[MCP] mkb paul 2

[Paul C. Gorski]

Alicia,

Children of illiterate slaves, "all of whom were outstanding well  
behaved students who used education to rise out of poverty  
admirably"..? Who are you talking about? All children of illiterate  
slaves were well behaved? All children of illiterate slaves had access  
to education? All children of illiterate slaves rose out of poverty?  
Absolutely not. Not even close.

"Slaves did not scapegoat poverty"? I'm not sure what that means. But  
I do know that I'm not trying to scapegoat poverty. I'm also not  
trying to blame the most disenfranchised citizens for their  
disenfranchisement because that is the surest way to ensure that real  
change never happens. That is the surest way to protect status  
quo--turning our attention away from systemic atrocities and focusing  
on "fixing" oppressed people. That list of things that you say that  
African Americans and LGBT people experience in this world--poor  
people experience much of that as well. But I don't hear outrage from  
you about that the way I hear outrage from you about, for example, the  
atrocities you list that LGBT people experience. Again, not a personal  
attack, just an observation.

And an attempt to point out some inconsistencies and lack of  
complexity in your comments. Nobody's doubting that you're a fantastic  
teacher. A lot of fantastic teachers do and say decidely un-fantastic  
things. I find it odd that you are so demanding that the most  
disenfranchised people in your school take all sorts of personal  
accountability, but you seem so unwilling to be pushed on some of your  
attitudes and ideas. Again, that's not a personal attack on you. It's  
a contradiction that many of us, including (perhaps especially) me,  
embody.

Why be on this list if you think you have all the answers and don't  
want to be challenged or pushed to think in different ways? Why the  
need to remind us over and over in your posts that you're a "superior"  
and "award-winning" teacher? Does that make you infallible?  
Untouchable? I know of several people on this listserv who have won  
all sorts of awards for their teaching, who have been recognized  
nationally and internationally for their activism. But I haven't seen  
any of them use that as a shield against critical questions regarding  
the points they're making here.

Paul


Quoting alicia banks <ambwww at yahoo.com>:

> fyi
>
>   poverty should NEVER EVER be used an excuse for amorality or a   
> void of academic ethics!!!!
>
>   ie
>
>   NO class of african-americans has ever been poorer than the   
> children of illiterate slaves
>
>   all of whom were outstanding well behaved students who used   
> education to rise out of poverty admirably ...
>
>   your transparent personal attacks upon my superior record as a   
> teacher will not change that fact
>
>   slaves did not scapegoat poverty
>
>   neither should club hopping hip hopper breeders
>
>   fyi
>   ab
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Get easy, one-click access to your favorites.  Make Yahoo! your homepage.



-- 
Paul C. Gorski
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