[Shaking my head…] Here is my dilemma, how is it that very few people are privy to the that fact that schools are failing our children. How can we spend more time discussing celebrity news, wondering what the president is wearing or talking about reality TV shows, than dealing with the issues affecting millions of students everyday. Unfortunately it must be said that too many kids are getting what I am calling an edu-waste-tion. It’s the curriculum of fear, confusion, and shattering of the soul. The goal of this sort of education is to cripple the human and impede his progress, kill her imagination and suppress his thought. Essentially, denying the child the very gift from God, humanity.
I thought to myself, I know someone has written a book about this, so to settle the issue I went to the bookstore. I walked in with the hopes of finding one good book written about the state of our country and its education system. I was eagerly searching the bookstore and finally stumbled upon the quaint section designated for education, instantly my feelings of excitement dropped down to confusion and frustration. To my surprise, I could only find two books that painted the picture of the turmoil dripping from the walls of American schools.
The book that was most intriguing was entitled Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America by Jonathan Kozol. I gotta admit seeing this book saved my experience. I was introduced to Jonathan Kozal as in undergraduate at Occidental College by reading his book Savage Inequalities. Hence my relief upon reading his name on cover. Jonathan Kozol is a social justice advocate for children, the poor and education. He is well known for his research on injustice, discrimination and his up close and personal accounts revealing the alarming high rates of illiteracy, continued racism/segregation and inequalities that currently exist in American Schools. After skimming the text, I shook my head in disbelief, again wondering why many aren’t engaging in the dialogue of the Shame of a Nation.
Suffice it to say, I have settled the issue knowing this one thing, we are all responsible for ensuring that our kids, nieces, nephews, cousins, neighbors and friends get a complete and compelling education. I encourage you to visit a classroom, engage a child, be an advocate, talk to the classroom teacher, and go to a school board meeting. Whatever you do, take a vow and make certain that all the children you know are getting an education.