What a shocking statement, but what is more shocking to me is that a twenty-something African American young person made this declaration in mixed company, as my mother would say. The young woman prepped the classroom for what was to come by saying, “You’re not going to like this, but…Black kids don’t wanna learn.” A young African American male roughly around the same age backed her up by uttering, “Speak on it,” as she continued to explain why she felt that way. What she said after that, I couldn’t say because I think I must have stroked out for a moment. I remember initially saying, “Only you could say something like that.” I wanted it to be crystal clear to the class that the only reason her ass hole was still intact was because she was Black (I’m kidding---not kidding 😊).
Anyway, after I came back to myself, I raised my hand, and my response when called was, “Perhaps the Black kids in school with her had become disillusioned with the education system. A system that lied to them and expected them to fail.” I also went on to tell her how dangerous it was to make broad, general statements about a race of people.
Instead of telling you how sad her statement made me, I want to do something different with this topic. I want to ask you a few questions.
1. What was your initial thought when you read the blog title?
2. Do you agree or disagree with the statement?
3. Are you surprised that a young person feels this way?
4. Are there topics that should not be discussed in mixed company?
First of all, I felt insulted. However, I have heard the comment from people from all ages and races. Let us understand that the comment is so racially loaded from an era when American slaves were forbidden to learn. The other background is just the racial and educational ignorance that feels that all children & cultures learn information the same way. All children want to learn - they are going to learn something whether positive or negative every day. All people process information many ways. Our traditional educational system is still based on people sitting in seats and listening to presented information. That only works for a small percentage of learners. So, our methods of presenting information must c…
My first thought when I read the statement is this what our young adults observed ,or was it what they have read on social media "AI" I'm betting on the later. The sad part is they haven't learned words have consequences perpetuating this around mix crowd validate the false perception of our youth.
What is happening? "Black kids don't wanna learn" are you serious?! What is her definition of a kid? I haven't met a kid yet that doesn't have the word "why" in their vocabulary. Isn't that wanting to learn. Maybe instead of saying they don't want to learn they might say they are not learning from what they are being taught. Or maybe that they don't believe the are learning the whole truth sometimes. It's hard for me to digest this statement from young folks. They should be the ones to encourage black kids to learn as much as possible so they can learn the difference between the truth and the Readers digest version of what is the truth.
I feel…
Thank you, Trubble4yu, for your input. My only concern about her comment in a room of people of other races is what purpose it served. Did it only reinforce a negative stereotype? I hold some views that I know are incendiary, and therefore, I'm selective about whom I share that point of view with. I'm much older than the young woman in question, and maybe this view is old-fashioned. Thanks again for your support.
My first thought was black kids don’t wanna learn what? I would say that most kids don’t wanna learn a particular subject matter, but I think all kids regardless of the color, are interested in learning..
I’m not surprised by the comment, I’ve heard it from blacks before. But I think it’s coming from frustration on behalf of both child and teacher. There are many variables when considering a child’s learning ability and teachers are limited in time, resources and skills. Kids are exposed to so much nowadays. Things that can hinder or distract them from focusing…bullying, harassment, low self esteem, tiredness, hunger, etc.
There should be no taboo subjects in a discussion unless it’s an “inappropriate” subject matter fo…