Corner Boys. Story by Ed Burns and Richard Price. Teleplay by Richard Price.
Directed by Agnieszka Holland.
First aired 5 November 2006.
Colvin uses corner logic in class and is greeted with enthusiasm, particularly from Namond. Michael is devastated when his stepfather returns to live with him. Bunk exposes the frame on Omar but antagonizes his colleagues by meddling in the case. Herc stops Chris and Snoop and fails to realize the significance of the tools he finds in their car - they use them to conceal the corpses of their victims. Carcetti makes the rounds and discusses his plans as Mayor and his intentions for the future. He considers employing a new police commissioner and Cedric Daniels sees his stock rising.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wire_(season_4))
Bunk and Omar.
Corner Boys.
Take a look at this clip of the beginning of the episode we just watched.
"Maybe the state should [take over the school]."
"You don't teach math, you teach the test. North Avenue's all about the Leave No Child Behind being spoon food."
"And what do they learn?"
"The first year isn't about the kids. It's about your surviving."
So we're really now into school. I have a couple questions about what we saw today in the classrooms.
1. What is making Prez's job so difficult? Is it the kids? Is it the administration? Is it the educational "philosophy" he's operating under? A combination of the three?
Now look at the experimental classroom run by Miss Duquette ad observed by Bunny Colvin and David Parenti.
2. Agree or disagree with this statement: this class is working better than Prez's class. If you agree, why? If you disagree, why not?
Now look at the classroom with the corner kids.
Namond says, "We do the same things as you all. Except when we do it, it's like, oh my God, these kids are animals. Like it's it's the end of the world coming. It's bullshit...[It's] hypocritical." To which Zenobia says. "Yeah, we got our thing, but it's just part of the big thing."
3. So what are Namond and Zenobia pointing out to the adults here? What does Zenobia mean by what they're doing is "just part of the big thing?" Is she right? Is Namond right? What is a possible point the show is making through this moment?
Don't just answer these three questions quickly, especially the third one. Write a couple hundred words on the third one in particular. And you still follow the rules of English mechanics and grammar here, and not the kind of writing you do when you're texting your friends.
Finally: "...and now all we got is bodies and predatory motherfuckers like you, and out where that girl fell I saw kids acting like Omar, calling you by name and glorifying your ass. It makes me sick, motherfucker, how far we fell."
It turns out Bunk and Omar went to the same high school and that Bunk wanted to be hard and tough, one of the hard boys. But the hard boys protected him by rejecting him. And we know now, if we didn't already, that Bunk despises Omar. But he will still help him when Omar is falsely accused of murder. A man's gotta have a code.
See you tomorrow.
I think what is making Prez’s job so difficult is a combination of the kids, the administration, and his “philosophy.” With just one or two of these problems, his job is already difficult, but the combination of the three is what really makes it so terrible. Out of the three, his educational “philosophy” stands out above the rest. All of the other teachers have to deal with the same troublesome kids and the same strict administration, but they all work within these bounds. The other teachers have learned to accept that they must teach to a test, rather than actually helping the kids learn. Prez, however, does not want to just teach to the test, and he has just found out from the other teachers that if he does not teach to the test, he is in danger of losing his job.
ReplyDeleteI disagree. I think the experimental classroom is working very well, which is especially impressive because the kids in this class are the trouble makers in every other room. This classroom is more effective at getting the corner kids to talk. But now that the corner kids are gone, Prez’s class has begun to function very well. I would say both classrooms are functioning on a pretty even level, but Prez is getting the kids to actually learn. If this experimental classroom can get the kids to pay attention and learn new material, then I would say it is working much better. At the moment, however, the kids in the experimental class have just started working together, and they are making rules for being a corner boy. They still haven’t shown any indication that they would be open to learning something, and so that is why I think Prez’s class is working better.
