2008 homecomings
Edgewood vs. Talawanda
Area H.S. football: Week 8
Wind happens
I am borrowing my title from a co-worker who wants to make this a T-shirt.
Anyway, I just got an update for you from Lakota. All buildings now have electricity. Plains was the final building to get on board, and it is also the one with the most damage. A hole in the roof has been fixed. Officials said to expect school tomorrow, but an announcement will be made between 6 and 8 p.m. tonight, Sept. 17. They are waiting on a final road report to ensure they are safe for bus travel. Not sure if you saw the article on our site, but a wire hit a Mason bus today. The children were safe, but the potential danger was another reason Lakota made the final call last night to cancel. All the food is back in the building except for Plains. There are milk deliveries happening, and some buildings will have more supplies than others. For that reason, all children can expect a lunch, but it won’t coordinate with the meal calendar and it may be different depending on what each building has in stock. All the milk and ice cream got thrown out.
Home > Blogs > Lakota Schools News and Issues > Archives > 2008 > May > 19 > Entry
Anti-racist leadership
You may now have had the chance to read two days of our three-part series on race in school districts. If you have missed it, you can click here for photos and stories. http://www.pulsejournal.com/diversity
My motivation for taking on this series was because of the passion I saw on Fairfield Superintendent Cathy Milligan’s face when she talked about the equity team formed at her district. She talked about how there are many cultures within races, but the color of skin seems to be a determining factor when it comes to test scores. In college I recruited for an organization called Teach For America, and its main goal was to eliminate the achievement gap in this country through recruiting passionate and motivated teachers who would do whatever it took to see all children succeed. Milligan believes the district has those passionate teachers and with some training and conversation, Fairfield and other districts can close this gap.
People have questions why were looking into this issue. I am reporting objectively on what the district’s are doing to take on this issue. For those who think I am attempting to stir up controversy, that is definitely not my intention.
On a personal note, as a Christian, I feel it is my mission in life to love others. Through the written word, I hope to provoke some thought around the topic of race. Do any of you remember the old Sunday School song “Jesus Loves the Little Children?”
It goes “Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world.”
In this series, I think you will see examples of teachers and administrators who love the little children of our school districts. They may not have the solution to eliminating the achievement gap or solving all of our racial prejudices and our social challenges. However, they are bravely taking a step toward a visible problem. This great challenge, they said, can be met head on through having courageous conversations. I challenge you to begin a dialogue with me and our papers.
Do you think this approach is valid? Do you take offense? Are you inspired? Tell me why. If you have questions, I will do my best to answer them or point you in the direction of someone who can.
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Comments
By Annie
May 19, 2008 10:18 AM | Link to this
I agree that we should be aware of cultural differences, but “black” is a race, not a culture. Culture is defined as “the sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another.” This would include Appalachian culture, Mexican culture, Peruvian culture, Chinese culture, Native American culture, etc. There are citizens in this county who happen to be “black,” but have a very different cultural experience, as they were not raised in America. However, we seem to be under the impression that we deal with only two “cultures,” as the Journal mistakenly refers to in the series. We are more than the color of our skin. By pointing out the differences rather than celebrating the similarities, we only cause more division among people. Whether we like to acknowledge it or not, there are standards in society that need to be maintained when at school or at work. These are the similarities we should seek rather than excuse poor behavior and other choices as “cultural stereotypes” or “cultural differences.” What you do with the family or friends on your own time is another issue completely. If we are going to celebrate diversity, then let’s acknowledge ALL cultures involved. The only thing I seem to be getting out of this series is black vs. white. This is an appallingly narrow-minded view of the citizens that make up our county. Visit the schools and see for yourself. When citing statistics, make sure you are not confusing culture with race. Check the numbers to see how many students had multiple referrals, rather than manipulating the figures to make it fit your bias.