Top 10 Things Heard In A Public School Classroom

If you don't already know I am pursuing a Master Degree in Elementary Education. While I am earning the degree I also need to work because my bills don't give a good got-damn what I'm doing as long as they get their money. So being a substitute teacher is a good job for me because A) it pays and B) I get some first hand classroom experience. (Side Note - If your company is hiring, hook me up! Please!)

So anyhow, while serving as a "sub" I have noticed that the children in these schools tend to say similar things. These things seem to start around the third grade and become more prevalent the closer they get to middle school age. I should also note that these schools that I've been to are not the upper echelon of public schools in the city. They have been underperforming schools and these Top 10 Quotes are a reflection of that.

A Note About The Teachers

Before I go into the Top 10 list, it should be noted that DC Public Schools have been underperforming for many years. The new Chancellor seems to be trying her best to shake things up in DC, for the benefit of the students she would say, but time will tell how effective her moves really are. She has had quite a few mis-steps, and the media has wanted to laud her before she has really proven what she can do. It's like that "can't miss" #1 draft pick; it's all good until it's not all good.

I have noticed that many of the teachers seem to want to do well. But the teachers in these schools are facing a lot of challenges. Poor funding, inadequate buildings, lack of parental involvement, and a number of other issues have to be dealt with by these teachers. Believe me folks, it is not a walk in the park for them. Well with that said, let's get on to the list.

Top 10 List

I was wondering how I should order the list 10 to 1 or 1 to 10. And should I do it by my favorite quotes, or by what I hear most often. So I decided to go from 10 to 1, but with no particular significance to it's order (for instance #5 isn't necessarily any more significant than #9). If you are a parent, you may note that you probably hear some of these same things around the house from your kids. So, if you hear it around the house, you better believe they are saying it in school. So without further ado...

10. "What Did I Do?"

You would usually hear this one after you single out a student for doing something that he/she should not have been doing. Somehow students NEVER seem to know that they did something wrong, even though you were looking right at them as they did it. And if this wasn't enough, you some times will get...

9. "It Wasn't Me!"

Uhhhm, yeah, it was you. I was looking right at you throw the paper, I know your voice, or your fellow classmates ratted you out. If you as a teacher had your attention diverted from whatever reason, then there is the possibility that it may not have been that student, so what, they will do something else later.

8. "So, I'm Not Going"

Usually said under their breath, in a low tone (but not low enough) after you threaten them with detention. The common sound effect that accompanies this is the sucking of teeth. The normal teacher follow-up threat will tend to involve either the Principle (or Vice Principle or Dean of Students, etc) or parents, to which the student will typically respond with...

7. "But I Didn't Do Anything"

Refer to #'s 10 and 9. By this point hopefully the student will just leave well enough alone. But there are way to many students who can't or don't know when to stop, and their next response is usually...

6. "So, I Don't Care"

If I were somehow rating these quotes, this would be pretty high up on the list. This response is a big deal when I hear it because you hear it too many times. I am not sure if the student really doesn't care or if it is just a defensive response from them. If I were to go on how the students continue to act, I would say they really don't care.

As a substitute teacher you know going in that the children will expect to have a day off since you are there. Some teachers are fully prepared for their absence and leave plenty of relevant work for the students to do. Many however leave some simple busy work that far too often the students tell me they've already done the worksheet before, and they finish in 10 minutes. Therefore depending on the age and class, how they occupy the rest of their time is always interesting.

I had a class of 5th grade boys that was just off the hook. They couldn't stay still for 30 seconds. Constantly talking, pushing, throwing paper at each other, wanting to do wrestling moves on each other, talking about each other derogatively, and definitely not wanting to do their work, it was crazy. I typically let students talk to each other as long as they don't get out of hand. Well as I described earlier "out of hand" seemed to be the norm for them. I yelled at them, and it go their attention, for about 45 seconds. Send a kid to the office, he'd come back, and 5 minutes later he was back to doing things that would get him in trouble. They just didn't seem to care.

It is a shame when that is the case because they don't understand how important learning and education is to their lives. Which brings me to the next quote...

