Fwd: What Kids are Really Learning in School

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WHAT KIDS ARE REALLY LEARNING IN SCHOOL

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[Col. Writ. 11/26/05] Copyright '05 Mumia Abu-Jamal

 

 

On November 2nd, 2005, kids across the nation joined protests organized by The

World Can't Wait, which called for walk-outs to support the demand for an end to

the Bush Regime.

 

One of those who answered the call was a 10th grader named Geovany

Serrano. A student at L.A.'s Belmont High, Geovany passed out fliers,

and tried to organize his fellow students to support the walkout. When

administrators learned of the plan, they launched an attack on the

youth, grabbing him, blasting him with pepper spray, and arresting him!

 

He was hauled into the infamous Rampart Division police station, taken

to Juvenile Hall and fingerprinted.

 

This 10th grader is now under house arrest, and has been forced to wear an ankle

bracelet, simply for trying to organize his fellow students in opposition to the

Bush Regime. Guess what *this* kid has learned about 'constitutional rights' of

free speech, free association, and the rights to assemble and protest?

 

Despite these events, Geovany *has* learned some important lessons, ones which

never would've fit a classroom. He wrote recently: " Look at the war in Iraq.

There are jails where there are people that the government just wants to

disappear. They have them there and are torturing them and putting them on

leashes. They're bombing the sh-- out of people's houses..... When I first got

into this it hit me so hard. It's hard to go back to living a regular day,

knowing that there are people that are being killed and victimized by the system

is so difficult. Is that the world I want? No, I don't want none of that. "

[pressworldcantwait_la]

 

At Granada Hills High, another student was hauled into the Dean's office for

wearing a World Can't Wait sticker on his t-shirt. When the Dean told him to

remove his t-shirt because school wasn't the place for voicing political

beliefs, the student replied, " If you want me to take off the sticker, then I

have to take everything off as well. " He

promptly stripped to his skivvies, and told the Dean: " You can take my

clothes and my sticker, but! -- You can't take what I believe in my heart. "

 

What teacher wouldn't give her right arm to have students so committed

and involved in the world around them? To dare to care more about the

world they'll inhabit, than what they'll wear to the prom?

 

At L.A.'s Reseda High, student leader Sara Escuerdo was slapped with a

2-day suspension for organizing a walk-out, and threatened with arrest

for possession of We Can't Wait stickers! She was threatened with

transfer until hundreds of outraged parents and teachers deluged the

principal's office with calls of protest. Escuerdo wrote on

worldcantwait.com: " We owe it to the millions of people that are getting

tortured, getting murdered, and suffering around the world to do this.

 

Resist or Die -- It has come down to that slogan.... Right now, the

future is in everybody's hands. It is up to us. The question is what

kind of world do you want to live in? Will you accept everything this

regime stands for? If you don't, then you must join this movement. "

 

The great behavioral psychologist, Carl Rogers once said, the function

of school is to provide " learning to be free. "

 

What do you think these kids are learning from administrators, from

cops, from adults? How to be free? Or how to obey?

 

The writer, Derrick Jensen, in his book *Walking on Water: Reading,

Writing & Revolution* (White River Junction, Vt.: Chelsea Green Publ.,

2004), wrote what he learned as a young student: " I learned to not talk out of

order, and not to question authority -- not openly, at least -- for fear of

losing recess time, or later of losing grade points. I learned to not ask

difficult questions of overburdened or impatient teachers and certainly not to

expect thoughtful answers. I learned to mimic the opinions of teachers, and on

command to vomit facts and interpretations of those facts gleaned from the

textbooks, whether I agreed with the facts and or interpretations or not. I

learned how to read authority figures, give them what they wanted, to fawn and

brownnose when expedient. In short, I learned to give myself away. "

 

Is this what we want our students to do? To learn how to kneel,

'brownnose', obey -- or to be free?

 

These brave and compassionate kids, high-schoolers, many of whom will be called

upon quite soon to join the imperial army to fight for

presidents, princes, and oil barons, are also doing some serious

'teaching.' They are teaching us all about freedom, the truest freedom

-- to resist!

 

It is a valuable lesson that millions of kids (and older folks) should

learn well, before it is too late.

 

Copyright 2005 Mumia Abu-Jamal

 

[Check out Mumia's latest: *WE WANT FREEDOM:

A Life in the Black Panther Party*, from South

End Press (http://www.southendpress.org); Ph.

#1-800-533-8478.]

 

Also check the new website by Educators for Mumia at

http://www.emajonline.com <http://www.emajonline.com/>!

Teach the children the truth!

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