My latest crusade, or at least the rough draft of it. I'm going to see if I have a base of support first, then circulate it and get as many signatures as I can, then we're going to the Dean of Watson. I'm taking all comments and suggestions as to the best way to approach this, or if anybody has any more grievances to add. Hooray.
"To the dean, faculty, and students of the Watson School of Education, and all others concerned:
The undersigned, being students in the Watson School of Education and other concerned members of the education community, would like to call attention to the grievances addressed herein. This concern is that some faculty and even the curriculum are promoting detrimental racist concepts. In foundational education courses, the faculty or materials presented by them have implicitly or explicitly stated the following:
· That there are fundamental, intrinsic differences between persons of different ethnicities.
· That among these differences is the students’ style of learning.
· That among these differences is the students’ desire to learn.
· That among these differences is the students’ overall mental capacity and ability to learn.
· That, based on these assumed differences, a teacher can excuse a lower level of success from students of certain ethnicities, while maintaining higher expectations for others.
· That a teacher should not expect or encourage some students to succeed, based on the students’ ethnicity.
· That a teacher should expect some students to succeed at a higher level, based on ethnicity.
· That these expectations should determine the grading rubric, in which the same quality of work may result in different grades for different students because of their ethnicity.
· That a student’s inability to meet an academic goal is directly linked to their ethnicity, and is therefore excusable.
· That, because of these lowered expectations, a student who would otherwise fail a course should be permitted to pass.
· That ethnicity is not only correlated to, but in fact the primary cause of, economic disparity and class structure in America.
· That poverty and economic disparity only occur among people of certain ethnicities.
· That economic educational issues such as lack of appropriate resources and facilities only occur in schools predominately populated by students of certain ethnicities.
These statements are inherently racist, as they are based on the initial assumption that there is an intrinsic difference in the biological and psychological functioning between persons of different ethnicities. By ingraining these concepts into future teachers, the Watson School of Education is responsible for promoting racism and lower levels of success in the schools. It is unfair to all students to enter a classroom with preconceived expectations that are based on race alone. These assumptions create a self-fulfilling prophecy for students who learn that it is acceptable and even expected of them to achieve at a low academic level. This provides no opportunity and no desire to make the effort to succeed. Excusing a failure to meet goals and passing students who have not met the appropriate goals does not help, and only sets them up for even more dramatic failure in the adult world. Teachers and students should not be allowed to use race alone as an excuse for low expectations and low achievement, but that is exactly what is taught in the Watson School of Education. This kind of racism, especially when espoused by future teachers, is unfair and detrimental to students of all ethnic backgrounds, and ultimately to society."
A thing I often dream in waking hours without light is not for power, wealth, or fame, nor to take broad wings in flight. But rather I look West, and in these dreams I simply cast my humble eyes beyond the sun, beyond the sun into the past. The setting sun takes with it one more day on to its rest, but riding West I kept the day in sight, and did never let it set. “Hold on to the day,” I said, “The night may bring its sorrows, but the night, for all its darkness, brings naught darker than tomorrows.” And I chased the setting sun, and behind it lay another, a golden setting sun of yesterday, which I could catch if I rode further. Holding on not only to the sun which I saw rise, but soon I caught a glimpse of days not seen by modern eyes. I gazed upon the centuries, learning all that they could tell, the Western sky ablaze and bright, until the ancient sun… it fell. “The sun also rises,” sang a silent voice beside me, and I turned my head to see not what had been but what would be. I saw the cold steel blue of morning peeking over the horizon, and I thought it could not match the ancient sunset’s gold and crimson. As I sat back and watched, the many days passed by with haste, I saw that none was any different from the day that I had chased. Looking Westward I was chasing dreams of days that were never here. Looking Eastward to the rising sun, I only blindly hoped and blindly feared. But looking Southward, I could see, and seeing each from morn till close, I saw that it was not the sun, but mortal men who fell and rose.
Yea, it's a poem, I just put it in prose to see if the rhythm was sturdy enough that it still read like a poem without breaking into its quatrains for the plebians. I haven't written poetry in so long. But isn't everything so much better in verse, albeit very, very rough verse? Wasn't that a much more entertaining and universal way for me to discuss my personal debate on why I'm a history major and whether or not to move to Wyoming? Cause I know you wouldn't listen if I was just rambling about that again. I dunno, maybe that's just what happens when I stay up too late looking at maps and listening to classical music. It's not nearly a finished product, just some thoughts I threw together off a line I've been playing with. It's one I've been meaning to write though. Still don't know how to end it, or if that is the end. We'll see. Either way it's a story about time travel that doesn't involve flux capacitors or becoming my own grandfather. Thoughts?
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