Wilson for HS?

[Anonymous]

17:17 I know students who attend Walls who have long commutes and their parents get them to their starting points, the bus stop, the metro. I did not mean dropping off at Walls' front door. Plus I've been to Eastern, thanks!

[Anonymous]

Oh god, the Real World. The Real World is not filled with dope dealers and drive by shootings. If you consider this the real world you need to pull yourself away from the tube.
Want to raise a great kid? It starts with the parents. Try to stay together and don't let your kid roam the streets or listen to rap music. Rap is not a culture. Perhaps you should introduce them to real Black musicians like Miles Davis or Duke Ellington, or Denyce Graves. That Lil' Wayne world is created by marketers who are selling a product and stealing your kids' soul. It's the same with Kesha or Britney or Eminem. Their message? Let's be dysfunctional. They're idiots.
Next, stop making excuses for your kids. If they didn't do their homework or they skipped school make sure there are rules and supervise, supervise, supervise. Don't accept a "I'm just going over to her/his house." Who is going to be home? What are you going to be doing?
Do you really think those that have money really want to spend it on private schools? I'll bet most of them went to public schools but our public schools mollycoddle students and parents and tell them that the sky is the limit, you can do anything you want to do .....all you have to do is dream. BS.

[Anonymous]

As someone who attended private schools when I was younger, and then a large public HS, I can tell you that your child isn't going to be having meaningful conversations and forging friendships with students from different socio-economic classes. The fact is that the kids self segregate. The separation did not happen along racial lines, but rather social/economic ones.

The comment that a PP made about the students with terrible language and pants down to their knees really resonated with me. I hear the same loud expletives coming out of the neighborhood middle school children on their way home. They do not stop when mothers with young children walk by. They often demonstrate poor manners and disregard safety. For example, not moving out of a neighborhood 4 way stop intersection (because they are busy shoving one another) when cars are coming down the street or waiting. I don't know that a school can instill in children different values about what is important in life, respect, and good manners. Actually, the NPR preschool podcast that came out recently discussed the fact that the lack of these "soft skills" is what holds back many many people in life. At a young age school can help develop these skills, but by middle school it is very difficult.

[Anonymous]

I think a school can instill in children the idea of doing something because it's the right thing to do. I think they can make honor cool (with an honor code), responsibility cool (with a Student Council) , integrity cool (again, honor code) by actually discussing these sorts of values. Sometimes they are not simple--and children discover that having integrity can come at personal cost. The golden rule does NOT always work; it's so simplistic. and kinda selfish in a way.... Children respect actual, honest discussions about how difficult decency is., but why it's ultimately so worthy. Remember when athletes would put on coat and ties to travel to games? We need more of that. Wilson would be an excellent place to start that discussion in school. Isn't Cahall a coach? Coaches can make anything cool.... If I were him I'd be on that corner by McDonald's calling kids on the way they're representing their school in my big loud voice, making them do ten pushups, and then in school assemblies , bulletin boards advisory discussions etc. pushing better choices and some pride in the right things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Black musicians like Miles Davis or Duke Ellington, or Denyce Graves. That Lil' Wayne world is created by marketers who are selling a product and stealing your kids' soul. It's the same with Kesha or Britney or Eminem. Their message? Let's be dysfunctional. They're idiots.
Next, stop making excuses for your kids

Wow, you sound like those old cranks who said rock and roll would lead to juvenile delinquency. I don't listen to rap but I can still appreciate that there are rappers whose art -- yes art -- is incredibly literate. And maybe its because it freaks people like you out that it has such relevance for some people.

As for the themes in rap, this is a huge genre and you can find anything, including rap songs about the value of relationships and family, about facing adversity, about falling in love, pretty much what you will find in any other popular musical genre. And, yes, songs about violence and drugs and . . . kind of like Johnny Cash singing "I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die." (A fabulous song, BTW). Have you ever listened to the lyrics in the Bobby Fuller Four's amazing "I Fought the Law?" Yeah, there are rap songs about women's asses, and I don't care for those, but neither do i care for Queen's "Fat Bottom Girls" either.

You trot out Davis, Ellington and Graves to demonstrate that you aren't a racist, I suppose. But clearly you like your AA musicians dead, or old. Rap music speaks to a lot of younger folks, AA and white, and you dismiss all of them when you dismiss their music in such an insulting fashion. And, yes, you are insulting the vast majority of AA youth who listen to rap music. But, hey, it isn't for you. It isn't for me either. Thats why it means something to the people for whom it does speak.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh god, the Real World. The Real World is not filled with dope dealers and drive by shootings. If you consider this the real world you need to pull yourself away from the tube.
Want to raise a great kid? It starts with the parents. Try to stay together and don't let your kid roam the streets or listen to rap music. Rap is not a culture. Perhaps you should introduce them to real Black musicians like Miles Davis or Duke Ellington, or Denyce Graves. That Lil' Wayne world is created by marketers who are selling a product and stealing your kids' soul. It's the same with Kesha or Britney or Eminem. Their message? Let's be dysfunctional. They're idiots.
Next, stop making excuses for your kids. If they didn't do their homework or they skipped school make sure there are rules and supervise, supervise, supervise. Don't accept a "I'm just going over to her/his house." Who is going to be home? What are you going to be doing?
Do you really think those that have money really want to spend it on private schools? I'll bet most of them went to public schools but our public schools mollycoddle students and parents and tell them that the sky is the limit, you can do anything you want to do .....all you have to do is dream. BS.

