CNNs Black in America w/ Soledad O'brien: July 19-27

[SummerChild]

IASK,
Yes, there is a problem in GA. I get on my bfriend's case all the time about whether teachers and administrators are doing their jobs...and why the kids are out of school so much. They are out roughly 2 weeks for winter break, 1 week for spring break, then there are at least 5-10 teacher in-service days per year when the kids are not in school, then the usual holidays during the school year. I think that they are out roughly 6 weeks - out of a 9 month year!!! Really, let's be honest, I don't think that the kids are even in school enough to learn what they are supposed to learn. Why are they out of school so much?

He explained that teachers need training days and those are the in-service days. I'm sorry, teachers can train after work or on the weekend, can't they? They are salaried so how come they can't put in a little extra time *after* the school day is over so that the kids won't have to miss another day of education. In any other occupation one is required to work a weekend here or there or an evening, why not with teachers? Why do the kids have to miss a day of education for teacher training. He and I disagree on this matter.

In the same vein, teachers are so poorly paid that it is a wonder that *any teachers* care about their jobs. It is ridiculous what they are paid. Then again, it may not be that bad if you divide the salary by 9 and then extrapolate it out to what teachers would be paid if they worked the 3 extra months. I don't know.

I definitely think that low expectations is a problem and children produce what they are expected to produce. My bfriend has very high expectations and accepts no excuses - from parents or the kids. He regularly goes to their houses to talk with the parents if the parents don't come out and talk with him at the parent conferences and the kids are not doing well or just not doing their homework...but his expectations are high for the kids. I hate to hear about kids placed in special ed unnecessarily or put on all kinds of medication for add, adhd, ahhdd, and everything else that kids are medicated for these days. Some of them just seem to need a good old fashioned butt whipping to clear up their attention and acting out issues.

Re acting out in class, he has explained to me that AA boys behave much differently from other boys, and even from AA girls. These differences in behavior are often seen as "bad" behavior. He said that they are just different ... and somewhat misunderstood. He teaches a number of AA boys and has his entire career. He said that he uses different techniques with them as compared to AA girls, for example. But he recognizes the differences...in part, because he was one of them. I wish there were more AA men in the classroom to work with AA boys. I think it would make a world of difference for some of the boys.

SC

Originally Posted by I.A.S.K.

First I apologize for the Nword. That is my error and thank you for correcting it. Also, the red was for distinction only. I appologize for that as well. My mind's color sensor was not on.

To clarify,

I did not mean to imply that all kids did not need mentors. Nor did I mean that the mentors needed to be black. Any mentor would be great. I think it would be awesome if young kids could get a mentor of another race who can open their minds to different cultures and ways of thinking. The world would be a much better place. I just meant that the black kids who weren't at the absolute top of the class did not get mentors. To be completely accurate all students who did not spend a lot of time in front of admins (for good or bad) were left out. I distinguished between advanced black kids and others because they did not get any extra attention. Almost every white (or other) kid who showed a little potential was tested for advanced classes, but most of the black kids were not. As it relates to CNN's duh moment that they called Black In America... In black women and the family part of it focused on the education of young black people. In this mediocre coverage of the black woman and the family the idea of mentorship was not explored directly and neither were many other things. The lapses of CNN sparked this discussion which is how my experiences came into play. They relate to CNN because they are the problems of the black woman and the family as well as the black man that were not covered, but could and should have been.



SummerChild,
I would have to agree with you about Georgia's public education system being one of the worst. It is very bad. I went to schools in other states and it was entirely different. CIB mentality was a part of it because of the way the shcool system was run then and still is now. CIB mentality is definitely at play when it comes to decision makers in the school system and the election of them. Also, the expectation was that students would not do well. I mean if your goal is to have less than half of your students pass the graduation exam (which was maybe a an increase of 2 or 3 percent from the last year [a total of 9 more students out of 300] ) then there is a serious expectation problem.

[I.A.S.K.]

Originally Posted by AKA_Monet

But the that's the thing in a "Gaussian Distribution" or a "Bell shaped curve". The dunces who act out will get the beat down mentors to save face--think of them like "pre probation officers"... LOL. And the super geniuses who "they" think can make them lots of money will get "coaches" and "counselors"--think of them like Guantanamo Bay interrogators.

I was LOL at "pre-probation" officers" until I realized that many of the peeps I knew who were "bad" and had mentors also went on to have real probation officers. Food for thought I guess.

So, know that your past formed you to who you are today and you have learned to question (which is a good thing, in some cases). But, you also have to search for your own answered by asking direct questions that can be tested by a process, rather than using "circular logic".
I Can Digg It.

