I too hail from Baltimore--though I only lived there till I was 10 years
old, I did my elementary school years there.  In the '50's there was no
kindergarten for anyone, and we had 60 kids in a class, then went to
"split sessions"--half of us in the AM and half in the PM.   We learned,
but it was somewhat chaotic.    I lived there right at the time that
Brown vs. Board of Education was being decided, and then the schools
were integrated --and after that point, as far as I can tell, were
allowed to deteriorate even further.  Like many other cities, Baltimore
has been a predominantly African-American city since the post-World War
II migration, and the city fathers apparently decided that meant the
schools could be left to decay.   I had hoped things had gotten much
better in recent years.  It sounds as though the City schools definitely
have not, at least in the inner city, I'm sorry to say. 

A lot of what I know is based on two sources:  "The Wire" on Cable TV,
which is fictional but apparently very true to life; and a documentary
film one of my sons worked on recently, called "The Boys of Baraka,"
which follows a group of African-American middle school boys from very
"at-risk" situations who are selected for and sent to a private,
residential school in Kenya for two years.   Both are filmed in
Baltimore, and based on realistic classroom and community situations
there.  The classroom scenes are horrific, caring adults are few and
hard-pressed to be able to help effectively, the kids' futures seem
totally bleak, and the brutal suddenness with which their dreams are
aborted is painful to watch, even in "just a movie."    

The hardest part is watching how potential solutions, and programs
targeting at-risk youth, are systematically undermined or become
political pawns in some larger bureaucratic politics that serve special
interests but not the majority of the youth or their families.   All of
the well-meaning adults are constantly frustrated by "the system" in
their efforts to teach or nurture the kids, and by default the boys are
left on their own to find ways to survive.    Maybe because they're
poor, and black, and have many other barriers--no one seems to care what
becomes of them.  It's amazing to me that some actually manage to
survive anyway, despite all the odds.  

We should be watching shows and films like these ourselves if only to
understand the backgrounds, barriers and survival skills many of our
learners have experienced and developed.   They might also provide good
substance for classroom discussions and "life skills" and goal setting
activities.  But, mainly, to respect our learners and where they come
from.

I don't mean to imply that Baltimore is unique in this regard.   I'm
sure it's not the worst place in this country in which to grow up, but
the recent film and TV coverage hopefully can highlight what's happening
to a lot of "throwaway youth" there and elsewhere, who do know that "the
system" has virtually no good future in mind for them, and try to cope
as best they can.    Today's Baltimore students in K-12 are tomorrow's
ABE learners--if they are lucky enough to live that long and be
otherwise in shape to participate in programs. 

Laurie Sheridan     


>>> "Bonnie Odiorne" <bonniesophia at adelphia.net> 12/19/2006 9:37 PM

>>>

Hi, Lynn,

As a former resident of Baltimore I am dismayed by the situation you
represent. I'm from Baltimore County originally, and my family still
living
in the area are also in the surrounding counties with their children,
but I
know the city system quite well. I had been under the impression, from
a
distance of many years, that the Cal Ripken literacy initiatives and
the
very good work coming out of the U of MD among other places in the
state
would have "saved" the public schools. I am saddened to know this is
not the
case. Certainly in my own community of Waterbury, CT, though a much
smaller
city, many of the problems are similar: high drop-out rates, low
mastery
test scores, parents sending their children to magnet schools, private
or
parochial schools if possible, and on scholarship. My present position
teaching freshmen classes in basic writing/reading skills at a
university
that accepts many inner-city at-risk students bears out the sad
preparation,
both cognitively and on the basic skills levels, students are
graduating
from high school with. I welcome my position as a "last chance" for
some of
these kids, but my worry is that the gap may be too great, if, indeed,
they
become aware of it at all. Some do and do wonderfully; others do not.
My
best wishes for you and your practice in my native town.

Bonnie Odiorne, Ph.D., Post University

 

  _____  

From: professionaldevelopment-bounces at nifl.gov 
[mailto:professionaldevelopment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Lynn
Pinder
Sent: Monday, December 18, 2006 7:26 PM
To: The Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion List
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 712] Re: A book or movie to
inspireteachers

 

As a product of Baltimore City public schools and a resident of
Baltimore
City, it saddens me to see the disarray of the Baltimore City Public
School
System.  Although the problem of poorly functioning public schools is
not
just endemic to Baltimore and is prevalent in almost every inner-city
across
the nation, the problem seems to be of crisis proportion in Baltimore. 
 

