| Our Partial Story Once there was a young boy who had eyes filled with wonder, and an adventuresome spirit. His parents were educators, and believed in the school system. They had professionally committed themselves to educating the young mind. They sent their bright child into the school setting, not realizing that the statistics were against this child. He began his education with a teacher who was very "sweet." This child's mother worked in the school that he was attending, so she believed that he would be taken care of. Imagine her heartbreak as she saw her son, the best son that she ever had, experiencing things in kindergarten that she never thought possible. No matter how he loved his teacher (he loved her enough to remember that her favorite candy was M&M Peanut), he never received her sincere approval. Only his negative behavior received recognition from her, and many notes went home with him to prove her view of him. Little did she realize that she had his heart, all she had to do was work that to his and to her advantage. This child spent many years in the system, having to struggle just to be accepted by those tapped to educate him. Though his scores reflected the fact that he had the capacity to work at the higher levels in his class, he was not getting the nod of approval from the professionals. His struggle was renewed each year, with only a few professionals of other races willing to recognize his potential, and doing all that they could to help him believe in himself. What a sad testament to the educational process. Unfortunately, it is normal in today's society to lose African-American males by the time they reach third grade. Though their scores are similar to their peers in kindergarten through second grade, something happens by the fourth grade that causes them to begin to fall by the wayside. At the beginning of the year, one third-grade teacher complained to the mother that the child finished his pre-test too early. The mom asked the teacher how her son did on the test. The teacher did not know. She only wanted to communicate the fact that this child was not conforming to the class. His test results placed him at the highest level for that grade. Time marched on, and struggles continued for this African-American male. When this child finished the 9th grade, he remarked, "I am just not smart anymore, mama." The struggles seemed to be wearing him down. What happened to the bright young man who was able to "multi-task" within the classroom setting, even before that concept was labeled? He has two years left in the public school system, and our prayers are that his spirit will be opened again, and he will realize that he is STILL a bright young man with potential that is astronomical. Talk to your African-American sons. Keep them encouraged. Visit the schools and be their advocate. It's time to save our African-American males. Instead of saving "one child at a time," let's do it for groups at a time! |
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