Thursday, April 5, 2012

Boys of Baraka

Boys of Baraka

I enjoyed watching the film, Boys of Baraka. It was funny, educational and at times really sad. The main thing that stuck out to me was how smart the boys were, not only about their surrounding but the bigger picture. They all knew that the place they call home was not the safest or nicest but I felt like they knew something better was out there for them. Many times we are forced to think that African American students don’t want to be in school so watching the boys with excitement when they found out they were going to Africa and the disappointment when the school shut down was eye-opening.

 In regards to systemic effect I feel that society simply doesn’t care. These boys have the ability to learn and succeed but the lack of resources available has kept them down. One of the saddest part of the movie was when they went to Africa and they were evaluated, finding out some of these boys who are supposed to be looking forward to high school were at second grade level was disheartening. How is it possible for a teacher that spends so much time with these kids not to notice that they are not getting the attention they deserve? We mentioned in class that if teachers were better prepared than we could begin to solve this problem. When it comes down to it resource is one the main missing.

 From individual level, the main thing I noticed was the physiological effect their surround has on them and the way they view their future. All of the boys grew up seeing people get arrested, in constant fear and drug dealers so when they were taken out of that surrounding you can see their views change. They recognized that people that look just like them live in “unity” unlike the atmosphere they are used too. Also, they saw people who didn’t have money making the best out of the situation. I think the trip was a confidence boost as far as individual factors are concerned only if they were given the opportunity to continue with the tremendous growth they experienced while in Kenya for that one year.

Closing the Gap

I wasn’t surprised to see such a gap exist between African Americans and Whites a letter grade difference (B for whites and C for Blacks). The attention African Americans get in school is incomparable. I can easily relate it back to high school where I felt like the success of white kids somehow measured the success of the teachers. Teachers had to give extra attention to white kids because they had parents coming to the school to check on their kid’s progress. Most of the teachers also happen to be coaches so school wasn’t a main priority, as long a passing grade was passed out no matter how low; some kids were okay with that. I don’t believe in a “real” achievement gap but rather structural oppression which forces this gap to occur. To assume an achievement gap exists would require an even playing field and we know that’s not the case so there is no way of figuring out this “gap”.
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4 comments:

  1. ilyneApril 5, 2012 at 9:28 PM

    I can agree with the you on the fact that sometimes during my high school experience I do not feel i was given the same attention. I was in several AP classes which did not have many African American students and I often felt out of place. Of course at that age we assume all teachers are therefor everyone's best interest and view every student as equal so we question ourselves first. Now that I am in college and going through this course I can almost definitely say there was a discrepancy between the attention given to students across races.

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  2. AnonymousApril 7, 2012 at 3:23 PM

    I agree with you that resources can make a huge difference in schooling when talking about the Boys of Baraka. It is rare that many people get to see what people in those neighborhoods are actually going through and the issues they are faced with. I also agree that teachers should be taught to notice and bring attention to students who are struggling with their studies. In addition we do need to understand the "gap" in better depth like you said.

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  3. cynthia martin-carnlineApril 7, 2012 at 8:47 PM

    I agree the system has let those young boys down and by the looks of what has happened in the past and watching this heart breaking film, it does seem like society just does not care.It is also ashamed that no more is being done to close that gap and to create more programs for children such as these children from Baltimore.

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  4. Jasmine HobleyApril 10, 2012 at 4:32 PM

    I agree with all three of you. Its sad that I am not surprised about the achievement gap between white and black kids due to resources. I do believe that resources play a big part in how students perform in school. I feel like black kids are just as capable as white kids, its just that black kids are not granted with the same resources as white children. I feel like this is one of the major reasons that there is a major achievement gap.

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