So I’m teaching 8th graders these days, and one thing I’ve learned is that what the teacher says really doesn’t seem to matter to these kids. With all the extra hormones racing through their bodies, it’s difficult to know if anything is registering in their cranial cavity. The only thing that they feel strongly about (besides the opposite sex, of course) is the amount of homework I give to them. Throughout most of my teaching time, I generally try to engage them with questions; except for one student, who for some reason thinks he knows the answer to every single question, no one bothers to respond. But then comes the time for giving assignments: “O.K. class, read pages 81-90 and do the 3 study questions in the book.” At this point, they begin to respond. For the next several minutes, something like the following ensues:
“Oh man, are you kidding?”
“It’s only Monday, and you’re giving us homework!”
“How about only the evens?”
“Mr. Montgomery, Joel spilled white-out down my shirt.”
“Do I have to use complete sentences?”
“Can’t we just have a quiz instead?”
“Can I use the restroom?”
“Is this going to be graded?”
“Can I use the restroom?”
“We already have homework in another class!”
“Mr. Montgomery, I pricked myself with a compass and am bleeding profusely. Can I go get a drink of water?”
And so forth. It’s truly a wonder that they are able to pass the tests I give them. In my estimation, home-schooling is the best option for grades 6-8; namely, the kind of home-schooling where you’re locked in a room and fed through a slit in the door.
But on the more serious side, I actually enjoy teaching. Even if the students only remember a few meaningful things from my class, I am glad to have the opportunity to help them along the way. I just wish they would get there more quickly.
Just leave it to the NAACP: they recently objected to the forming of a "Caucasian club" at a California high school, saying that it would "promote racial division." The strange fact is, this high school already has a Black Student Union, an Asian Club, and a Hispanic Club. Somewhere along our "post-modern" journey, we have come to the conclusion that "race" only matters when it has to do with the minority. There are a surprising number of folks out there who want whites to be guilty for being white: at the same time, they want asians, blacks, hispanics, american indians, etc. to be proud of their heritage.
Never in history has "the majority" been so unpopular. The irony is, the "majority" often is a created monster that has no basis in reality: for example, Caucasians aren't even in the "majority" in California, yet they are treated like the school bully needs to be taken off the playground. So we become obsessed with getting rid of "him," even when it's clear that he no longer rules the roost. Deep down, having an enemy validates one's existence. Even in Reformed circles this is true: if there's no fight around, we have to go look for one, as if controversy is one of the essential marks of the church. But I digress....
I think what most people mean by "white" is "rich." After all, marginalization has something to do with one's economic status. But the solution for the brutal "class system" is not to dispense with obsession for material things: it is to try to get to the top yourself. It's sadly ironic. It's like the feminists I saw on TV the other day who regretted that they waited too long to have children, presumably because they were busy climbing the corporate ladder. Will starting more ethnic and diversity clubs solve our racial problems? Will having a high school for homosexuals make education easier? I for one tend to think that what we're really after is a "sense of place," and that having Black Student Unions and Harvey Milk High Schools is a small attempt to carve out our territory on the playground. But strangely, we're never truly comfortable unless there's a "bully" to keep out.
http://www.channelone.com/news/2003/09/18/ap_club/