I do not like, nor approve of the
Adjustment Class. Many classes like
these set cats like the HH up for failure in
the long run. These young men are
getting cheated by programs like these.

I am working toward teaching middle
school classes and working primarily
with HHs. These cats most definitely
need someone to relate to, that is a given
and that is one thing I do like about the
program. With the racial segregation of
teacher positions and lack of minorities,
many children struggle to find a teacher
they can identify with. I am 21 and to this
day have never had a black teacher,
someone of my own race. How many of
you can say that???

Here are my issues with the AC.
1. Unrealistic expectations- This class
does no good in representing the real
world where accountability, timeliness
and ganas (desire) is a necessity. Not
many lawyers get to where they are by
just showing up to the firm when they feel
like it and kickin it reading a High Times
magazine. This class is setting these
kids up to face a realization at an even
later point in their lives, which happens to
many low income students. They push
the problem to the next grade instead of
focusing on it as early as possivble. Now
it will be at age 20, 30, 40 or never when
they finally realize they need to discipline
theirselves and that the world does not
revolve around their conditions. This
class is no way gives these gentlemen
the skills they need to restructure their
view of the world or show them what a
man needs to be able to market himself
in all professions in the world.

2.No respect lessons- The teacher of the
school has the HH's respect for the
common identity and because he earned
their respect. I must say he is not using
that advantage at all. When you get that
respect from kids you can rock their
whole world, yet the teacher does not
model a next step of growth and maturity
for these young men. He cusses, he
degrades teachers, he becomes one of
them and does not use that in the way he
should. the teacher (Jimmy?) could
begin to teach them important things
about other class cultures that they can
use. I have seen kids like the HHs
change becuase people in Jimmy's
position used it more than just to fit in, be
tough and get the kids through school.
He does an awesome job at these, but
those kids need more. From what I have
experienced, these kids know what they
should be doing, they know what they are
doing, and they know they should not get
away with it. When people let them slide
with easy work, innappropriate behavior,
and absent expectations, that is as high
as those kids will rise. However, earn
respect, teach them on the real,
challenge and encourage them, and stick
to your expectations, and many have
soared.

3. Easy Work- These kids know their
work is easy, they know expectations of
them are low, and they have been shot so
many times they might as well just get the
work done and call it even. However, high
paying jobs require flexibility, problem
solving, and endurance. How many of
these kids are getting any of these? One
of the HHs dropped out of the AC for this
very reason, the material was too easy.
They might make trouble, but they are not
stupid!!! The less they are expected of,
the less they expect of themselves. As
children, our main job is school. Can you
imagine going to work everyday and
being told you were trash? These kids
learn a lot more unsaid things through
teacher looks, tracks, and programs than
the schools strive to teach them through
academics. Let's not forget these kids
were in Elementary and Middle Schools...
I wonder what their experiences were
there? The fruit shows they were horrible.

I could go on and on, but you are probably
tired of reading. I will close with one
statement that bothered me a lot on
page108 by Jinks. he was saying how
the teachers tell him to do this and that
and that he hated it "F**k you. I ain't doin
s**t for you." In all his years of education,
Jinks never realized that education is not
for the teacher but for him, for him to
better himself. Although most of this has
to do with their view on the efficacy of
schooling, but I wonder if Jinks ever was
shown that knowledge is tight to have all
by itself, good job or not. That he is
something of value, that he should invest
in himself..... lessons like those are the
things Jimmy and others like him should
be teaching. These cats have enough
people belittling them for it to continue in
schools.

Peace and Jesus' Love, Meorah