JACKLINE NDEGWA
MS WILLIAMS
ENGLISH 1 A
12/22/2013
POVERTY STEREOTYPES AND HOW THEY KEEP US DOWN.
Poverty in America is viewed like a minority issue and usually is color coded to the black and colored people who are usually referred to as "they" but in reality the truth of the matter is that poverty affects people of all races and Americans living in poverty 42% are whites, 29% Hispanics 25% blacks and 4% Asian. “..although politicians hate to address poverty the media are delving into the plight of the poor because the escalating numbers of the new poor and near poor are white citizens who are now struggling alongside long suffering citizens of color” (Smiley, West 45). The issue of poverty is one that cuts across every one of us whether black or white and regardless of what we might want to assume we should all should make an effort to try bring the poverty levels down because the more we ignore that it is not a problem the more deep we are getting tangled up in the mess and sooner it would be very hard for any one of us to get back to where we initially were.
One of the biggest stereotypes is that poverty has little impact on kids but in reality poverty is the biggest threat to the kids well being and it can interrupt their ability to learn and contribute to the nation’s future. The kids are not going to school due to poverty and this means that our economy is not able to grow since the same people who are supposed to one day fix it are stuck in poverty. “..Something is profoundly wrong in America when the younger you are the more likely you are to be poor therefore we must stand we cannot allow our children to surrender their life chances before they know their life choices.”(Smiley, West 56). “..The greatest threat to America’s national security comes from no enemy without but from our own failure to protect, invest in and educate all of our children who make up all of our futures in this global economy.” (Smiley, West 49)
The youth or rather the young are seen as the future leaders of the country if they are not getting a chance to build their future due to poverty it means that they are going to be stuck in generational poverty many years down the line.
The poor people are stereotyped as been uninvolved in their children’s learning largely because they do not value education but in reality poor parents have the same values as the wealthy parents do but the circumstances are different and they are not involved as they would want to. Most of them are usually holding two low wage jobs so that the kids can go to school and thus they may not be available to get involved in the kids school life as much as they would want to. “..America’s elite understands that today’s poor are a potential powerhouse they are multicultural multiracial and multigenerational and come from a variety of backgrounds and there is no longer a one size fits all poverty in America.”(Smiley, West 87). The poor are stereotyped just because they are in that position but we should keep in mind that there are the "new poor" who are people who were rich before and so in as much as they do not afford the luxuries now they do understand the value of a good education. Most of the poor have to make do with two jobs paying low wage and thus they cannot be involved as much as a parent who is rich can in their kids life.
The poor people are seen as unmotivated and have weak or poor work ethics and are seen as they do not do enough to get out of the mess they are in but in reality these poor people are the same people working 2 or 3 low income jobs so that they can have basic needs and even according to statics they work an average of 1.7 jobs and even though it is low income they really struggle to make ends meet and thus cannot be lazy as they are often referred to. “..i can do anything I’ve opened clothing stores, I’ve managed and I spend 16 years as an administrative assistant, all I want to do is get my foot on the door . Let me work” (Smiley, West 74)” In my sociology class we watched a video "Born Rich" and this lady Tammy who was in the social class The Working Poor walked 10 miles to go work at a Burger King and got paid minimum wage and she did this to support her family. The people who are seen as poor just because they do the low paying jobs are the same people who are supporting the economy and in no way should we refer to them as lazy and unmotivated because they do a lot just to put a roof over their heads.
The rich say that a huge chunk of of tax dollars is used to support welfare recipients but the reality is that welfare costs the federal budget only 1% and the majority of people that are poor do not receive government assistance and this is due to the restrictions that were put in place by previous administrations and most of the government money is used on the rich by giving them programs just to help boost them instead of helping the poor. “.. Reagan came to office in 1981 with a mandate to reduce federal spending in reality he increased it through the escalating military budget all the while slashing funds for domestic programs that assisted the working class Americans particularly the poor” (Smiley, West 62).
“.. don’t blame Wall Street don’t blame the big banks .. if you don’t have a job and you are not rich blame yourself” I don’t want to make black people’s lives better by giving them somebody else’s money” (Smiley, West 82). The rich keep blaming the poor for their problems and want to show that they poor are where they are just because they want to but what they should know is that unless paying the people who are able to assist themselves they should come up with ways to assist the poor so that they can get out of poverty and in the end everyone gains since the government doesn't have to pay anyone and they could use that money for other things like education.
