I stumbled across
this essay in an e-mail from my county Democrat Chairperson. It initially intersted me because the writer lives in my town. It kept me reading because the content is so moving. It deals with what it is like to be poor in America. I'd be willing to bet a great many "progressives" here at DKos are still oblivious to the fact that these conditions exist right here in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
As a teacher, I see poverty and privelege every day. I see how some students will go on to a very successful life even though they don't do much work or really have that much intelligence. I also see the students full of want and brains who will never reach that same level of financial success because they don't have a support system at home, they don't have money for college, they were born on the wrong side of the tracks, ......
I hear a lot about the failure of public education in America. To me the failure is when teachers dismiss "those kids" as stupid and unruly. They fail to actually try to teach them because "they'll never be any good anyway." These are honest statements I have heard from my colleagues. Now, for the most part, the teachers I work with are wonderful examples of caring and loving people who have dedicated their lives to helping ALL children. Unfortunately, like all professions, there are some who are in it for other reasons.
Anyway, I just wanted to share this essay with the community because it is so moving and so important. If anything good comes from Katrina let it be the awakening to the plight of the poor in America. Maybe we can make it a political focus again like it used to be. The Democrats have been framed to look weak for a while, like a party with no direction or a party that has no ideas of its own. Well, here's an idea for the party- try to "fix" poverty.