Originally Posted by SummerChild

IASK,
They are out roughly 2 weeks for winter break, 1 week for spring break, then there are at least 5-10 teacher in-service days per year when the kids are not in school, then the usual holidays during the school year. I think that they are out roughly 6 weeks - out of a 9 month year!!! Really, let's be honest, I don't think that the kids are even in school enough to learn what they are supposed to learn. Why are they out of school so much?
When I was in school I would pray for teacher work days! LOL. And if there was a 5% chance of snow I just knew we wouldn't have school the next day. LOL. I know for a fact that it is just not possible for teachers to actually teach a subject in the amount of time they are given. Most teachers teach what is on the test and whatever else they can squeeze in. Macro Econ can not be understood in that little time.
He explained that teachers need training days and those are the in-service days. I'm sorry, teachers can train after work or on the weekend, can't they?
I'm at a job training (that I am completely LOVING! 2 whole weeks in NYC!) now and my job does not start until I get back on campus. They're taking a days off from their jobs to learn how to do their jobs. I know summer break is not all that long, but between summer break and winter break and spring break and weekends you'd think they'd be able to fit in 10 days of training, but I guess not.

In the same vein, teachers are so poorly paid that it is a wonder that *any teachers* care about their jobs.
Yea.
The words extrapolate and disseminate crack me up. Every time I see them I laugh because of a teacher I had who used them all of the time. He was the funniest thing. He was definitely Tangy. He got a student suspended because the kid asked if he was married and then when he answered yes the kid's follow-up question was "To a man or a woman?"

Re acting out in class, he has explained to me that AA boys behave much differently from other boys, and even from AA girls.
SC

Speaking of boys being different form girls... I have always wondered how much of a difference it makes to go to gender specific schools.

[knight_shadow]

*bump*

Did anyone watch Black in America 2? I have it DVR'd but haven't watched yet. Trying to see what to expect.

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2009/black.in.america/

[Penguin08]

I watched the on last night, "Leaders of Tommorow" and it was pretty inspiring to see so many young people doing productive things.

[deepimpact2]

Originally Posted by SummerChild

IASK,
Yes, there is a problem in GA. I get on my bfriend's case all the time about whether teachers and administrators are doing their jobs...and why the kids are out of school so much. They are out roughly 2 weeks for winter break, 1 week for spring break, then there are at least 5-10 teacher in-service days per year when the kids are not in school, then the usual holidays during the school year. I think that they are out roughly 6 weeks - out of a 9 month year!!! Really, let's be honest, I don't think that the kids are even in school enough to learn what they are supposed to learn. Why are they out of school so much?

He explained that teachers need training days and those are the in-service days. I'm sorry, teachers can train after work or on the weekend, can't they? They are salaried so how come they can't put in a little extra time *after* the school day is over so that the kids won't have to miss another day of education. In any other occupation one is required to work a weekend here or there or an evening, why not with teachers? Why do the kids have to miss a day of education for teacher training. He and I disagree on this matter.

In the same vein, teachers are so poorly paid that it is a wonder that *any teachers* care about their jobs. It is ridiculous what they are paid. Then again, it may not be that bad if you divide the salary by 9 and then extrapolate it out to what teachers would be paid if they worked the 3 extra months. I don't know.

I definitely think that low expectations is a problem and children produce what they are expected to produce. My bfriend has very high expectations and accepts no excuses - from parents or the kids. He regularly goes to their houses to talk with the parents if the parents don't come out and talk with him at the parent conferences and the kids are not doing well or just not doing their homework...but his expectations are high for the kids. I hate to hear about kids placed in special ed unnecessarily or put on all kinds of medication for add, adhd, ahhdd, and everything else that kids are medicated for these days. Some of them just seem to need a good old fashioned butt whipping to clear up their attention and acting out issues.

Re acting out in class, he has explained to me that AA boys behave much differently from other boys, and even from AA girls. These differences in behavior are often seen as "bad" behavior. He said that they are just different ... and somewhat misunderstood. He teaches a number of AA boys and has his entire career. He said that he uses different techniques with them as compared to AA girls, for example. But he recognizes the differences...in part, because he was one of them. I wish there were more AA men in the classroom to work with AA boys. I think it would make a world of difference for some of the boys.

SC

I totally agree with what you said about teacher being paid so poorly. Besides being paid poorly, all too often they are expected to buy classroom supplies out of their own personal funds because the school can't/won't provide them. Many of the people in education now really DON'T care about the children because they feel they don't get paid enough TO care. Whether that is right or wrong, you can't blame teachers for being annoyed about how poorly they are paid.

However, I have to disagree about the children being out of school too much. They really do need those breaks so they don't get burned out during the year. I know in particular at my old high school the stretch between February and June was pretty rough and had it not been for spring break, I don't know what we would have done.

[Little32]

Am I alone in not having watched any of these?