The poverty rates have been rising in recent years and this is due in large part to the recession. The economic downturn has hit children particularly hard since the increase of the amount of children in poverty is a point of concern for the society and when we think of children in poverty it is worrying because every human should have basic human rights in which everybody is entitled to a home and food. Sadly that isn't the case and thousands of children everyday die from malnutrition or poor living conditions. The government should come up with policies to assist the poor who are getting deeper and deeper into poverty with each passing day and instead of coming up with programs that only benefit people who are able to sustain themselves they could come up with policies that could even raise the minimum wages and this would help most people who are struggling just to have the basics. The 1% that controls the economy should be kept in check and instead of them getting tax breaks whereas the poor are paying taxes they opposite should instead be implemented. But the one thing that would end the poverty is when we all start seeing each other as one and not just "they" and "us" and this is because individuality is killing and making the fight against poverty hard since it is every man for himself and God for us all. Each one of us should put themselves in the other persons shoe and think if that was they in that position then what would they have done different? We are our brother's keeper and the moment we realize that money goes as fast as it comes and the perfect example is with the house boom that had people in a high but in the end most of them ended up being homeless and starting life from scratch. The same way poverty does not come knocking and giving you warnings it can happen just to anyone and anytime and one should ask themselves that if it came calling how prepared would you be? We all should learn to get rid of the individuality and care for the other just the way we should want them to care for us.
Works Cited
Smiley, Tavis, and Cornel West. The Rich and the Rest of Us: A Poverty Manifesto
Video: Born Rich
www.google.com
DOING ME..
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Monday, November 4, 2013
U.S Prisons: Myth Vs. Mayhem
The article is about the state of our prisons in the US and what it costs the tax payer to have just one prisoner. It also tells us asks the question if it is worth to house a prisoner rather than find ways to rehabilitate his behavior. It also speaks about the reform in the prisons and if the prisons really are working to rehabilitation or are just making them more hardcore due to the difficulties they face in there from their fellow inmates. I think to some extent the prisons are not a solution and this is because from the article we see that all that happens is abuse from fellow inmates which makes them want to be more hardcore and also it is horror as most end up killing each other and also molesting each other. The prison themselves are in such a bad state that to be declared unconstitutional. I think the way we could partner with the prisons is by coming up with rehabilitation programs where prisoners can get to be involved in activities that can help them mould their behaviors since we see even from the article that recidivism rates have gone high.
We could also come
up with plans like the one being experimented in Oregon, Kansas, Oklahoma and
Minnesota where the idea is to penalize offenders by compelling them to make
due to their victims and the community that they offended. It was interesting
to learn that in California it costs $13000 to house one inmate and this is
ridiculous since if we invested this money in the education system then these
problems that we have been seeing about schools in the bay area would even be
reduced by half. It was also confusing to learn what the prisoners go through
as we see in the article the prisons foster inhumanity and violence and they
are punished in the most scary of ways and discipline is enforced by way of
flogging, beating and inserting of needles under fingernails and on the other
hand the prisoners have to also face their fellow prisoners who rape, abuse
them and even inmates murdering inmates at a rate of about 100 a year. This is
very confusing to me since I would feel that the inmates are taken to prison so
that they may reform and be better persons but the same prisons are turning
them into animals to say the least and becoming even worse that they went in. I
feel like rehabilitation would be the best option and I agree with the article
when it says that we should deal with the problem by finding alternative
penalties for the non-dangerous offenders and leave the prisons to just
confining those that are truly very dangerous and this way we will be able to
channel the money we would have used in expansion or adding space to better projects
like say education.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
SHOULD WE HAVE COMPASSION WHY OR WHY NOT?
What is compassion? This is the understanding or empathy for others. Compassion is the emotion that we feel in response to the suffering of others or what motivates a desire to help.Also we should put in mind that compassion is just more than kindness as it involves a range of capacities, The Dalai Lama defines it as sensitivity to to the suffering of others with a commitment to do something about it.
Well according to me I think that we should have compassion in our life. Why is this? This is because I feel that the main benefit of compassion is to help you be more happy and bring others around you to be more happy. And if happiness is what most of us strive for then compassion goes a long way in helping us achieve that goal. Life is hard as it is and we need compassion to be able to cope with challenges that we face each and every day.
