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  The cartoon above is an old English one in which the man in the foreground represents the unemployed of the land while those behind him are the British lawmakers who go to meeting after meeting while the subject they’re meeting about shrivels away because of a lack of their action. What follows has been jumbling around in my mind for quite a while so I thought I’d share some things with you. I have concluded that the specific word above is used for insidious purposes in our country and I’d like to take the opportunity here to explain what I mean. Webster’s dictionary defines “bureaucracy” as “The administration of government through departments and subdivisions managed by sets of appointed officials following an inflexible routine.” Webster also mention that we should look up “red tape” which is defined as, “too great attention to regulations and routine, resulting in delay in getting business done. I’m sure you’ve all experienced the wonderful experience of trying to get something done at your local motor vehicle bureau. I’m surprised that people don’t leave that place looking to buy a gun to take revenge somewhere, maybe anywhere. People who work for large corporations may feel that they don’t have too much to do with the bureaucracies that abound everywhere. All I can say is that everyone is supposed to pay their taxes, which translates to them having to do “business” with the Internal Revenue Service, a well-known bureaucratic organization. Usually, bureaucracies take the form of governmental divisions with the lack of effectiveness more prevalent in the most populated areas. Allow me to illustrate: I have a very close friend who’s been that now for over 45 years. We went through high school, college, and our first jobs as teachers together. I consider him a brother, as I doubt anyone knows me better than he does. We were on the phone the other day and he was telling me about this horrible problem he was currently having with the New York State Tax Department. He wondered at the stupidity of those he was talking to as well as aggravated by their supposed inability to get anything done. Then he mentioned, “That’s what you always get with a bureaucracy.” I stopped him there and said, “That’s just an excuse.” I explained this to him: “Those above, in power, love it when two people like us call something like that a ‘bureaucracy.’” Sure, the structure of these organizations is something that fosters incompetence, lack of initiative, and the robotic actions of those within. The real problem is that those in power use it to shield the public from recognizing the corruption that is taking place. The best example is New York City’s Board of Education (BOE), generally recognized as maybe the largest bureaucracy in our city. I write this from things I’ve read but, more so, from my own experiences. Let’s begin with the most important question of the day:  Mayor Mike Bloomberg took over the BOE soon after he took office. It was an unprecedented move, as it was never done before. He seemed intent on fixing the many wrongs that seemed to be institutionalized over so many, many years. The jury is still out whether his efforts were worth it or not. For example, the BOE used to be comprised of many “districts” which now are “regions.” Problem is that the same people who worked in the former are still there working in the latter. I’m not talking about teachers anyway because those offices are the administrative offices that also house the high BOE officials that have territorial responsibility. The corruption that I have seen locally is amazing as it’s almost like a club that’s been together for so many years that they feel bullet proof because of that. The graph below exhibits the power the District offices have based on moneys allotted.  Allow me to give you some thoughts in bullet form, all of which I believe in very strongly: • The only way to effectively fix the school system is to blow it up and start over from scratch. However, this time we won’t take into consideration anything to do with the wants of the parents, teachers, BOE officials, teachers union, etc. The only factor that will be taken into consideration, and the driving force behind any decision, is what’s best for the kids and how they will best succeed based on their talents and abilities. Personal Experience #1:I began teaching at a Brooklyn Intermediate School (grades 6-8) a few years ago. I was responsible for the school’s “Law Program.” I have a couple of tales to tell. I was working at the school for only two months when the first thing happened. The teachers were having lunch in the room designated for them to eat or just hang out. One of the female teachers who had become a good friend was helping me get acquainted with the culture and how things get done at this school. The school, quite large, had eight stairwells, as it was a four-story building. She pointed out, “Never go into stairwell #8.” I asked why and she responded, “Because that’s where the girls give the boys oral sex (I’ve cleaned up the real way she put it.)” I was stunned. I mean we were talking about pre-teens here! I asked her if she was kidding and everyone else (there were about 6-7 people in the room at the time) chimed in that she was telling me the truth. I asked if the Principal knew about this. She said she was sure he did but that I should never mention it to him because he doesn’t want to know. Later that day, I specifically went to this “forbidden” stairwell. Those of you who have ever had a problem with mice in your home will relate best to what happened. I walked in, and all I heard was scampering, and all I saw was an empty stairwell reeking of cigarette smoke, garbage on the floor that included used condoms. I consider the above story an indictment of a specific individual responsible for educating our young