Intersections

I was reading today that various Schools in San Jose who offer programs that help their students with homework end up applying to the same institutions for funding. Unfortunately only one school can win and so the other schools end up losing out. This ends up creating animosity and begins to polarizes these institutions.

But does it have to be that way? Why cant these schools combine their funding sources and share in the wealth so that everyone school can win? I know that there are some schools that have a theater and some schools that don’t. Why aren’t these schools working together to fill each others needs? Don’t they have the same mission? Kids will have have to grow up in a world where diversity will be the norm. Shouldn’t there be a place where they can start working within that world? Shouldn’t our institutions begin to operate in that fashion? We cannot expect hip hop music to be the only vehicle to cultural awareness.

Do these schools even realize what the needs of the other schools are? Some schools aren’t even using their theater space because the don’t have a drama teacher? Isn’t there a way for schools, teachers, foundations, community,state and federal institutions to network? We aren’t communicating to one another. We need to find ways to reach out to one another.

I know in some cases this is happening but as a whole our schools are to quote Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ” an Island in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity”. We have enrichment programs in affluent schools and problem solving programs in inner city schools. Shouldn’t it be the other way around. Or isn’t there a way to incorporate the inner city school into the enrichment program at the affluent school once or twice a week? Is there a way for our schools and institutions to better the lives of all the institutions and children as a whole.
Affermitive Action may not have been fair but when your playing in a game where the game is rigged from the start. I mean that the other players have the card of racism, Jim Crow, The Old Boy System up their sleeve we have to find a way to even the odds. Then when you ask us to begin to play by the rules we should have the right to ask for a new deck of cards.
Maybe these federal ,state, and city programs can also form an allience and look at each region and spread the wealth so that all boats can rise with the tide..

Why not cross borders and have these affluent schools Sponsor an inner city school. Maybe have a cross cultural exchange of experiences and ideas so that our kids can grow up not fearing one another. Why not have the kids from Los Gatos go to East Palo Alto and try some Soul Food. We have to start listening to the needs of our youth . And have our kids listen to the needs of other youth of other cultures.
Where can people come together to listen to each others needs and ideas that isn’t dictated by who evers group has the forum that day. We have to begin to start looking beyond race and start to move towards the needs of the human race. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t celebrate our diversity but we need to look at the similarities within each and every culture that makes us all human. Or go into a east San Jose home to not only experience some authentic Mexican food but feel what it’s like to been in a Spanish household for a day.
We must make it easy for kids to access each other when the have questions about race and gender. A network for teachers students and the community to access information about any given subject. A global village that can reflect the ideas of every culture on various topics. We find that news and information is sometimes culturally bias. Why not have a resource that we can get the information first hand about any given topic. If we are going to grow as a society we must become culturally aware of our surroundings. create a place where we all can share in our ideas
Yes everyone has their own agenda and needs based on the demographic of each school. But aren’t we moving into a global society? The world is growing smaller and smaller and the trend is for everyone to eventually come together for the common good. The growing majority of our students in our schools is about seventy percent Latino but lets not forget what is felt like to be the minority. It makes good sense to begin to unite our resources, technology, and cultures together to achieve a common goal. And that is to create good citizens that can meet the needs of a ever changing society.