Signifyin–
The only thing more disconcerting than the narrative of an African American Baltimore high school senior at the top half of his class with a 0.013 (-F) GPA, was that so many people are surprised by the chronicle.
Or that the boy’s mother was unaware her ‘child’ would not graduate this summer but instead be sent back to 9th grade.
Or, maybe that the government school system never intervened but, instead, disingenuously promoted him even though he failed all but three classes in four years.
Obviously, the ‘educracy’ paid little attention to outcome-based production since they are a monopoly, and many of those entrusted to educate our children have low expectations and assume nothing will happen to them since the victims are ‘po’ ghetto pawns,’ anyway.
What difference does it make that he can’t read, write, add or conceptualize a future in poverty, prison, or purgatory?
Nonetheless, the fact that the young man had been listed as tardy or absent nearly 300 times attests to his lack of motivation and self-esteem.
It also puts into play the theory that his mother wasn’t involved in the educational process. If she was, she would have interceded at the first sign of trouble.
In case you’ve been hiding under a government school textbook, intoxicated by the educracy’s and teacher union excuses, or merely apathetic to the system of educational apartheid in America today, the unnamed son of Tiffany France has been the subject of hundreds of stories, talk shows, and African American church sermons since his sojourn was revealed last week.
But, the only consensus among the varied critics and radio revolutionaries was that this young brother is the plausible template for a new course focusing on Carter G. Woodson’s under-appreciated masterpiece, ‘The Miseducation of the Negro.’
This dark drama (no pun intended) plays out as follows:
The 17-year-old manchild (maybe ‘student’ isn’t appropriate) has been attending Baltimore’s Augusta Fells Avenue Institute of Visual Arts for four years, passing only three courses, and those with a ‘D,’ meaning a half step above failure.
During that wasted time, he has amassed a grade point average of 0.013, which is amazing in itself, but all the more shocking because he is in the upper third of his class, meaning most students are worse off than he is.
According to reports, his mother only recently found that he was being demoted back to ninth grade.
In one interview, Ms. Frances, who holds three jobs to support her family, said she was under the misconception that her oldest son was doing well in school since he was promoted each school year.
As an example, she noted that even though he failed introductory Spanish, Algebra, and English, he was advanced to the next level in those subjects.
She apparently didn’t know that he couldn’t add, speak any Spanish besides ‘taco,’ and couldn’t read well enough to realize he couldn’t read.
None of this should imply I’m placing all of the blame for that tragedy on his shoulders.
The school administration (which couldn’t come up with a plausible explanation for the child’s failure) said Frances had been notified repeatedly over the last four years of her son’s progress—or lack thereof.
She, however, rejected that claim.
It should also be noted that within a few hours of the initial news story–which later expanded to include thousands of similar failures–the school administration and teachers’ union issued statements blaming the failures on the lack of resources—including higher salaries for themselves.
Apparently, the $17,000 average allocation for each student is not enough.
In comparison, Milwaukee government school students receive slightly more than $14,000 per student. Local non-instrumentality charters receive about $10,000 and outperform all public schools.
It should also be noted that as a tearful and angry Frances was lambasting the school administration during one of several interviews, the Baltimore Fox45 camera crew showed her son in the background— apparently playing video games.
Local media’s efforts to elicit a comment from a Baltimore superintendent was unsuccessful. The superintendent refused to be quoted and instead provided a two-page letter to explain what ‘should’ have happened.
The news station did interview one school administrator (who I assume was African American although he appeared in silhouette with his voice altered) who said he was ‘frustrated’
not just at the Frances child scenario, but the general lack of empathy toward all minority students.
What was most telling about his interview was his refusal to be shown on camera. He said he was ‘fearful’ of ramifications if he was identified. Fearful of speaking the truth? From whom?
The concerned educator went on to say the Frances child was not an isolated case.
He also noted that while various intervention programs are in place, they are rarely utilized for reasons he can’t explain.
“I get angry; there’s nothing but frustration,” he said. “The murder and poverty rate in Baltimore… things like this add to this (paradigm).
He said if given an opportunity, “I would apologize and hug (the parent).”
Unfortunately, neither a hug nor an apology will do anything to remedy this situation or that of the thousands—millions—of Black children in urban schools across the country.
Said the boy’s frustrated mother, “I tell (him) you have to be strong and keep fighting… But, where do you turn when the people who are supposed to help you aren’t?”
According to reports, the mother has enrolled her son in a new school where he ‘may’ be able to graduate in a couple of years if he masters the failed courses.
Frances said he didn’t fail; the school failed him. She’s partly correct, since I believe blame should be attached to three entities.
The list starts with the educracy and teacher’s union, but it doesn’t end there.
You have to be crippled by stupidity or poisoned by political rhetoric from our friends, the Democrats, not to see that there continues to be a system of educational apartheid in America.
In fact, look over your shoulder.
There is a reason why alumni, community activists, and a few Black elected officials like Russell Stamper want to take over North Division High School, an institution that decades ago was the epicenter of Black success.
The Frances manchild would fit right at home there, where you can count on a couple of hands the number of students proficient in math, reading, or science.
North is listed as the worst performing high school in the entire state! Consider this: Of the class of 2017-18, only 10 graduates were accepted into two or four-year colleges. Six attended, all of whom had to take a full year of remedial education classes, including the valedictorian and salutatorian.