5. "I Can't Do This"

There is absolutely nothing wrong with not being able to do a problem. That is why you go to school, to learn it. But (you knew there was a "but" coming didn't you?!?) in this case the students are NOT asking "how do you do this?" or "can you help me do this?" The problem I have with this quote is when the children barely try to do the work. I think it is because some are just intellectually lazy, and too much is given to them. They would definitely rather copy someone else's paper than actually try to do he work themselves. At the first sign of difficulty, they retreat and are ready to give up. Fortunately, with a little bit of instruction and encouragement, you can help a good number of students through this one, but far too many still believe that they "can't".

4. "Why Do We Have To Do This Anyway?"

I hear this one a lot. It would be okay if it was 12th grade Trigonometry, but is is usually basic math or reading work assignments. I try to answer this by engaging them in a conversation about what they want to be when they grow up. No matter what it is the students want to be, they don't seem to get it that you need to know how to add, subtract, multiply, divide, and/or read. It's somewhat okay when you are a fourth grader and you want to be a wrestler and you don't make the immediate connection, but it is far less okay when you are an 8th grader who says you want to be a veterinarian and you are failing basic science and math.

3. "Mr/Mrs X Is Boring"

Not much I can say about that. If the teacher is boring, then they are boring. There are far too many teachers who don't make their classes even remotely exciting. This could be because of the pressure that teachers are under to "teach to the test". Ah yes, "the test". Every state has their measurement tests, and teachers feel the pressure to have their students performing at least "at standard". Well if you account for all of the issues that I mentioned earlier in the post, it is pretty hard to get the underperforming students to be "at standard". So, who has time for fun? The classroom surely isn't the place to have it, right?

2. "Can I Go Get Some Water" or "Can I Go To The Bathroom"

Man do I get that one a lot! Many teachers have set times to allow their students bathroom and water breaks and when I mention it to the children, they act like it is the first time they ever heard such a thing! Bathroom and water breaks are run of the mill time wasters- go to the bathroom, that's less time in the class, and more time in the hall baby! Nothing is going on in the hall, but children love to be there!

1. "This Is Such An Un-Learning Environment!"

This is my favorite quote. It was said one day by an eighth grade student who was clearly disgusted by his classroom. This student was (is) going on to one of the top high schools in DC, and for him to be in the school he was currently in was probably torture. I will reiterate that I believe that most teachers want to do a good job and would love to be surrounded by students who just loved to learn. But that certainly isnt the case in many instances.

Right, wrong, or whatever, as a substitute teacher I think I get to have a pretty good view of some things. I'm not attached to the school(s) that I come in to sub for, so I don't have any allegiances, and I don't have any baggage either. So when I see something, it is me seeing it as an outsider who has been let in for a little while. I see poorly lit classes, bland colors on the walls, messy rooms, posters on walls that I know the kids don't pay attention to, kids with poor attitudes, parents who barely participate in their child's education process, and poor/bad attitudes (towards themselves, teachers, classmates, and learning), and frustrated teachers...yup, definitely an "unlearning environment".

I don't want to make it seem like these schools are "Eastside High" (see the movie Lean On Me starring Morgan Freeman), but they will need a similar type of turn around, with focused efforts by EVERYBODY, especially the parents, because I do beleive it starts at home.

Please share your thoughts, comments, questions, and job offers below!

I Am Hip Hop Too - Hip Hop's Betrayal Of Black Women

If you've read my early posts, then you know that I am in the process of making a CD, I Am Hip Hop Too, that is about, for, and by young women. Also in the earlier post I touched on the subject of how women have been devalued, de-humanized, and "thingified" in a good amount of rap songs. Today I want to share excerpts from an article written about four years ago. I came across this article the other day while looking for the original business plan I wrote for the CD. I had saved this article simply because it was a very powerful piece. Again, I will share excerpt of the article which was entitled "Celie's Revenge: Hip Hop's Betrayal of Black Women" You can read the full article by clicking on the link.

Please note, in the article the author refers to "Hip Hop", when she is mostly talking about Rap Music. Granted there may be sexism in Hip Hop as a culture, but it is most blatant in the music. Hip Hop is a culture, NOT just rap music. The elements of hip hop include: Breakin (dancing), Emceeing (rapping), Graffiti Art, Deejayin, and Knowledge (which are considered the Five Pillars of Hip Hop). Hip hop also includes Beatboxin, Street Fashion, Street Language, and Street Entrepreneurialism.