 

I am thankful for television shows like The WIRE that give realistic
accounts of the horrors of the public school system and other "systems"
that
impede the educational process of hundreds of thousands of youth.  In a
city
where more than 50% of ninth graders drop out of Baltimore City Public
Schools and the drop-out rate for African American males is reported at
76%,
it is a no-brainer as to why there is a growing need for effective
professional development for educators (adult literacy in particular)
in
Baltimore and across the nation.    Statistics show that the Baltimore
City
Public School Systems and other major public school systems are
producing
more drop-outs than graduates.    

 

One major problem in Baltimore is that stakeholders would rather give
up on
the public school system than invest the time, money, and effort to
make it
better.  Most middle class and upper class Black and White parents
send
their children to private, charter, or Catholic schools.   These
parents,
not even the elected officials including the Maryland Governor elect
with
several school aged children, are willing to enroll their children in
the
Baltimore City Public School System.   

 

As an educator who does not have children, I am often challenged by my
peers
on what I would do if I were in their situation.   Most of my peers who
live
in Baltimore and other inner-cities around the country have enrolled
their
children in private or charter schools.  I wonder what impact we - as
concerned citizens - would have on the public school systems across
this
nation if we demanded our elected officials (the Mayor, the City
Council
President, the CEO of the Public School Board, the City Council
Member,
etc.) to send their children to public schools.   I wonder what would
happen
if the majority of middle and upper class Black and White parents in
Baltimore enrolled their children in Baltimore City Public Schools.  
I
wonder what would happen if we as educators, parents, investors,
citizens,
elected officials, etc. stood in solidarity and demanded better public
schools not just in Baltimore but across the nation.  

 

I wonder how our government could spend billions of dollars to fight a
war
in IRAQ when the minds of hundreds of thousands of American children
are
casualties of ineffective, under-funded, and poorly managed public
school
systems.   I wonder how many more episodes of The Wire and how many
more
movies like Dangerous Minds do we need before we "be the change that we
want
to see."

 

 

________________________________________________

Lynn Pinder

DC Children & Youth Investment Trust Corporation

1400 16th Street, NW   Suite 500

Washington, DC  20036

www.cyitc.org 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: professionaldevelopment-bounces at nifl.gov 
[mailto:professionaldevelopment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of
ejonline at comcast.net 
Sent: Friday, December 15, 2006 12:29 AM
To: The Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion List
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 702] Re: A book or movie to
inspireteachers

 

I just want to second the shout-out to the Wire. I have watched the
show
from the first season, and I think it is the greatest show in the
history of
television. Hands-down. 

 

What is so great about this season is that the portrayal of the school
system takes the time to really work through the implications of many
issues
educators are grappling with. One on-going discussion involves whether
or
not pull-out programs targeted to help "at risk" youth constitutes
tracking.
Another on-going issue is making the material relevant to the
students'.
There are no quick and easy answers - the show is realistic in its
complexity. Watching it makes me want to work harder. 

 

There's plenty of graphic violence (physical, emotional and social)
and
language so, as they say, viewer discretion is advised.

 

Erik Jacobson 

 

 

 -------------- Original message ----------------------

From: "Laurie Sheridan" <laurie_sheridan at worlded.org>


> This is a TV show, not a book or film, but it's worth checking out.



> 



> I have recently been watching the current season of "The Wire," a



> fictional but grittily real series about inner-city life in

Baltimore,


> including in the schools, on the streets, in police headquarters, and

in


> city politics.  The interplay among the characters and their

constant


> butting of their heads against an intractable bureaucracy is deeply



> compelling though often quite bleak, and I can't think of a better



> portrayal of the lives and backgrounds of some of our learners.  It



> principally follows a group of young African-American boys as they



> thread their way among unsupportive school system, police who

sometimes


> abuse and sometimes nurture them, harsh family situations, and the

pull


> of the street, gangs, and extreme violence.  It's riveting, and the

kids


> who are in their early to late teens are brilliantly acted.    "The



> Wire," a bad name for a good show,  refers to a wiretap the police

use


> to try to trap the most brutal gangleaders, who are constantly

luring


> the young students into the world of the street, murder and deals

gone


> bad.  



> 



> The scenes in the current season focus on the classroom and a new



> teacher (and former cop) who works with others in the school to find



> ways to reach, retain and educate the most at-risk among the youth. 

You


> get a close look at the barriers to his doing this, to the kids'



> learning and continuing in school at all--and their constant pressure

to


> fall back into "the life" on the street in gangs and dealing. 



> 



> It's on HBO, so you have to have cable, on Thursday nights, at least

in


> Boston.   You can also get it from Netflicks or from the video store.




> Previous years are nearly as rewarding, but this year focuses on the



> classroom so it's especially good.  For any of you who saw "Boys of



> Baraka" this year--this is like a continuation, and in a very

similar


> setting with similar characters, and it's even better.  



