The word that I chose is contrast. I was struck by the contrast between the neighborhood that the boys lived in, in Baltimore, Maryland and the rural area in Kenya to which they were sent to study and to live at the Baraka School. At Baraka School there were no televisions and the boys were only able to rely on technology for entertainment during their limited free time. In “Rethinking Early Childhood Education” there is a statistic about ABC, which states that in 2007, there were almost four (3.8) acts of violence per hour on average. At one point the boys were asked to talk about ways in which their current environment differed from their home environment and I was struck by the response from one of the boys about the Kenyans nearby who “talked low but still heard each other.” One of the boys, Montrey, had been suspended 8 times in 1 year at his public high school. Despite behavioral issues that he struggled with he had high aspirations. He wanted to get a degree and become a “chemologist.” At the Baraka school boys struggling with violence and anger issues are forced to work together. In one scene, after a classroom fight, the boys are sent to an isolated area where they must work together to set up a tent. Then they must spend the night together in seclusion.
The sparsely furnished “apartments,” the nature, the small class sizes, the positive adult attention and interactions, the lack of technology, violence, drugs, weapons and anger, are all in stark contrast to the reality of their home life. When, after one year in Kenya, the boys are sent home for summer vacation, I was again struck by the contrast. Violence, drugs, police, ambulances, gangs, concrete. Now these boys have seen and experienced a vastly different way of life. They have within them a piece of their Kenyan experience that will always remain. Then the unexpected twist comes, the boys are unable to return to Kenya, to the Baraka School, and must be re-enrolled in the Baltimore Public School system where 76% of African American boys will not graduate from high school. The parents and/or extended family are justifiably angry, scared; And determined for their boys to beat the odds which seem so stacked against them.
I was struck by Bill Cosby’s commentary at the end of the movie. He made the argument that it wasn’t about going to Africa, that wasn’t what helped these boys to beat the odds. The boys needed a “body on them,” they needed to know that there were adults in their life that cared about them and would push them to do their best. Bill Cosby mentioned the tent scene where the boys were forced to talk out their issues. He said that one thing missing in Baltimore is people just “enjoying the spirit of each other.” He compares the current school system which is failing our youth, particularly African American males, to a sidewalk where the cracks are purposely being widened so that the youth will fall through these cracks. Bill Cosby related to these youth because he could see himself as a child in them. He was a child who “needed to be watched” and to “not get away with anything.” He had a “body on him” and feels that this is an important part of what helped him to become successful.
I agree with Bill Cosby on the majority of what he said in his post video commentary. However, I would argue that traveling to, and living in Kenya for a year did provide these boys with a rich experience that helped to change their lives in positive ways. When people are able to travel and experience a different culture and way of life their minds will be opened and their lives transformed. The contrast between the two locations, rural Kenya and Baltimore, Maryland, was astonishing and I believe this helped the boys to grow in positive ways. I would agree with Bill Cosby’s statement that what these boys really needed was “a body on them.” At Baraka School the boys had adults helping them to be successful, there were small class sizes and individualized attention for each student. In Baltimore, there is a lot that is missing, particularly in regards to the education of our youth. One important thing that is missing is individuals who really care about, and have high aspirations for, all children. “Good teachers care whether students learn. They challenge all students, even those who are less capable, and then help them to meet the challenge (Delpit).” Of course this is not limited to Baltimore, it encompasses many inner city school districts. “We can not pretend that we do not know what is going on. We must get up and save children.”
No comments:
Post a Comment