Betrayal Of Imagination

The article was written by Jennifer McLune (ironically enough, the main character on my CD is named Jennifer. Maybe I did that sub-conciously) in response to this excerpt from Kevin Powell's "Note's of a Hip Hop Head" from the book Who Shot Ya? Three Decades of Hiphop Photography

Indeed, like rock & roll, hip-hop sometimes makes you think we men don't like women much at all, except to objectify them as trophy pieces or, as contemporary vernacular mandates, as baby mommas, chickenheads, or bitches. But just as it was unfair to demonize men of color in the 60s solely as wild-eyed radicals when what they wanted, amidst their fury, was a little freedom and a little power, today it is wrong to categorically dismiss hip-hop without taking into serious consideration the socioeconomic conditions (and the many record labels that eagerly exploit and benefit from the ignorance of many of these young artists) that have led to the current state of affairs. Or, to paraphrase the late Tupac Shakur, we were given this world, we did not make it.

Ms. McLune opens her article in the following paragraph:

To hip-hop's apologists: You were given this world and you glorify it. You were given this world and you protect it. You were given this world and you benefit from it. You were given this world and even in your wildest dreams you refuse to imagine anything else but this world. And anyone who attacks your misogynistic fantasy and offers an alternative vision is a hater, or worse, an enemy who just doesn't get it. What is there to get? There is nothing deep or new about misogyny, materialism, violence and homophobia. The hardest part isn't recognizing it, but ending it. Calling it unacceptable and an enemy of us all. Refusing to be mesmerized, seduced or confused by what hip-hop has come to signify: a betrayal of our imagination as a people.

"Refusing to be mesmerized, seduced, or confused by what hip hop has come to signify: a betrayal of our imagination as a people" I couldn't have said it better. Let's forget for a minute that we are discussing the betrayal of women; Hip Hop in many instances has betrayed our imagination as a people! I know I sound like the old man when I say "back when I was growing up...." but really take a listen to some of the stuff that gets a lot of radio play. Most of it, and the rappers who created it, sorely lack in creativity. Definitely not all of hip hop suffers from this, but so much so that marginal rappers today are considered "hot".

Fighting To Be Heard

Kevin Powell’s "socio-economic" explanation for the sexism in hip-hop is a way to silence feminist critiques of the culture: It is to make an understanding of the misogynistic objectification of black women in hip-hop so elusive that we can't grasp it long enough to wring the neck of its power over us. His argument completely ignores the fact that women, too, are raised in this environment of poverty and violence, but have yet to produce the same negative and hateful representation of black men that male rappers are capable of making against women.

Hip-hop owes its success to the ideology of woman-hating. It creates, perpetuates and reaps the rewards of objectification. Sexism and homophobia saturate hip-hop culture, and any deviation from these forms of bigotry is made marginal to its most dominant and lucrative expressions. Few artists dare to embody equality and respect between the sexes through their music; those who do have to fight to be heard above the dominant chorus of misogyny.

Now I would have to disagree that hip hop's success is due to woman-hating. Rap music has been popular for a long time, and woman-hating hasn't always been the mainstay of it. Once Black Consciousness was phased out and replaced by "gangster-rap", woman-hating was a big part of it. As Ms. McLune makes not of, those who deviate from what's popular usually has a fight on their hands if they want to be heard. I realize this as I have embarked on a journey to make music that definitely does not fit in to what is "popular" these days. But I don't see it as a fight. We will make our music, and our expectation is that those who is seeking that type of music will be attracted to it in one way or another.

Female Rappers

Unlike men, women in hip-hop don’t speak in a collective voice in defense of themselves. The pressure on women to be hyper-feminine and hyper-sexual for the pleasure of men, and the constant threat of being called a bitch, a ho – or worse a dyke – as a result of being strong, honest, and self-possessed, are real within hip-hop culture, and the black community at large. Unless women agree to compromise their truth, their self-respect, their unity with other women, and instead play dutiful daughter to the phallus that represents hip-hop culture, they will be either targetted and slandered, or ignored altogether. As a result, female rappers are often just as male-identified, violent, materialistic and ignorant as their male peers.

