tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post4237786564949586478..comments2024-03-28T18:40:05.789-04:00Comments on Writers Who Kill: Looking for Hope for Inner-city YouthJim Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090252530437277145noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-68873420234671277172015-05-13T08:11:52.764-04:002015-05-13T08:11:52.764-04:00Kara, there are always the exceptions--people who ...Kara, there are always the exceptions--people who have the strength and drive to move out of that environment and join the main stream. Your friend is a sterling example.KM Rockwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03973749764907859829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-34816815175305692662015-05-12T15:26:54.050-04:002015-05-12T15:26:54.050-04:00I don't have a good answer either but I have a...I don't have a good answer either but I have a story about someone who escaped that kind of life. I have a friend who grew up in a rough neighborhood in Los Angeles and lost friends to gang violence at a young age. At one point she realized she could either be part of the drug and gang culture prevalent in her area or go a different way. So she became a sheriff. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for her to resist intense peer pressure. Kara Cerisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16484336785514235707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-3350454302398795722015-05-12T15:24:26.396-04:002015-05-12T15:24:26.396-04:00Gloria, I do have some heartwarming stories of kid...Gloria, I do have some heartwarming stories of kids who defied the odds. The kid who got a job as a hotwalker before school at Pimlico, and ended up as a traveling groom with racehorses. As he said, it paid as much as McDonalds, the horsed loved him, and he got to see a lot of the country. And the girl who wanted very much to be the "lady who wears a dress every day and takes the bus to work" who was hired by a small company looking for a receptionist/office worker who could relate to inner-city customers.KM Rockwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03973749764907859829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-14524863214125772852015-05-12T15:18:59.239-04:002015-05-12T15:18:59.239-04:00Shari, throwing money at the problems isn't th...Shari, throwing money at the problems isn't the answer, although poor funding can lead to underachieving school.<br /><br />I fear that today's "hold the teacher accountable" atmosphere will drive many dedicated teachers out of the field. Who wants to be assigned to a class like mine, where it's a foregone conclusion that, no matter how much of a good influence the teacher may be, the students will never score well on the mandatory standardized tests?KM Rockwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03973749764907859829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-87406476767735091212015-05-12T15:16:02.606-04:002015-05-12T15:16:02.606-04:00E.B. I find it hard to figure out when this idea t...E.B. I find it hard to figure out when this idea that education isn't "cool" developed.<br /><br />During reconstruction, many people recognized that lack of education was one of the serious barriers freed slaves faced, and a lot of effort went into providing opportunities.KM Rockwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03973749764907859829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-55419177797559505692015-05-12T15:08:12.742-04:002015-05-12T15:08:12.742-04:00Carla, I agree with you. Many of these kids don...Carla, I agree with you. Many of these kids don't see a future.KM Rockwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03973749764907859829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-36226431676956547202015-05-12T15:07:16.385-04:002015-05-12T15:07:16.385-04:00Warren, I've seen that, too. I've even see...Warren, I've seen that, too. I've even seen kids who don't play sports saying that when they got to high school, they were going to become basketball or football stars.KM Rockwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03973749764907859829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-61675301841145020602015-05-12T15:06:12.235-04:002015-05-12T15:06:12.235-04:00Jim, one of the most positive programs I saw were ...Jim, one of the most positive programs I saw were career days, when they were thoughtfully constructed. They provided role models that were sadly absent from the kids' lives.<br /><br />I still remember one man who had grown up in the 'hood coming back. He told the kids that the best way to become rich in our society was to develop a skilled trade, work for someone successful while they learned the business, analyze their owns strengths and weaknesses, then open their own small business. He told them it was important to recognize that no one is good at everything, and they might need to hire accountants, office managers, etc. to handle the portions of the business that they would find difficult.<br /><br />A few of the kids took his message to heart, including the "it takes hard work," but most of them felt he was a shill for unnamed powers who were trying to take advantage of them.KM Rockwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03973749764907859829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-4776543255395403632015-05-12T11:17:23.391-04:002015-05-12T11:17:23.391-04:00Kathleen, what you did for your students even if i...Kathleen, what you did for your students even if it wasn't enough, was enough to make them feel they were worth something by at least one person. No matter how discouraging it seems, keep working at changing the situation. You are to be admired for not just shrugging your shoulders and saying nothing can be done about it so I'm not going to waste my time worrying about it.Gloria Aldenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13581719606924364447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-43228453736320299332015-05-12T09:44:50.925-04:002015-05-12T09:44:50.925-04:00Kathleen, the most shocking thing in your essay is...Kathleen, the most shocking thing in your essay is that some of the teachers believed something so patently false. It shows how deeply embedded beliefs can be.<br />Money doesn't seem to be the answer - so much has been spent with little result. I wish I had some answers.<br />Keep working on your project. Harriet Beecher Stowe probably didn't think she had the answers, but her book helped turn the tide against slavery in the US. Art reaches people in ways nothing else can.Shari Randallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16425493627354028820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-21959707211775136652015-05-12T09:24:31.339-04:002015-05-12T09:24:31.339-04:00Like any change that must occur, it must start fro...Like any change that must occur, it must start from within. We are perverse creatures. When changes are forced upon us, we rebel even knowing the changes will be good for us. Somehow education must be seen as a cool part of the culture. Overcoming the hip-hop, gansta, or whatever the vernacular depending on the era, culture is nearly impossible.E. B. Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16746747050278597888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-6905023605442562512015-05-12T09:18:30.993-04:002015-05-12T09:18:30.993-04:00"If I grow up" is the saddest thing. I t..."If I grow up" is the saddest thing. I think you should be honest with your project. Maybe it will raise awareness. Solutions are complex and elusive.carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15985823239660829148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-53865132823738652472015-05-12T07:51:31.826-04:002015-05-12T07:51:31.826-04:00Sadly, I have no solution. I worked with similar k...Sadly, I have no solution. I worked with similar kids. I found that even average basketball and football players thought they could play professional sports. Warren Bullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789270258599769915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-61744131854904728552015-05-12T07:12:29.567-04:002015-05-12T07:12:29.567-04:00I wish I did knew a magic bullet, but I do not. Ki...I wish I did knew a magic bullet, but I do not. Kids will seek out role models. Society needs to provide appropriate, positive ones, otherwise the kids will choose ones on their own that will generally not be what they need to make a big positive change in their lives.<br /><br />~ Jim<br />Jim Jacksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15090252530437277145noreply@blogger.com