Most of them are not markedly disadvantaged as far as I can tell. They have new, brand name clothes. They have expensive smart phones and other iToys. They are provided free breakfast and lunch (most of them reject it; they get better food at home or buy chips from the student store.) They sometimes pull out wads of cash right in front of me. They are on the football team, the soccer team, they go on field trips. Their parents pick them up and drop them off in shiny, massive SUVs.
It's the culture. I'm sorry, but the majority of Central American culture (or at least the version of it that has developed in LA is simply: Take it Easy. A joke is better than a question. Never do anything if you can avoid it. They hate mental and physical exertion (unless it's a sport) more than just about anything. If it's hard, ey, don't do it. Let someone else do it.
South Americans, from what I can tell, are totally different, but Central? Man, if they get to school on time it's an accomplishment. And they need to take a day off at least once every two weeks because, man, school is tiring! Especially if you're overweight. Carrying all those books! They don't even want to open their backpacks. They carry them in, hang them on the chair, sit down, take out their phones, and seem surprised when I make them take off their hat, put the phone away, open the backpack and take out their notebook.
They are surprised every single time. We have been going through this every day since last August. They still look surprised when I tell them we are going to read and write today in English class. What they want is to just see the movie. Let's just watch the movie, Miss. Let's just eat chips and watch the movie. While I play on my phone.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why we have an achievement gap. Now, is every single student like this? No. I have one Honors class where they apparently found the 10% of students who will work hard and the 20% who will at least cooperate, and they put them together, and that class is the joy of my day. But the rest? Oy.
oh yeah, and genes. #whitegenesmatter
To A Perfect: I’ll second that. I taught in publics, then homeschooled, now tutoring 1:1. For a while I volunteered in a Middle School + High School, bringing in speakers to talk about their careers, etc. I was looking to see if I wanted to get back into the classroom. NO WAY. The kids were just like what you are saying. Slap-dash, could have cared less. Messing around, NOT serious. I never got more than 6 kids to my speakers’ program. It confirmed in me everything I had suspected in my 20s. I would not go back to the publics for love nor money. Oh, yes, also here in So Cal. It’s not advantage, it’s just sloth. There are great civilizations but not south of the border/ that’s what I think. And not in Africa, may I say.