Well, Ms McLune, you have a point there. There aren't any Queen Latifah's, Lauren Hill's, or even Yo Yo's in mainstream rap right now. I'm admittedly not as into rap as I once was, so it should be no suprise when I say that I'm hard pressed to name any female rappers other than Nick Minaj, and she doesn't even have an album out. Maybe it will come to me before the end of this blog post, but I just don't know of any female artists out right now. I certainly don't hear them on mainstream radio.

Who You Calling A Bitch!?

Some women sing along to woman-hating lyrics because they’ve convinced themselves that Snoop, Jay-Z, Ludacris and others aren’t talking about them. They are talking about women who act like bitches and hoes and thus deserve to called bitches and hoes. When do women ask what men deserve? Too many of us sing along to woman-hating lyrics because we have allowed men to decide which women are worthy of respect and which women are asking to be called names. But as long as men define the terms upon which any woman is worthy of respect, we are all bitches and hoes. And as along as we allow men to divide and label us, they’ve conquered us all.

Not much for me to say after that. You may want to read that paragraph once again....

I'll conclude this right here. Again, if you want to read the entire article click on the hyperlink at the top of the blog.

Before I go I must say that I see the irony in my own project, a 30-something male making music for young girls. Aside from the fact that females have male ghost-writers in all genres, I realize that it is time to put out some music that goes against the grain. My now 13 year old nephew who was part of the inspiration for the idea to create a CD for kids recently told me he was joining a group of a couple of other kids who want to be rappers. The raps he writes contain (drum roll please) "gangster" lyrics! Why, because that is what he sees and hears constantly. So if your daughter or neice is seeing and hearing the same thing as my nephew, and she decided to start rapping, what is she going to write about? Uhhhm, yeah. I'll keep you posted about my project.

Below is a video clip of one of the young ladies that will be on my project. I asked her a few questions, and here are her answers, unscripted, unrehearsed....




Don't forget to comment, and be sure to follow the blog! Peace!!

We Don't Need No Education

Remember that line from the classic Pink Floyd song "Another Brick In The Wall"? Great song, I'm sure teachers and school systems across the country were crunging when that song became a hit. Not only because of the double negative that is used ("Don't need No"), but because of the implications of the lyrics

We don't need no education
We dont need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave them kids alone
Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone!

People will read into this song in any number of ways, but the idea that some teachers (and systems) attempt to strip children of their free will or free thought through crappy teaching methods was a powerful statement. I now hae to view education systems from three points of view: as a parent, as a student, and as a potential teacher. Today I will approach it as a parent.


From a Parent's Eyes


So this week (sort of) marks the end of our search for schools for our son Justin. On February 28th the application for DC Public Schools is due. Here in DC they started using the lottery system in order to give everyone an equal shot at getting into a "good" school. Basically the way it works is like this, everyone has a neighborhood (Boundary) school. Your child will automatically get accepted into that school. But we all know that all schools are not created equal, therefore if you live in a neighborhood where the school is not-so-good, you have the opportunity to apply to an "Out Of Boundary" school that is a "good" school. What constitutes a "good" school is clearly something to be defined by the individual.


What's Good?


Some of the things we were looking at were (in no particular order) test scores, neighborhood, teaching philosophy/special program, and parental involvement. Test scores are one indication of how well the students are learning. It isn't the be all end all, but it is definitely important. The neighborhood is important because let's face it do you really want to drop your kid off in the hoody hood? There was one school that is a really nice school, and many people want their kids to attend it, yet it is on a street right between a liquor store and a strip club. I wasn't feeling that as a parent, but fortunately they are opening a new school for Pre School through 2nd graders.


