What happens to nuts in education? Did you wonder?
So yesterday, I was interviewing at middle schools to find kids for a special "at risk" program. I interviewed over a hundred kids this week, talking to them one on one, or in small groups. We are looking for kids who have educational deficits, but who aren't afraid to work, and who actually have fairly good feelings about school. So I'm going through kid after kid, making notes, and this teacher storms in, and asks to talk to me. Absolutely- I can spare the time to talk to a colleague. What does she have to say? Well first of all, she's pissed because her (and I quote) "blond kid with freckles" can't get in to this program, but yet I'm interviewing all these "dark skinned" kids. Really? I guess you missed all the white kids on my list. Those Hispanic surnames so mesmerized her, she didn't realize the list included white students with educational issues. If her blond kid had the low test scores, or other problems, of course we'd interview him- he's actually lucky he does NOT have those problems. THEN she points to the two kids with ME surnames on my list and tells me not to take them, as they'll just be blowing people up for AQ in a few years. Really? They actually seemed a lot nicer than her, to me. I've had many, many Muslim students in the past several years, and not one of them has blown anyone up yet. They've not even shot anyone. I have had white students who at least did that. Of course they were accidents, and the kids were drunk at the time, but I'm not thinking that counts much for the white kids.
I have to say I was floored. I can't imagine going up to someone you don't know, and being that much of a bigot. I'm too polite to mix it up with people, so I just nodded politely, but geez, I hope I never see that crazy woman again. And what is it with the crazy eyes of people on the right? It's like they're on crank. And she spit when she talked. Ugh. I get the creeps just thinking about her. If someone had approached me in the store, and said what she'd said, in the way she said it, I would have taken them for a mental patient. |
