Dallasblog.com, the Dallas, Texas news blog and Dallas, Texas information source for the DFW Metroplex. - DALLAS BLOG

Oh No, Not Again!

by James Reza

Sat, Oct 24, 2009, 05:39 PM

Recently, I went to an office supply store to buy some ink for my printer. The ink cartridge’s cost plus taxes totaled $5.15. When I handed the cashier $6.00, the young lady taking my money looked around her register and said, “Excuse me sir, I can’t find my calculator.” I then told her just out of my head, “Lady, you owe me 85 cents.” She handed me my change and apologized for the delay. I told her not to worry about it and that it wasn’t her fault that she couldn’t subtract without the aid of a calculator. Obviously, the store’s cash register didn’t have a built in calculator, or, it wasn’t functioning. Leaving the store I was dismayed that the cashier couldn’t figure out a simple arithmetic problem.

This past week I tuned in to Mark Davis, WBAP-820 radio talk host interview a Republican politician who was talking about his political achievements. As predictable, this politician like almost all others of both major political parties said, “Once I get elected, I plan to improve our public schools.” Immediately I said to myself, “Oh no, not again!” Seems that every election cycle we the voters have to listen to this regurgitation of this empty public school promise from political candidates of whatever party, of how they plan to improve our educational system? And still, we get high school graduates like that cashier at the office supply store who couldn’t subtract $5.15 from $6.00. Some graduates I know, can’t even read or write correctly. This I know first hand because my oldest son and oldest daughter, both North Fort Worth public high school grads, can’t spell, write, or work math problems well. Though I enrolled both at All Saints Catholic School (Grades 1-8), they couldn’t keep up with the school’s curriculum and thus I had to enroll them in public school. I remember vividly that my son and daughter while in J. P. Elder Jr. High and Tech High (public schools I attended) in the 1970s and 80s would never bring any homework. Both would tell me that they had completed all of the studies in school. I found that odd because when I attended those same schools in the 1950s, I always had lots of schoolwork to complete at home. I never saw my oldest son and daughter open up a spelling, math, history, or English book at home when they attended J. P. Elder or Tech High. However, both finished high school and somehow managed to find employment. But, I must confess that neither one was college material.

My youngest daughter (Cecilia), on the other hand, was very sharp. I, as I did with her siblings, enrolled her at All Saints Catholic School where she excelled in all her classes. Moving to Lake Worth Texas, after Cecilia completed the 8^th grade, I was undecided whether to enroll her at Nolan Catholic High School or Lake Worth High. Coincidentally, Lake Worth High, as per a survey conducted by the Star-Telegram that year was considered one of the best-rated high schools in Tarrant County. With that, I enrolled Cecilia at Lake Worth High, but, if they didn’t meet my expectations, I’d transfer her to Nolan Catholic High. Soon, I noticed that Cecilia always had her face in schoolbooks every evening after school. When she passed to the 10^th grade, one of her teachers asked her if she planned to attend college. She said she did and planned to be a nurse. From that day forward Lake Worth High filled Cecilia’s school schedule with medical related subjects like: biology, sociology, chemistry, physiology, etc., which proved to be very beneficial in her medical studies in college. Today, I’m proud to say, she is a practicing medical nurse with a Master’s Degree.

By now some of you might be asking, “James, why is it that you and your daughter Cecilia got a good public school education and your oldest kids didn’t?” Folks, I’ve asked myself that question many times and this is the only answer I have. When I attended J. P. Elder and Tech High in the 1950s, the student enrollment was predominately white, as was the case at Lake Worth High where Cecilia attended. But, in the 1970s and 1980s, when my oldest kids were in public school, the demographics in North Fort Worth changed dramatically to Hispanic and thus most public schools in that area then and today boasts a large Hispanic school enrollment. Sad to say folks, but schools with a large Hispanic student enrollment most often have poor scholastic achievements. Hey, I’m not making this up, anyone can get the data from the Fort Worth Independent School District. Just last week in one of my articles I cited where in North Fort Worth, 39% of young Hispanics only have a 9^th grade education. And, only 20.3% have a high school education. Sadly, only 8.9% have some college. Which when you translate that in the type of employment these people have is: 16.1% in service related jobs and 24.7% in construction. Get this, only 8% have managerial or professional type jobs.