We Don't Need No Thought Control


As far as teaching philosophy and special programs go, their are a number of programs and philosophies that don't try to cram a bunch of (useless) information into a child's head. These programs look at the child as a whole being and try to engage them to bring out what is natural to us. The programs/philosophies use more creative curriculums and tend to be much more inclusive of the children as partners in education, as opposed to the standard "I'm the teacher so you will learn what I say you learn" approach that has worked so very well in this country (sarcasm...sarcasm...sarcasm). Emilia Reggio, Montessori, Language Immersion, Magnet Schools, and a few others are some of the popular methods of education today, and this was one of our major factors in choosing a school to apply to. Parental involvement was an important factor because in a school where parents are really involved in their child's education tends to be a school where the students excel.


More Choices


So on March 1 the DCPS will hold their lottery, and on March 3rd we will know whether we got into any of the six Public Schools that we applied to. But wait, there's more! In DC we have Public Charter Schools as well. These schools are independently run, but are free to the public. Charter schools are the ones that tend to use the special programs, alternative curriculums, and newer teaching philosophies, so they are clearly the more popular choice for many parents to try to get their children into. The challenge with the "good" schools, whether public or charter, is the fact that the demand is great, but the slots are limited, hence the lottery.

Wish us luck!

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Run For Your Life!!

Back Again

I haven't blogged in a minute. Partially because I (incorrectly) figured I didn't have much to blog about. By that I mean that I was going to mainly blog about the making of the CD and the making of the TV show. And with the storms we got hit with in DC, I haven't had anyone come over to record, and we cancelled our February tv show. But I still could have written about the new script I was writing for the CD, or the new songs I'm working on, or any number of things related to music and the CD, but I didn't. I could label it "laziness", or "indecisiveness", or any number of other terms but the bottom line is, I wasn't as dedicated to writing on the blog as I could have been. And that isn't acceptable, so I am committing myself to writing at least one post a week. Enough things happen, and enough thoughts run through my mind to make a post a week.

The Fox and The Rabbit

Now, the whole thing with blogging is somewhat of a metaphor of my life right now...I'm doing things, but not to the level that I should be. Which brings me to the title of the blog. Today I received an email from Mark Joyner (check out www.simpleology.com) and the email went like this....

A zen master and his student were watching a
fox chase a rabbit.

The Zen Master said, "who will win?"

The student replied, "Master, of course the fox
will win, he is much faster than the rabbit and has
sharp teeth."

"No" replied the master. "The rabbit will win. The
fox is running for a meal. The rabbit is running
for his life."

Lamont, are you running for a meal, or
are you running for your life?

If you start running for your life, you will
overcome every obstacle.

Now Mark is a master at marketing, and he is driving folks to his products (which are very good by the way), but he definitely hit home with that story. All this time I have been running for a meal when I should have been running for my life.

Running Gear

If I'm gonna run, then I will need appropriate gear. Everyone needs to find the gear that is comfortable for them. I might want to wear Nike, and you might thing Asic is best, while someone else decides to use Adidas. That's fine with me, it won't stop us from running. With that said some of the tools that I am using to help my chart my course are as follows. (Again, I know there are MANY good books, courses, seminars, CDs, DVDs, etc to help one along the way, these are just the ones that I will be using in the immediate present...yeah, I said "immediate present")




Your Faith Is Your Fortune - Neville. This book presents a different perspective on our relationship with God. It may be offensive to some, and it will be enlightening to others.










Master Key System - Charles Haanel. This was originally a 24 week correspondence course, but has been put together in one book as a 24 Part guide for achievement and success.






Designing Your Best Year Ever - Darren Hardy. The editor of Success Magazine has a workbook to help you plan your year. Find it at http://www.successmagazine.com and you may want to subscribe to Success Magazine while you are at it.



Designing The Best 10 Years of Your Life - Darren Hardy. Darren launched an 8 week "course" on his blog for those who want to plan their next 10 years. By the time you read this, the 8-week's will probably be over, but he may have the stuff archived, so visit his blog at http://darrenhardy.success.com (If not holla at me, and I will do what I can to get you the worksheets)







Secrets of The Millionaire Mind - T. Harv Eker - Practical advice on redefining your relationship with money.










Influence - Robert Cialdini - This book offers great insight into the psychology of persuasion and influencing people's decisions.










The Seven Spiritual Laws Of Success - Deepak Chopra - This book deals primarily with coming into harmony with yourself and ultimately everything in your life.