Namond and Zenobia are pointing out how similar they are to the adults who think so low of them. One example he brings up is how adults can smoke cigarettes. Cigarettes are also a drug, but they have been legalized. Namond is saying that the people who are not on the streets (cops, politicians, and even teachers), only legalize the drugs they use (like cigarettes and alcohol). He says the adults are being hypocritical because they use cigarettes and drink without getting in trouble, but then they prosecute kids for using or selling other types of drugs. Zenobia adds to his point by saying that although these kids are selling drugs, they are really just a small portion of everyone in America who is selling or using drugs. I think the show is trying to show how the government is biased against these kids. The cops expect these kids to be participating in illegal activities, so they watch these kids more closely than they watch kids in wealthier neighborhoods. In this way, I agree with Namond that the government can be biased. However, I do not think smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol makes all the adults hypocrites. The drugs the corner boys are selling are illegal to every one, no matter their age.
1. As you said in class this morning, John, this scene is a great representation of the classic “street smart” vs “book smart” debate. Calvin gets the answer correct, but not because he’s done the math. He payed attention to the details of Prez’s teaching demeanor and style instead, and then used that to decide which answer was correct. Yes, I’d agree if someone said that some of the students are making class hard at times for Prez to teach, but I wouldn’t say that the kids aren’t learning amid this. As Emma said in class today, when trying to ace the SAT, one relies more on learning how to take the test then learning the educational information that the test will cover. Therefore, I would give Calvin an A for this problem- he got it correct, and that’s what really matters in life, right? Every time a teacher gives students a “real world problem,” no one believes they’re going to have to use it. Never have I had someone tell me about when they had to solve long division problem at their calculator-using job, or how they needed to known how to diagram a sentence in their life outside of school. Of course education is important in so many aspects of one’s life, but trying to get kids interested in a word problem about apples isn’t ever going to work (sorry Prez). And we saw the students really excited when learning about probability when Prez allowed them to play games that included dice. So I don’t think the students are standing in Prez’s way. And I wouldn’t say it’s his educational “philosophy,” either. Prez seems willing to challenge the “teaching role of code” at times- such as when he let Namond off for detention after he proved Prez’s rules unfair, and when Prez let the students leave detention early, and again, when he let the kids learn about math using the dice, a game some of the students seem to really enjoy. I believe that Prez’s problems when teaching can be traced to the administration he is working under. As one of the teachers, Mrs. Scott, said in the teacher’s lounge, “The thing is, it’s your curriculum, and you have to stick to it.” Prez responds, “I can’t. It’s absurd.” But Mrs. Scott explains, “You have to. That test in April is the difference between the state taking over the school or not.” However, Prez doesn’t seem convinced: “Maybe the state should.” Later, he even says, “And what do they learn?” He seems upset that his education styles have to conform to the educational administration- the state overseeing this education. This means that he would only teach the students enough for them to be able to take a test, not remember the information or even become interested in it. This reminds me a bit of Cutty, when he is upset that the kids only have to be in school one day of September and October so that the school can receive their money. “School is school,” he explains. He as well fights this administrative system of the schools, which doesn’t actually care about whether or not kids are in school.
ReplyDelete2. I’d say this class is working better than Prez’s class. First off, the students seem more interested in participating, and if they don’t, as Zenobia says, “They’re not even gonna suspend us, right?” As the wikipedia episode summary said, the students seem interested in the class when they get to discuss something they know about, such as the corner. And all of these kids are really smart- I wouldn’t know the first thing about how to run a corner, yet many of these students have developed skills to do so. According to Albert, someone could be a kingpin in about 2 to 3 years from their age of 13. And once these students get to share their knowledge with the teachers, the authority, they become interested in the class discussions. Later, Bunny says, “You know this right here- the whole damn school- they way they carry themselves. It’s training for the street. The building’s the system, we the cops.” This statement is true, which means that if these students are coming to school and learning about something they will utilize, then I’d say that’s a pretty great class. If you’re going to spend 7 hours a day for 13 years in school, you should be able to learn about what will apply to the rest of your life.
