THE MIS-EDUCATION OF OUR CHILDREN - Beryl Muhammad

What is happening to the education of our black children?  A recent Harvard University study shows that a black child drops out of school every eight seconds!  This has impacted the high school drop out rate, which is now over 60%.  It has been said that the reason stems from socioeconomic disadvantages, but I beg to differ.  Primarily, parents should be our children’s first teacher and not the schools.  The earlier a child is exposed to numbers and words, the better they will perform in comprehension and mathematical concepts later on.  Studies have shown that children, if taught at a young age, are able to read as early as two years old.  If a child is not able to read phonetically by age three, he/she will fall into difficulties reading in Kindergarten and subsequent grades.  A huge onus is on us as parents to ensure that reading with our children is a daily practice, and comprehending what is being read goes hand-in-hand with that reading.  Reading, writing, comprehension and math must be stimulated early to fuel our children’s inquisitiveness, which already is a natural curiosity.

The other problem is a very deep one that begins around grade three.  It is a combination of our children being starved of the knowledge of self, and being starved of the knowledge of reading and mathematical concepts.  Before this grade, as we know, our children are educationally motivated, excited to learn, and are curious about numbers and words.  But studies show that by grade three, our children show signs of dissatisfaction and are not as enthusiastic.  At an early age, our children’s basic test scores are equal, and sometimes higher than white students.  Our children lose interest the longer they stay in school because they are not mentally challenged satisfactorily, and as much as 40% become labeled by their individual schools as a “special education” student.

The reason is not that our children are at a socioeconomic disadvantage, neither is it that they are “special education” students.  Our children are starved of the education that makes them feel good about themselves.  Children must be taught with a positive educational curriculum that feeds their self worth.  In this American educational system, there is no access to an education that inspires our children to be potentially great.  Of course there is Black History month, but the school year stipulates 180 days a year of school and Black History month is only 28 days of that time.  Our children possibly receive one week out of that month to produce a project pertaining to a black male or female that made an impact on society.  The contributions of black people in society must be taught in schools to deter feelings of inadequacy, doubt and low self- esteem.  This is a deliberate and very systematic plan to continue to dominate a suppressed group of people.  This form of mis-education stifles the nurturing of a young black child’s psyche.  Did you know that J. Ernest Wilkins, a young, black mathematician and scientist, earned his PhD at age seventeen?  A very inspiring piece of information that is well-known but is withheld from the educational development of our children.  If accomplishments of black scientists and mathematicians are fully thrown into the mix, our children will identify with these accomplishments and will want to attach themselves to it and follow suit.

Due to the lack of equality in the educational system, there is no freedom, so ultimately justice cannot emanate from this current structure.  Our children are excited to learn at an early age because the thirst and hunger for knowledge is as natural as food and drink is to our bodies to sustain life.  When that thirst and hunger is not quenched or fed correctly, starvation quickly ensues resulting in illness.  Well, our children are being starved of the essential knowledge that will feed their desires to aspire to greatness.  At grade three, our children begin to show a deficiency in math and reading.  This is right at the grade where the NY State tests begin.  This is not a coincidence, this is real.

Since 2012, the level of the NY State test questions have become heightened to such a magnitude that many parents can no longer help their children with homework.  This has resulted in many children repeating their grade.  In fact, so many of our children failed their State tests last year that the schools in predominantly black areas had no choice but to socially promote failing students.  The Board of Education has announced this year that the same situation will be repeated.  As much as we may or may not agree with the educational system, we can all agree that it needs to change.  It is fair to say that this change that we would like to see will not happen any time soon as we would like it to.  It is clear that the Board of Education has realized that their teaching methods have been sub-standard for many years, and they are now attempting to introduce common core standards.  To introduce these standards so abruptly to our children’s learning curriculum is not acceptable, because it is to the detriment of our children’s educational progress.  It is because of this mis-education why our children are suffering now.  A gradual shift would be a more feasible solution to help our children through.

America has been behind in education for many years, and this epiphany is affecting our children’s progress, because the schools have introduced this sudden shift in learning methods that is affecting, and will affect state test results this year.  It is bad enough that the school curriculum doesn’t parallel reading and mathematical standards of the state tests, but now the fuel to this ever-burning fire is being poured on even more, and the only way to douse the flames is to get outside help.  Unfortunately, the difficulty of these tests will not be simmering down any time soon.  In fact, they will continue to increase in difficulty as America catches up to the standards of the rest of the world.

Tutoring is the only way to capitalize on your child staying ahead of the curriculum.  Seeing that the school year curriculum doesn’t stay in line with the state test standards and is mis-educating our children, it is up to us as parents to make sure that our children have the ammunition to annihilate and defeat these tests.  Yes, our children are in an educational war with the Board of Education, and victory will only be possible by calling in the cavalry.  Tutoring has the ability to fight and win the war because the strategies that are used will fully equip our children with what is needed to fight. 