“Why James?” one might ask. Several reasons: the Hispanic culture is not favorable to education, particularly when the parents of students are illegal and could care less if their children learn English. Then there’s the gang situation where young Hispanic males think gangs are cool and schools are not. Teen pregnancy (131 per 1, 000) is rampant among Hispanic girls 15-19. Low-rider cars also have an impact on young Hispanic males who spend more time and money fixing up an old car than studying. And finally ladies and gentlemen — discipline! When I was in San Jose Catholic School, a predominately Hispanic school, the nuns made us learn, or else, a good smack in the rear. That continued for me at J. P. Elder, when Mr. Murphy spanked my rear with the “Green Demon” paddle if I acted unruly in wood shop. And how can I ever forget the licks I got in P.E. from Coach McPhearson, when he heard me cuss. Finally, every day when I was at Elder and Tech, we heard bible readings over the intercom every morning.

Do I want politicians to improve our educational system? No! I want it to be the way it was when I was a teenager in the 1950s!

Bookmark

Email This

Comments (9) add comment

...
written by Mike Shaw , October 25, 2009

The dumber they are, the more easily controlled by those who would take away freedom..."you won't need to think, you would just get it wrong anyway. We will tell you what to think." This makes it easier for repulikan and demokrat Progressives like Hill-dog, Schumer, Dodd, Kennedy, Boxer, and Barack to continue to robbing us all.

...
written by Rufus , October 25, 2009

Hispanic culture, likewise Native American culture, favor males in the family over females. Their history took that men were to work and the women were to make babies and raise kids. Boys were to go to work and help provide money or food as quickly as they were old enough. Girls were just a drag on the family resources unless they were minding young children while the mother prepared meals. As quickly as possible, the girls were to go get married so a man other than the family could provide for her, and she was to make him happy and to have children. This is not good, nor bad..but reflects the underlying social structure of native cultures like that of native South American and North Americans and Mexican families. That the males are catered to by the mother and the daughters are allowed to do anything post puberity to get a man to take them out of the family is natural in those cultures. Consequently, with the mother ONLY responsible for child rearing, while Fathers ONLY supposed to bring in a paycheck, the males get NO DISCIPLINE nor control, and are rewarded for male preening and attractiveness...the better to get a girl, and therefore, the males grow up with NO RESPECT at all for women..taking their mothers and wives for granted to do all the child rearing and the housetending...while the male does male things...never helping with kids or education etc. It is a culture, that when it comes into a school system once predominantly Anglo-saxon of post European immigrants with a totally different work and family set of ethics and values, clearly the students cannot share the same principles of education and discipline...they have totally different at-home experiences and in their cultures. By continuing to support dual language teaching, the public school system merely keeps this culture in place, and never will ever have a one size fits all teaching environment. Our educators pander to the politically corruct attitude that none of this matters, when in truth...it is ALL that matters in educating kids. If you cannot keep and direct their attention in school, you cannot teach them to count money, read and write English, nor get a serious job.

...
written by Gary Stan , October 26, 2009

This reminds me of MPS - Milwaukee Public School system. As with many large metropolitan cities, the MPS system is a disaster that doesn't work and those in charge (all strong union people) are always crying for more money,... More money doesn't fix the problem and hasn't so far. MPS is already confiscating $13,500 per student and what do we get for it? Not much to speak of,...

