discriminating against kids.

A few weeks ago a colleague of mine who teaches at Digital Harbor sent me an interesting article that was written in the Baltimore Sun on February 19th about the school climate. We all know that Baltimore city is going through a restructuring progress especially in the downtown area. It seems to me that the people who live in the area of Digital Harbor do not want the school there, especially while it serves to bring poor Black students from across the city into the affluent neighborhood with its white residents. Even though the school has great things going on inside the building, i see a great potential of those wealthy tax payers finding a way to get rid of the school, so that these children are no longer in the neighborhood. I find it really aggravating when children are being discriminated against. Now of course, if there are trouble makers who are disturbing innocent people, they need to be punished accordingly, but do not blaspheme the name of the who school with slander for the crimes of a few. Digital Harbor is one of the better funded and academically challenging schools in Baltimore City, and the children of this city who desire to learn at that institution should have to privilege of doing so, without the neighborhood looking down on them. It is the same division of class that we are used to seeing. These kids are being labeled and stereotyped and it is disgusting. Just because you see a kid in Khaki pants... how do they know these kids are not from another school. Place the blame where it belongs, but what kind of message is being sent to these kids? those rich, white people do not want those poor Black children in their neighborhood. I think any situation that arises around that school will get blown out of proportion to make the school look bad. For example, in the article one of the neighborhood residents said that the kids approach neighbors in "a threatening way." Just because some clueless white man is scared of a child, does not necessarily make the child a threat. i say if a teen is bothering you, call the police or handle it, but to place the blame on the school is absurd, and it is a tactic to keep the outsiders out of the neighborhood. These children are not stupid, they know when they are being discriminated against. Of course the children need to be taught some maturity and discipline, but shouldn't the neighbors try to help instead of just pointing fingers. Mark my words, i do believe that after enough incidents and complaints, digital harbor will get moved to another cite or completely shut down.

Here is a link to the article from the Sun:
Tensions simmer over school in Federal Hill: Incidents put residents, Digital Harbor students at odds, dredging up suspicions of disrespect, racism

Grades and Accountability

Recently, I was looking back at an article from education magazine that describes the experiences of a history teacher in Washington D.C. In the article, the teacher describes how she discovered her school was changing the grades of students and making up classes in order to make sure students graduate. In the article, she discusses how after failing a student, she was shocked to see her walk at graduation. Shortly after, she began an investigation into the practices of her school. She surveyed her fellow teachers about student failures and checked the school's records to see if they were different. They were. Upon closer inspection, she discovered that school adminsitrators had been creating classes to ensure students earned enough credits to graduate. After bringing this up with the school and alerting the media, this teacher, who taught AP World History, was demoted and despite all the attention this issue recieved, it was still going on.I'm bringing up this article, because as we all know, this is also a serious issue in Baltimore that needs to be addressed. Especially in this current climate, administrators and teachers are under enormous pressure to make sure our students graduate. This has become an issue as it undermines the value of our students' diploma. Last year, I experienced this pressure first hand when one of my students, who was a junior credit-wise, was quickly changed into a senior 3 days before graduation after he completed an online course. This student had been failing my class and had not taken the final exam. I was told by my adminsitrator, the Friday before graduation, that I needed to make sure that this student passed my class, so he could walk. I know I'm not the only one who finds such situations frustrating. It is extremely hard to get students to "buy" into school when they know that the school when they see older siblings/friends get passed along. You have to question, what is a diploma worth when one does not have to master the knowledge it takes to achieve one?Schools, however, continue to practice such policies when it comes to graduation. Right now, BCPSS and individual schools within the system are on the hot seat, because of low graduation rates as well as failure to meet AYP. Schools feel they need to graduate students, so they can keep funding or so that the school will look better. This is a great misuse of accountability. The graduation rates and test scores are tools meant to gauge how well schools are preparing their students, but because so much depends on them, they are viewed as obstacles that need to be hidden and not dealt with. There needs to be an attitude change within the system to get things back on track. Right now, BCPSS is in "cover-your-ass" mode, which I feel is inhibiting a lot of the progress that could be going on. There is distrust and a sense of panic almost as BCPSS justifies its actions to the Maryland State Department of Education. This inhibits quality communication between the two and encourages BCPSS' random and panicky actions to create quick fixes for its problems.I believe that if BCPSS and indivual adminsitrators looked at the real data coming from their schools and not try to hide it behind made up numbers or guesstimations that they would be in a better position to tackle the problems of low graduation rates and test scores. Students of Baltimore City should have their school system support their education, not hinder it. They deserve to have diplomas that mean just as much as other school systems'.