The Common Core Standards, which are the standards that our children will be under this year, has stipulated that all our children read non-fiction stories instead of fictional ones.  This is fine, but why wasn’t our children given these textbook type stories since the school year began in September?  It is fair to say that a few schools followed suit, but some schools have just begun since February, and the tests are in April!  This is not enough time to prepare all our children.  Many of them are not used to reading non-fiction stories, so they will need time to get used to reading stories of this nature.  Reading stories about black history would be beneficial for our children to continue to instill self worth in them whilst learning. 

The aim is to prevent our children from dropping out of high school later on in life.  The dropout rate would decrease if our children are taught the rules and concepts of the state test during the school year, and not abruptly put upon them two months before the test.  This is deliberately misleading and mis-educating our children, which is detrimental to their future.  Year after year, the curriculum fails to prepare our children for the concepts and strategies that they need to pass the state tests.  To combat this problem, our children’s education must be supplemented with consistent tutoring to keep them ahead of their grade.  The mis-education of our children is a war that must be fought and won.  

Why Wear A Uniform to School?

I don’t know about you all out there, but I love to see our children go to school in uniform.  I know that a majority of our children in elementary and middle school will disagree with wearing a uniform, because of the latest styles in clothing and footwear, but there is a bigger picture. 

Why wear a uniform to school?  Well, first of all, let’s take a look at the definition of the word.  According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, the definition is “distinctive dress worn by members of a particular group.”  The Cambridge Dictionary reads, “The same; not varying or different in any way.”  The etymological breakdown of the word gives us “uni” meaning “one” and “form” meaning “mold, shape, a sense of behavior.”  The idea of children conforming to wearing a uniform in school helps them to know that they are indeed “one”, not only based on the “one” reason why they are there in the first place, which is to learn, but that they are “one” - together in the same environment without competition, ultimately being “molded” and “shaped” into gaining a “sense of behavior”.

I am from England.  I was born in London and educated there, but my parents are from Jamaica in the West Indies, and I can say that England and the Caribbean are adamant on school uniforms for the reasons stated above, and yes, school uniforms work – I remember even having to wear a tie!  There are many debates on school uniforms and whether they should be worn, not only in the United States, but worldwide.   However, I only want to focus on America and some of the comments that have been made for, and against school uniforms.  Below are some of the issues that have been debated in many meetings, forums, and in school and classroom discussions.

For:

• Children wearing school uniform to school will save parents money.
• School uniforms would save time in the morning, because children will know exactly what to wear.
• Wearing uniforms make it easier to determine who belongs to the school and who doesn’t for security purposes.
• Some parents might not be able to afford the latest style in clothes for their children, so school uniforms will save on embarrassment or harassment.
• With school uniforms, the child’s individual character will be highlighted and not their economic status.

Against:

• School uniforms are expensive and have no use off school premises.
• School uniforms won’t do anything.  They only cut down a child’s individuality.
• The only thing that children learn from wearing school uniform is that their distinctiveness is not important.
• Wearing school uniform does not cut down on school violence.  Parents should talk to their children regularly and keep them out of trouble.
• Schools do not need to implement school uniform to cut down on gangs.  They should just remove the gang members from the school.

These are just a few of the many comments and discussions that have been made on the wearing of school uniforms.  What school uniforms actually do is reduce class differences and turns the child’s attention to focus on what they are there for, which is learning.  In order for our children’s minds to be right, we must have school uniforms.  School is not a place where our children go to ‘chill’ each day with their friends.  School is a learning center where our lawyers, doctors, bankers and our professionals are going to emerge from.

School uniforms will definitely save time in the morning, because as a parent, you will already know what your child will be wearing, and yes, school uniforms will also save on harassment.  Some children, especially some boys, can be cruel and will tease others just because their clothes or footwear does not have a brand name on it.  Sometimes this leads to physical altercations.  Not all parents can afford the latest trends in fashion.  Have you seen the latest prices on sneakers, let alone brand named clothing? 

Wearing school uniform does not mean that a child’s distinctiveness, is not important or their individuality is cut down.  Everyone is an individual at all times, regardless to what they are wearing, even if it is uniform.  Wearing uniform does not automatically change your personality or make you a different person!

There is an overwhelming infatuation of materialism and sexism in our society today, and our children and our youth are susceptible to the distractions caused by fashion and the latest clothing.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the fashion and the latest clothing that are so terrible, it’s the priorities that our children have that is terrible.  The priorities need to be corrected so that focusing in school and receiving high grades becomes the priority – not wearing the latest brand name in clothing and who looks better, who’s cuter, who’s prettier or who’s more voluptuous than whom!  If we, as parents, seriously left our children to make their own decisions on what to wear to school, do you honestly think that their choices would be appropriate? 

It must be explained to our children and our youth that they are going to work, just like their parents have to go to work.  Our children are actually in business – the business of learning!  The ‘getting paid’ part, while they are in school, is the valuable and precious information that they are receiving, which when put into practice later in their life, will manifest into physical cash.  Therefore, they have to dress in the proper attire for work, which, in a learning environment, requires a uniform, or should require a uniform because unfortunately, not all schools enforce this rule. 

