Stop The Bus, My Kid Is Getting Off

by Paul Jacob - September 2nd, 2007 - Townhall.com

The first public/private schooling decision to receive national hype occured back in 1993, when President Bill and First Lady Hillary Clinton chose the exclusive Sidwell Friends School rather than a D.C. public school for their then 12-year old daughter Chelsea. They were roundly criticized. Yet, to me, their decision was reassuring, indicating for the first time that Bill and Hillary might actually place something ahead of their own political advantage.

One of the reasons Bill offered was that the private school would allow Chelsea "more control over her destiny." For once, Mr. and Mrs. Clinton and I saw eye to eye — as parents.

Granted, there is rampant hypocrisy at work. These people stump for public schooling, opposing systems of school choice. And yet, they choose to opt out of the system they allegedly shore up . . . from competition.

Every parent needs to recognize that the quality of the education that their child gets is signifcantly impacted by their own attitude. If parents recognize that the key to the American dream is a top quality education, they will impress that on their child. However the child's willingness to work for an education is dependent on believing that they can learn. We need to be careful at what lesson we learn from articles like the one above. Here are my reasons why.

We have a new Superintendent in Bertie County. Whether that will make any difference to the education of our children is dependent on a change in our current culture that says our children can't learn. "We are too poor." "Racism is still too prevalent." "Learning is acting white." "All the smart people have left the county." "Our kids can't learn." "It is hopeless and we can't change the culture." What nonsense! It is not hopeless. It is true the new Superintendent can influence our culture but CANNOT change it unless those of us in the community who know better create an environment where he can succeed. That means we must attack anyone who spreads the nonsense of the quotes I listed above.

Everyone has heard these lines. From people you call friends. How often have you joined Bill Cosby and openly attacked these cliches as garbage? It is not a black problem alone but it is dishonest not to admit that it is a serious problem. The African American community must own up to it and attack it internally. African Americans must not be defensive and use the excuse "you are attacking the victim". This is not an attack on the child. It is an attack on the culture of failure. Bertie County is in the bottom 10% of educational attainment in North Carolina. Our children cannot get on the first step of the ladder to the American dream until we change the culture that tolerates that.

My problem with articles like the one above is that they give another excuse for the failure. They are important articles only as long as they point out the hypocrisy of those who are holding our children back. However it is easy for that to mis-direct the discussion into areas that are useless. You don't need to send your children to private school to succeed.

Children can succeed in almost any school system when parents care. Any parent can change the quality of education by getting involved and making sure their child does homework, since that does more than any other action to impress on the child two things. YOU can LEARN. YOU must TRY. It is actually consistent with the individual focus of modern education . . . . with the twist that it expects the child to succeed before they are praised. Small change but an important one.

The other issue, discipline, can also be helped dramatically by parental involvement. Our children know who the problem children are. You don't have to get the schoool administrators to tell you who the bullies are. Ask your children. If they think that you are on their side they will tell you. Get other parents together and talk with the parents of the bullies. Most bullies and most parents of bullies are basically cowards. Group pressure can change this too. It cannot be left just to school administrators. It is societies problem.

We have the power to change the education system right here in Bertie County . . . through competition to be a good parent. To become the best merely requires an expectation that parents can make a difference. They can. An amazing difference. Competition will not mean everyone will succeed. It will only be the children of parents who care enough to try. If we want our children to try and learn shouldn't we try and help them?