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 Equal Education for Everyone 
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In reading the rest of Kozol'z book, I disagree that just African American communities are being discriminated against in education. Our school was once a county elementary school before we merged with the city and I have had many educators from other schools question me why I would want to work there. I would wager that they wouldn't last one year at my school because we have many obstacles to overcome before we can even begin to teach the required curriculum. When are teachers going to wake up and realize that we can't judge these students by their homelife or what we think we know about their families. We have to work together and push for every opportunity for every child. I tell my students that it is not an option, they will have to get some type of higher education, even if it is a trade. If we don't expect anymore out of them, how can they expect it of themselves. I am really disturbed by the cuts in education this year and I feel that this is only going to set us back in making sure that every child gets the same opportunity. Shame on our government.

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mimi rollins


Mon Sep 07, 2009 6:00 pm
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Mimi,
I agree with you totally when you say that we should expect more out of the children in our school. Society already expects alot from us and when these children are grown up they will have alot to do. Children in my school are lower class children and I go into each one of my childrens home at the beginning of the school year. This really opens my eyes to what my children go through however this makes me want to push them more and more to make themselves become better citizens in society :!:


Mon Sep 07, 2009 7:40 pm
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I agree that it is not just African Americans that are being discriminated against, although they are highly discriminated against. I see it happening with Hmong and Latino children as well. Many of these students do not have parents capable of representing them or standing up for what should be happening in school for thier children. I always wonder how many AG or EC kids we miss because of the language barriers.


Mon Sep 07, 2009 10:41 pm
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I agree Steve. In my school, I find that it is our Hispanics and Hmongs that are being discriminated against; we don't have a high population of African American students. Just the other day a teacher I know was stuffing her Friday Folders. She said she ran out of Friday Night Jam papers so she decided to take the ones out of the Hmong children's folders and put them in the remaining white children's folders. Normally, I don't think I would have paid this any attention, but being that we're taking this course I started talking to her about it. She ended up agreeing that she just needed to get more copies so all of her kids could get the paper. This is something that seems minute but it's a big deal!

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Erika M. Nelson


Tue Sep 08, 2009 5:39 pm
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It breaks my heart as I look around me and hear about the lower expectations some educators have for students due to race, social class, or ability. In my experience the students will rise to the reasonable expectations that you set for them. If the standards are low, then so will the product. It is time that we disregard all of the prejudices that cloud our minds and teach and treat them as precious children not students with baggage!

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Holly Timberlake


Wed Sep 09, 2009 10:33 am
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Erika Nelson wrote:
I agree Steve. In my school, I find that it is our Hispanics and Hmongs that are being discriminated against; we don't have a high population of African American students. Just the other day a teacher I know was stuffing her Friday Folders. She said she ran out of Friday Night Jam papers so she decided to take the ones out of the Hmong children's folders and put them in the remaining white children's folders. Normally, I don't think I would have paid this any attention, but being that we're taking this course I started talking to her about it. She ended up agreeing that she just needed to get more copies so all of her kids could get the paper. This is something that seems minute but it's a big deal!


Wow, Erika. What a story, and what an experience. You are right; it is these seemingly small things that tells each student how much they are worth to their teacher, and to their school. It's like the blue eye brown eye experiment, but with the teacher only pushing kids down! I am so grateful to hear that you took the time, and the risk, to talk with your fellow teacher about this.

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Gayle Turner


Wed Sep 09, 2009 10:50 am
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I think we should push all of our students to their fullest. Tosha I also have lower income students in my school. I feel the same way you do. I want to push them to become something in society. They do not have to live like that when they get older they can be better. I think we have lowered our expectations for students who truely can do it. Every students should be entitled to an EQUAL chance.

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Adrienne Coles Ledbetter


Sun Dec 06, 2009 1:36 pm
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