Compassion helps us feel like someone out there really cares and when we share our emotions with someone we really expect them to empathize with us. This usually has a calming effect since when our friends listen to us and try and validate our feelings then we feel like they are doing what they can do to help. There are instances where we should show self compassion so that we give ourselves room to feel the pain of our emotions which we may need to confront so that we can loosen up a little bit. It may be painful but once we accept what it is that is going on we have better control of what our direction in life is.
We should all strive to cultivate a compassionate world as much as it is hard since we are all driven by greed and selfishness where everyone is just concerned about themselves and nothing else. This could be understandable since their is so much going on and there is so much we can do but really a little compassion would go a long way. A study was done by development psychologist (the compassionate instinct - Dacher Keltner)
who compared two parenting styles and saw that parents who rely on induction engage their kids in reasoning when they are on the wrong and this prompts their kids to think about the consequences of their actions and how those actions might harm others and then there were those parents who just asserted their power and declared what is wrong or right and resorted to physical or emotional punishment . This comparison came with a conclusion that those that used induction with their kids their kids are better adjusted and likely to help their peers and this is because this style of parenting cultivated compassion in them and they are more likely to have an appreciation for each others suffering and care just a little bit more.
In conclusion i feel like if we all cared just a little bit about how each other felt and not just be selfish in our ideals then the world would be a more better place to live in since we would not do to others what we don't want done to us and in this way better relationships would be cultivated and we would be able to better live with each other even better.
Well according to me I think that we should have compassion in our life. Why is this? This is because I feel that the main benefit of compassion is to help you be more happy and bring others around you to be more happy. And if happiness is what most of us strive for then compassion goes a long way in helping us achieve that goal. Life is hard as it is and we need compassion to be able to cope with challenges that we face each and every day.
Compassion helps us feel like someone out there really cares and when we share our emotions with someone we really expect them to empathize with us. This usually has a calming effect since when our friends listen to us and try and validate our feelings then we feel like they are doing what they can do to help. There are instances where we should show self compassion so that we give ourselves room to feel the pain of our emotions which we may need to confront so that we can loosen up a little bit. It may be painful but once we accept what it is that is going on we have better control of what our direction in life is.
We should all strive to cultivate a compassionate world as much as it is hard since we are all driven by greed and selfishness where everyone is just concerned about themselves and nothing else. This could be understandable since their is so much going on and there is so much we can do but really a little compassion would go a long way. A study was done by development psychologist (the compassionate instinct - Dacher Keltner)
who compared two parenting styles and saw that parents who rely on induction engage their kids in reasoning when they are on the wrong and this prompts their kids to think about the consequences of their actions and how those actions might harm others and then there were those parents who just asserted their power and declared what is wrong or right and resorted to physical or emotional punishment . This comparison came with a conclusion that those that used induction with their kids their kids are better adjusted and likely to help their peers and this is because this style of parenting cultivated compassion in them and they are more likely to have an appreciation for each others suffering and care just a little bit more.
In conclusion i feel like if we all cared just a little bit about how each other felt and not just be selfish in our ideals then the world would be a more better place to live in since we would not do to others what we don't want done to us and in this way better relationships would be cultivated and we would be able to better live with each other even better.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
PAPER FOCUS!
DO MATERIALS REALLY MATTER? WHY OR WHY NOT.
I think that materials do really
matter and this is because materials are aides that we need in order to learn.
When a student is in school they need some help with their study be it by going
to the library and being able to find a book to help them do their homework or
even just having a basic crayon to do you painting. I remember back at home
when we were in school and if you did not have a textbook you were chased out
and definitely missed that class. This usually would not be the students’
choice not to have the book but circumstances made them not have it. The
student ends up missing the whole lesson which in turn affects their whole
grade and thus the process begins all over again where we try finding out what
the cause of low performance is but we had it from the beginning which is lack
of resources for them to use.
The materials do play an
important role in the student school life because that is the only way the
teacher would know if the student is making progress or not. Take a case where
the student is not even able to do their homework since they do not have pencils
or the textbook needed; this would demoralize the student and in so many ways
affect their performance. In the book savage inequalities we see the length Ms.
Hawkins goes just to get the students to have the materials they need and this
way it shows us how important it really is to have materials in class. We may
need to have illustrations like Ms. Hawkins with the bottles to show the
students about waves. The students will need to know how the real world is and
this is possible when they have things rather supplies that they can use and
relate with on a personal basis.
Materials do really matter because
the students are able to perform their tasks better and make the learning
process easier for the teachers and students as well. Take a case where each
time the teacher comes to class and the first 15 minutes he or she wastes on
trying to send those who do not have certain supplies out. This leads to waste
of time for the prepared students, the teacher and the whole class as whole.
