I am damn sick and tired of folks making the main thing the wrong thing. Many Voices is trying to partner with Edgecombe County Public Schools. However the articles continue to mislead folks as if we want to fight them.
I have been an advocate for students, parents and educators since 1993 long before I had any children in the ECPS system. It was 1998 when my first child entered into the system.
It pisses me the hell off when folks like board member Attorney Teresa Bryant and Tarboro Town Councilman Pastor Rev. Roy Gray takes the floor and talk about what worked for them. Bryant talked about she had caring parents and Gray talked about he put around 6 children through ECPS and his wife is a retired ECPS educator. That is fine however the meeting is not about them nor their children.
The problem today is the parents who need to be at the meetings do not attend and I have been a part of that discussion with groups I have served on such as the School PTO and the School Improvement Team at G.W. Carver Elementary School and South Edgecombe Middle School in Pinetops. I have served on the ECPS Board of Education Advisory Council also where we met at different schools within the district. I have also received certificates of graduation for participating in the yearly (PESP) Parent Education Studies Program through the NC Justice and Community Development Center Education Leadership Institute.
So many times the main thing get lost because some folks confuse the real issue at hand. The parents that attended the meeting on last night did not fit the description that Bryant and Gray were talking about because I feel confident that the parents who attended are involved in their child’s education. So their spill was a waste of my time. Times have changed and many of the parents of today birthed children when they were children and therefore the cycle has been broken as it pertains to the parents that Bryant and Gray spoke about.
It is of my opinion that the majority of the children who act up in school are those who do not have the parents that Bryant and Gray spoke about. It is of my opinion that when those children act up and since their parents are not involved, parents such as myself and others who are involved we get treated as if we fit the description of the parents who are not involved so we are all lumped together. I admit that some involved parents go to the school in frustration some times however someone in the system should reach out to them and attempt to keep them interested instead of making them feel uncomfortable and sometimes that parent never comes back to the school again.
The reporter that covered this meeting put emphasis on Bryant stepping out of her role as a board member and saying that her perspective as a parent that while teachers should be held accountable for some issues, the key is giving them guidance. Who in the hell is she talking about because if the parents are not involved with their children how in the hell are they going to give some guidance to the teachers?
Bryant said, “For every teacher I hear a compliant about, I can find someone that raves about them,” she said. “Sometimes it’s things in the profession where I think they need the support of parents.” Again I ask who in the hell is she talking about? I am confused because if these parents are not involved in their children’s education how in the hell can they be involved in what the teachers may be going through? Whatever the hell they are going through do not give them the right to take it out our the children. Is Bryant and others who think like her ignant to the fact that these children are going through hell because they didn’t ask for their parents who are not involved in their education? Do Bryant who has been fortunate enough to further her education think about those children who come from families who may not have a daddy and/or a mother who spend time with them, are not capable of helping them with their homework because of their lack of education, a child who may not have adequate food, clothing and other by default. I believe every child would love to have a parent such as Bryant and Gray however that is not true in the real world.
Bryant backed the teachers saying they have a lot of responsibilities and said the teachers are under a lot stress not only on the local level but at the state level. So damn the children who don’t have the parental involvement who are stressed should be able to handle their stress on top of the teacher’s stress. Oh hell no. Some of these children are raising themselves. Are we forgetting that we are dealing with children who didn’t come from families such as ours?
Well Bryant in the real world we would love to see all children come to school ready to learn and that are not going to be disciplinary problems but we are not there yet and we are not working on getting there. Can you tell me who is working on that and what are they doing?
Roy Gray said when you build that base right at home, you do not have to worry what’s going on with them. So again my question who in the hell is Gray talking about because if the parents are not involved in their child’s education where is the base going to come from?
I have always gone to a meeting and spoke up for the less fortunate playing the devils advocate trying to put myself in others shoes who are less fortunate than myself. So hell yeah I get defensive when I hear some things especially when I have been in meetings with some of these same folks since 1993 and I continue to hear folks talk about themselves and their children and not those children who we need to find a solution for. You see if neighbors, friends, churches and others who can afford to help others out would do their part, oh what a time, what a time but you see we as a black people talk about me and my child when your damn child is alright. Not saying that our children can’t mess up however atleast we are involved where some children come into this world and never get to experience the parental involvement that some children experience.
But some of these same folks who talk about they have been involved in their children’s education, they still had and/or have some issues with their children if the truth was to be made known. But again they still had and/or have that parental involvement to fall back on.
Diane LeFiles addressed the lack of funding. She addressed Mrs. Gladys Dunn who asked about volunteering and didn’t say a damn thing about getting paid. Nothing was mentioned in the article about Dunn a grandparent who is also a retired teacher asking about trying to help out. Again another turn off by LeFiles. LeFiles talked about community organizations in the area and mentioned Yolanda Thigpen’s after school program. Hell LeFiles mentions names when it is convient but do you think she give a damn about Thigpen’s organization? Hell no. My question is why the school system can’t apply for grants so that it can have a base at the schools and the children who really need the help can get it. That is another thing I have always stated, there has been enough monies that come into the black community through some black’s hands whom were poverty and political pimps and prostitutes in the pulpit who have done absolutely nothing but collected checks on the backs of our children.
I was tickled to death when I read the reporter’s comment that, “While most of the responses from the administrators brought on more questions or silence, Bryant’s and Gray’s comments received applause.” Hell everybody in the room could relate to being a parent. Everybody can’t relate to being an educator.
In my opinion the above paragraph is going to be a problem for Many Voices because again it was not about those who attended the meeting but the parents who needed to be there. You see our Mission Statement: “Bridging The Gap Between: Parents, Teachers and School Administrators” was not mentioned anywhere in the article. It is going to be tough trying to bridge the gap when our local media put their spin on the meetings in such a way that it makes it appear that concerned parents and community folks want to attack the system when all we are doing is trying to reach out to them inspite of.
I supported Bryant’s appointment on the board to replace Dr. Florence A. Armstrong when she moved out of the district however many said to me she was not the one. However these folks had some valid points but I felt that she being a lawyer was going to be a plus. I am going to follow the board more closely than I have in the past 7 – 8 months. When I learned about the concerned parents at the East Tarboro Meeting recently, and after meeting with Many Voices on numerous occasions since that meeting, I have made the group my main thing. This group has reminded me of what I said I was going to do back in the 90’s and that is to stand up for the children and the elderly because it is not about me but about the future.
At the end of the meeting I seen the reporter question Shanell Knight about the meeting and she directed her to me. The reporter did not come to the front of the room where I was. However I told Knight that would happen. This reporter do not know me and I do not know her. I would not have known who she was if she had not stood in the back of the room after arriving late taking pictures. She missed the beginning of the meeting and we were into the questions and answer piece. C. Dancy II – DCN Publisher
Voice of Many – Speakers stress parental involvement
There was discussion about the judgment in retaining certain teachers, purchasing new equipment, disciplinary actions for behavior, and other topics, a lot of which administrators couldn’t discuss because of confidentiality.
One of the topics that did prompt multiple head nods and claps of approval was the parents role in helping their children succeed. (The Daily Southerner)
See related:
Tarboro NC – Watch Video Voices of Many Meeting with Principals Marc Whichard and Sylvia Cobb
Note: Updated 7.25.09 11:10 AM
Filed under: Education Edgecombe County Public Schools, From the Publisher, Richard H. Parker Jr. Columnist, Voices of Many Education Advocacy Group | 3 Comments »
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