Kozol and All Lives Matter

Ryan M
FNED 346
Ms. McKamey
9/23/18

Amazing Grace: The lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation  

By: Jonathan Kozol

Quotes:

"I believe that we were put here for a purpose, but these people in the street can't see a purpose.  There's a whole world out there if you know it's there, if you can see it.  But they're in a cage. They cannot see."

As a Roman Catholic, I do believe God has put me on this earth for a mission to be fulfilled for the better of myself and my family, however that is entirely up to me to complete it and I do wish to pursue it.  It should not matter what religion one may be, for everyone is put on this earth to make the best of themselves at whatever it is they want to do.  A pursued career should not be the act of selling your own body to another for their own sexual pleasure and your misery, with just the thought of making money off of it.  It does not matter what religion you are or whether you believe there's a higher power or not, if you need help you are more than welcome to it.  Church's are open to everyone and priests are always there to hear all the positives and negatives going on in your life and to help give solutions for a better one, for they are normal human beings too.

"The dealers are sometimes jittery.  They look at you with this strange smile.  It's as if they're laughing at their lives- and yours."

I have honestly never taken drugs, and do not necessarily have anything against certain drugs such as marijuana either. Some people who take these drugs can get hooked enough to where they become a whole different person and might commit crime to be able to afford more of it and soon pressure others into trying it.  I have heard a few times that teachers are looked at as almost second parents and so should be able to give students advice on these matter if they have careless parents whether the students want to hear it, or if the teachers are seeing possible signs of addiction.

"In one of the most diseased and dangerous communities in any city of the western world, the beautiful old stone church on St. Anne's Avenue is a gentle sanctuary from the dangers of the streets outside." 

I believe the old church of St. Anne's explained in this quote by Kozol is an example of what schools are supposed to be for all students, especially those who may have a rough life in the household or neighborhood.  Every school that may be in an area where crime is frequent should act as a sanctuary for kids who are just trying to have a good day, make friends, and go to school, and also for their parents to ensure that their children are safe.  Personally, I am not in favor of the solution that teachers and other faculty should be armed.  Rather, schools that may be located in areas with bad reputations should greatly improve security measures, and there are in fact dangerous schools throughout the country that have implemented measures such as security guards and more cameras that are becoming more safe everyday.  

Comment:

Perhaps a brief discussion one class meeting about whether or not elementary or secondary teachers are necessarily permitted to talk with students about personal matters in their life such as how they feel about their parents' occupations, life-risking choices they may have made such as with drugs or alcohol, and where they feel safe within their surroundings, would be beneficial.



https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-JcBFAuLc-0Ml9vUkdMdFdoNDg/view

Splinter News: 'All Lives Matter'

By: Kevin Roose

Quotes:

"And so saying "all lives matter" as a direct response to "black lives matter" is essentially saying we should just go back to ignoring the problem." 

It does seem that in fact "all lives matter" is drawing people away from the unfairness done to African Americans and is causing them to be primarily concerned about middle and high class white citizens.  "All lives matter" should be concerned for all those currently facing unfairness and discrimination nationwide including blacks, Hispanics, and Muslims.  I feel the way schools can help this issue is by making their environment inside the building welcoming towards all students, disregarding whether their life falls under "All lives Matter" by society standards or not.  

"Culture, laws, the arts, religion, and everyone else repeatedly suggest that all lives should matter.  Clearly, that message already abounds in our society."

In our society there are examples of true equality for all out there, including church's I have seen and been to having signs that say "All are welcome".  It is outrageous how in a country such as America, a simple slogan can be misinterpreted and exclude certain groups of people, one that is trying to promote equality.  As for younger generations, I feel a beneficial way schools can deal with this issue is to continue to encourage students to work together and make friends all over, and treat their students the same when it comes to extra help or discipline.  

"Imagine you are sitting down to dinner with your family, and while everyone gets a serving of the meal, you don't get any.  So you say, "I should get my fair share." And as a direct response to this, your dad corrects you saying, "Everyone should get their fair share"." 

I feel this example of unfairness could be related to how teachers should be available before and/or after school for additional help in a subject.  Not every student in a classroom has the same capacity as the next and so help should be available for them if they cannot learn the material as quickly.  Extra help seems to be an issue in public schools more than private schools, even though teachers in public schools tend to get paid more.  Not all students in public schools have the best or most fair home life, and so the least a school can do is help a student with certain work, especially if they are taking initiative on their own and asking for it.  

Comment/Point:

Perhaps a class discussion on whether or not these topics regarding equality, black lives and lives of other races being just as important as whites, and America proving the message of  "all lives matter", should be brought into more secondary education level classes including in middle and high school to see if younger generations of students can understand it more and come up with better solutions for the future.  

https://splinternews.com/the-next-time-someone-says-all-lives-matter-show-them-1793849332