The video above (also linked here for mobile phone app viewing) was apparently a mandatory watch for every employee of the Escambia County School District over the last several weeks heading into the new school year which begins tomorrow. I was tagged in a facebook post where this video was the subject. And subsequently several friends and other School District folks have shared the link with me.
So I watched it.
It appears to be some local teachers and administrators giving thier thoughts, mixed in with clips from another source with various scenarios spliced in. The common theme appears to be that some students must be treated differently and expectations from some students (students of color) should not be the same as expectations of others. It also seems to intimate that there is overwhelming and systemic racial bias toward some students, and many associated with the schools need to embrace this concept as they are probably guilty of contributing to this without even knowing it? Wow, that's a lot.
You know, I must be a neanderthal throwback because in the limited time I taught a third grade class in San Diego at McKinley Elementary School--I was taught by my mentor teacher and I embraced the concept that we should treat all students as equals and not differentiate (with the exception that students with limited English proficiency should be given different language arts classes to assist them in learning English.) And expectations were uniform--meaning all had to do the same work, follow the same rules, and meet the same classroom behavior expectations uniformly, not in a differentiated way. I'm no expert for sure, but I have taught in public school classrooms at multiple grade levels. And I don't think you ever go wrong having one set of rules and expectations which are equally applied across the board for all students.
In my 10 years as an Escambia County School Board member--I always took this same view when working with my peers to set policy--particularly on discipline. One set of expectations, uniformly enforced and applied.
But I did notice an unsettling trend toward treating some students differently when it came to discipline and behavior expectations. To put it bluntly: I saw evidence that some students were getting a "pass" on serious disciplinary consequences for severe transgressions based upon race. And I ALWAYS called that out when I saw it. I also saw "no zero grading" moves to help prop up some students (to move them through the system) and to actually do "social promotion" to keep students who were not meeting rigorous academic standards moving through toward graduation anyway. I thought "no zero grading" was garbage and I spoke out vigorously in opposition as I thought it was just another example of bar lowering.
So I see this video, and I see the concepts of treating some differently is now the official doctrine, apparently, of administration locally.
We will see what happens but many with whom I speak believe this will not be good. Some feel this is critical race theroy "lite". I think it is divisive. We will see what happens.
14 comments:
Life is not one size fits all. When we recognize the differences among individuals, whether that's in the school, work, or social environments, and we celebrate those differences, we can grow together rather than apart. If we teach to the whole child, they will have a far better experience and be set on a path toward success. The best teachers reach their students on a personal level and foster the nuances to gain trust and show respect. That's when trust and respect are reciprocated from the students to the teacher and the environment is ripe for success. I think this video was well done and it should serve as a reminder to us all about the fragility of a child and how we all play a part in their development.
This is CRT, only RINO’s make excuses for teaching it.
How come you deleted posts!
Commissioner Bergosh, I'm focused along with a lot of other people right now on trying to help save the biggest live oak in Escambia County--along with a bunch of other protected trees--from getting chopped down in the service of another mini storage, and we only have til the Dev Review final at 1:00 tomorrow to do it.
So this is a post put down in haste that really should require a lot more thought. But since people unjustifiably represent the two of us as working in daily lockstep, when nothing could be further from the truth (instead, I have a healthy relationship of free speech debate with you, as do so many people in our County, for which I thank you), I really feel compelled to go on record with the following:
(1) I disagree with just about every opinion you've stated in your blog;
(2) to say that there isn't systemic racism in Escambia School systems is, in my opinion, ludicrous, farcical wishful thinking;
(3) the people who put this video together should be loudly applauded, as it's a huge positive step in the right direction under Dr. Smith's tenure, and I'm glad they had the courage to do it knowing they would receive old-school backlash such as this; and
(4) why on earth as a proponent of vaccination outreach yourself, you would choose to feature Larry Downs in this moment on your blog and give him an audience in anything right now is beyond me. I recognize it's two different subjects, but you've now encouraged people to go to him Facebook where they will be met with the most hysterical, voluminous, constant, misinformed, and disinformationing screeds pushing covid and vaccine conspiracy theories into our community as anyone on Facebook. The veritable Escambia King of Covid Conspiracy front and center on your blog right now?
I hope you'll see that, yes, you're thinking is becoming outdated on these matters at some point in the future.
I’ve witnessed social promotion in our school system for years and it’s a huge disservice to our children. It’s backfired on all of us because their lack of education harms the whole community. They tend to end up in the justice system and the welfare system because they don’t have the basic education to support themselves which creates a burden on the tax payers. It’s a tragedy.