I mention the North Division situation because it’s the most obvious illustration of educational apartheid in this city and why the walls extend to Baltimore.
Indeed, North is not an aberration. Milwaukee hosts the lowest percentage of Black fourth and eighth grade children proficient in reading in the entire United States!
Yet our efforts to convert North into a community-controlled school—with an autonomous board consisting of educational experts and other stakeholders would run it—was met not only with resistance, but attacks by MPS board directors and the MTEA.
Both have been emboldened by some in the civil rights community and Democratic Party which have fought to keep failing children in the system, instead of offering them educational options that could save their lives.
Making matters worse, while theses entities fight to kill educational options, they have done zero to zip to tear down the apartheid walls.
That’s not to dismiss environmental, economic, and cultural factors. They do contribute to the problem. But they aren’t the reason for academic failure.
If it was solely those factors, why are so many poor children in MPS specialties, private and charter schools successful?
Why did every graduate of the Howard Fuller Academy and Hope Schools get accepted into college? Why is Milwaukee College Prep, an independent school charted by MPS, the only school listed in the state’s top ten institutions?
Why is Messmer graduating doctors, educators, judges, and business leaders, while North Division has twice as many dropouts as graduates?
In truth, I admire teachers. I honor them. I think many are underpaid and worthy of accolades and community wide support.
Several members of my immediate family are educators.
I have served on the boards of Harambee Community School and Messmer Catholic schools for over 30 years.
I even tried teaching when my late son, Malik, died in a car accident.
He chose to teach in private and charter schools because he felt the government school structure was too rigid and inherently dysfunctional.
Teaching is a hard, all-encompassing, and often frustrating job. But the rewards are immeasurable for good teachers.
I can still recall teachers like Ruth Thomas, who impacted my life a half century ago.
Successful teachers possess high expectations and love for the children, regardless of their ethnicity or economic status.
The MTEA and WEAC (local and state teachers unions) have been major impediments to structural change and academic reforms.
The MTEA has blocked every major reform offered in the last 50 years. And that’s not going to change because the MTEA has endorsed, sponsored, and funded all current MPS board directors, several of whom are former union officials, including one who was the past president of the MTEA.
The second guilty party is the mother of the Baltimore teenager.
Yup. I hate to hang her laundry out in public, but the truth cannot be masked by emotionalism or dirty drawers.
Somebody has to explain to me how this sister didn’t know her child had failed 22 courses, or was tardy or missed 272 days of school.
Did she not see his report cards? Did she not oversee his homework, or attend parent/teacher conferences?
Hell, did she not ask him why he was playing video games all night long while she’s never seen a book in his possession?
Of course, I felt her pain; I wished I could have wiped away her tears.
And, I believe the district did little to reach out and even less to intervene and stop the spiral of failure.
But even with that, a parent’s top priority and responsibility is the welfare of their children. Not to invest in their child’s education is child abuse, in my book.
You could not help but notice during an interview that the mother was well-groomed–her weave was in place and her nails perfectly manicured. She was articulate and believable.
Yet I couldn’t help but think that had she put as much effort into her child as she did her looks…
Let’s face reality. There is a significant percentage of Black parent(s) who need parenting lessons.
Too many don’t motivate, partner with the schools, or even attempt to help their children.
I’m poor at math, but that didn’t stop me from helping my children.
I went to school regularly, set aside resources for scholarly activities and extracurriculars. I even took parenting classes when I was a single parent.
I can’t imagine anyone in my family not doing likewise because that’s the way we were raised.
Even if the school, teacher, or president of the United States never contacted Ms. Frances, how could she ignore her child’s failures?
I have fought for, advocated on behalf of, and challenged the educracy my entire adult life.
Yet to be truthful, I often feel that many of those I fight for could care less. Many don’t show up for conferences (much less a school board meeting), can’t tell you their child’s teacher’s name, and in some cases, have no idea how they are doing.
Lastly, place blame for all the children in similar circumstances as the France child, and the educracy’s disregard for Black achievement in general, on your shoulders. Yeah, you.
You, as in those who have remained silent as our children have been allowed to slip through the cracks while wearing weighted boots.
Ya’ll who look at the walls of apartheid and change the subject? Tribal members with low expectations for Black children and thus will blame the victims.
I’m talking about the masses who falsely believe the hype, the rhetoric from politicians, the excuses from the teachers’ union. Those who complain but do nothing to change the status quo.
And I’m definitely pointing fingers at those of you who will not vote next month.
Chances are you haven’t voted for the school board or the state superintendent since the first Christian church was established in Ethiopia.
As such, you didn’t know abolitionist Harriet Tubman was talking about you when she declared, that while she led hundreds of slaves to freedom, ‘If I could have convinced more slaves that they were slaves, I could have freed thousands more.’
I have frequently posited that the educational arena is the last battleground of the civil rights war. We have fought and won the battle to sit at the lunch counter. But what good is that when you can’t read the menu?
As the title of my book posited, we are ‘Not Yet Free at Last.’
The revelations about the 17-year-old Baltimore child should be a wake-up call. His sojourn represents the other pandemic, the one that is slowly killing our culture and future.
Let’s be honest: ‘Black Lives Don’t Matter.’ To them, and to most of us.
Hotep.
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