True Stories from Newark

Take a look at this if you want to know what our students will be facing. The life of the streets/drug dealing is tempting when you are poor. As teachers we need to provide encouragment and hope. The article written by a Rutgers-Newark Journalism Student, I feel this most relates with a true inner city lifestyle that is not discussed in "Unequal Childhoods". Those who drop out and subsquently deal drugs to survive are only living the life they know. This article too. There should be no watering down of this as the "Unequal Childhoods" does. How can we really examine the truth of "unequal childhoods" if we can only discuss what is politically correct. Often the "addict" is not the aunt climbing in the window, it is the parent in the bedroom. I feel this book "unequal childhoods" is very politcally correct and paints rose colored glasses on the true urban lifesytle. Drugs(read this), violence (read this), teen pregnacy and prison are ideas that many inner city children live with and hope not to encounter but accept that it is real life. Those who act oblivious to the real problems are just stinking their heads in the sand. Higschools in Newark including Barringer have had childcare centers for their teens for 20 years or more. The Laureu book makes it out to be that all the only problems are race, socioeconomic, and culural issues. I think this is too simplifed with respect to true inner cities and only skims the surface of obstacles in a Newark childs life. To give a true representation of the students we will be teaching, why go to Arts High and University High, this are two exceptional schools and are not neccesarily the norm of our students since they are magnet schools which the best of the students in a district attend. According to this, 60 percent of the city’s kids are growing up without fathers. This New York Times articles addresses many issues in Newark. It thought this was the most interesting part------

"The mayor (Cory Booker) recounted an encounter he had early this week with three teenagers who were walking the streets about 11 p.m. The three boys told him they were no longer in school and when pushed, admitted having no plans for the future. Mr. Booker found the encounter troubling. “It’s not O.K. for children to be walking around at night,” he said. “They have to be confronted.” He added: “They were not bad kids, but they had fallen through the cracks. We have to show that this is a city that truly loves its children.” These are true problems. Children need guidance and if no one gives it to them, they could end up chillen on the streets at night, which leads to a life of crime.

I feel that there is a certain desire to paint a pretty picture of Newark while ignoring the truth. Newark is a dangerous city, not for the "whites" who work/walk to their cars, but for the people who live and sleep there. Shots ring out often, whether we would like to accept this as our definition of Newark, our students are aware of it all. Hopefully things will change and the new Booker administration has some great ideas on curbing violence and reforming the cities education polices. I have a idea that with some push for new "attendance" regulations rather than "proficiency" regulations we can reach more students. The goal should be to get the students to graduate in an area were the drop out rate is high. Why is it high? It is easier to accept your fate as a drug dealer than to fail as a student. One though that I have is that since money makes the world go round, the government should give a monetary incentive for attendance in school. A computer incentive would be even better. I know this would cost alot, but half the reason why the achievement gap is getting greater is because the children in the inner city don't have computers, and let's face it, they aren't going to go the the library. Teachers who give many computer assignments (ie, blogs) are overlooking major obstacles that students must overcome and it shows their inability to truly relate to the problems they face. I know some like to say go to the library, and many parents would argue that it is not safe and it is inconvenience(think bus fare). Parents don't have 1000-2000 to provide a computer for their children, nevermind pay $30 a month on Internet. This puts the poor at a huge disadvantage in a future filled with technology. The government could give laptops with wireless Internet, and make the project buildings wi-fi. This is the only way to incorporate technology in their lives. Making the students do "projects" on a computer is not enough practice with the technology. WE need to provide children in the inner city more opportunities and encourage them to graduate. Getting the students to attend school, when they are 16 is hard, a good way is positive reinforcement.

Music is my outlit. This is a fitting song. There has to be a way to get them to choose a better life than this....

Nas-The Life we chose
It's the life we chose, where friends become foes
and the dough'll get you killed quicker than you know
This is the life we chose, bring fake snakes and h%#s
and the only way out, is death or goin broke
This the life we chose, ain't too many happy endings
That's why there ain't too many happy niggaz in it
And I'll admit it, this life is fxxxed up but yo..(but yo..)
this life is the only life I know