My nick name for MPS is the Milwaukee Sewage System,... Less than half of the kids graduate and those that do, have a hard time reading, writing, speaking, or doing basic math,... It wasn't like that when I went to school in the late 60's and early 70's. I was talking with a school administrator last week, he says academics are a serious issue but only a small problem in comparison to the major issue in the Milwaukee schools, and that is a multitude of social problems. He told me for many, the only decent food they get and what they receive for breakfast or lunch.

When I went to school, breakfast wasn't served in schools,... Most homes back than had two parents in the home, that's not the case today, yet big mama keeps having lots of babies,... Some in Milwaukee call for all of MPS to be closed and let all of the schools turn to choice or other private schools,... Choice schools are reimbursed $6.500 per student and they produce a better educated student. I'm not sure what the graduation rate in Choice but it has to be better than MPS.

I know several families that home school, all of their kids graduate, many continue with college, and they can read, write, speak proper English, do math in their heads, they know science, history, sociology, politics, many play instruments, are involved in group exercise activities, and they don't cost the tax payer a dollar for a better education, but they do have two parents at home, have a strong faith in GOD, and respect their elders...

...
written by manny s , October 27, 2009

todays view points
James reza ,,,two of my kids are dummies one is not.
I hit all the feel good points for whites that harken back to 1950
White schools were better
Hispanics are less than whites [ I think its self hate,,,malinche-ness]
God is great,,,bible verse over the PA
I love your formula
Exaggerate a mundane situation
Talk about the past
Blame Hispanics
Provide cover support to blame Hispanics
Create an us browns are your friends but those recently arrived are not
Work in a stereotype
Wala ….reading gold

...
written by manny s , October 27, 2009

Hispanic culture is not favorable to education, particularly when the parents of students are illegal and could care less if their children learn English, james por favor …..that is such bullsh*t,,, your either out of touch or dishonest. Parents understand that to get ahead those children must learn English, children that start late even as late as the 7th grade become proficient in English, most 1st generation are English speakers and by the time 2nd and 3rd generations come around they don’t even speak Spanish anymore. Parents hopes yes even ‘illegal’ parents hope is in their children for a better tomorrow, I know it sounds corny but it’s the truth. Who needs lou dobbs with james around.
Rufus most societies favor males over females, I don’t think that the early settlers were coequals with their women remember that these were fundamentalist who thought that a woman was subordinate and in fact males were prized over females since they could help with the farm and what ever other manly duties were needed at the time, remember the phrase the man of the house. I know that at times the statistics look bad but I write that off as a group of people that are adjusting to a different set of circumstances.

...
written by MIckeyG , October 28, 2009

Dear Manny
You just keep ignoring those statistics (they are probably put together by folks with some kind of political agenda anyways. Do you believe it's a stereotype that the majority of the employees in the fast food industry are non-whites? DO you believe it's a stereotype that the majority of college graduates are white? I could go on, but what's the point. You clearly do not want to challenge the minority youth of this country to work hard and achieve a goal. No. Let Obama (or who ever is the current government) provide what I need.
Just remember what Thomas Jefferson said:"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."
I don't believe we have achieved that goal.

...
written by manny s , October 28, 2009

Mick I absolutely believe that the youth have to be challenged what I don’t believe in is putting down a group of people in the process, when I read james I always get the sick feeling that he has a hate for Mexican, from where he comes from and what he is. He has to put down the people where he comes from in order to elevate himself.
Fast food ,,,I always see young people yeah most are minority in the city when I go outside the city they are always young and white or black but they are always young. College could be explained as I said before “a group of people that are adjusting to a different set of circumstance”. The reason whites are a majority of college graduates is because whites have had a 160 year head start, I know your shaking your head but it’s the truth white families have all the doctors, lawyers, cops, politicians,,,,have you ever seen those interviews where a white guy points at pictures on a wall and says this was great grand pappy in 1802 a St. Louis cop,, now this is another pappy in 1838 as a st louis judge,,,now heres another family member in 1901 a council man in st louis ,etc,,,etc Blacks and Hispanics were not afforded those opportunities but in time we will have those pictures on our walls.
Hey did Thomas Jefferson say that before or after putting his slaves to work,,,under the pretense of taking care of them.