Students need to learn firsthand and at a certain school students were sent on
a camp and they were divided into two
teams to build a roller coaster with school supplies and one of the teams had
less supplies. The challenge was to use the materials effectively since they
had less. One group was given half a semesters supply and the other was given a
full semester supply, both teams took notice of how much supply they had and
the challenge that lay ahead. This was to teach them what it is like to go
without supply or even to have less supply. Those with more were able to
perform the tasks easier than those who had less and in the long run their
performance is greatly affected.
HOW DOES A CHILD FEEL WHEN HE OR SHE DOES NOT HAVE THEM?
When the students lack supplies
then this means that they do have to share everything with everyone and even
though we may be having everyone’s interest at heart then it might not be good.
It may lead to bullying by students who feel that since they have the textbooks
then they have an advantage over everyone else. I remember in high school how
some students would put themselves in cliques just because they have some
textbooks and those that did not have felt like they were in their mercy. This
is very discouraging as some of the students lacking the supplies feel like
they are not good enough. The students in a class ought to feel like they have
a sense of belonging and this way take part in the whole learning process.
There is also the long term
effect of not having enough supplies and this is the students get to miss gaps
in the education and opportunities to learn firsthand. I remember in high
school also at times students were sent home to pick the supplies or even bring
their teachers to school to explain why they do not have learning materials.
This ended up wasting the students’ time as they missed school the whole day
because probably the parent is not at home to bring you back or even because
they do not have money at that moment to get you the supply. There was even a study that said in most
states the students are becoming more kinesthetic learners which is when the
student learns by carrying out physical activities rather than listening to lectures
or watching demonstrations. If the
schools lack the supplies to provide them with these opportunities then they
are missing out on learning opportunities and these are opportunities that
result in lack of knowledge and materials. Schools that students do not have to
struggle for basic supplies performed better like in the case of Trier High.
Lack of materials also leads to behavioral problems with the students and
this was because the students are not getting the experience to know how to
behave themselves in a correct classroom setting. They are getting bored and
involving in behaviors that are not good due to low self-esteem which is
brought about by them always having to be the ones not having the supplies or
going out every time the class is in session due to lack of supplies. The students need to get these
school supplies so that they can enrich their learning experiences and also to
make sure that they are getting the right learning experience. We should keep
in mind that the teacher is preparing these students to be able to function in
the real world and someday be running our country as Jeff Bliss also tells the
teacher how the students are the future of the country.
HOW DOES A CHILD FEEL
WHEN SHE OR HE DOES AND WHY?
A student feels motivated to perform better in school when they do have the
supplies and this is because all that they need is available to them and all
they need to do is make the best out of it. The students feel obligated to
perform better and this would be better if they knew what it is like to lack
what you really need in your education. We see students at Trier High
performing better in the district and this is because they have all the
resources they need to enhance their study while their counterparts in Goudy
have bad performances since lack of the basic supplies slows down their
learning process and in the long run affect their whole school reputation.
A student who has supplies will have more time for themselves and be a
better grounded person in general. There
is even a saying that goes work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. The students
life does not have to involve just worrying about school and what they do or do
not have but if the supplies are available to them then the student has time to
socialize and build relationships with his peers and this in end makes a whole
rounded person who once they graduate can be able to interact with people in
the outside world. In my sociology class we were told about how some students
went to a school in an upmarket area and saw the students have access to a gym
and music equipment and most of them had started to nurture their talents and
what they wanted to be even before getting out in the real class. This means
these students would be better rounded than those students who do not have
bathrooms and a urinal is used as a class.
The students with access to all the supplies that they need feel the
pressure to perform better and this is because they do not have any excuse not
to. In Savage Inequalities we see students who do not have all the supplies
they need and have to come up with ways to supplement themselves. This usually
leads to a blame game since they do feel and actually say the reason they are
under performing is because they lack this or that. The student with all
supplies will not have anyone to blame when they perform bad and this would
mean they are pressured to perform better since they owe their teachers,
parents or even the school to show what they can do. Usually in schools where
the teacher has to tell the student to share facilities a lot of time is wasted
and this would have been used in learning but in a school where the student has
the supplies the teacher goes straight into learning and thus they are able to
cover a lot which the other unfortunate students wont and in even though they
would still have to take the same standardized tests. This places the student
with supplies on a pedestal as they are at an advantage over the less fortunate
student who does not have supplies.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
SUMMARY
From the article i found out that the East Bay school districts are finally taking a look at reducing their bloated class sizes after five years of brutal cuts and this is because less money forced school districts to cut staff so class sizes grew and individual students got less attention.