ReplyDelete3. I believe that Namond and Zenobia are revealing the irony of some of the logic many adults use. As Namond says, “Yeah, like y’all say, don’t lie, don’t bunk, don’t cheat, don’t steal or whatever. But what about y’all, huh? ...Steroids, yeah. Liquor business? Booze the real killer out there. And cigarettes- oh, shit.” He asks Ms. Duquette if she smokes, and her response: “I’m trying to quit.” These corner kids are being told that they can’t sell drugs, but half the legal substances people use are addictive, or as Namond explains, deadly. Zenobia says, “I mean, yeah, we got our thing, but this is just part of the big thing.” I believe Zenovia is saying that these corner kids aren’t doing anything different than any other American organization. They’re merely following the same business plan of a liquor company, or a cigarette provider, maybe JUUL in today’s society. Their corners are only one piece of a consumerist America, and their part is no worse than any other. I completely agree with Namond and Zenobia here. You can see this system, as Namond puts it, one that is “hypocritical,” all over our society. All the time adults tell little kids not to make bad decisions, to “treat others as you want to be treated,” but few people actually uphold these ideals in their own life. In my opinion, if these kids are going to deal drugs, one should admire their hard work, their intelligence, the fact that they are running their own business at 16 years old. In terms of the point “The Wire” is making here, I think they are proclaiming exactly what Zenobia and Namond said, how hypocritical people can act. Some adults believe they have all the answers, so they try to teach kids how to be good people. You always hear people say that one should “try to set a good example for the children,” but if people were honest about how few people are ever “good” or “bad-” an idea we’ve discussed in class- then you wouldn’t have these kids of situations. As you asked in class, John, what the first thing people thought of when you said “drug dealer,” the two answers were “bad” and “rich” (to the best of my memory). But if you had asked “doctors?” the answers could have easily been “good” (and also “rich.”) But is there not a raging crisis in opioid addiction in America, sometimes based on the overprescription of pain meds after surgeries by licensed medical professionals? So I think “The Wire” is trying to get your attention and challenge stereotypes here. You can’t point out some people in a situation, especially those who could be most hurt by your accusations, if you aren’t going to point out everyone involved.
When the show started I primarily though the kids were the problem in the class. However, since Prez began teaching the class differently and gaining more respect from the kids I’ve now realized that what’s making Prez’s job difficult is mostly the administration and educational philosophy. While the kids can still be a bit of a struggle, I think most of this is inadvertent. Because the philosophy has been teach by the test, just survive, etc, a majority of the students haven’t been properly educated. Thus, while their lack of knowledge is holding back Prez and the class, it’s the other teachers, schools, and government's fault for enabling these kids. A similar idea goes for the administration, I think. The main and vice principals, while agreeing to many of Bunny and Prez’s ideas, risk their jobs by doing so. Thus we see that they are in many ways being forced to run the school in such a detrimental way.
ReplyDeleteI don’t totally agree or disagree with the statement. In fact, I think the two classes are very similar and working to the same efficiency. In both Prez and Miss Duquette’s/Bunny’s class the teachers have begun to use alternate, student enjoyable methods to teach. With Prez it’s the math related games, and with Bunny it’s the druglord talk. Both teachers are actively “tricking” their students into talking with each other meaningfully and actually learning. Furthermore, each teacher has, it seems, gained a little bit more respect from their students.
Both Namond and Zenobia are pointing out to the adults that the cornerboy business they take part in, the drug trade, is much the same as other aspects/things the adults do. When Namond talks about the government, he’s asking why the kids are told not to lie, cheat, and steal, even when their own government and adults in the world do the exact same thing. He also mentions cigarettes, which Miss Duquette smokes, and contrasts them with the drug trade. When Zenobia says her bit, I think she means that the drug business they’re getting into is just a small aspect of the questionable acts that happen in America and the world. While their points make sense, and it is a little hypocritical of the adults, I believe, and the kids don’t realize this, that someone else’s bad acts don’t justify your own. It’s fairly paradoxical, considering you don’t want hypocrites teaching the kids everything, but at the same time, those are the only people you can have. I think the show is showing us how hard it is for kids to really learn and believe information/act morally and make right choices, when the people that are teaching them, whether it be teachers or parents, are doing/have done exactly what they’re warning the kids against. You can’t blame the kids for their misbehavior and bad choices because the way they act is directly a product of what they’re told, and how they see the adults around them act.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason Prez is having such a hard time teaching the kids has to do with a couple different things. You must remember that this school system is vey rough for all of the teachers, but on top of that Prez is a white ex cop trying to teach all black students when he is the image of who is putting so many people that look like them in jail. He also seems uncomfortable in the environment, which makes it hard to teach. He does show he is getting to the kids when they start showing interesting the dice. He’s also done well with giving the kids a computer and especially Duquan.
