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Letter from a teacher in Cleveland: It is always worse that we know.

“They really believe cops are just looking for black kids to shoot and kill, for no reason whatsoever. It’s obvious that this message has really been impressed upon them, because it’s not even open for discussion.”

Hello Colin –

It’s a busy time in Cleveland for a teacher – the end of the school year brings the administration of new standardized tests (Common Core/ PARCC), and the results of the March Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) will be released May 18. The failure of one or more parts of this test will keep hundreds of Cleveland 12th graders from graduating on time this year (as every year since it’s inception).  Just WAIT until the Common Core tests are the gatekeepers!

Regarding the math OGT, a few things you should know: first, the students only need to answer about 40% of the questions correctly in order to get the scaled passing score of 400. Second, the students get SEVEN chances to pass the 5 parts (Reading, writing, math, social[ist] studies, science) between the spring of 10th grade and spring of 12th grade. Third, the OGT math test is NOT THAT HARD for anyone of average intelligence and work ethic.

The problem is that the test is comprehensive – it covers math skills that should have been accumulating since day one in kindergarten.  Unfortunately, many urban youths check out of school mentally by grade 5.  After that, it becomes purely a social event for far too many of our “scholars” (as we are encouraged to call students in Cleveland).  I do want to be clear that NOT ALL students mentally drop out; maybe 20% give reasonable effort and try to do what’s expected – some are even amazing, considering the crap they live with.  I would estimate about 20% of the teens I see actively resist becoming educated – these kids refuse to do what’s necessary to learn and don’t even put up a show (unless you kiss their @ss, then they may at least appear minimally cooperative).  The remaining 60% or so fall in between – they may give a good show, they may be generally pleasant and well-behaved, they may turn do & turn in work on a regular basis, but often their efforts are half-hearted, incomplete, and/or lacking in accuracy.  So we’re looking at at least 80% of my students over the last 2 decades of my teaching career, all in Cleveland, have little clue what “hard work” means in the academic sense. Very few of these youths have the tenacity to stick with difficult concepts to the point of understanding at the high school level.

Again I want to say that there are some diamonds in the rough in any school – kids you would like to take home and adopt, to get them out of the terrible environment in which some of them live.  I have high hopes for many of my students, and keep in touch with some of them on Facebook even years later. I don’t hate any of these kids, though I may hate some of their attitudes and behavior.  If I didn’t care, I would just let them do nothing in class and think “to hell with ’em.”  But I don’t. Every day I start again to make whatever progress I can. On the days when I’m not perhaps as sympathetic as usual, those middle 60% may cop a belligerent attitude and not do any work. All I can do is continue teaching the others and ignore the non-workers, and then start all over the next day.

As far as violence in the schools, at my current position things are relatively calm.  As has always been the case, the vast majority of fights are between girls, usually about boys.  But even now, in this non-public setting, there are fights and rumors of fights; I hear about what goes on outside of school, and the kids always seem to have video on their cell phone of whatever drama recently went down. Many students tell me of their experiences in the ‘hood – family, friends, or acquaintances being shot, arrested, or both; the virtual conflicts that go on over the web via Instagram and SnapChat (Facebook is so passe) continue through gossip and physical confrontation in the building.  That is why cell phones are a dangerous thing in the school setting – they allow for the conflicts to fester and even escalate online, then at lunch – look out.  As a side note, my students are continually amazed that I have never been arrested, been to a jail, sat in the back of a police car, etc.

At my previous positions (15 years in a high school and 1 year at K-8 (both Hispanic-majority), violence was much more prevalent. After the strong, pro-law-and-order principal was forced out, the school became a dumping ground for all of the trouble makers from that side of town; consequently, discipline plummeted.  A Spanish-speaking female principal (who commanded no respect) was placed by downtown administration. She had NO CONTROL of the building. Any quality student who could leave – we had many previously – did so, until only a few real students were left. By this time, there were false fire alarms pulled several times per day, and students used this as a chance to fight.  There were no visible repercussions for those caught pulling the alarm. I and my colleagues believed the guilty students should be publicly taken away by police before being expelled, but whatever consequences were, we never heard.

Even when students were not fighting, that was the main interest of most of them. Who fought yesterday, who would fight today, and whatever plans were afoot for an upcoming jump.  Nothing excited them more than for a fight to start – I often had to physically bar the door to keep students IN my room and not running out into the cafeteria to watch (and record on their cell phones) the latest ongoing fight.  Students are not shy about their discussions, so I often hear all the details of who got jumped and for what reason, what the results were, how many cops showed up, etc.

But the scariest part is hearing their thoughts on how all of this violence is natural, normal, and justified.  Way too many “teens” honestly feel that any slight, however small, demands retribution. “She was talkin’ shit about me,” “he getting in my business,”  “that teacher got on my last nerve” are a few that come to mind.  “I was sleeping, and Miss ______ tapped my shoulder, and I about punched her in the face!”   Concerning Baltimore, a male student (otherwise a pretty nice kid) said “I’m gonna go to Baltimore and get in on the rant (riot?)!”

Students know from my previous comments that I side with the police, and they really believe cops are just looking for black kids to shoot and kill, for no reason whatsoever. It’s obvious that this message has really been impressed upon them, because it’s not even open for discussion “Don’t get Mr. ______  started,” one students says to another. They won’t argue with me because I demand reasoning for any statement they make (as in math).  They will NOT consider another side to the story – Trayvon, Mike Brown, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, etc. were all just police just out killing black folks for noreasonwhatsoever.  I generally avoid the discussion because I know the kids cannot reason logically through anything as emotional to them as this topic.

I’ve listened to three of the podcasts so far and bought two of your books on Kindle, but I wish others would hear you. My liberal friends (most of whom moved way out east to get “better schools” (wink wink), and work in 95%-white schools call me racist if I mention any hate facts such as crime stats, IQ/genetics research, etc.

Keep up the good work – I hope it doesn’t get you depressed – or killed.  Naturally, please keep my name unpublished; in my field, realists (there are many of us, even in teaching) must be quiet and careful.

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