Words from James

A child cannot be taught by anyone who despises him, and a child cannot afford to be fooled.
James A. Baldwin

Coming out of elementary school, I was a nerd. I played trombone in the city of Miami's only elementary school marching band-The Poinciana Park Marching Cavaliers, I made All -County Chorus for 6th grade, Academic Honor Roll, my SAT test scores were high, I loved to read, and my teachers smiled when they saw me approaching. But somethings changed when I crossed over the threshold of North Miami Jr. High. The teachers never smiled at me, they made me sit at the back of the classroom, the band teacher made me a beginner all over again, I stopped reading and learned to skip. The only differences in the two schools was that Poinciana was located in the black section of Miami known as Liberty City and North Miami Jr. High was located in the middle-class suburban area of North Miami. Junior High (7-9) was a surreal experience in that I felt like I was stuck somewhere in the 1960s, but I was strong enough to make it. Today many kids suffer from not being made of "The Right Stuff". The Right Color, The Right Address, etc. When will we as teachers realize that we have a direct way to imprint the next generation. If we fail them, then we will have failed ourselves.