The new funding based incentives coming from Sacramento are budgeting for more teachers which they hope will bring down class sizes and improve the education of bay area children.The largest class sizes to be found in the region are in Union City where schools had an average of 34 students per class district wide for the 2011-12 school year, the latest numbers available from the California Department of Education. School officials there estimate that high school classes in Union City this year will average 37 students.Districts with high class sizes will now be able to take advantage of a new state education funding formula offering economic incentives to lower class sizes to 24 students over several years in kindergarten through third grade.
The new funding formula backs up decades of research showing a direct connection between lower class sizes and better education, especially kids in kindergarten through the third grade, and it benefits minority kids the most.It also said that to lower average class size district wide by one student, say from 30 to 29, it would cost $1 million a year in new teacher pay, but that's not likely to happen soon. The district probably will focus on lowering class sizes in kindergarten through the third grade where it matters most.
The article also showed a connection between lower class sizes and better education, and concluded increases in learning were about twice for minority students in smaller classes which simply means smaller class sizes result in more time with the teacher for each student.Finally it also stated that instead of cutting budgets and laying off teachers, districts are now looking at hiring more teachers and budgeting for a bit more money and that means extra teachers for hire.
The new funding based incentives coming from Sacramento are budgeting for more teachers which they hope will bring down class sizes and improve the education of bay area children.The largest class sizes to be found in the region are in Union City where schools had an average of 34 students per class district wide for the 2011-12 school year, the latest numbers available from the California Department of Education. School officials there estimate that high school classes in Union City this year will average 37 students.Districts with high class sizes will now be able to take advantage of a new state education funding formula offering economic incentives to lower class sizes to 24 students over several years in kindergarten through third grade.
The new funding formula backs up decades of research showing a direct connection between lower class sizes and better education, especially kids in kindergarten through the third grade, and it benefits minority kids the most.It also said that to lower average class size district wide by one student, say from 30 to 29, it would cost $1 million a year in new teacher pay, but that's not likely to happen soon. The district probably will focus on lowering class sizes in kindergarten through the third grade where it matters most.
The article also showed a connection between lower class sizes and better education, and concluded increases in learning were about twice for minority students in smaller classes which simply means smaller class sizes result in more time with the teacher for each student.Finally it also stated that instead of cutting budgets and laying off teachers, districts are now looking at hiring more teachers and budgeting for a bit more money and that means extra teachers for hire.
RESEARCH - SCHOOLS IN THE BAY AREA
The article i found talked about how East Bay school districts are finally taking a look at reducing their bloated class sizes after five years of brutal cuts,Less money forced school districts to cut staff so class sizes grew and individual students got less attention, school officials say. Now with new funding-based incentives coming from Sacramento, districts are budgeting for more teachers, which they hope will bring down class sizes and improve the education of area children.The largest class sizes to be found in the region are in Union City where schools had an average of 34 students per class district wide for the 2011-12 school year, the latest numbers available from the California Department of Education. School officials there estimate that high school classes in Union City this year will average 37 students..This relates to the book when we see that an average class at Goudy holds 39 children due to lack of teachers and also at Du Sable one guidance counselor advises 420 children and this is due to lack of teachers.
The article also talks about how in Fremont Unified School District, which had the second highest average numbers in the area at 29 for the 2011-12 school year, administrators are well aware that lowering class sizes will be good for their students."Class size does matter as long as the smaller class sizes have targeted and focused instruction and intervention for students falling behind," said Fremont Superintendent Jim Morris. "If you get it down to 15, it's really great. This can relate well with New Trier school where an average class is 24 kids and the ones for slower learners hold 15 kids and each kid is assigned a faculty adviser who remains assigned to then through graduation and the advisers have a reduced class schedule to allow them have time for the kids. This compared to Chicago also where kids even stay in a class a whole semester without a teacher. The article also says how in Tennessee showed a connection between lower class sizes and better education, and it concluded increases in learning were about double for minority students in smaller classes.Examined closer, smaller class sizes result in more time with the teacher for each student.
