Final Draft: Joining the Conversation

Across the nation predominantly black communities coupled with poor parenting have directly influenced the success of African Americans in school. The issues that plague most black communities also have an impact on students from those areas. Violence, drugs, and poverty, to name a few, play pivotal roles on the success of their students. Unfortunately the African American’s struggle in school has been a historical problem simply because of how complex the situation actually is.

            Black communities generally struggle financially along with the families within those communities. As a result the parents have to focus more time at work and less time with their child, which prevents them from reinforcing what their child learns in school. According to Janice Hale, “The overwhelming majority of African American children come from single-parent households. African Americans work longer hours often for less money than whites earn (Toppo 2000); often they are minimally educated and have substantial constraints on their time”(Hale, pg. 8). Young children are greatly affected by the way their parents raise them. Parents who are too busy at work send a psychological message, that money is essential to survive not education. That is why in most African American communities going to college is not the norm. That message is why students don’t see the value of education or respect the institution they attend.

Most parents do want to spend time with their child and instill all of their values within their child, however because of their love for their child they have to choose between providing for their family and spending time with their loved ones. One might ask how a parent’s involvement directly impacts their child in school. Marcia Caton states “A study of 19 middle schools in the Midwest, found that Black males were sent to the principal office more than their counterparts for more subjective reasons such as “disrespect” and “perceived threat” (Wallace, Goodkind, Wallace, & Bachman, 2008).” (Caton, pg. 4) If most black students are being documented for disrespectful or threatening actions then it would fall onto the parent to correct that behavior. However in a household where the parent does not have time to deal with their child, then that prevents them from disciplining, or rewarding their child based on their academic performance.

I personally disagree with the notion that parents have to spend a certain amount of time with their child in order to ensure that they succeed academically. A few of my friends lived in a household where their parents had plenty of time to spend with them and were very involved with their school. However they struggled through school because their parents were so involved and concerned that it almost seemed suffocating. As a result, when my friends got to school they felt free and instead of doing what they needed to do to succeed in school they focused on having fun. This example shows how delicate a young child is and how too much is just as dangerous as too less. This is where the community’s influence becomes more important on the mindset of the child.

            In a community that is plagued by violence and drugs, the youth are often the ones committing those types of crimes. In a community that struggles, people try to survive in any way they can. This may involve stealing from others or selling drugs. Most people who do not grow up in a community like this believe that the criminal activity that consumes most of the community seem appealing to the young, when actually those actions are seen as the only option to survive and move forward in life. A simple way to remedy this is to push the belief that education will lead to success. Unfortunately in these communities this is not the case. Schools fail to demonstrate how successful students could be if they obtain a good education. Gail Thompson states “This preoccupation with getting rich quickly stems from at least two sources. The first being is the high unemployment rate in urban communities. In many cases, the education system has failed to prepare young blacks for the workforce or for college” (Thompson pg.21). Thompson’s statement connects directly to the communities he talks about in his book. In a community that struggles financially, schools are typically vandalized, and under-funded. The students who attend these schools are not given the same opportunities like someone who attended a school in a wealthy community. As a result these students grow up without experiencing the type of exposure that connects the student to life beyond their community. Without getting out of their community they only experience the type of struggle that has consumed their community. School is more than a place of learning. It is also responsible for connecting the things they learn in class to the positive aspects of life. That second part is essential because it shows how valuable education is and keeps the student involved.

Another important aspect of the community’s impact on African American students, is white students. Quite often black students compared to their white counterparts. For example within most black schools, children who show great or high levels of intelligence in ways such as talking with a good vocabulary, or taking a lot of time to study are often told that they are “acting white”. This creates the mindset that students must conform to the white students that they may have never actually been in class with. This leads to the belief that whites are believed to be academically superior to African Americans. Gail Thompson quoted that “In other words, these students infer that they have to reject their home culture to succeed academically” (Thompson pg. 17). That statement is totally agreeable, so often are children told not to be like the people they see in their communities and do not receive a lot of positive influence from the things they experience from their community. The stereotypes that surround black and white students also affect the type of education these two groups of students receive. In some instances schools tend to give a more advanced curriculum to white students and give black students a remedial curriculum. For example Janice Hale stated “Although, in theory, magnet schools were designed to integrate the schools, there are bizarre instances in which they too, are being maneuvered to disproportionately enrich white children and remediate African American students” (Hale pg. 176).  This information shows how schools themselves have conformed to the stereotypes of black students, which is why the communities must crack down or ensuring that their children are being given a fair chance at a good education.

Positive influence plays a pivotal role in the education of the youth, because of the social aspect of growing up. Janice Hale quoted “Most white Americans understand that education is the key to obtaining the skills for entry and success in mainstream society. Their status is determined by the work they do, the neighborhoods in which they live, and powerful because they dictate the social circle in which a person will move and whom he or she will socialize with” (Hale pg. 174). The last part of that statement, “They dictate the social circle in which a person… and whom her or she will socialize with”, is very important to this argument. It proves that the people you socialize with will inevitably control how you progress through life. Your friends not only represent you but have an impact on the type of person you will become. Which is why growing up in a community, that shows the positive side of life, is so important.

                         Furthermore, in these predominately black communities the N word is very popular when referring to other black people. The history of the N word explains why it has become so popular in black communities (Thompson pg.150). The N word comes from a sense of self-hatred and is also used to insult others. Another reason for why blacks use the N word is to show a negative view of black people (Thompson pg.153). Children who grow up in a community where the N word is very popular quickly understand the meaning of the word and its history. The N word was seen as a popular insult amongst it quickly transitioned, comedians, and politicians began using it in their professional lives (Thompson pg. 151). The sense of self-hatred resonates within black students and their opinion of their black peers. As a result black students do not see a lot of potential within themselves, which translates to their performance in school (Janice Hale pg.111). Confidence is a very important part of life and if a student is not confident in their ability to do well in school then not only will they not perform to the best of their ability but they will be comfortable with achieving the bare minimum.

Children’s performance in school directly connects to where they will end up when they enter the real world. Students who drop out of school or finish school with low grades are less likely to be able to support themselves or a family, and are more likely to end up in jail (Hale pg. 43). The ironic twist to this is that the criminals and bad influences that are present in the community create students who will end up in a situation similar to theirs, it is like a cycle (Thompson pg. 19).

In essence the community’s impact on their students is monumental. Children grow up being exposed to the negative aspects of life ultimately conform to what they see, because they believe that to be the norm. Add in parent’s lack of involvement or too much involvement, leads to a student not seeing the true value of a good education. As a result students are more likely to be interested in the negative things they see in their communities than how they perform in school.