"the soft bigotry of low expectations"
Look at Oregon
This is called ‘the soft bigotry of low expectations‘. Oregon Governor Kate Brown has cancelled the proficiency standards for reading, writing and math from High School graduation requirements.
The governors office says “suspending the reading, writing and math proficiency requirements … will benefit “Oregon’s Black, Latino, Latina, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Tribal, and students of color.”
In essence, the students of color are not smart enough to learn reading, writing or math – so they shouldn’t be expected to read, write or understand mathematics.
Kate Brown looks, sounds and acts like a typical left-wing moonbat. It’s hard to imagine a state governor saying the minority students in the state are not smart enough to pass proficiency standards; thereby signaling her extreme racist perspectives- and gaining cheers from her leftist tribe; yet here we are.
https://stateofthenation.co/?p=30233
https://thefederalist.com/2020/09/29/critical-race-theory-is-a-classic-communist-divide-and-conquer-tactic/
"Of all the ways identity politics is used as a tool to sow hatred among people where there should be the potential for friendship, “critical race theory” is one of the gravest offenders. Every person of goodwill should know that judging people based on their physical characteristics is cruel and wrong.
This is not the nature of critical race theory, however. Rather, the insidious ideology is being used to promote estrangement rather than friendship, and hostility rather than goodwill. Indeed, the tactics used by proponents of critical race theory share many parallels with old tactics used by the Bolsheviks."
This video featured is going to be on WEAR news, it's on their site now.
So much for an unelected superindendant.
Tongue in cheek:
This is what Melissa Pino sounds like all over the internet today
"How dare you post something I (Melissa Pino) disagree with" "How can you sleep at night with blood on your hands" "You racist bigot Trump supporting dinosaur republican" "spun into the deepest depths of conspiracy delusions" "If you don't have the vaccine you must be a cult member of Q
The important agenda is saving trees and getting every death supporting DeSantis follower a vaccination because of all the lying hospital administrators, how dare you type this right now"
blah blah blah
That what it sounds like to me.
Ridiculous.
At first glance I didn't even realize the video came from Larry Downs Jr, but after that I went and looked at his page.
No I'm not from ECW and I don't hate anybody, but that kind of personality don't need to be in government here.
Time for Affirmative Action to go by the wayside also.
Don't know where you're getting your info, Commissioner, but I am a teacher in the ECSD. I haven't seen that video and I don't know anyone who has. You shouldn't believe everything you see on Facebook, especially something like this.
https://babylonbee.com/news/students-across-america-excited-to-finally-return-to-in-person-indoctrination
With the fall semester beginning in just a few days, college students across the country are looking forward to ditching the Zoom call classes to be brainwashed in person instead.
"It's been a tough year," said incoming second-year student Timmy Soyberg. "Indoctrination over online classes just isn't the same as being indoctrinated in a real classroom in front of a flesh-and-blood, tenured indoctrinator. I can't wait!"
Millions of students are preparing for the big day by buying extra masks, paying their parking fee, paying their meal fee, paying their supply fee, paying their textbook fee, paying for room and board, and then shelling out $30,000 of borrowed cash for the first semester of their indoctrination year.
"This is a welcome return for students," said Billy-Bob Smith, local farmer and education expert. "In return, the students will have the joy of sitting in a real live classroom as the professor empties their minds and souls of all reason and virtue to teach them how to deconstruct everything good in this world to replace it with pure, unadulterated rage and radical ideology before shoving them out into a cold, cruel world completely unprepared for what they'll face... what was I talking about again?"
"Oh yeah-- welcome back to school, kids!"
Schools have confirmed they will also be adding a $5,000 "in-person" fee for anyone attending classes in person.
4:45 it was on Wear news tonight. Keep up.
Sean Bullington said “After reaching out to Escambia county school board member D5 Bill Slayton, he responded to stop contacting him and CRT is not in the video.”
Did he tell you to quit contacting him because you acted like an aggressive psycho? Maybe he’s seen how you act at the town hall or the boc meetings or on ecw.
I worked for Amazon and we had to watch diversity training videos like this all the time. This isn’t anything new. It might be new to people that don’t have jobs or people behind the times. Welcome to the 21st century. Get out of the dark ages and join the rest of the world.
To the chronic complainers who complain to just hear yourselves complain because you’re full on miserable:
What if I told you chronic complaining without providing a potential solution is called whining. I think the biggest whiners enjoy their misery they wallow in.
#whenpersonalbitternessmakesyouirrelevant
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