children. I consider it an example of the corruption that exists where that person can ignore something like I just described and get away with it. Personal Experience #2:The school had approximately 1200 students and a fine reputation. However, it had a problem because about a thousand of the kids were solid students while the remaining two hundred had problems, sometimes so severe that teaching them was nearly impossible. They were beset by poverty and emotional results of growing up in violent environments. One physical education teacher who was a really nice, bright guy told me he controls them by bringing candy bars to class which he uses to bribe them as they’re always so hungry. Is that the way to teach? Yet, I admire the teacher for recognizing a way to avoid the craziness the rest of us had to endure. Personal Experience #3:I went to the principal and in as humbly a manner that I could muster, told him that I had an idea to make the school more effective. He was receptive and I explained the situation the school was in because what I just cited above. I told him that what we should do is take our building and structure it so that a piece of it becomes the school’s trade school. I explained that the problem kids in the school weren’t getting an education that would serve them well in the future. That we need to give them a trade and skill set that will allow them to make a living after school because, otherwise, many of them were going to end up in prison after hurting someone. I told him I would take the responsibility of running the program and that I was sure that there were enough beauty salons, automotive dealerships, and others, who would be more than willing to teach their future potential apprentices. I also explained that I knew there were hurdles to overcome. For example, there will be parents whose sole reaction will be, “What, you don’t think my son/daughter is good enough?” I felt the hurdle could be overcome if explained intelligently, clearly and with compassion. I told him about the young boy who was well known in the school for troublemaking and who the police had to remove from our premises just a week ago. I asked him if he knew that the same youngster had fixed many cars owned by teachers in our school, as he had exhibited an unusual propensity in the automotive repair field. I asked him if he agreed that this kid would have a real chance for a future if we had a trade school where he could thrive. Please understand how disheartening it was for me to learn when I came back for the second year that two of my students were now spending lengthy terms in prison for crimes committed over the summer. Personal Experience #4:I was given a special class to teach during my last year on the job. The class was called, “8+,” (not to be confused with a normal 8th grade class) because it was comprised of only kids who failed to make it into high school. The Chancellor had an idea about offering these students a special six-month program which would culminate in them taking standardized Math and English exams. They took all the students that qualified, throughout the city, and then apportioned them to three specific schools, of which mine was one. We’re talking hardcore problems. My class consisted of 33 kids of which I only met about 15 as the remaining students never showed, and God only knows where they went. The average age of the kids in this eight-grade class was between 13 and 17. Think about that for a minute. Telling you about the 16 year-old in the class who became pregnant and beat up the Assistant Principal doesn’t really serve any purpose because we can write that off as an aberration, if we were dumb enough to do so. However, I quickly learned that the kid who stood up in middle of class and said, “I’ll be right back, I’m going out for a smoke,” was also the one who was the sixteen year-old who was selling dope to the younger kids in the yard outside. I did my duty and went to the school psychologist assigned to this class. His response was “Do you really want to spend your days filling out endless forms? I know our principal doesn’t.” Does that tell you about the corruptness that exists within the system? It’s tantamount to saying that all wants to do is slide into retirement without getting involved at all. Personal Experience #5:The rules in schools say that a teacher can’t touch a student. This was designed not only because of sexual predators but because corporal punishment was proven not to work and was an infringement of a student’s civil rights. I remember when I was walking down the hallway between classes to get to my next class and recognized the kid in front of me. I tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention just to say hello and he turned around and, in the most nasty manner, said, “Get your hands off me, man, or I’ll f**king sue you!” I was stunned but began laughing which defused the situation. The new administration came down from the BOE to explain the new rules that were instituted by the Mayor’s people. One of the things that was taught was that a teacher cannot say to a child something like, “If you don’t do this assignment, you will fail this class and be left back.” One of the teachers, recognizing this might be the final step in taking away any power teachers had left, asked why this was so. The straightforward response was that “It can hurt a kid’s own self esteem.” The teacher, puzzled, followed up with, “But, we’re talking about kids who have no self esteem to begin with!” This problem with discipline and the removal of any power the teacher has within the classroom is a major concern. I had a student stand up on a desk all the way on the left side of the back row, and walk across the room diagonally to the front, while only stepping from desk to desk. What could I do? Send him to the Dean or Assistant Principal? For what? They were