The articles also says the districts have to lower the classes in order to qualify for the funding.Instead of cutting budgets and laying off teachers, districts are now looking at hiring more teachers and budgeting for a bit more money."There will be extra staff for us to hire," New Haven Superintendent McNamara said. "For many of the districts in Alameda County, most have 80 to 95 percent of their costs in people. We cut the low hanging fruit in programs, then we cut people. We hope in the next few years to add people back." This relates to the book when we see how low salaries have kept youthful teachers away from the schools and they are not motivated to come for their classes. Even though in the book suburban legislators keep opposing funding for Chicago schools we know that better funding which more benefits for the teachers would play a big role in how they would get motivated and in turn motivate the students to perform better.
The article also talks about how in Fremont Unified School District, which had the second highest average numbers in the area at 29 for the 2011-12 school year, administrators are well aware that lowering class sizes will be good for their students."Class size does matter as long as the smaller class sizes have targeted and focused instruction and intervention for students falling behind," said Fremont Superintendent Jim Morris. "If you get it down to 15, it's really great. This can relate well with New Trier school where an average class is 24 kids and the ones for slower learners hold 15 kids and each kid is assigned a faculty adviser who remains assigned to then through graduation and the advisers have a reduced class schedule to allow them have time for the kids. This compared to Chicago also where kids even stay in a class a whole semester without a teacher. The article also says how in Tennessee showed a connection between lower class sizes and better education, and it concluded increases in learning were about double for minority students in smaller classes.Examined closer, smaller class sizes result in more time with the teacher for each student.
The articles also says the districts have to lower the classes in order to qualify for the funding.Instead of cutting budgets and laying off teachers, districts are now looking at hiring more teachers and budgeting for a bit more money."There will be extra staff for us to hire," New Haven Superintendent McNamara said. "For many of the districts in Alameda County, most have 80 to 95 percent of their costs in people. We cut the low hanging fruit in programs, then we cut people. We hope in the next few years to add people back." This relates to the book when we see how low salaries have kept youthful teachers away from the schools and they are not motivated to come for their classes. Even though in the book suburban legislators keep opposing funding for Chicago schools we know that better funding which more benefits for the teachers would play a big role in how they would get motivated and in turn motivate the students to perform better.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
FUNDING!!
I am going
to be talking about lack of funding in the public schools and what
repercussions this has brought to the kids, teachers and the society as a
whole. Citing examples from the book I would want to show how it really happens
and what the governments part is in all this and even the society what role it
plays and how really things go. There is lack of funding in Mary McLeod Bethune
School as we see the children lie on the floors to have their naps and when the
teacher wakes them up to read to them she is using an book that looks worn and
old as if it has been used for many years and even the teacher herself is not
warm or lively but just seems to do it because she has to and the kids are
obedient and seem to like the fun of showing that they know the words this
tells us how in society we are set in a way which we know what is needed of us
and we tend to follow the rules regardless of the tough conditions since we
know what is cut out for us and the background we come from shapes what kind of
people we end up being. We also see that in a fifth grade class the flag is
covered by chalk and there are a couple of pictures of leaves against the
windows and it does not express the children’s creativity as you would expect
in richer schools where the principals want the kids to do their own writings
and share their art with the rest of the class. Some of the teachers feel like
money is not the problem and blame it on the parents since they are not taking
part in their kids’ life in school but this to some extent is not the parents
blame as she plays her part in bringing the kid to school and it is not her
fault that she is poor and cannot afford to take her child to a better private
school and she had to make do with what she has. In the book we meet Mrs.
Hawkins who has had to improvise things in her class because she says it never
works to order things through the school system and this is because they lack
funds to service all the needs of the students. This shows us how much some
teachers are willing to sacrifice so the students can perform better in this
case we see Mrs. Hawkins even following up with the parents so that the
students can perform to their best and this is a hopeful portrait of the good
things that go on under adverse conditions as quoted in the book (51) most of
these kids come from the poor neighborhoods and what is in school is a
reflection of what is happening at home and thus they do not feel like they
have to energy to tackle it even if it is not their fault the school is not
funded enough to give them the basic they need that is even more so their basic
right. The lack of funding has also led to the Chicago system not attracting
youthful teachers and this is because the salary scale is too low to keep them
excited and this is turn makes the teachers who are already there demoralized
and in turn pass it on to the students and in the end the kids feel like they
are not going anywhere, we see teachers watching TV in the class and others
even sleeping and letting the kids do what they want since they feel like they
are not paid enough or do not have enough resources to make them go the extra
mile. There is also a short supply of substitute teachers as we see classes
that have missed teachers for a whole semester and this is for the basic
classes where students feel like they need so that they can learn a skill that
they can use to earn a dollar since they feel like they won’t go to college.
