group identification. they need to study that, too.

because there are a few background facts...

** teacher expectation is HIGHLY correlated with kids' academic acheivement

** the US is a historically racist country with a prevailing mythos of black (and you can add hispanic) intellectual inferiority

** popular culture depictions of blacks do little to validate or even acknowledge black intellectual acheivement/ popular cultural depictions of blacks GREATLY overemphasize black physical and entertainment achievement.

given all of that shit...

the way that the educational system works is that it tracks kids and creates self-fulfilling prophecies based upon educator (societal) expectations. high acheiving blacks (particularly in schools with significant non-black populations) are therefore seen as 'exceptions' and not as the desired outcome for all blacks.

throughout my schooling, starting in 5th grade, my predominantly black school district in NJ piloted G&T (gifted and talented). there was a lot of taking us out of class and putting us off into special classes.

that creates a schism in your peer group. oh? y'all on some other shit. cats i was cool with in 3rd grade considered me out of the group in 5th and 6th.

i didn't 're-integrate' back into my peer group until jr. year of high school, and it was mostly the result of sports and hip hop that bridged the gap.

teachers would attempt to treat me like i was special. different. i would fight that. but the realities of meeting my academic appetites meant that there was differentiation, and kids do notice that.

as i've said many times, i had a couple teachers (white)in h.s. tryin to correct my speech in the hallways. only math teachers, b/c my english teachers knew i was getting high A's with ease. i had to let these other teachers know that i understood the difference between 'standard' and colloquial english, and was quite capable of making my own choice of situationally-appropriate vernacular.

it would be years later before i'd read about and understand duboisian consciousness and AAVE, etc., but i lived the principles.

we NEED proactive measures now to provide black (i hate the word role models) examples of academic/intellectual success, and to inflate the value of academic achievement in the school setting.




peace & blessings,

x.

"I'm on the Zoloft to keep from killing y'all." - Iron Mike

"But I'm just saying, thats my blanket policy as a grown ass adult." - Crucian1


my philosophy on free time:

"and next time when he get it he'll waste it on somethin'