And there you have it. These are the tools I am studying and implementing. I am always looking to learn and grow, so if you have any other great books, CDs, courses, etc share them!

The Caterpillar and The Butterfly

A caterpillar inches it way along in life until at some point it recognizes that it is time to be more than a caterpillar. So the caterpillar goes about nourishing itself by eating a tremendous amount of food. After it eats, it then finds it's way up a tree and by disciplined effort it spins a cocoon for itself. During about a two week period the caterpillar undergoes a metamorphasis. We all know that what emerges is a butterfly, but did you know that when it is time to break out of the cocoon, the butterfly must do it by itself or else it's wings will not get the proper exercise to be strong enough to take flight.

So what's the message here? Personally, I need to first start running for my life. Once that is done appropriately, I will take flight. I hope we can fly together.

Everybody Is A Star...

...Or so the lyrics to the song go. Well, I definitely know my fair share of people who have the desire to be a star, and in this day and age there are quite a few resources that you can use to put you on a "different level" so to speak. We know that the web has helped launch many (so called) stars careers, but on a more closer-to-home level is Community Television, or Public Access Television.

Public Access?!??

Yeah homie, public access. Turn your nose up at it if you want to, but it is a very viable vehicle to get your message out to your community. Yeah, it's limited to just your community, but beleive me, when you are walking down the street or shopping in the supermarket and someone stops you and says "Hey, I saw you on TV last night!" you will feel just like you would if you were in Hollywood.

I know many public access shows are crappy, but hey, that's their perogative to be crappy if they choose. BUT there are some very high quality shows on public access. And if you can get past the low production costs, you will also see that there are many shows that have very good content. Much better than some of the nonesense you see on the high profile stations.

And besides, public access is a very cost efficient way for folks to learn a skill and put their work in front of others. Although it doesn't happen often, you do have those who graduate from public access to the "big time" (Rachel Ray is an example).

Public Access and Me

I got into public access television back in 1999. I started out taking a 10 week class at Montgomery Community Television in Rockville, Md. One day we got a flier or newsletter or something in the mail, and there was as advertisement for public access television classes. At the time I was heavy into music, but I made the decision that once I finished the project I was working on at the time (The Cofe Shoppe), I was going to go ahead and get into TV.

After taking the class at Montgomery, I created a music video show Real Music Now. I was fortunate enough to have a good friend of mine who was already in the realm of tv and he gave me a ton of videos that people used to send to him. (That friend by the way is Big Tigga, formerly of Rap City). I used my show to spotlight ocal artists, the folks who I knew were likely to not get on the BET, MTV, or other major station shows. It was definitely well received, and i did it for several years.

I then moved on and joined DCTV, Washington DC's public access station. I took all the classes they had to offer, and it's been on ever since. With DCTV I've produced and directed countless shows both in the studio and in the field. It's a great feeling being behind the scenes. DCTV has it's own awards show, the Viewer's Choice Awards, and I've been fortunate enough to win numerous awards for my production. It may not be the Emmy's, but beleive me, it feels good all the same when your name gets called to come up and collect your award.

Public Access and You

Whatever your aspirations are, it's always a good idea to start out local. The likeliehood of you going from Nowhere, USA to Hollywood and landing a huge contract is slim to none. So a good thing to do is hone your skills at your local public/community access station. You want to be the next talk show king? Start one on public access. You want to report the news? Do it on public access. You want to be the next Dirk Diggler? Uhhhm, you gonna have to do that some where else!

Public access does have it's restrictions and limitations. So be sure to consult with them about what you want to do. It can be frustrating dealing with public/community access stations at times, but just keep everything in perspective. You get to produce your show and put it on the air for less than $150? That's a great deal. So what are you waiting for!?? Get your ass up, call your local public access station, and tell them Lamont sent you!! Nah, don't tell them that, but do get up, get out, and get something! Stop talking about the people on the tv, and become the person on tv people talk about!

Below you can view my "day in the life". I've shot footage of what I do to put together a show. I do NOT include the editing of the show, maybe I will do that on a different day, but for now, enjoy these two pieces...

Making Of A Public Access Show Part 1....



Making Of A Public Access Show Part 2....





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