tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14707730.post698041770678181614..comments2024-02-24T19:49:45.687-05:00Comments on Schools Matter: Obama to the Poor: "No Excuses"James Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462754705431590571noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14707730.post-79628273874675004652009-07-19T11:26:44.895-04:002009-07-19T11:26:44.895-04:00Here's an anecdote to how utterly brainwashed ...Here's an anecdote to how utterly brainwashed these children (and many adults) have become from the false mantra of no excuses - the same reasoning used to deny that racism and injustice even exist -- as we saw in spades last week during the Sotomayor hearings and the discussion over the Ricci case. <br /><br />A teacher I know told me that when parents in a poor, black community in Miami were protesting over the unfairness of the FCAT's a few years ago, a boy came up to him and asked, "Why do they think we are too stupid to pass these tests? We can do it."<br /><br />Because there are a few lucky children who escape the crime-ridden, drug infested walkups that you describe in your post, we can continue to leave the rest of them behind - and continue the age-old practice of conveniently blaming the victim while negating our own responsibility by participating in an educational system that is based on privilege and injustice.Judy Rabinnoreply@blogger.com