Chicago Public Schools:Every Child Left Behind

I know the economy sucks and most industries are suffering including the education industry. Here in Chicago CPS (Chicago Public School) system has a budget deficit of $600 million. That's a lot of money and I always wonder how government gets into such debts. It was recently revealed that CPS upper management such as CEO Ron Huberman (still can't figure out what an ex-cop and for CTA person knows about education) are getting pay raises. Whoo-hoo, except in the same token CPS is planning on cutting over 2600 teachers, cutting funds for non-varsity sports, reducing after-school programs, reducing funding of programs such as gifted and talented and worse of all increasing teacher student ratios to 1:35. Can some one please stop the madness. How does CPS justify pay increases when it, as one of the worst school districts, is planning on implementing cuts that will undoubtedly make getting a good education in a CPS even harder. Why is it that the upper echelon is always rewarded while the little people who they are supposed to be helping continuously get the shaft? Most often in life the people who need something the most are least likely to get it.

The majority of CPS students are minorities so perhaps that may explain why the City of Chicago doesn't give a damn about them. So many of these children are born at a disadvantage and then are told that they can still obtain the "American Dream" yet the same people who are telling them this are the ones who keeping pulling that dream farther and farther away. With teacher student ratios of 1:35, we will no longer have to wonder why Jason is in the 6th grade but still reads at a 2nd grade level. It's because his teachers weren't able to give him the individual attention he needs. Why make children suffer for the mistakes of others?

What Would You Do?

If you suddenly came into a great deal of money, say you won the lottery. Most people know that when something like that happens, people tend to come out of the wood works. Family you haven't seen in years suddenly shows up and old "friends" who barely spoke to you before; suddenly your life is full of people who didn't really give a damn about you until you had something they wanted. What would you do? Would you share your good fortunate with these money grubbing people or tell them all to f-off?

Black Hair and Exercising

I recently began working out again and it just so happened to be a few days before one of my hair appointments. I tend to not work out on days I get my hair done because I feel like I spent to much money to sweat it out the same or next day. Looking on line for the best ways to protect your style after working out, I noticed that there were a lot of post from Black women complaining about what to do with their hair so that they can work out and still keep their "do looking fresh. It seems many Black women don't work out because they don't want to mess up their hair. I feel them on that. The last think you want to do is go to the gym and sweat after spending $50-$100 (or more) for a salon visit.

Unfortunately for a lot of Black women, they don't have "good" hair. So after working out you feel like you have to wash your hair, dry it and flat iron it since so many of us go for the relaxed style. That's a lot of work especially after you just paid someone money to do these things for you. Then an added problem is we can't wash our hair everyday. So what do we do work out or keep your hair looking good?

I just got highlights in my hair so I can't flat iron it often. I wish I could afford weekly salon trips but that's not the situation right now. Although I go every two weeks, what do I do for those 13 days in between. Do I work out and hope I don't sweat profusely or do I be a lard ass? I have chosen to work out. I have short hair so a ponytail or bun isn't an option. So in my quest to be healthy and keep my hair fabulous, I keep it wrapped in a scarf when I work out and which keeps my hair dry and my sweaty edges from napping up (for some this may actually cause you to sweat more depending on your body). Another option is to wear a cotton headband and from what I've read putting a little baby powder in your head after a work out may work. So whatever you do don't let your hair be the reason you don't work out. It is possible to be healthy and have fabulous hair.

Is Our Society Oversexed?

At this point in my life I try my best to not listen to the radio (thanks to the ipod adapter built into my car) or watch music videos. Why? Our culture has become completely over sexed in my opinion. Our kids know way too much about sex even if they don't completely understand it. What responsible parent wants his/her child singing the lyrics to "I wanna **** every girl in the world"? My eight year old daughter has told me that students in her class have gotten in trouble for saying and doing sex related things. Wonder where they got the ideas for it? Most likely from TV or some very irresponsible freaky parents.

