I’d say the
world has gone crazy… but the fact is it’s always been crazy. Humans have always
been destructive and mean hearted. It’s a part of who we are. You can never
shock me with the news that a police man; someone who is supposed to protect the
community, just murdered a woman, man, or child. It has been happening for a
long time. I do not have it in me to be surprised that this oppressed community
will be so tired and outraged (a really bad combination, ask any angry woman)
enough to destroy the very place they live in. Oh don’t be so shocked, at least
this reason is a little more valid then a group of people looting and
destroying because of the outcome of a basketball game.
Everyone is
focusing on the outcome… no one wants to look at the roots. It’s more than racism;
it’s more than even history. (If you study it, the story remains the same;
there is always a group of people treated poorly, enslaved. The word genocide is not rare and does not pertain to one group of people.) We are allowing outside
sources to run our culture and communities… all of us! I’m not just talking to
African descendants; I’m talking to the human race. We are allowing the system
to define us… we got to go back to our roots. We got to go back to love.
“OH MY GOD
BECKY… IS SHE, LIKE, SERIOUS?”
Everyone is
oh so busy… too busy to complete the missions we were sent here to do; one of
which is to love each other. We are too busy loving money, loving our drugs,
loving the media and those who run it. We are too busy loving the internet and
taking selfies, too busy loving our phones… to involved with our egos. I don’t
want to give a lecture; I am the last person to lecture anybody. But it is the disintegration of our families
that is the root of our problem. No one can take advantage or hurt you if you
have a strong foundation. What happened to eating and talking together during dinner?
Instead we are focused on our TV or phones while we shove food into our
mouths. Does anybody even eat at the table anymore? What happened to family and
community time on Sundays? Church was more than a house of worship it was a
gathering of the minds, where one would go if one was interested in building up
and protecting their community. What happened to understanding and being more
involved in our children’s education? They don’t teach children about civil
rights in our elementary schools anymore. I found that out teaching in the lower
east side back in 2009. If they are not teaching our children what happened
only fifty years ago, why are we surprised that they would behave in a violent
manner… they literally don’t know any better! I can go on and on but…
Today marks
the first day I have a guest blogger. Sage has been a good friend to me for
almost two years. He is an amazing guy… and a New Yorker! My voice is not the
only voice in this city! Enjoy!!!
SAGE:
Welcome 2 miseducation, where Schools
will teach you about stuff that you won't remember and won't be useful in the
future. But because it's in the "criteria" children must oblige to
the instructions from their teachers. A Criteria is a standard of judgment or
criticism; a rule or principle for evaluating or testing something. So is there
a Criteria for the "Criteria"? Is there a way for those who are
subjected to this "criteria" to have a say about modifying it to
better educate those who are being educated?
I and Athena have similar experiences in
the work field. We both were educators for over a decade and both decided to
take our talents to another field which we are now successful in. Not putting
down an educators work but there wasn't much financial stability in it nor promises
for the future no less.
So now being on the outside looking in it's
still the same picture except the artists have changed. It's moving to see
young men and women (even if it is just a summer gig) help try and educate the
children in their communities. You can see these youths all through the city in
their colorful uniform shirts telling kids to get in line or how to act
accordingly on the trains during the summer. As I sit back and smile and
reminisce on the experiences I had, I wonder if these young eager educators are
in it for the long haul. I know some may not be and just need some summer cash,
but there are some bright stars out there that need to be wished on. I've
worked alongside some of em, Cory, Tyrell, Steven, Brandon, Tyriem, Juwan,
Farris and some more that remain in the sky waiting to be wished to. This
"criteria" pertains to them too, for they are the ones instructing to
meet it. Do my roses that grew from concrete get to chime in and give suggestions
on how to better suit it for the youth? Why not? They too were a part of the
system, why shouldn't they have a voice? Instead let's set them up to fail and
chalk it up to being a product of their environment.
I did volunteer work for a short period of
time, I enjoyed it but never imagined a future in it. Until my former employer
and I were not on the same page and found it best that we both move on from
each other (I wasn't fired!). I then was presented an opportunity to get paid
for my educational services and was offered a job within a week of the break up
btw me and my other job. I was a natural, a born educator with a gift, ready to
give my all to the community. With experiences similar to these young men and
women coming from an urban setting where my eyes witnessed things you would
only hear in rap songs and see in movies, I was easy to relate to and more than
understanding of their youthful trials and tribulations.
When I first started out I saw a lot of
promise in this field. Summers off (if you choose), being challenged to make
creative activities, bonding and being a leader to a bunch of hungry minds that
were trapped within the city's "criteria" and system. I was eager to
move mountains and make an impact in children's lives (as cliché as that may
sound). I wanted to help open up minds and educate them on opportunities, help
them make something of themselves and give them the hands on training I didn't
have.
I myself as a child was not given the most
attention by teachers. They were mostly hands off and just wanted me out of
their schools to meet numerical graduation standards. I wasn't the hardest
child to deal with; I just needed help to be intrigued by what was being taught
to me. I always found school to be boring and even from a young age I always
questioned the things being taught to us. Why should I be judged on not knowing
a bunch of stuff that happened years ago? Why am I being judged because every
year at the science fair I would have this stupid potato with toothpicks in it
and would come home with a "B". How is that gonna make me the next
Roberto Clemente or Tito Puente? Even though I may not have had the mechanics
or the brain capacity at 10yrs old I still feel that there should be some
understanding of the reason why we are being taught what we are learning, and
not just because that's what the adults wants us to learn. So when I came into
education my goal was to actually teach these kids something they can use in
life, not a bunch of shit told to us by a bunch of bull-shitters.
As years went by more tests and less
recreation were implemented in the "criteria". My class started to
get restless and vented about how stressed they were. I then proceeded to go on
YouTube and played "Fat people falling". It was a hit with my class
but not with my boss. She asked why I would play such a video. My intentions
were not to mock overweight folk with horrible balance but to bring some
laughter into the room to cut the tension (my class lost their mind when my
boss canceled gym for more test prep). Everyone with a paper certification or
degree won't understand that. They will throw policies and all types of nice
dolled up words at you for letting kids be kids. A lil neighborhood snapping on
each other didn't affect me too much, just made me have tougher skin and made
me quick at the mouth. Now they wanna call it "bullying" or
"learning disabilities" or they're going through stuff at home. How about
the shit you’re teaching them sucks! And you're turning them into stressed out
robots with minimal personality. Why don't we encourage kids to be creative?
Instead of finding it in a system made book and scantron.
I heard there's this school on the East
side that doesn't give homework. Instead they encourage children to have family
bonding time and relax after a 7-10 hour day of a barrage of information from
textbooks thrown at em...plus lunch and gym sometimes. So what's the problem?
Can we not chill with our kids? Bond with them, learn their personalities, what
their interests are and encourage them to grow up and make a difference instead
of em watching hours of perverse innuendos from Sponge Bob? Yeah, they were
brought up in the system as well so of course they're gonna find this
outrageous. All a part of this Homework hierarchy which brainwashed as well.
As long as the
"criteria"(there's that word again) calls for city tests and a bunch
of other useless things to throw at our youth we will all continue to be mis-educated.
We are all responsible for it, because I'm sure if you did take the time to
read this you couldn't tell me shit about George Washington and our founding
fathers. And if you can SO WHAT! They ain't paying the bills, last I checked I
owe'd Uncle Sam $15 and 50 cents. Teach our kids to pay that back. Welcome to
the Miseducation...
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