December 05, 2006
Bow Tie 2
An interesting dynamic.
So what do you do? It's impossible to tell, I think, whether putting a smart student into a dumb school helps or hurts. On the one hand, the good stuff rubs off, on the other hand, the bad stuff rubs off. Which is stronger? I think there's enough trouble trying to make teachers do anything more than teach so I'm for those administrative strategies that reduce the amount of babysitting and social engineering they do. Teachers shouldn't have to tell kids how to get along, presuming that is the lesson of integration.
Moreover, it's retarded to expect kids to play out racial roles. Kids will do what they're told, which is exactly the kind of treatment they would get in the best schools where rules are enforced. So I suspect that all of the benefits of racial integration at the primary school level involves a great deal of projection by parents, and much less by the students themselves - certainly that's the case in Louisville where this is about a child in kindergarten.
Oakland is, quite frankly, a social experiment gone wrong and everybody knows it. This is where we got the entire institutionalization of Ebonics. Hmm, where did I put that essay? My other computer is down right now...
Still there is the question of fixed markets for schooling. School vouchers add lubrication and mobility but it doesn't change where people want to go, but at least it leaves the choice to individual families. Now if we take that away from the parents by designing such a plan does it have the support of the communities? I think it's reasonable to say that one community can vote for or against various plans that take race into some consideration, provided they pass some Federal sniff test, but I really think that this case may prove, given these particular circumstances, that all racial discriminations are equally suspect.
Posted by mbowen at 09:58 PM | Comments (0)
December 01, 2006
Bow Tie One
Well folks, as a now deceased favorite comic of mine– by the name of Jackie Gleason – used to say, “And away we go!” In a way, what you have before your curious eyes is a restart of an effort I thought about putting together some time ago. And no small amount of time was spent simply trying to figure out how to download attractive bow ties from the internet. I ended up with (as we used to say) a whole slew of them. Next hurdle was picking one out that would be used as a logo. Anyway, the effort never got past the picking out a tie stage, and I subsequently put it to rest. To the extent that the dead shall indeed be raised, I re-decided (huh?) to re-launch.
What I originally had in mind was a family newsletter with “offices” on both the chilly (in terms of weather not personality disorders!) East Coast and the continent’s other odd end, more commonly referred to as the West Coast. [Fear not, I love ‘em both!] Drumming up interest, however, was a consummation devoutly to be wished. ..a line that’s not my own. Believing in the adage of doing oneself what cannot find co-conspirators to assist with, I just made up my wandering mind to put it together single-handedly. My plan is to keep the subject matter light...for the most part. That will be a real effort ‘cause there is so dog gone much that outright irritates and angers me. But I think that newspapers, magazines, journals, etc. do a much better job than I could even dream of doing…keeping us over-informed about what’s wrong with the world. The challenge is to explore what’s right. Ah, there’s the rub!
So, I plan to look at some of the joys and fun and interesting things that: a) cross my mind, b) are part of my actual experience or c) I’ve read about. One MAJOR inclusion will be photos. I could actually make The Bow Tie a 100% photographic adventure and NEVER get finished. I have literally hundred of photos. Some are “classic”, some (here comes the “j” word) pure junk. But I’ll let whoever ends up as reader/viewer decide on that.
~
Lemme start here with something recent: Grandparents Day at Poly School in Pasadena. Bryan and Kay’s crew (i.e., children for the uninitiated) attend the school. I had really forgotten what it was like to sit (quietly!) in the midst of munchkins. The role of grandparents (among other things) is to say something! But in this case it was the teacher who did the talking. For the most part it was letting the younguns know what they were supposed to be doing as all of them proudly displayed the work they had done over the course of the school session. Oddly (?) there were no disciplinary issues. A revolutionary classroom reality! What I found especially rewarding was the amount of pride the kids showed as they hauled out papers or books or projects. It was a rich and vibrant feeling one got just from being on the campus. As one might imagine, the yard, as big as a football field, was a very noisy place. The healthy sound of children at school, having fun! Imagine that. And me…not wanting to be transported back into the familiar good old days, but find temporary solace in simply remembering them. It was time well spent. No. Make that time well invested. Thanks Pasadena chickadees.
Posted by mbowen at 02:16 PM | Comments (0)
November 21, 2006
Bad Week For Brothas
first, there is the brother who repeatedly used a taser against a ucla student who had assumed a position of total helplessness (in the university library with a cadre of witnesses) by going completely limp...on the floor.
then, there is the (fireman) brother who had initially been awarded $2.7 million by the city of l.a. for serious harassment (including but not limited to having dog food added to his firehouse menu)...only to learn that he had been photographed harassing others. the wise mayor recinded the award.
and then there is (barf barf) o.j.
once again........so much for the revolution!!
Posted by mbowen at 02:18 PM | Comments (0)