Sex in our schools??

Though the topic may sound mundane to many of my fellow teachers, who walk out of their classrooms and see their students’ sexuality exert itself in forms inappropriate for the hallway, it is also a hot button issue that does not necessarily resonate with other educators, administrators and/or parents involved in the Baltimore City School System. For me, hearing about two children (ages 14 & 15) having sex in the Social Studies bookroom was really a catalyst exploring the expectations we set and the education we provide for our students. When you think about it, it’s a more generic issue—hearing the word “gay” or the word “fag” thrown around as an insult, is likely something most middle and high school teachers in Baltimore City have encountered at some point. This is exactly the lack of education my students represent on a daily basis—although they can be astute and intellectual in the classroom, they change personalities when they encounter something that is not part of their cultural existence thus far.

In response to the portrayed ignorance, my question is-- do we provide adequate education on the issues related to sex and sexuality? Recently, I read an article about revising the sexual education curriculum in Montgomery County to update it so it represents the changing times. Proponents want to have a select group of eighth-graders learn definitions for "homosexual" and "sexual identity," while the high-schoolers will watch a condom demonstration video, talk about anti-gay prejudice, and read and discuss the personal stories of people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender.

In my opinion, addressing the issues of sex, sexuality and prejudice through education opens the community to communication that would otherwise be deficient. Most of my students have been raised to be extremely religious, sometimes in places where the existence of differences in sexuality is not even acknowledged. I feel that as an educational system, we need to be holistic in the education of our children—informing them about how to be safe and allowing them to develop at an appropriate rate. For me, this also stems from having 9 of the 36 girls I taught during my first semester teaching become pregnant at one point or another during the school year last year.

Teen pregnancy is a huge issue we are faced with in urban (and rural) school systems. Moreover, the lack of respect demonstrated in the hallways—the groping, the language and the heightened sexual aggression show me that there is a larger cultural problem that needs to be addressed and, in my opinion, school is the appropriate place to tackle these issues.

Opponents claim that increased sexual education opens a cultural Pandora’s box, leading to changing students’ sexual orientation from “straight” to “gay,” through conversation. According to the article, opponents also claim “that material about ex-gays should be included… [and] would prefer the topic of sexual orientation be stripped from lessons altogether.” I think that the idea of introducing sexual orientation and having the discussion addressing prejudices actually helps teachers address the need for tolerance and understanding between students.

Bottom line: my kids need to learn about sex and sexuality through education, before they learn about it through experience, in order to be safe and tolerant.

Commentary on the BCPSS School Board

On February 27, 2007, I attended my first BCPSS School Board Meeting. Upon arriving at 6:00 pm I was surprised to find no vacant seats and a group of over forty people assembling outside the conference room to watch the proceedings on a small television screen. The reason for the abnormally large turnout was that the board was scheduled to decide whether or not to close several middle schools (including Lombard, Canton, and Hamilton), and whether or not to consolidate other schools (including Augusta Fells Savage and Harlem Park). Not surprisingly, parents, students, teachers, and concerned community members showed up in droves to voice opposition.

Prior to attending this meeting, my opinion of the BCPSS School Board was rather unenthusiastic. I, like many people who are frustrated with city schools, tended to blame the board for many of the problems that plague our beloved schools. Specifically, I echoed popular sentiments questioning how the board could possibly consider closing and consolidating schools when large class sizes are at the heart of many of our school’s problems.

Attending this meeting changed my opinion of the board. Now don’t get me wrong; I’m not suggesting that the board is flawless and should be without criticism or blame. All I’m saying is that the board is not the evil empire it is often portrayed to be and it should not be made the scapegoat for all of the problems in city schools. Watching the meeting gave me a much greater appreciation for the daunting challenges the board is up against and watching individual members respond to harsh public criticism with respect, humility, and sincerity gave me a much greater sense of respect for the board’s efforts. The fact that the board is made up of volunteers only deepens my admiration for its difficult, often thankless, work.

Although the public should continue to keep a close eye on the school board and offer feedback when appropriate, every one of us involved in the success and failure of Baltimore City schools should share the burden of turning our floundering system around. Pointing fingers without sharing the blame and responsibility will only perpetuate the problems.

Please read the minutes from the aforementioned school board meeting at: http://www.bcps.k12.md.us/School_Board/index.asp