"It's no secret the public school system (generally speaking) has failed African-Americans and Hispanics; particularly those sitting on the low-income side of the education fence. Most of the courses, even in predominant black schools, are considered culturally biased with math being labeled the lone universal." (emphasis mine)
Really? Where is the author getting this stuff?? They haven't read Dick and Jane in public schools in... 40 years or so. And by the by, Dick and Jane are NOT racist. They just happen to live in the suburbs. What's wrong with their being white and suburban?
Not to say there mightn't ever, ever, ever be some hidden racism somewhere in the selection of children's literature. Or that overt racism in schools wouldn't be an EXCELLENT reason to homeschool your black child. We can probably all think of examples we wish we had never seen in school from our own childhoods. I know I sure can!! So go for it if that's what you want to do.
But um, no, to answer the commenters, I don't think most white people who take a job teaching in the inner city "don't care" or that the white man "thinks he is GOD." I live with a few white men, and they can be pretty self-important people, but not *quite* that deluded.
And... black people are SHAFTING the public schools when they make a CHOICE for their children? Um, isn't that what the whole civil rights thing-o was about? Being able to live equally free? You know... to make choices? This article is just all over the place. I'm confused!
And the picture is of a child in SCHOOL. What is the child pondering? My guess is, "Hmmm... I am trying to make sense of this article. Is it FOR or AGAINST homeschooling? And what does the author want me to believe after reading it?"
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My father is the purple dot above the blue weather station. He's juuust outside Milton's evacuation zone. Well! My brother and I jus...
Okay, the author of the article is just hilarious! I got a good laugh out the 'Dick and Jane' complaint, leaving out cultural names like Showanda, Latrika and Muhammad.(I know, I added examples) Seriously?? Because those are simple names that a 4,5 or 6 year old child could recognize on sight and read out loud? Has Wayne never heard of syllables? Has Wayne ever taught a child to read?
ReplyDeleteI guess I should tell my 3 year old bi-racial daughter that we can't read the Dick and Jane books anymore. She loves them! Mommy didn't know they were racist. Oops. Seriously, sometimes I think people have way too much time on their hands to write articles like this or to even think it. It gives me a headache.
ReplyDeleteIf math textbooks are culturally biased, how come Asians tend to perform so well in school . . .
ReplyDeleteI thought the same thing, Blondee! BUT the element of racism might still be there, grant you. For example, our district has schools named after people called Meriwether and William, but refused to put Sacajawea's name on the new one because children couldn't spell it. I think it isn't THAT much harder, plus the fact that she's a woman AND a native person. All the schools here are named generic things like the town OR after white men. So, grain of truth maybe. Maybe.
ReplyDeleteBonnie, I love Dick and Jane, too. Now they are CAUTIONING parents against using this method (the basal or "look-say).
Tammy, Asian names were about all there were in our SINGAPORE MATH books. I think that's racist and I'm gonna complain... not. :)