For whom the bell tolls

Bobby-Henry,-Srpins-THIS-ONFor whom the bell tolls

A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher. Luke 6:40 (NASB)

By Bobby R. Henry, Sr.

The school bell will soon ring in the new school year.

As we begin the new school year let it begin free of criminal acts designed for the destruction of our children.

The criminal acts perpetrated against our children result in some of the most negative resounding effects that could devastate a people for generations to come.

Sometimes these crimes are perpetuated by loved ones and the people whose lives our children have been entrusted to, TO educate them.

I’m reminded of how a system can point fingers and blame others for their systemic way of “killing” off the dreams of our precious cargo that carry the promise of our future.

These dream killers are masked in caps and gowns who, in a lot of cases, have been given certificates of diplomas from prestigious universities that say they are now qualified to “teach” our most impressionable children.

Yet, they do not possess the most innate quality of loving a difference in another’s child.

Moved and motivated by the need to personally achieve, they grind the dreams of children to a dead halt with their status of nobility based upon the societal antidote for success: “You get yours, cause I got mine; the hell with you  ‘cause it’s all about me!”

These classroom gladiators are allowed to roam in their personal spaces under the watchful eyes of principals who in actuality have no principles.

Busy with trying to earn, what’s in their minds as a small paycheck; missing the opportunity totally to receive benefits for the rest of their lives-if they would teach the children with love, respect and dignity instead of looking for a monetary payoff.

This is all done under the auspices of an educational system that is run by “experts”. In some cases this is one of the most oxymoronic situations in the total education of our children.

Teachers, not all forget as soon as they make the ascension from hell (classrooms) to heaven (office of administration) what delicate vessels of yearning sit right in front of them daily. Like sponges waiting to suck every ounce of love that they are willing to share as they traverse through the extraterrestrial universe of their expanding minds.

What makes a great teacher is the ability to show love, to be patient while being passionate when approaching the cerebral cortex (that outer layer that protects the cerebrum(brain)) or they will never be allowed to explore the unlimited possibilities of their students… Some teachers are satisfied with just touching the outer layer and never going deeper.

If a teacher doesn’t believe in what he or she is teaching, then the students won’t, either.

What is more deplorable is a failed system that uses students/others as scapegoats when it is caught in a minefield of exploding charges of moving students along for the numbers game.

The other side of that equation is teachers who fail students or give them a lower grade than they actually earned because they have a personal vendetta, i.e. race and/or assertiveness and the teacher is just not qualified to teach yet they are shielded  be-cause of a friend in high places!

I remember reading this head-line in a story written by Brittney Cooper: America is criminalizing Black teachers: Atlanta’s cheating scandal and the racist under-belly of education reform. Our educational system stacks the deck against Black children — now we’re throwing their teachers in jail.

Yes the bell is ringing in the new school year and we all need to be aware of what is occurring on the grounds of our schools; from the bus stops, in classrooms to the front offices and every place in between.

If we were to think back over our educational experience and help to incorporate or not allow the practices that we either enjoyed or would never want another child to be entangled with the likes, then we must become a part of the complete educational experiences of ALL the children.

“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were. Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee”.— For Whom the Bell Tolls a poem by John Donne

“Lord when it’s been all said and done, how would I have taught the children?”

WE ALL WILL HAVE TO ANSWER THAT LAST BELL.

Read full article America is Criminalizing Black teachers: Atlanta’s cheating scandal and the racist underbelly of education reform at: www. thewwestsidegazette.com

About Carma Henry 24481 Articles
Carma Lynn Henry Westside Gazette Newspaper 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 Office: (954) 525-1489 Fax: (954) 525-1861

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