Voters Must Stay Focused

By now most of us have heard the latest gaffe by presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.  You know, the 47% comments? Well, it never ceases to amaze me how shocked people are when politicians make statements that reveal their true selves. Are you really surprised? Mitt Romney is who you thought he was, an elitist, possible racist man who is totally out of touch with the real world. Didn't we already know that?  Romney's comments don't bother me and maybe that speaks to how desensitized I've become to this type of language.  Most people I know aren't even remotely considering voting for Romney, so why should it matter so much what he says?  We can be so easily distracted. What we need to be focused on is getting people to the polls at a 2008 rate.

Let's concentrate on fighting the new voter I.D. laws that have popped up to combat the imaginary demon of voter fraud.  That's where our collective energy  needs to be directed. Not at a man who doesn't have a clue about what it takes to lead a country. A recent report on CBS News stated that as many as 700,000 minority voters under age 30 may be unable to cast a ballot in November because of photo ID laws in certain states.  Now that's scary to me. Much scarier than anything that comes out of Mitt Romney's mouth.  I hope we don't fall for the banana in the tailpipe routine come election time. Let's focus on the real issues.

Tebow

Tim Tebow. That name has been the source of great debate over the last few weeks.  His very public displays of faith have thrust him into the media spotlight.  Some have gone as far as to attribute any success he has experienced on the field to his faith.  Here's my take. Tim Tebow is at best an average football player. His team is in the playoffs because the defense started to play lights out at the same time Tebow took over as the starter.  That's it in a nutshell.  His devotion to his religion is admirable, but his football skills and his faith are two totally separate things.  Tim Tebow is not the only Christian in the NFL, not even on his team,  and it's ridiculous to suggest that God somehow favors Tebow over all of the other Christians in the league.   I believe this is a non-story if Mr. Tebow were of another ethnicity.  Luckily we will be able to put this discussion to bed after the Broncos get bounced in the Wildcard round of the playoffs.

We Shouldn't Be Surprised

The Republican primaries have been interesting to say the least. From the rise and fall of Herman Cain to the embarrassing gaffes of Rick Perry to the  recent onslaught of racist comments made by some of  the candidates.   Sadly, the undercurrent of racism doesn't surprise me. I realize that minorities, African-Americans in particular, are not looked upon favorably by a lot of people in this country. I'm also not surprised that double standards based on race still exist. What does surprise me is the overreaction to these incidents. When I hear these ignorant remarks I simply make note of who made the comment and place that person in my "ignorant" box.  My advice to the African-American community is to focus your collective energy on things you can control, like turning out in large numbers at the polls to ensure no one that holds to racist ideologies ever takes office.  It's ok to be outraged.......for about 5 minutes.  After that we need to move on and not let these people distract us. Racism is alive and well in this country and will probably never go away. We need to come to grips with that fact. In spite of that we can still take control of our communities. Let's focus on that.

8 Year Old Outliers

This proves it is possible for our kids to excel in math and science........if it becomes a priority.

Washington snubbed again

Two World Series appearances in as many years weren't enough for Texas Ranger manager Ron Washington to win the 2011 MLB American League manager of the year award. In fact, he received only one first place vote. I won't even name the winner.  I'll let you find that out on your own. Exactly what is the criteria for winning this award?  It's amazing how little credit Washington gets for his role in the Rangers recent success. I guess that's the way baseball goes.

You've got to be kidding me!

My wife received the following email message today:


I’m proud to announce the first campaign in our effort to revolutionize our schools and culture through on-the-ground action.

In the months ahead, the EndTheRace.org movement will inspire action on homework, testing, rankings, admissions and other educational practices to create positive and sustainable change for our students.

Today, we’re starting with the Homework Pledge: your promise to work toward homework-free weekend and holiday breaks in your school.

Take the Homework Pledge and we’ll give you action tools to bring homework-free weekends and holidays to your community:


The research on homework is clear and unanimous. Most homework does not increase learning, raise scores or prepare students for the future.

By pledging to work toward homework-free weekend and holiday breaks in your school, you support a cultural shift that values balance, family time, sleep and health for our students.

And you join dozens of schools and districts already taking action in the wake of their Race to Nowhere screenings, including:

• Ridgewood High School in New Jersey, which has banned homework during both its winter break and February break this year.

• Walter Payton High School in Chicago, IL, which has eliminated homework for Thanksgiving, winter and spring break this year with no tests or projects due immediately upon the return from break.

• Wellesley Middle School in Wellesley, Mass., which has committed to a no-homework policy on religious holidays and school vacations.

• Galloway School District in Galloway, New Jersey, whose superintendent has proposed a ban on assignments on weekends, holidays and school vacations.

There is no better time to join the movement of communities revolutionizing our schools and culture.

Thank you,

Vicki Abeles & the End the Race Campaign Team

Really!? This is like telling a sprinter that they can beat Usain Bolt by running slower. This kind of nonsense will probably be swept up by schools where the students are already light years behind.  Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hour rule flies directly in the face of this ridiculous strategy. The only way to become proficient in a thing (i.e. math, science, writing) is by doing it........over and over again.  Don't believe the hype people. 

Time For a Change

The Council of Great City Schools recently released a report entitled A Call for Change: The Social and Educational Factors Contributing to the Outcomes of Black Males in Urban Schools.  The report details the state of black males in the United States.   The findings are familiar:  black males are more likely to drop out of school than white males, more white males have bachelor degrees than black males and white dropouts earn more than black dropouts. 

Sadly, none of this information sparks optimism when it comes to the state of black males in this country.  The same bleak picture has been painted for years. The question on the table now is what will we do to narrow the widening achievement gap?  

In my mind there is a simple solution. Begin placing less emphasis on little league sports and more on programs that develop math, science and critical thinking skills.  Don’t get me wrong, I love sports and participated in them as a child myself, but we have allowed sports to consume us. We invest entirely too much time and money into sports and the return is minimal at best.  Most parents will tell you their children participate in sports with hopes of gaining a college scholarship.  In reality very few kids receive athletic scholarships. According to the NCAA website a total of 145,000 Division I and Division II partial and full scholarships were awarded last year. Division III schools do not offer athletic scholarships.   So the odds of sports opening the door to a free college education are not good.  

Which begs the question why so much emphasis on little league sports? They obviously aren’t making a big difference when it comes to creating opportunities for our children.  The arguments I hear most often in   favor of funneling our kids to the playing fields are “it teaches them character”, “they need to learn how to compete”, or “sports keeps kids off the street”.  I for one am not willing to rely on something that is filled with overzealous, egotistical, win-at-all cost parents and coaches to build character in my child. Maybe I’m being naïve, but I thought that’s what our churches, synagogues and mosques were charged with helping us do.  As for sports keeping kids off the streets, that's one of the biggest lies perpetuated on society.  The average practice lasts a couple of hours and then guess where a lot of  kids end up after that……..in the streets. 

We need to push our kids into programs like the African American Male Academic Bowl.  The AAMAB is an annual academic competition for boys in grades 4-7. Through this competition young boys experience the exhilaration of academic achievement and teamwork.  Another great opportunity that promotes competition in the classroom and teaches critical thinking is the Dallas Regional Science and Engineering Fair.  The DRSEF is a research project competition. It is open to 6-12th graders with the best projects from public and private schools. Its programs like these that deserve the majority of our focus and enthusiasm.  

I realize sports play a major role in the lives of a lot of people, but if we’re serious about wanting to transform our communities our priorities have to change.  It’s time for a paradigm shift.