[Steeltrap]

Originally Posted by Little32

Am I alone in not having watched any of these?

Not alone. There have been parts of it that do interest me (the segments on black elite). But for some reason, I'm just fearful of being sucked into "black people 101" type situations if I say I've watched it at work.

[deepimpact2]

Originally Posted by Little32

Am I alone in not having watched any of these?

Nope. I have not watched any of them. Someone threatened to take my "black card" last week when they found out I didn't watch them.

[Little32]

Originally Posted by deepimpact2

Nope. I have not watched any of them. Someone threatened to take my "black card" last week when they found out I didn't watch them.

Lol. And that is just it. I don't know what CNN is going to tell me about being black in America. :neutral:

[knight_shadow]

Bumpity bump.

This popped up on my T_witter. They're showing "Black In America: Almight Debt." Here are the upcoming times:

CNN Thu, Oct 21 9:00 PM
CNN Fri, Oct 22 12:00 AM
CNN Fri, Oct 22 3:00 AM
CNN Sat, Oct 23 8:00 PM
CNN Sat, Oct 23 11:00 PM

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2009/bla...iref=allsearch

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

Bumpity bump.

This popped up on my T_witter. They're showing "Black In America: Almight Debt." Here are the upcoming times:

CNN Thu, Oct 21 9:00 PM
CNN Fri, Oct 22 12:00 AM
CNN Fri, Oct 22 3:00 AM
CNN Sat, Oct 23 8:00 PM
CNN Sat, Oct 23 11:00 PM

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2009/bla...iref=allsearch

Thanks for giving me a chance to vent.

I might not watch this show because the commercials that aire on CNN are annoying. O'Brien asks "is debt a bigger problem than racism?" Seriously, CNN, is that what every topic involving Black people boils down to? The simplistic question of "how does this compare to racism?" One of the clips for the commercial (I'm sure they edited it to grab our attention for the commercial) responds to O'Brien's question with "racism does not stop Black folks from saving money." Ummm...duh...but the income gap that keeps Americans living paycheck to paycheck is highly correlated with race and therefore not divorced from the structure of race and class inequalities in this country. And the average American (the average American is also white) lives paycheck to paycheck while Blacks disproportionately live paycheck to paycheck. This capitalistic society perpetuates lower wage labor and high consumerism.

Going against that cycle requires a different type of socialization that the average American is not accustomed to and that's especially the case for racial and ethnic minorities. I always tell Black folks to put even $20 in their savings (or the "savings stash" at the crib) if they can. That's better than zero savings and those who can't save $20 "better be" spending that last $20 on an absolute necessity rather than a meal at McDonalds or a bottle of Cognac (yuck @ brandy).

And, no, being a broke ass college student/graduate student/young professional is not the same as being a broke ass Black person who is entrenched in poverty without the educational and networking outlets to potentially rise the socioeconomic ladder.

Here are other commercials/previews that are a bit different than the ones that I have seen on CNN:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsY49Rd7Q14
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2i4UrRgXRI

[knight_shadow]

I hadn't seen the commercials, but I just watched the links you posted. It looks like that was purely for shock value. The previous shows were put together well, so I'll likely give this one a chance.

I don't know how I feel about the religious angle, though. I wish they would have contacted a black economist or something (perhaps they did and just aren't showing it in the previews).

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

I hadn't seen the commercials, but I just watched the links you posted. It looks like that was purely for shock value. The previous shows were put together well, so I'll likely give this one a chance.

I don't know how I feel about the religious angle, though. I wish they would have contacted a black economist or something (perhaps they did and just aren't showing it in the previews).

It was definitely shock value. LOL. "Black in America: The Almighty Debt" is attention grabbing enough.

The religious angle is an attempt to address the institutions that are most prevalent in the Black community, in general. I think they also interviewed a Black economist (or some equivalent) and he may have been the person whose clip they used in response to "is debt a bigger problem than racism."

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

It was definitely shock value. LOL. "Black in America: The Almighty Debt" is attention grabbing enough.

The religious angle is an attempt to address the institutions that are most prevalent in the Black community, in general. I think they also interviewed a Black economist (or some equivalent) and he may have been the person whose clip they used in response to "is debt a bigger problem than racism."

According to the clip, it was Rev. Dr. DeForest B. Soaries who said that.

ETA: His Wikipedia page. Nothing on his "wiki-resume" is economics-related. It pretty much focuses on his ministry.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

According to the clip, it was Rev. Dr. DeForest B. Soaries who said that.

ETA: His Wikipedia page. Nothing on his "wiki-resume" is economics-related. It pretty much focuses on his ministry.

See...I've been hoodwinked and bamboozled thinking it was a financial professional and not a reverend. Go on somewhere, CNN.