There's a problem I'm witnessing firsthand, and although it's always been there, thanks to my profession, I am in full view of it.
I am a middle school teacher in the inner city of Miami, FL. My school is predominately minorities (blacks mainly), and I'm being nice using the word predominately. (The Caucasian student population can be counted on your two hands.) It's fair to assume that the students are all from a lower economic standing.
There are many out there that will laugh if you mention that you are a teacher. The laugh might be for the unsatisfactory pay they make or for the fact that students nowadays aren't the easiest to deal with.
I saw this boy today at school wearing a football jersey of the team he plays for, and it got me thinking about this problem. The boy is not unintelligent in any way, but he is not the easiest to deal with. He'll cut class or slack off unless you stay on top of him.
One teacher had called his home to discuss with his mother how he wasn't progressing at a satisfactory level and the mom said she would deal with him. She would take him off the football team. Great, we thought. Unfortunately, that is a popular solution by the parents and they never follow through with the threat.
Why is it that parents seem to be want their child to believe the only way out of poverty is professional sports?
Football is King
Kids playing football is extremely popular here in Florida, as it is football country (reason why the Florida Marlins will never be fully accepted). Notable NFL names to come out of Floridian high schools include: Isaac Bruce, Vernon Carey, Antonio Bryant, Asante Samuel, Anquan Boldin, Devin Hester, just to name a few.
- B/R Ticket Guide
St. Thomas Aquinas and Miami Northwestern are two powerhouse high school football teams. Young boys constantly discuss how they plan on going to these schools or the countless others around and playing football.
The Influence
Children are heavily influenced by what they see on television and what they see around them on the streets. Television shows them the fast lifestyle enjoyed by celebrities and the streets provide the quick money that can be made stealing or dealing.
That being said, they aren't always ready to hear someone tell them to pay attention so they can get their education.
When I ask a student what they want to do with their life, I have to quickly add the words "and you can't say an athlete or singer." And even after saying that, they will continue stressing that they want to get into sports.
I'm not here to say that children aren't supposed to dream, because I had many dream jobs before becoming an educator. Sports and entertainment are two difficult fields to get into, and if you are lucky enough to get there, it's a task to stay there.
My father always told my sibling and myself to show school spirit and participate in activities. I bowled and played baseball in high school and joined various clubs. I could have tried out for track, football, basketball but those sports were extremely time consuming.
You had practices starting early in the morning and on weekends and I was more focused on my school work. I would have loved to hear an announcer introducing me in an NBA game, but I knew that was hard to come by.
The Conclusion
So why is it that parents, especially of the inner city children, seem to be placing the value of education on the back burner while pushing sports?
The financial payoff will surely be great if the child was to go to high school, get recruited to play college ball, and then make it to the pros. But is anyone looking at the what ifs?
What if the child isn't good enough?
What if they get hurt along the way and can't continue?
It's always been said that you need a backup plan. A "Plan B" should always be ready, just in case things do not go as expected. Yet, it doesn't seem to always be that way and it's not always the child's fault. Sometimes, it comes down to Mom and Dad.
There's nothing wrong with participating in sports. We all should know the benefits of team sports: they teach teamwork, discipline, and they are a way to be active. Children more focused on sports can be less focused on negative influences that may be in their environment.
But let's not forget that education is key. And if Barack Obama didn't teach us but one thing this election year, know that one thing is that anything is possible. A black person can be anything they want and don't have to use sports as the exit route.
comments (3) write a comment »
write a new comment
about 1 month ago
It's important that we value education more in our society.
Plumbers, and electricians make more money than teachers with Master's degrees. The people who educate our children are valued less than the guy who comes and unclogs the sink.
It ain't right.
from about 1 month ago
i'm living proof of how true your statements are
from about 1 month ago
Lee Evans probably worked out this week. At least you have that going for you. :)
write a new comment