Powerful Parents and Education

Back in May of 2006, a substitute teacher in a Chicago Public School wanted to “call security” on three little boys who, the sub said, were talking in class. The boys, who are ages 10 and 11, deny that they were talking. I believe them both. I think that the boys were talking, in low almost inaudible voices. Making eye contact and stifling giggles like little boys are want to do. And to a 5th grader that isn’t talking, if you are still getting your work done.

I say this because I was outside the door just before the Sub asked another teacher for security. I stuck my head in the room after I heard the request and there was the faintest hum of conversation. By that I mean that the room was not silent. It was about 30 minutes into the school day.

Now, the following may not be relevant but here goes. The little boys are dark complexioned African Americans and one wears his hair in dreadlocks. The school is Mark T. Skinner Classical School, a selective enrollment school on Adams and Throop on the near west side. The substitute was a white European American middle aged male substitute teacher who claimed to know that students at Skinner were among the highest performing students in Chicago. And still his answer to little black boys talking in class was to “Call Security”.

Why do I find this appalling? Security is analogous to the police. Security takes you out of the classroom, away from the learning environment. The police take you to jail, away from family, friends and society. Why would one make the acts of a minor child in a school building criminal unless it was absolutely necessary? Unless it was to teach a psychological lesson in knowing one’s place. To dehumanize the educational process and make the instructional environment hostile. There are several tiers to discipline at Skinner as there are at all CPS schools. Each infraction meets its own repercussions based on the severity of the infraction and the repetition of the infraction. (The third spit ball rated harsher penalties than the first.) The first incident of talking, as it was 9:45 – 10:00 in the morning, hardly rates “calling Security” unless this action by a teacher has nothing to do with classroom management and everything to do with criminalizing the behavior of African American males.

Now, it may seem that I am overreacting, but add to this that CPS does not have a policy in place for removing students from a hostile learning environment even when a finding of racial and gender discriminatory behavior has been made against the teacher. Add that 3% of CPS African American and Latino high school graduates, will actually graduate from college after six years. Add that CPS wants out of the modified desegregation consent decree.

Doesn’t it make you wonder how our attitudes toward the students impact the students ability to succeed. I wonder how you, an adult, would feel, in a work related meeting, after exchanging a short quiet conversation with the person next to you, caused the presenter to “CALL SECURITY”. It makes learning dangerous, again. And it is appalling.

Why do I bring this up now? On December 6, 2006 the Chicago Public School hosted it’s fourth Power of Parents Conference. Bill Cosby spoke on the importance of parental involvement. Lauren Lake reminded how people have fought and died for educational opportunities. She asked every parent in the room to demand a quality education for their child. George McKenna told parents to sit in the classroom and observe, to create legislation that allows parents 4 hours off per year per child to assist in school. Rufus Williams, CPS Board President was on the dais, as was CEO Arne Duncan. The mayor of Chicago, Richard Daley came in and greeted Dr. Cosby. It was great.

Yet on the last Board Public Hearing Broadcast, it was business as usual. Family after family complained of lack of educational opportunities and options. Understand that most people don’t go to the hearings on a whim. Most of the speakers have exhausted every known avenue of redress without success. I was a presenter during the public participation portion of the hearing. I was stunned by the number of parents who wanted his/her child to have a fair shake at an education. I wondered if anyone really intended for the system to work. If there was so much systemic racism and incompetence that the majority of students were so ill served that the true evidence of the failure of the system were the students who actually received an education. Am maybe it was not that the system had failed to fail them, but that the parents involved works so very hard, the students escaped unscathed. I am one of those parents, my parents were those types of parents and their parents before them. Lauren Lake spoke about the shoulders upon which we stand and I was inspired to make contact with other parents similarly situated.