wastes anyway so why bother? That’s right, wastes, because they were just a pair of cronies of the Principal who were doing his bidding as they glided into imminent retirement. Who do you think suffered the most because of this hierarchy? It’s the kids, of course, as everything ultimately affects them. It was the foremost reason given me by fellow teachers as to why they didn’t like the film called, “Lean On Me,” which starred Morgan Freeman as New Jersey Principal Joe Clark, famous for turning a school around. They said they thought it was practically fictitious as no Principal or teacher could get away with what he did. One experience was very satisfying. One kid in my class had come to this country from Albania. The kids from there are relatively rowdy because it’s a country ruled by gangs and is lacking any real central government with any power. By the way, this was something I learned from my teaching experience, thus gaining something out of that job besides monetary compensation. The kid’s name was Nat and every teacher in the school had major problems with him. I asked if we shouldn’t call up his parents and everyone in the teacher’s lounge laughed. They said that they had and all that happened was that Nat’s father came and defended the kid and put the onus on the teachers by saying, “What’s the matter with you people? You can’t handle a twelve year-old?” I called Nathan’s father and had a long talk with him. I asked him to help me to control his son so that he could get an election. He asked me how he could help. I said I was going to send him a letter drawn up by the BOE lawyers in which he would give me the permission to hit his son. I told him that I would be careful but couldn’t vouch for all the other teachers who were lining up to get in a good shot or two for themselves. I added that all these teachers were already chomping at the bit to get started. He said he understood and hung up the phone. Everyone was stunned when Nat showed up in school and behaved himself. Personal Experience #6:One of my 8th grade students who shared a first name with me was a problem child. He was also exceptionally good looking and the favorite of all the girls in the school. I recognized that he was somewhat different than the others in his gang (term used loosely and not signifying any well-known group like the Bloods or Crips), and that he wasn’t a kid to be ignored due to erroneous assumptions by the teachers. My first step in giving him special attention came when I was showing the film, “A Time to Kill” in my class and noticed him move away from his friends in the back of the room to the front so that he could see the movie. I leaned over to him and whispered, “See, Michael. There’s nothing to be ashamed of when you show you want to learn.” He smiled up to me. I, and another teacher, took him under our wing and we both felt we were making a difference in at least this child’s life. One morning I was called in to see the 8th Grade Dean who asked me what I was doing with Michael. I explained what the other teacher and I were attempting to accomplish and said we were cautiously optimistic that we were making progress. She said we were wasting our time and that we should stop. I asked her why and here is her response, “Because any attempt at helping him is a waste because his real problem begins when he goes home where his father viciously beats him up on a daily basis. Ever notice his chest under his shirt? Deep black and blue bruises and sporadic welts all over him.” I was stunned and asked how come we don’t do something about this horrific situation. She said, “We’ve tried but we need the kid to accuse his father, something he won’t do because he loves him and this treatment is all he knows, thus making it the kid’s definition of parental love.” The next day I took a closer look at Michael while he was in Gym class and saw she was telling me the truth. I was very new at the school at the time but now I realize I made the mistake of not reporting this to the police and child welfare authorities on my own despite what that Dean told me. The incident taught me much about compassion and its role in the teaching profession. Many parents go along and love it when the Mayor attacks the teachers. Why shouldn’t they as it distracts attention away from their own failures? I find it amazing that teachers are put into a position, which is practically defenseless and then, blamed when the kids don’t behave. The real problem is that the kids KNOW they’re bulletproof and that a teacher can’t do anything to stop them other than calling their parents, many of whom are too busy doing other things, like making a living, or things that are unmentionable in this column. Many of today’s older, male teachers took this profession many years ago simply to avoid the draft and Vietnam. More power to them and I’m happy they’re alive and in one piece. Besides, classroom etiquette was much different back then. However, by and large, all teachers are good people who dedicated their lives for a noble cause. I have no doubt that the majority of them came into the school system, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, intent on helping those less fortunate. Problem is that today, under the new rules, and after years of battling a no-win situation, they are a group that can best be described as beaten and weary. Many of them are tired and attempt to teach their classes by rote, repeatedly teaching different classes in the exact same fashion each and every time. Some are even extraordinary in accomplishing what they set out to do. We had a Math teacher and one who taught Science who were incredible at what they did. Still, they had the advantage of only having the good kids in the school, something earned by their seniority. A few teachers turn my stomach by their actions. One actually said this to me one day; “I had a