Let's see your list here:
1. Dope dealers,
2. drive by shootings
3. kids roaming the streets
4. kids listening to rap music
5. kids not doing their homework
6. kids skipping school

You aren't talking about white kids or all kids, you are talking about AA kids. nice list. Yeah I'll call you out. Racist.

[Anonymous]

19:47 by saying that that list of negative activities pertains to AA kids, you are the one who seems to have the problem.

[Anonymous]

So, who were you referring to? Your post was arguing that Eastern is not the real world, because the real world isn't filled with such things. Lots of white kids over at eastern, right? Who were you referring to with all these attributes?

[Anonymous]

20:07 here, I didn't write the post about Eastern. Actually, I don't know that area, for all that I know it could be close to where I live. I live not too far from the district line (NE) in *gasp* PG county. There is a great deal of tension about race, culture, and economic status in DC and it makes sense that these issues enter into discussion of schools. It has been my experience that race itself is not what is at issue; it is people's norms and values. I think that violence, drugs, and foul language are unacceptable to educated people of all races. It is the case, that in DC the majority of areas that have high drop out rates and violence are majority black. There is nothing inherent in being black that causes this problems and to not be allowed to state the facts about certain dangers and take a stand against them because they often occur in black majority areas seems to take the stance of assuming that these negative activities are somehow inherent to a racial group's make-up. That is a true offense.

Recently I read Condoleezza Rice's book about her family and upbringing "Extraordinary Ordinary People." The culture that she grew up in could not be more different from that of the troubled areas and schools in our communities. Even if you do not agree with her politics, it is an engaging look into race relations during the past generation and also a portrait of a black family whose daughter achieved a great deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I think that violence, drugs, and foul language are unacceptable to educated people of all races.

so the poor are poor becauser they are uneducated and they practice violence, drugs and foul language.
Dick Cheneys grandson was like that. He got thrown out of one fancy private into another and meddled with drugs and fancy private schools have kids who use foul language when they talk to the teachers

[Anonymous]

Yes, actually, after I wrote that last night I thought about the fact that being educated has not stopped many a person from being indecent! It would have been correct to say that bad behavior is considered such by people across the racial spectrum period. Growing up in East Texas I knew several very kindly mannered people who did not complete elementary school. (They are quite old now.) The relationship between a low educational level, poverty, and crime is complex and beyond the scope of my expertise. My take home point was that by labeling poor language and behavior "black culture" we make it an untouchable subject. In addition, this labeling is false and offensive as well as an impediment toward finding and fighting the roots of problems like having two very different schools under one roof.

[Anonymous]

Keep making excuses for these people. They have had billions of dollars thrown their way, affirmative action, shit most firms were tripping over themselves to prove how diverse they were and how quickly they could higher AAs, DC spends more per pupil than any other jurisdiction, etc etc. At some point in life YOU are responsible for your actions, not something that happened hundreds of years ago, not some mysterious "Man", just you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Keep making excuses for these people. They have had billions of dollars thrown their way, affirmative action, shit most firms were tripping over themselves to prove how diverse they were and how quickly they could higher AAs, DC spends more per pupil than any other jurisdiction, etc etc. At some point in life YOU are responsible for your actions, not something that happened hundreds of years ago, not some mysterious "Man", just you.

If you are willing to lift your white hooded robe for one moment I would like to tell you something. Diverstity was not put in place for AA people. Many women, Hispanic, gay, among other people have benefited from Afirmitave Action. Yes you are correct, DC does spend more money per pupil to educate the children in DC not just the AA children and really if you would like to see where the majority of the per pupil spending is going you can look west of the park and see it is being put to good use! Yes, historically AA people are at a disadvantage and continue to be as a whole and you are right people need to take personal responsibilty for their actions but I would say the same goes for the majority of welfare recipients in this country, (who by the way are white) These people like to sit on thier butts and collect money while the rest of country works to support them. Every one has an excuse for thier situation if you are willing to listen to it. I think you are a disgusting racist asshole. I just really hope your kid does not attend school with my child and bring your Archie Bunker views to the classroom.

[Anonymous]

Wilson? Never. I'll move to MOCO. BCC and Whitman are right up the street.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Yes, historically AA people are at a disadvantage and continue to be as a whole and you are right people need to take personal responsibilty for their actions but I would say the same goes for the majority of welfare recipients in this country, (who by the way are white) These people like to sit on thier butts and collect money while the rest of country works to support them. Every one has an excuse for thier situation if you are willing to listen to it. I think you are a disgusting racist asshole. I just really hope your kid does not attend school with my child and bring your Archie Bunker views to the classroom.

It was not that long ago that Virginia had segregated schools. And since then the black area schools have at best been mediocre.