> 



> Laurie Sheridan



> 



> >>> David Rosen <djrosen at comcast.net> 12/14/2006 3:01 PM >>>



> Andrea and others,



> 



> By "challenging" young adults I meant, school dropouts, returning to 




> an alternative education program who have relative little time (for 




> example one year) and who may be reading or doing math at an upper  



> elementary school level, who may be skeptical about what education  



> can do for them but who are willing to give it a second try.  Also, 




> because they are still young, they may bring with them some  



> adolescent street behavior not appropriate to the learning  



> environment.  So films or books about inspiring high school teaching 




> might fit the bill, too.



> 



> Any suggestions?



> 



> 



> David



> 



> David J. Rosen



> djrosen at comcast.net 



> 



> 



> On Dec 14, 2006, at 8:40 AM, Andrea Wilder wrote:



> 



> > David, Please define "challenging young adults."



> > On Dec 13, 2006, at 9:00 PM, David Rosen wrote:



> >



> >> Hi Wendy and others,



> >>



> >> Just to clarify, the book is to inspire the _teachers_ of classes



> of



> >> challenging young adults.



> >>



> >> David J. Rosen



> >>



> >> On Dec 13, 2006, at 8:22 PM, Wendy Quinones wrote:



> >>



> >>> Two come to mind -- "Dangerous Minds," which is more for high



> >>> school age,



> >>> and "Educating Rita" which is maybe for older folks.  Both are  



> >>> really



> >>> inspiring.



> >>>



> >>> Wendy



> >>> ----- Original Message -----



> >>> From: "David Rosen" <djrosen1 at comcast.net>



> >>> To: "The Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion

List"


> >>> <professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov>



> >>> Cc: "The Women and Literacy Discussion List"  



> >>> <womenliteracy at nifl.gov>



> >>> Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 6:28 PM



> >>> Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 682] A book or movie to

inspire


> >>> teachers



> >>>



> >>>



> >>>> Colleagues,



> >>>>



> >>>> I was asked today for a recommendation of a movie or book (such



> as



> >>>> "Stand and Deliver") which would inspire teachers to have high



> >>>> expectations for their young adult students, to give each day  



> >>>> 100% to



> >>>> their teaching.  What would you recommend?



> >>>>



> >>>>



> >>>> David J. Rosen



> >>>> djrosen at comcast.net 



> >>>> ----------------------------------------------------



> >>>> National Institute for Literacy



> >>>> Adult Literacy Professional Development mailing list



> >>>> ProfessionalDevelopment at nifl.gov 



> >>>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go

to


> >>>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/professionaldevelopment 



> >>>>



> >>>> Professional Development section of the Adult Literacy Education




> 



> >>>> Wiki



> >>>> http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/ 



> >>>> Adult_Literacy_Professional_Development



> >>>>



> >>>



> >>>



> >>> ----------------------------------------------------



> >>> National Institute for Literacy



> >>> Adult Literacy Professional Development mailing list



> >>> ProfessionalDevelopment at nifl.gov 



> >>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go

to


> >>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/professionaldevelopment 



> >>>



> >>> Professional Development section of the Adult Literacy Education 




> >>> Wiki



> >>> http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/ 



> >>> Adult_Literacy_Professional_Development



> >>



> >> David J. Rosen



> >> djrosen at comcast.net 



> >>



> >>



> >>



> >> ----------------------------------------------------



> >> National Institute for Literacy



> >> Adult Literacy Professional Development mailing list



> >> ProfessionalDevelopment at nifl.gov 



> >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to



> >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/professionaldevelopment 



> >>



> >> Professional Development section of the Adult Literacy Education



> Wiki



> >> http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/ 



> >> Adult_Literacy_Professional_Development



> >>



> >



> > ----------------------------------------------------



> > National Institute for Literacy



> > Adult Literacy Professional Development mailing list



> > ProfessionalDevelopment at nifl.gov 



> > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 




> > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/professionaldevelopment 



> >



> > Professional Development section of the Adult Literacy Education



> Wiki



> > http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/ 



> > Adult_Literacy_Professional_Development



> 



> David J. Rosen



> djrosen at comcast.net 



> 



> 



> 



> ----------------------------------------------------



> National Institute for Literacy



> Adult Literacy Professional Development mailing list



> ProfessionalDevelopment at nifl.gov 



> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to



> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/professionaldevelopment 



> 



> Professional Development section of the Adult Literacy Education Wiki




>

http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Adult_Literacy_Professional_Developme

nt


> ----------------------------------------------------



> National Institute for Literacy



> Adult Literacy Professional Development mailing list



> ProfessionalDevelopment at nifl.gov 



> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 



> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/professionaldevelopment 



> 



> Professional Development section of the Adult Literacy Education Wiki




>

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nt

 

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