In black culture there tends to be an over population of sex related music. Even R&B songs nowadays typically consist of sexually charged lyrics. Back in the day we left that to the blues singers (Candylicker). I guess in my old age I'm coming to realize that something has to give. Sex is everywhere. Everyone has a sex tape or a supposed sex addiction. There are adult cartoons, sex scenes in almost every movie, warnings to vaccinate your 12 year old daughter for HPV before she "hopefully" begins to have sex, singers giving interviews about what they like sexually or wannabe rappers going on about their sexual prowess. Everything is sex! When you have 12 and 13 year old kids having babies, something is definitely wrong.

As a mother, I want to do whatever I can to protect my kids from the harshness of the world but when teachers are participating in lap dances at pep rallies, how much can you really protect you kids? The world is on its way to hell in a handbasket and I just hope someone can pull it back before it reaches the inferno.

Smart Jocks

I was reading an article yesterday about a top high school basketball player declaring where he was going to college. In the article the writer mentions that the young man has a 4.3 g.p.a. Based on that small piece of information I knew their would be some racist comments made and I was correct. Apparently some people don't realize that it is possible to obtain something higher than a 4.0 in high school. Obviously they weren't taking AP classes.

Here's a story about a young man who has athletic prowess and intelligence and yet instead of being honored for that he is condemned by ignorant people who obviously have some personal; issues they need to work on. If the player had been white, there would not have been any comments made about him getting people to do his work or any other idiotic comment. When will people accept that there are intelligent black people who excel at sports. Its not an either/or situation.

Yes our school system has failed so many black athletes simply because all they cared about was the money the kid would bring to the school and not about educating him/her. However, there are exceptions. Black children often feel as if it;s an either/or situation and it is up to us as parents and teachers and friends to help them see that it doesn't have to be that way.

Another comment that irked me was how people questioned his decision to attend a basketball school rather than attempt to attend an ivy league school. I don't think there is a right or wrong decision. Obviously the kid wants to go to the NBA and make a crap load of money. Can you blame him? He probably didn't grow up in the best of neighborhoods and every little hood boy dreams of buying his mother a big ole house. Attending an Ivy League school would have been great also on one level. People bestow a lot of credence on a degree from an Ivy League school which I don't necessarily agree with but that's another post. I made a decision not to attend an Ivy League school. It's a personal decision that one makes for himself. Sure there are people who would kill to attend Harvard, (literally) but not everyone is a could fit for Ivy League. Why can't we just be happy that the young man obviously has a good head on his shoulder and hope that he takes that basketball scholarship and get an education with it.

I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T

Being independent is what most of us dream about when we are teenagers. We can't wait to go off to college, have our own place, ...etc. Of course once that does happen most of finally began to realize how hard it is being an adult. No one is going to do your laundry, cook for you, pay your credit card bill or car note. It's at that point that we realize that being independent can suck. I want my mommy! Of course on the flip side, you don't have anyone telling you what to do or yelling at you for staying out late on a school night or eating in front of the t.v.

Independence is what we all crave and yet so many young adults are losing part of their independence because the economy is forcing them to move back home. Can you imagine leaving with your parents again? My neighbor just moved back in with her mother and she is like 40 because its hard to stay afloat right now. There's that part of me that envies her having family around to fall back on. I would gladly love to save the damn near $2000 I spend on rent a month and built in babysitters. Yes! But then I think about how insanely dysfunctional my family is and realize I'm better off on my own at least as far as my sanity goes.

So if you are struggling in this economy don't be afraid to move home. Your independence will still be there; just get used to the disapproving looks from your parents and the lectures on how to live your life. Pretend your 16 again and tune them out.

Are Some People Inherently Evil?

Every day in the news there is at least one story that highlights the depravity of the human being. This leads me to wonder if some people are inherently evil? I know we like to believe that everyone is born good and that there are circumstances in out lives that shape who we are; which I believe to a certain extent. But what about the serial killer who had a great childhood or the child rapist who grew up in a loving two family home. Are people like that born evil?

There are people in the world who have never done a good deed in their lives, are they inherently evil or is it just their environment? When I read a story about a 18 month old baby being sexually molested or a parent whoring out his/her child or a mother chopping her baby into pieces and frying her, I can't help but to wonder if these people are truly evil. Not just sick or misguided but evil.

I can't fathom another answer for why some people do the incredibly mind blowing most awful things one can think of, can you?