Wed, 19 Oct 1994 11:06:30 -0700 for <socgrad@UCSD.EDU>
Date: Wed, 19 Oct 1994 14:06:14 -0400 (EDT)
From: Chiquita Collins <chiquita@psc.lsa.umich.edu>
Subject: Re: school colors
To: Steve Velasco <velasco@alishaw.ucsb.edu>, mlowery@comp.uark.edu,
        socgrad@UCSD.EDU
"Can we all just get along?"--Rodney King

If only it was that easy.  The Latino instructor felt that the school 
newspaper should incorporate articles written by students who reflect the 
racial composition of the school.  I agree with him.  In my high 
school, individuals who were interested in working for the school newspaper 
signed up for the class (print shop) and were English majors.  
Berkely High did not explain what the process was for joining the school's 
newspaper.  

There was more in this documentary that you may have missed.  The issue of 
class (tracking) tracting was addressed.  Classes are separated by level of 
skill.  A.P. classes are taught in most schools, however, Berkely High's 
general classes were segregated by race.  Not all white students take A.P. 
courses, yet (interesting) the general classes were 85% non-white.  One 
instructor taught a "heterogeneous" class, which integrates various skill 
levels of students.  White students in this class complained that the 
instructor lost focus on teaching the subject matter when most of her 
time was spent on "controlling disruptive students".  

Black students, who attend school for the same reason as most 
students, are often stereotyped into "disruptive students" and other 
stereotypes.  Many times African Americans students must go through this 
annoying process of proving themselves to the teacher that they are 
competent to do the work.  

If we could eradicate prejudices and racist attitudes, which is part of 
America, passed on from generation to generation, maybe we could just be 
humble and respect others.