Very true. I always scored among the top 5 or so (among 300-400 classmates in my grade level) on Iowa Test of Basic Skills, typically at least 5 or 6 grade levels above my grade at the time. I had classmates who could barely read a sentence -- as in - they - read - one - word at - a - time, and they typically paused at multiple-syllable words to "sound them out." That was very frustrating for me, as in my mind we had been exposed to the same learning opportunities, but they apparently chose not to take advantage of them. Of course, for those of low IQ there WAS no choice. But for many of average intelligence, they DID have the mental capacity to learn more but chose ignorance instead. One example is the fact that ebonics still run rampant in public schools. We all looked at the same chalkboard, and while a fair percentage of my black classmates learned how to read, write and speak English right along with me and other white, yellow and brown students, many others came out of those halls reading ( I guess), writing (maybe) and thinking in ebonics. I couldn't imagine being a teacher these days - the hopelessly unintelligent, the wilfully ignorant, the kids with no support or guidance at home and the obstinate, disrespectful, verbally abusive and often violent youth of today would seem to render educating those of moderate to high intelligence extremely difficult.
Hats off to you and the true, sane, non-indoctrinating (actual) teachers! For what it's worth, two of my teachers were mentors to me. One was a woman, my 6th grade teacher, and one was a man, my high school world history teacher. I stayed in touch with the former into my 20's and the latter until my late 50's - and it was his death that ended our lifelong friendship. There were a couple of teachers that I disliked, but for the most part I liked and respected them!
Before the 60s black families were treated pretty bad.
One thing that many misunderstand about black families back then.
Those families were strong. They had to be.
They stayed strong until the Democrats started to "help" them
Agreed. My best friend in 4th-6th grade was black, in a family with 6 kids. Their dad was with the family, with a railroad job while their mom was the homemaker. We used to spend the night at each others' homes, and when I went to his place (in "the projects", on the east side of town across the tracks in Southeastern Washington) we'd often go to the drive-in, in their station wagon. They were making it work.
A year or two after 6th grade, we were still friends but had started hanging out more with others. His dad was killed - I never heard why - and maybe a year later his younger brother was killed.
We reconnected several times before and just after I got married at age 20. He later brought his family (wife, stepdaughter and son) to San Diego where my wife and I had moved, built a family and founded our business. He was a career Navy guy, but was struggling with alcoholism. Over a few months there, he confided that the Navy was giving him experimental treatments for alcoholism. At one point, he confided that he was "afraid of what they were gonna do to him." Within two weeks, he was dead. The story was that he had fallen down the stairs . . . His wife found him, so I guess that was at least part of the truth. Very sad.
I don't know how this relates to "the system", but they started strong - that was my point.
Very true. I always scored among the top 5 or so (among 300-400 classmates in my grade level) on Iowa Test of Basic Skills, typically at least 5 or 6 grade levels above my grade at the time. I had classmates who could barely read a sentence -- as in - they - read - one - word at - a - time, and they typically paused at multiple-syllable words to "sound them out." That was very frustrating for me, as in my mind we had been exposed to the same learning opportunities, but they apparently chose not to take advantage of them. Of course, for those of low IQ there WAS no choice. But for many of average intelligence, they DID have the mental capacity to learn more but chose ignorance instead. One example is the fact that ebonics still run rampant in public schools. We all looked at the same chalkboard, and while a fair percentage of my black classmates learned how to read, write and speak English right along with me and other white, yellow and brown students, many others came out of those halls reading ( I guess), writing (maybe) and thinking in ebonics. I couldn't imagine being a teacher these days - the hopelessly unintelligent, the wilfully ignorant, the kids with no support or guidance at home and the obstinate, disrespectful, verbally abusive and often violent youth of today would seem to render educating those of moderate to high intelligence extremely difficult.
Hats off to you and the true, sane, non-indoctrinating (actual) teachers! For what it's worth, two of my teachers were mentors to me. One was a woman, my 6th grade teacher, and one was a man, my high school world history teacher. I stayed in touch with the former into my 20's and the latter until my late 50's - and it was his death that ended our lifelong friendship. There were a couple of teachers that I disliked, but for the most part I liked and respected them!
Before the 60s black families were treated pretty bad. One thing that many misunderstand about black families back then. Those families were strong. They had to be. They stayed strong until the Democrats started to "help" them
(Of course there are exceptions to the rule)
Agreed. My best friend in 4th-6th grade was black, in a family with 6 kids. Their dad was with the family, with a railroad job while their mom was the homemaker. We used to spend the night at each others' homes, and when I went to his place (in "the projects", on the east side of town across the tracks in Southeastern Washington) we'd often go to the drive-in, in their station wagon. They were making it work.
A year or two after 6th grade, we were still friends but had started hanging out more with others. His dad was killed - I never heard why - and maybe a year later his younger brother was killed.
We reconnected several times before and just after I got married at age 20. He later brought his family (wife, stepdaughter and son) to San Diego where my wife and I had moved, built a family and founded our business. He was a career Navy guy, but was struggling with alcoholism. Over a few months there, he confided that the Navy was giving him experimental treatments for alcoholism. At one point, he confided that he was "afraid of what they were gonna do to him." Within two weeks, he was dead. The story was that he had fallen down the stairs . . . His wife found him, so I guess that was at least part of the truth. Very sad.
I don't know how this relates to "the system", but they started strong - that was my point.