A real school is all about getting the students ready for military, industry, or higher education. The other schools are Romper Room. “Individuality” is fine for Art School. If you want to fit in to something more important in life – and have the income, autonomy and flexibility that goes along with it – you have to learn the socialization required. That doesn’t include “individuality” as practiced in the Ghetto (sagging pants, immodest dress, loud talking – all that individuality…)

By very carefully not teaching minorities these things in the few years they have to learn we make sure that they never rise in society. It’s called giving them enough rope to hang themselves with. Or just sugar coated poison.

Our urban public schools do this well. They produce “graduates” people usually don’t want to hire – for much of anything. And that’s just the way we seem to like it, Teaching Indiscipline.

Meanwhile the people that count go to schools where they very quickly learn what’s required of them to rise in society. Private Schools, Piedmont Unified, Catholic Schools, that kind of thing.

To each his own. Just remember while you are enjoying your “individuality” – you were never intended to make it in this economy. Your parents didn’t mean business and neither do your “schools”. You can tell by how much effort they put into you. Anybody can let a child do whatever he wants.

But wait! Some Oakland eatery & junk food businesses will lose lunch time revenue. Consequently, the city council is likely to reduce their (sidewalk) trash tax burden to help cover losses? Just kidding!

That’s why I’m laughing.

The important thing is that they are taught to do it conciously – so that they don’t inadvertently throw away opportunities that flow to those better raised. The kids we speak of are not trained enough in social skills to realize what they are doing out in public, and the silent price they pay for their indifference.

I can see it when some interns are given dead end assignments and others are given career breakthroughs. I have on occasion told an intern that if they come around here dressed to move boxes we have boxes for them to move – and that’s all they will do till they quit.

Usually I don’t bother to waste my breath – you can’t fix most of these people and we really aren’t running a finishing school around here. The disparity in treatment is so stark those who aren’t with it get the message and leave quick enough. And I’ve seen this dance go on for over 3 decades.

High School should require “work” clothes. And if they want to dress like coolie labor they should be in a program for such.

Sounds just like my parents talking about the way my/our generation dressed in the 70′s. Probably sounds a whole lot like my grandparents talking about their children’s clothing in the 50′s, too.

Some things just don’t change.

I just wish the schools could bring in people to read the teens the riot act about their tribal dress issues. Maybe cultural anthropologists from UC Berkeley. If they dressed differently they might be treated better.

The we could work on the speech issues too.

OUSD has a huge task to do. The sooner they start, the sooner the kids can move forward in society.

Closed vs. open has a long saga at Berkeley High.

Frankly, I’m amazed Oakland has open campuses. I guess those flatland schools are not located in neighborhoods which are overly sensitive to large groups of “saggin’” teens marching around.

Schools have also shrunk lunchtime to increasingly absurd times. Didn’t they used to call it the lunch HOUR? Now it averages about 30 minutes.