great dream recently. There was a bus filled with black children and I blew it up.” A chill went up my spine when I heard this statement, one filled with so much racial hate and insanity. I remember thinking, this guy is a teacher, responsible for young kids? At this point, I have to assume you’re thinking, “Why is it this way? Why doesn’t someone do something about it?” Both good questions and I’d like to share my view, that something much more insidious is behind the whole thing. Let’s begin with two simple questions: • Who attends these schools? • Who makes the decisions regarding them? New York City has a multitude of private schools. Jewish Yeshivas abound and Catholic schools are all over the place. In addition, there are many secular, private schools. Generally, one could say that any parents who have money, not necessarily rich by any means, will not send they’re kids to public schools. Thus, a vast majority of students in the system are lower middle class and down the social ladder, including those coming from poverty-stricken families. However, decisions regarding the schools and the children’s welfare are almost solely the province of those in power, wealthy, and whose children attend private institutions. It’s almost tantamount to being the lord of the plantation. I have no doubt a majority of decision makers are pure in their motives and looking out for the kids. I also know there are some who care less whether a black kid makes something of himself, or not. Personal Experience #6One of my sixth grade students couldn’t read at all. I was shocked by this and went to the 6th Grade Dean who told me he knew about this. I asked him how I was supposed to teach law to a kid with this deficiency. He told me to do the best I could. I called the kid’s mother and she told me that she’s been pleading with the school to do something about her boy’s problem, but getting nowhere. I had the child removed to a class where he could function better, an art class. I had this same boy in my class when I began teaching my second year. You guessed it; He was now in the 7th grade and still couldn’t read a thing. So we have a system that will keep passing this kid to those directly above until there’s no longer any place to send him, except on his own, not equipped for life at all. I was about ten or 11 when my family sat down to dinner one evening. I turned to my father and asked him what he thought about the housing projects that were now being built in the poorer neighborhoods. He said he didn’t believe they were the answer to a problem although it was like putting a band-aid on a seriously ill person. He went on to explain that if you want to help a people then you have to give them jobs, education and a sense of self-worth. Building projects will be worthwhile for cosmetic purposes and certainly nicer than what these people lived in before. However, all this was just transferring the real problem into a nicer residence. I admit I had no idea what he was talking about, since I was so young at the time. However, I did follow up over the years and learned not only what he said, but also how right he was to begin with. The projects vary in nature and culture just like any neighborhoods do. Not every kid who lives there is necessarily a bad kid but there is no doubt that every kid living there begins life with a distinct disadvantage that, in fact, they’re aware of. Parents attempting to keep their kids inside when it begins to get dark for fear they would meet with harm can describe project life. Drugs, violence, and fear are its basic staples of life. I hope that there will come a day when people who don’t live in them will recognize how much money and pain it costs them to have the current situation continue. Personal Experience #7 & #8#7- there was a student in a class of mine who always had a red bandana protruding from his back pocket. This is usually a sign that the person is a member of the Bloods, a well-known gang that dominates project life. I knew the kid was too young to be a full member and that he was what is called a “wanna be.” I was in the midst of writing my third novel and figured this kid, who seemed bright, could help me with information about the projects because they were the place where much of my novel is grounded. I asked him to describe the Coney Island Projects where he lived. He began by asking me if I was referring above or below a specific street (which he cited). I said he should tell me about both areas, above and below. He said he lived above and it was somewhat dangerous but had a ton of families where the parents were taking on unusual duties and roles, including working with local police, to help protect the people who lived there, especially the kids. He described a place where drugs could be gotten but not where they dominate the neighborhood. He continued to explain that things were awfully different below that demarcation line. He said, “Man, even the cops are afraid to go there at night!” He described an area totally dominated by drug dealers, housed within the projects, gang warfare, and a lack of any authority besides those meted out by leaders of the dominating gang. I was left wondering about the country I lived in. #8- I had a student named Angel in another class and it was the first day back from winter vacation which included Christmas and New Year’s Day. The class was discussing the holiday with a specific focus of sharing what they each did on New Year’s Eve. Angel described a typical Eve in the projects. He said that everyone went up to the roof with guns and at the stroke of midnight they all fired off shots at the sky above. He went on and said that people who couldn’t make it up to the roof would just stick their guns out the window and shoot straight up. I asked him if that wasn’t too dangerous and he looked puzzled. I went to the blackboard and drew him the diagram below. I asked him if there wasn’t a chance that the person shooting from the lower floor (A), might hit the person above him (B)?  