awe shucks Cami, you bomb!

5 things I'm thankful for:
1. Feeling I will sleep soon and be ready for my test in the morning.
2. Getting ready for bed before midnight.
3. Going to work out and just...sitting on a bike:)
4. Cami's epic response to what I wrote.
5. My Professor's reply.

Quote of the day:
A man with a watch knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure.
Segal's Law

Here is my Professors response to Cami's reply to my paper. I'll copy and paste it all. P.s. Cami, I edited what you said just a little bit. I took out the information irrelevant to my Professor. Just an fyi.
ALSO THEY ARE OUT OF ORDER. JUST SO YOU KNOW. DON'T BE CONFUSED. YES I AM SHOUTING. AHHHH. AHHHHH. AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. RAWR. LIKE A DINOSAUR. RAAAWR!
James,

Your sister is correct on some items and incorrect on many others. In fact, she completely dismisses how structural racism plays a part in the life chances of minorities and, like many mainstream folks--and conservatives, points the finger at individuals (i.e., self-worth, hard work, etc.). Doing this allows her to make all kinds of assumptions about SAT exams, student loans, or even assume that minorities can easily get into the same university/colleges as their white counterparts.

Also, redlining is only one tool in the white supremacy tool box that is used to keep minorities in place. Thus, one needs to look at the bigger picture in terms of wealth (and the legacy of racism), segregation/isolation, etc. These are all discussed in Lewis' book which we covered in class.

We can talk more about this tomorrow after the exam or next week if you want. I'm also cc'ing this to my colleagues (Sharon, Rise, and Rabia) since they are more well versed with issues surrounding education/race than I. They are your resources so you should feel comfortable talking to them about these issues, as well.

DGE

>>> James Porter 11/04/09 3:43 PM >>>
Hey Professor,

I was looking into the concept of redlining and things of that sort and how the property tax goes down and that means less money for the school and in turn that means a lower quality of education. I wrote a paper about it and then after writing it I posted it to my blog (it's my way of getting a dialogue started about racial inequalities and things of that sort). I was given some responses that make me question what I've learned in class or did I completely screw up the concept of redlining?

My sister said,

James, You wrote "[s]ince the property tax goes down, the quality of education available to the children of the area goes down. The lower quality of education you have at the most basic levels, the harder it becomes to gain entrance into higher education." Meanwhile, the school you went to, Viewmont High School, has an average expenditure per student of $5,580 with a racial make up of 95% white (middle-to-upper-class students), 2% Hispanic, 2% Asian and less than 1% Black and American Indian. The school ranks a 7 on a scale of 1-10. Eighty percent of students meet or exceed the science proficiency set forth by the state, 94% meet or exceed the language arts standards, and 56% meet or exceed the math standards.

An inner-city Chicago school, Chicago Academy High School, spends $9,666 per student with a racial make up of 46% Hispanic, 23% Black, 22% White, 7% Multiracial and 3% Asian. This school (spending $4,086 more PER PUPIL per year than Viewmont) has a ranking of 2 (TWO) on a scale of 1-10. In the Chicago Academy High School, 32% of students meet or exceed the reading standards, 26% meet or exceed science standards and 34% meet or exceed math standards.

Let's look at another inner-city school with even more shocking results:
Total expenditure for students at Prospect Heights High School was $17,676 (seventeen THOUSAND) for the 2008-09 school year. This school also scored a 2 on a scale of 1-10. This school has a racial make up of 85% Black, 13% Hispanic, and less than 3% White, Asian, and American Indian. It's not that schools in minority neighborhoods have less money, it's just that the money is NOT going to the students and education. You're telling me that 7.6 million dollars is not enough for a student body of 434 students? (As a side note: this is only one of the 5 schools that meet in this high school, they are broken down into different "specialized" schools with different principals. This school actually has well over 2000 students).

I agree that something needs to be done, but when you say that minority students are getting the short end of the stick when it comes to school funding, you are incorrect. One more thing you need to realize is the ever increasing percentage of minority students attending college year over year. There are more minority students taking the SAT's per capita than non-minority students. Forty percent of the students who took the SAT's last year were minority students and only 26% of the population of the United States not white. Thirteen and a half percent of all who took the SAT were Hispanic, which is up 5.7% in just 10 years.

Lastly, you stated that "there is simply not enough money for these minority students to pay for the education. There is no justice in this. Justice extends a hand of opportunity in education to all equally. Raising the cost of college education does not take minorities into consideration and is therefore unjust." There is enough money for minority students to pay for education--it's called STUDENT LOANS. Many students have to take out student loans, and if the student does well, they will be rewarded with a good job with good pay and will therefore be able to repay their student loans. A college education is not a basic human right. Students who want a college education and who cannot afford one can take out student loans and repay later. What it boils down to is a matter of sacrifice and sense of worth. Do you think that your education is worth going into debt for? If not, then go to a community college and work while you are going to school to pay tuition. If you do, you will suck it up, take the student loans and repay when you're through. That might mean that you don't get to buy a house as soon as you're done with school because you have your student loan financial obligations, but you will have something that no body can take from you, and that is your education.

So, what we need to look at now is (1) where is all the money going in inner city public schools? (2) What can we do to help motivate the students to achieve in these schools? (3) What needs to be reformed in our country's educational policies that will enable students to fully meet their innate potential? And (4) What can you or I do about this?

End of her speaking.

Okay, I am left with the same questions she has. My school had a lot less then some of the schools and my school was fine. What's the issue here?

Thanks!

-James P. Porter

Cami, nicely done:)

New subject. What the heck is wrong with our government?!
Lil' Wayne is going to jail for being caught smoking marijuana and having a loaded weapon whereas Chris Brown goes all UFC on Rihanna and gets community service? Honestly that's bull crap. If you disagree and think what Weezy (nickname for Lil' Wayne) was way worse here is another example. Kanye West (yes, that's the guy who interrupted Taylor Swift [Yes, I'm in love with her] at the VMA's and said, yo' taylor I'ma let you finish....etc etc etc.) is possibly going to jail for assaulting some paparazzo who wouldn't leave him alone. How on earth is that okay? Chris Brown goes crazy and beats a Woman...and gets community service? That's freaking ridiculous. Those lawyers must suck. If it was me he'd be locked up for good and hopefully while in jail get taught a lesson about respecting women. That's ridiculous.

Ok, the whole getting taught a lesson thing is mean. But I absolutely LOATHE "men" who disrespect women. I do not like it. I will fight against it. Always.

I love you all, goodbye.
Mi amor a todos, adios.
אני אוהב אותך כל, סלאמאת.”/>