article should be rewritten with the narrative here in quotes. One can editorialize between the quotes to make the point clear.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/924392/posts

Teacher beaten at an alternative school.

[rmvh]

It is pathetic but true that most liberals (being manipulated and used by their socialistic leaders) believe the amusing absurdity that All people are created equal...mentally and physically.

As the result, now that we have quotas instead of intellectual measurment as the means of human selectivity, solid education in America has been all but destroyed....

Now, people with an IQ of 80 can become Ph'ds and rise in various circles....All except for the hard sciences (such as Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry etc) where intellectual capacity cannot be faked and is open for all to see....(e.g..brilliant English exam. Tyrone!...A-plus)

[rmvh]

It is pathetic but true that most liberals (being manipulated and used by their socialistic leaders) believe the amusing absurdity that All people are created equal...mentally and physically.

As the result, now that we have quotas instead of intellectual measurment as the means of human selectivity, solid education in America has been all but destroyed....

Now, people with an IQ of 80 can become Ph'ds and rise in various circles....All except for the hard sciences (such as Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry etc) where intellectual capacity cannot be faked and is open for all to see....(e.g..brilliant English exam. Tyrone!...A-plus)

[IrishBrigade]

Trouble is, the parents, the very ones who hold the power in the palms of their hands to stop all of this nonsense before it even begins, are instead very much the root of the sickness...and it doesn't take but a handful of them to completely degrade the system from its intended course. And of course that begs the question, is there even a way to fix that, under any social construct? After all, without sufficient provocation, we can't raise their children for them...

[Alberta's Child]

I saw that thread, too. Perfect timing, huh?

[m18436572]

"All except for the hard sciences (such as Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry etc) where intellectual capacity cannot be faked and is open for all to see... Nice try, but in reality, it's a free for all. All professions have crumbled to the PC crowd.

[Jason_b]

Public education is a monopoly. Ours is working about as well as the old Soviet factories where everyone showed up, was paid, but no one worked. Our public education system should be defunded, taxes returned to taxpayers and they should not to be taxed for this purpose again, assets sold at auction, teachers fired, and allow the free market to provide education as it provides most other things.

[mathluv]

bookmark for later

[centurion316]

ping

[Stopislamnow]

I read this story last summer, one of the conservative bloggers had it, WND I think, it's pretty old, but still relevant.

[Rodney King]

ROFL to your post #3. I went to Columbia, and you wouldn't beleive how many of my classmates wanted to do stupid crap like this. Of course, I never cared to follow up how things turned out. Anyway, this schmo, i'll bet still votes Democratic and thinks the teachers union is great.

[Alberta's Child]

LOL. Maybe his eyes will eventually open.