A Message to the People
The Most Important People in the Cleveland School Closings
“The Students”
From Jahi- emcee/educator/concerned citizen
As the city council, school board, Mr. Sanders, and Mayor Frank Jackson, handle the details of the “Transformation Plan” of the Cleveland Public Schools, I thought I’d remind everyone to make sure we connect with the students that have been showing up to what a recent Plain Dealer article described as “schools in poor condition.” The students, you know, the youth who sit inside the classrooms attempting to learn, need us as a community. The outrage over school closings are valid emotions and concerns, but what is needed far more is to direct that passion into the youth, you know, the young people that will wake up, get dressed, and make it to a classroom. Oh, and by the way, when the youth get to school, there’s a teacher there as well, who has the enormous duty of educating a child. They need our support too. In addition, I would venture to say great teachers in our school system far outweigh the one’s that are being ineffective.
If everyone, on all sides, could use their time, energy, effort, resources and set as priority number one the youth who attend schools, and support everyone who makes that happen from administrators to janitors, then we will have top schools. I believe in that. I can speak first hand because I am currently an artist educator in one of the “Re-Purposed Schools,” and there are some incredible youth in my classes. As I drove up Quincy today, looking at a new youth prison in a historically black neighborhood, I felt like I wanted to say something to the youth who attend these schools. Don’t give up on education, no matter what school you end up going to. To the parents, I know it’s tough already dealing with work, transportation, and trying to survive, but if your child has to go to another school, do what you can to make it happen. Every little bit matters. Community leaders have to do more to support parents, you know, the mothers and fathers of these children. The one’s out here in the world working hard to be able to provide for their children the best way they can.
For those of you who are going to schools RIGHT NOW that are in poor condition, we applaud you. I wonder how many people would like to show up to a job with “poor conditions?” Set priorities in your life young man and woman, and make education important, because you are going to need it. For those youth who feel discouraged or disinterested in going to school, or if you are curious about the streets, trust me, Cleveland is setting up a new home for you as well. It’s on Quincy. You can’t miss it.
Jahi-
1/12/10
