The Cos on Cause
Bill Cosby attended a forum called “Education is a Civil Right” over the weekend. Considering his aggressive promotion of parental involvement and teacher excellence, the audience most likely expected more straight-talk from the honorary doctorate recipient. They weren’t disappointed. But this time, Cosby extended his message even further.
“We’ve got parents who won’t check the bedrooms of their children to see if there’s a gun,” he said.
He chided teachers for not explaining clearly to students who ask, “Why do I need to know this?” that their algebra and English classes can help them obtain higher-paying jobs.
“I’m not asking you to entertain the children,” he told listening teachers. “If you teach English, and you can’t answer this child … then you’re in trouble, and we’ve been in trouble. We can’t answer these children, because nobody’s given them any goals.”
If students know that they could fix elevators at the local mall and earn $75,000 a year, he said, “and if they like the job of fixing the elevator, you’ve got to get to them with that algebra.”
Even some churchgoers drew a rebuke. Cosby riffed on the common expression “The Lord will find a way,” adding, “So I’m just going to wait for Jesus to find a way.”
He said: “Too many people are waiting for Jesus to come along and cut your grass. And Jesus isn’t going to come along and cut your grass.”
Anyone want to bet on how soon church groups lodge their protests against Cosby and demand an apology?
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Donna B.s last blog...
“Anyone want to bet on how soon church groups lodge their protests against Cosby and demand an apology?”
of course they will, anything but accept the truth…we always find it more comfortable to blame someone else…serious flaw in our inherent nature. instead of admiring him for pulling himself out of the projects, getting an advanced degree and leading a successful life, some people would rather still make excuses and look any where but at themselves. and so the sad cycle perpetuates itself.
When I was a Math teacher in High School I had my walls plastered with posters displaying jobs requiring knowledge of Math. It is important to make sure they understand what is required to do a job. The problem is that many of the teachers have only been teachers. I brought real world examples to my students everyday with my life experiences. The media does not help either in promoting education as a necessary to get ahead. Especially in the Urban school I taught at.
I have a serious mental block when it comes to math. Back in grade school, I was one of those straight-A kids until junior high when I wound up with a pervert for an algebra teacher.
He’d call us up to the board to work problems, then make awful comments about how the girls were developing (or over-developing, or failing to develop) and tease the boys for wearing their shirts untucked to “hide their hormones.” Needless to say, many of us did poorly in his class, and I never really got interested in math again.
He was fired a couple of years later, but I wonder how many kids he turned off to math in the process.