The lack of funding also leads to a lack of supplies as we see a chemistry
teacher reporting they do not have any supplies and have had to improvise soda
bottles to make lab dishes compared to what the rich schools have this works
out at a disadvantage since they will all eventually take the same standardized
tests and it won’t be their fault they did not have the necessary equipment to
learn at its best. The schools lack sporting supplies due to no funding and we
see them lacking basketball hoops and swings in their playgrounds, also in the
school that was once was a skating rink we learn that there is no playground
and the classes get very hot during summer and cold during winter. The students
even have to share a class with another class and this is because they cannot
afford to build any more classes since they do not have any money. We see in
the Lathrop Elementary school it has not had a library in the past 21 years and
the few books they have sprouted mold and they also get behind in the learning
schedules where we see them using texts the other way round since they received
them in the opposite and out of sequence. The suburban legislators who often
are opposing the funding of public schools use the terms “sinkhole” and say
that they cannot keep throwing money into a black hole and this in so many ways
is wrong because it comes out as if they mean they cannot fund the black people
schools and in as much as they deny it we can never run away from it. Most of
the public schools depend their initial funding’s on tax on local property but
most of them come from deplorable places where they even flood and since tax
depends on the value of the house really there is not much they can get from
that environment and in the end there is less money for each child in these
schools. The differences in the rich schools and in the poor schools is so
unfair but the kids do not understand they are being cheated and should get a
fair share and this in end makes them see themselves as failures since there is
so much they are losing and the school themselves are in a sorry state and this
leads to them staying out of school. We see also some kids not being able to
join preschool because do not stand chances of achieving entrance into
selective schools where they would most likely have chances and this makes them
feel excluded and the rich kids also do not want to share the resources with
them since they say they are going to pull them down but in the real sense if
they only gave them a chance they would in fact pull them higher. The lack of
funding also makes the people from the poor neighborhoods feel not wanted since
even in day to day life it is hard since they get turned away when looking for
housing and at the hospitals due to their position in the society and so this
gives them less hope when they think about the public schools. We also get to
see students in Goudy Elementary being badly hit since the teachers use
materials that have been thrown out in most suburban schools and this is not by
choice but since they do not have any better options, their slow students are
taught with old textbooks and there is really no motivation to keep on going in
there and when they get the texts like in the case where the student was given
a dictionary and they started ripping out pages so that he could keep the words
since he knows that the book might not just be there tomorrow and thus wants to
keep it for himself now that he has the chance. We see at Goudy they lack even
basic facilities such as the whole school just having two bathrooms that do not
have toilet paper and thus the school is filled with stench this is because
they do not have the money to purchase these things which may even seem like a
luxury to them and in turn it is like a continuation of the problems they have
at home where sewerage is a problem and the houses even flood with it. In
contrary some of the public schools try to make the best out of what they have
like in the case of Goudy where it is better managed than it was several years
back and even though they had bad publicity they need the extra funds to at
least get back on their feet but they do not always get what they deserve since
if they do then some kids somewhere are going to miss out but they do try and
stretch their resources since we even see them giving eighth graders textbooks
for 15 year olds and this says a lot since they are stretching resources not
just sitting there and complaining. The lack of funding also counts in what
type of teachers are going to be in the public schools since there is no
motivation and in the end “these children of poor districts can absorb only the
most rudimentary and inexpensive instruction” and this begs to ask if the kids
with no funding don’t have rights to the good things in life and in this case
the good environment in school and also a good better utilities. Better school
funding means tax increments and this people do not want to do and they argue
that “you do not dump a lot of money into guys who have not done well with the
money they have got in the past”. The leaders tend to be selfish and even
though they pretend to be allies of the poor children all they do is ‘charity’
and they can refuse to give it at any given time and at times even do it just
for the show like corporate responsibility just to get in the press and over
rate everything. Finally if the society wants to be a part of this then they
should open up the public schools and bring kids to go to school besides the
rich people kids and use their money to buy school buses so that both sides can
share in the spoils and instead of just playing the part and making the principals
literally kiss their asses so that they can give them the extra cash they
should want to be part of that whole community and a part of the poor kids who
are not there by choice rather by circumstance.

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