Angel sat there dumbfounded. I felt the same way but for a different reason. This was what kids were exposed to in the projects? God help us. I’ve concluded that those above, in power, have set up an educational system specifically designed so that the projects will never want for occupants. It’s a racist way of holding down an entire group of people. It’s a way of making this just another facet of normal life but it also perpetuates an evil that is a blemish on our country. Anyone will tell you that the key to personal growth is education, in its various forms. These kids are at a disadvantage they cannot overcome, save a miracle. And all this crap is what’s hidden behind the system’s educational system constantly being called the How can they pull this off? It is pulled off by the fact that it is the accepted, and normal, way of doing things. How many times did we hear President Bush talk about his “No Child Left Behind” program as if it was the panacea for any of our nation’s ills and/or needs? The program is a noble one in theory but lacks teeth, i.e. funding that makes its success possible, or even feasible. I don’t think that by mistake either. This Administration caters to one class only: the wealthy. Being right wing and believers in Christ helps immensely as well, although it’s truly debatable whether those people are viewed to be as prominent as the rich. Poor people can only hope for the best. However, they better learn to fend for themselves. It isn’t this government’s responsibility, interest, desire, or intention to rectify this terrible scenario. It is something that has become the norm for this country. In conclusion, we must ask ourselves who is responsible for this mess. I say we be honest and admit it starts at the top and has always been so historically. Today’s Administration seems more interested in pushing forward an ideology, more than anything else. A perfect example of that is the current attempt by The Shrub to force his judicial candidates down the throats of the opposition. I received the following E-mail from an organization that will fight any efforts to turn this nation into a right wing haven. The Senate has the power to approve or reject judicial nominations because judges -- above all else -- must be trusted by Americans on all sides to rule fairly. So why does Bush refuse to send new nominees both parties can agree on? Because while his presidency will be over in 4 years, the judges he appoints will be on the bench for the rest of their lives. This is Bush's big push to lock in his hard right, corporate-friendly ideology for decades to come -- and that is exactly why we must not back down now. The fight begins today. The Myers vote is a key test -- and may well determine whether Bush can stack the judiciary, all the way up to the Supreme Court, with a steady stream of hard right, pro-corporate judges. It's crucial that our Senators know that we out here in America are counting on them to hold the line against all 20 of Bush's rejected, partisan judges. William Myers III has never been a judge and spent most of his career as a lobbyist for the cattle and mining industry. He has written that all habitat conservation laws are unconstitutional because they interfere with potential profit. In 2001, Bush appointed him as the chief lawyer for the Department of the Interior. In that role he continued as a champion of corporate interests, setting his agenda in meetings with former employers he promised not to speak with, and even illegally giving away sacred Native American land to be strip mined. Terrence Boyle was a legal aide to Jesse Helms. As a judge, his signature decisions have attempted to circumvent federal laws barring employment discrimination by race, gender, and disability. His rulings have been overturned a staggering 120 times by the conservative 4th District Court of Appeals, either due to gross errors in judgment or simple incompetence. William Pryor Jr. served as Attorney General of Alabama, where he took money from Phillip Morris, fought against the anti-tobacco lawsuit until it was almost over, and cost the people of Alabama billions in settlement money for their healthcare system as a result. He called Roe v. Wade "the worst abomination of constitutional law in our history," and has consistently argued against the federal protections for the civil rights of minorities, lesbian and gay couples, women, and the disabled. If we falter now, then decades down the road dozens of judges like this will still be ruling in favor of unchecked corporate greed and against the basic principles of accountability and fairness. The Bush Administration is prepared to stop at nothing to smash Democratic resistance and stack the courts. As President of the Senate, Dick Cheney has even threatened to push these 20 through by using a parliamentary trick so abusive even he calls it the "nuclear option." If they can get away with it, the "nuclear option" would eliminate the right to filibuster -- a rule that has allowed 40 or more Senators to keep extremists from all sides off the courts for centuries. If that happens, when Supreme Court vacancies begin to open up in a few months there will be no motivation for Bush to nominate justices acceptable to both parties, and no ability for Democrats to oppose even the most dangerous extremists. Folks, we have an administration that is more interested in ideological gains than judicial competence. That’s why fixing the school problem I just described in this column is just a dream that I can hope can come true someday after the people in our country wake up and smell the roses.  © Copyright BravesBeat Network, BravesBeat.com, and Michael M. Rapaport |
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