...
written by Joe Skalamera, Kissimme, Florida , November 03, 2009

Manny S. - James - Mickey G. My parents were Croatian immigrants who raised 10 kids. My father insisted on speaking English in our home (except when he and Mom got into an argument). Dad went to the night school across the street from our home and learned to read, write and speak English better so that he could get a better job. I remember so well waiting for him to get out of school and seeing him with other "students" who could have been Russian, German, Spanish, Polish, Jewish, Italian, etc. and they would be laughing and joking about some "crazy English" words. I recall those days many of times today when I hear or witness arguments about "English" in this country. As this child I witnessed what America was meant to be.......UNITED. English brought us all together....all of us immigrants and their kids. It helped make us AMERICANS. It was an important common bond, and it my Dad's case a common challenge that he and the other immigrants overcame.....together. My parents and their parents (except for my paternal grandmother) came to America to "give" of themselves for a better life like all immigrants of those days. The Irish, Italians, Hispanics, Germans, Polish, Russians, Chinese, Danes, Swedes, etc. etc. all came here to become "AMERICANS." Such, unfortunately, is the case today and it is the children of today's immigrants that are hurt the most. English is the world's business language. Today, I sponsor a Vietnamese high school exchange student and in Vietnam all of the students are required to take English as a second language. The most of the Vietnamese immigrants that came here with "nothing" now own businesses, their children are doctors, lawyers, business owners and they speak English. The do not ask the government to print Tax Returns in their native tongue. The came to America and we are better for it. They have become "AMERICANS" and their children succeed very well in the educational system because they all have learned to speak English and can now compete with native born English speaking students. As the son of immigrant parents my brothers and I took many insults and all of us learned to be "good fighters." After I kicked some white boys ass they learned to respect us. God Bless my immigrant parents who came to this country "with nothing" and left this life with 7 children all of whom were hard workers and who succeeded in earning good livings. As the youngest boy, however, I was the only fortunate one to go on to college achieving a Master's Degree and becoming a Certified Public Accountant. One other thing that my immigrant father insisted on was that all of his sons would serve their country - and all of us did. Speaking, reading, understanding the English language was the key to out future......and it still is the key to a good future for all new immigrants. And finally, most (not all) of today's immigrants are here "to take." Most of the Muslim and Hispanic immigrants of today do not encourage their children to read, write, speak and understand English - and many of them are not here to become "AMERICANS." They are here "to take," and "to destroy" America......and apparently they are succeeding. This is not the America of my parents days. There is no hope for poor, inner-city kids like we were. We had "hope." We knew that if we worked hard and got an education that we would succeed.....and we did.

...
written by Dan Comstock , November 22, 2009

James Reza, who strikes me as someone who does like himself, appreciates his ancestry, and truly loves America (which is not true of everyone living here I am sad to observe) has just inspired some really eloquent commentary. I would like to just chime in by saying that the slaves have been freed. The Jim Crow laws have been struck. Thomas Jefferson is not revered for his human flaws in context of his time, he is revered because of what he said and did that was truly good and raised our sights. It is time for all of us to get over this political correctness which threatens to imprison all of us and make us a land of weaklings. Excuses may make one feel better about failing, but they do nothing to make things better. Talk about the generations is true but the only thing that actually counts, is whether or not you step up to the plate. However long that list of policemen, police chiefs, lawyers and businessmen, someone had to be first in line. People who understand that put a priority on getting an education (which does not necessarily mean a college eduction). If you are the first generation to get an education, be proud of that. Otherwise make it your goal that your children do. Finally, I would like to say that if it is not your personal goal to make this a better country, by your own efforts, not by what is being done for you, perhaps you do not truly appreciate what America is all about. I am going to take this opportunity to quote Jack Kennedy: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”.

Write comment

< Prev		Next >