I was thinking a while ago about this. Our NSF group got an email about an elementary school in the area that did not have grades up to par. I’ve heard this story many times over. I went to a middle school like that. They blame the teachers, the programs, the tests being too bard, anything but the kids. Especially when the kids are a general minority in the overall nation (majority in school)- then they immediately assume they are getting poorer education.
Fact is, you are only as strong as your weakest link. A lot of the students come from poor families and a culture that does not uphold education as important. I am sick of hearing of schools getting a beating and being forced to make their classes and tests easier because there are a bunch of puerto-ricans who aren’t doing well. They don’t take into consideration that they don’t actually care about school work possibly because of the bad neighborhood they live in and the previously mentioned culture.
In my middle school my Civics teacher never taught class because the students would yell so loudly the whole time that even if he yelled at the top of his lungs nobody listened. If the principle came it was okay…for an hour…or a half an hour…but they couldn’t happen all the time. I am not blaming minorities especially since I am well aware that in my middle school everyone was to blame…except me and my one friend who sat quietly up front.
But I do not think that miniorities should get education exceptions that other students don’t get. Doing that makes it as though you believe their genetics influence their intelligence- and that is prejudice. According to stereotypical stereotyping Asians are smarter than Europeans who are smarter than African Americans who are smarter than…etc. A mere cultural investigation can explain this. Even if there is a genetic debate I don’t think that should increase or decrease the opportunities that students have or lower the bar. I’ve seen really smart African Americans and really dumb Asians (and vice versa) but if you look at their families they’re really different than the stereotype.
Hence I am very against schools lowering the bar and degrading their education because the students don’t care about school. If they don’t care enough to try to pass class then they don’t deserve to pass their grade. This goes for anyone but I mentioned minorities because in the article I read it specifically pointed them out as though it was a handicap that needed to be considered.
I am one of those people who don’t feel like we need to take serious consideration to prejudice. They say that women are paid less than men for instance- I am female and I don’t feel like this is realistic. I haven’t experienced it certainly. And it seems like minorities are a lot more racist than the majority now. They’re the only ones I’ve seen use the words “nigger” or “cracker” and other words that are supposedly racist but I don’t know what they mean. My grandparents act racist but there is no reason for anyone younger to, including people who are considered minority. If it’s a big deal for a white person to say racial slurs then why isn’t as bad if a black person says racial slurs? I don’t really get offended by being called ‘cracker’ and it doesn’t ever occur to me to use the words myself but the whole ordeal doesn’t seem fair to anybody. I don’t think people should take steps to pay me more than guys just as much as I don’t think colleges should be like OMG it’s a female, ACCEPTED (like they are at WPI) or OMG it’s a minority, we can ignore his racial slurs and it’s not his fault that he failed his class!
Not everything is a conspiracy…
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7 comments:
OMG, racist! =P
-veg
very funny
i am only against retardation =P
asians aren't smarter. they are just raised better (well the traditional parents that is). kinda make you mad when you think about affirmative actions. and aren't asians a minority?? but they aren't considered minority in part of education, hence there’s no scholarship especially for asians to help those that need finacial aid!
no?! really?!
...and affirmative action isn't in place to help minorities just because they are minorities...
-veg
the first def in dictionary.com says so
i think affirmative action is racist in itself because that is what it is based on
"A lot of the students come from poor families and a culture that does not uphold education as important."
Not really true. If anything, the poor in the United States value education more than people of better wealth. The poor see education as a way out of poverty for their children.
Those in poverty simply lack the means to provide a good foundation for their children: daycare, pre-K education, books, access to computers and educational television and games. There is a severe learning gap by grade 3 because of the gap between the middle class and those in poverty.
I disagree with teaching to the lowest student, but I agree with reforming the way students are taught. Something needs to be changed in the system on the elementary level. Once we can close the gap on that level, we can start fixing it at higher levels.
I just recently wrote a policy paper on elementary education for those in poverty and the learning gap. There's a lot of facts out there for programs that are working, unfortunately most of them require proper funding to impliment during their opening years. Since schools are primarily funded by local and state governments (federal provides roughly less than 8% of funding for public schools), and poor local governments can't support a change, not many areas are even getting a chance to succeed.
"They say that women are paid less than men for instance- I am female and I don’t feel like this is realistic."
You might want to look at some statistics about this. If I can find a graph I saw during my poverty studies, you will see a large difference in salaries of men and women. On the CEO level, women make on average around 65% of the amount men in the same position make.
"This goes for anyone but I mentioned minorities because in the article I read it specifically pointed them out as though it was a handicap that needed to be considered."
The reason they point out minorities is because studies like this show that a higher percentage of low-performing schools have a majority of minorities.
-Nicole
Women & Men CEO Salaries
It looks like it has gone to something like CEO women make 72% of the range of money vs. men.
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