Even if you are a janitor, you have to wear a uniform, work in McDonalds – Uniform, Burger King – Uniform, Doctor – Uniform, Lawyer – Uniform (distinctive dress code), Banker – Uniform (distinctive dress code), Firefighter – Uniform, Police Officer – Uniform.  It doesn’t matter what the job is, 90% of employees have to wear a uniform that conforms to the dress code in their work environment.  What are we teaching our children if we are not preparing them to be ready in that area?  Some of you may be thinking, well, that’s a small, insignificant area, but believe me, it makes a huge difference in our children’s psyche.  It prepares them to go and get the job they desire by attending any job interview feeling confidently dressed.  How an employer sees you visually, before you even open your mouth, counts towards you getting that job. 

My motto that I use with my children and my students that I tutor is ‘get that money; it’s yours’ because it is!  Our children have the potential to become professionals in their 20’s if they remain focused, and remain in the mindset that they are ‘going to work’ for their own personal benefit.   A uniform is only what they have to wear as the dress code of that particular environment that they are in.  It’s really that simple!

In conclusion, school uniform is a dress code.  It should not make a child feel upset or not pleased to wear it.  If taught and explained to our children correctly, they will know that wearing a uniform in school is a safeguard for them because they will gain peace of mind knowing that everyone else has to conform to wearing the same uniform.  In actuality, what this does for our daughters is to curb the need for them to compete with each other on the basis of promoting their bodies, and what this does for our sons is to curb the need to compete with each other on the basis of promoting brand named clothing.  In a work environment, people wear uniform, and our children are in school to work and nothing else. 

By Beryl V. Muhammad

We are all Teachers!

I once read a phrase that said, “He who gives the diameter of your knowledge, prescribes the circumference of your activity.”  I have never forgotten that phrase because not only did it give me the incentive to become more involved in my children’s education, but it also made me want to take part in teaching others.

In fact, we are all teachers, whether or not we possess the paper that says so.  We are our children’s first teachers – long before they begin school.  Studies show that children who can read, write and perform basic mathematical operations before school, are more likely to perform better in tests than children who were not prepared.

So what does that phrase mean?  It simply means the more we talk to our children, and the more we teach and train them, the more doors of opportunity will be open to them in their future.  Our involvement in our children’s lives during their educational years is crucial.

The final numbers of third-graders who will be held back as part of the new promotion policy was finally revealed. Out of 10,398 students who failed standardized tests last spring, 4,257 attended the Summer Success Academy and moved up a level on summer tests. Another 2,522 students were granted appeals based on class work and were promoted to the fourth grade. Now we have 3,619 students that have been held back in the third grade this year, about 500 more than last year.

The Department of Education announced last week that it is also ending the practice of social promotion in the fifth grade, based on what they call a successful program for third-graders. They say that the new policy will begin in October.  So the pressure is now on for our fifth graders too.  Before long, it will be applied to all grades.

America’s educational system is all about passing tests - from third grade, all the way through high school, college and onto further education.  So therefore, we must incorporate teaching practices into our everyday routine and create avenues for our children to learn more.

New York State tests are only given to fourth grade and eighth grade children.  Our children in grades three, five, six and seven, go through a Citywide test.  What is the difference?  The state tests are much more involved and is given over a three-day period in fourth grade and a two-day period in eighth grade.  The Citywide tests are less involved and are only one-day tests.  However, both tests determine whether our children are meeting learning standards.  Children that are home-schooled also have to take these tests.

We now know that our children are only in school for 180 days a year, which is nowhere near long enough to receive adequate preparation for these tests, so we have to compensate for the time that they are out of school.  First of all, we have to lay the foundation in order for us to build on it. There are many distractions that are preventing our children from focusing.  Dealing with these distractions will lay the foundation. 

The first one is the television.  Studies have shown that excessive and inappropriate exposure to the television, which is an electronic screen, can harm physical, mental and social skills. Due to the rampant materialism and sexism in our society, our children today, in their mental and emotional immaturity, are vulnerable to the distractions caused by television, video games, music videos, rap and R & B music, fashion and clothing to name a few.  These are barriers, preventing our children from realizing the importance of being educated.  If we are to help with providing our children with proper schooling, these distractions must be put in check.

The library is a beautiful place to begin minimizing the distractions of watching the television or listening to the scandalous lyrics that are in today’s music.  Most of today’s blockbuster movies originate from books anyway, so instead of images being fed to our children, they can further develop their own imagination from reading the book.  Reading also improves memory, grammar, punctuation, vocabulary and spelling, which all improves grades.

Another hindrance to our children that we may not think affects their learning is not having a dress code in school, especially in middle school and high school.  Dress codes are a way to minimize class differences and promote uniformity.  It is also a protection for our children because peace of mind is gained knowing that other children have to conform to a dress code too, which also means less competition.

Education must be first.  It is the key to open all the doors to the future.  It is vital that the barriers previously mentioned are removed and once they are, we have successfully laid the foundation to build a strong path to lead our children to academic success. We can then begin to incorporate fundamental test-taking strategies.  We are all teachers and these rules will enable us to do exactly what the phrase says - give the diameter of their knowledge, and also prescribe the circumference of their activity.