I agree that the new “corner kid” class is working better than Prez’s. Prez is so new at what he’s doing and is presented with some challenging students to teach. Those challenging students are having more success in school in the new class because they are actually thinking critically. The teacher who teaches them is obviously a experienced teacher and can handle them much better than Prez or some of the other teachers could. She allows for the students to explain why they’re there by asking them questions and making them think about their answers.
They are trying to explain to the adults why they are in the part of the system that are in and they’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing in the system. Specifically Zenobia’s comment shows how she thinks that the culture around drugs is just how it is and how it always will be. I think she is right in a way because we do not live in a perfect world and in most societies they are people at the bottom with not much money. Drugs like heroine, crack, etc are most popular in impoverished communities. Namond touched more on his idea that the government does the same thing that they are. I’m not totally sure if they are completely correct in their statements. I think Namond is definitely right in that a lot of the government doesn’t care as much that there are being drugs spread in these communities but more that they aren’t getting any tax money from this process.
It’s so hard for Prez to teach because of the “pliosphy” of the education. They are taught to teach their kids the test which ruins the environment of learning. When he taught them about probability, that’s learning. Telling them the answers for a test is just memorization for the kids. That is what makes his teaching so difficult, he can’t actually teach them if he is forced to give them facts to memorize.
ReplyDeletePrez’s class is working better than our class just due to the fact that they are learning academic things such as Math and Literature while we are only learning about the war on drugs in Baltimore. If someone were to come to both our classes, they’d say Prez’s class is working better than ours.
Zenobia means that working the corners are just small thing, the big thing is the class struggle they are dealing with. They are put out into the corners so they could provide for their family. Namond is right to an extent. Both adults and corner boys do the same thing. They go out and work for their money. That is true, but the corner boys sell illegal drugs to make money. People see the corner boys as these animals because they are doing illegal things at such a young age and it’s crzy seeing. Yeah, he is right about them both working as hard as each other and just trying to keep their family in shape. Another point I saw in this is when Namond asked the lady if she smoked, she then agreed. They both smoke but when the corner boys do it, they easily get seen as something different. I agree with that point
1. I think Prez’s job is so difficult because he isn’t able to run his classroom in a way that both makes the kids interested and teaches them what they will need for their tests. He can do one of these things but not both at the same time. For example, he used dice and gambling to teach the kids about probability. And they understood him. But then when he gave them a test with different numbers than what he had demonstrated to them, they didn’t understand. I don’t think most of this is his fault. He’s doing his best but I think the combination of the kids and their parents not really caring and the school’s “philosophy” make it hard for him to teach the kids.
ReplyDelete2. I don’t agree nor disagree to that statement. I think the two classrooms are just working very differently. I think it’s hard to tell if the experimental class if working because it we haven’t seen them learn anything school related. The teacher is just trying to understand the corner kids right now. I can’t really compare this classroom to Prez’s because, as of now, Prez’s students have learned more of what they will need to know for their tests than the experimental class has. However, I know this might change once the experimental class figures out how to get through to these kids.
3. I agree with everything said before me but I also think that Namond and Zenobia are pointing out how the government relies on drugs. One of the other boys in the classroom tells the adults that drugs pay their salary. However little I want to believe this statement, I think I know that it's true. Every drug bust and arrest of a drug dealer brings in more money for the city. I think the “big thing” they are talking about is the relationship between drugs and the government. And how the drugs might benefit the government more than it benefits the people selling them. The adults in that room don’t mean to make money off of drugs or to enjoy the substances that happen to be legal. The show is trying to make a point of how unfair this system is by nature. It is trying to show us that even the things the government claims to hate, and even has a war on, actually help them.
1. Prez’s job is being made difficult by a combination of the kids, the administration, and his teaching philosophy. The kids are difficult to manage unless he is able to either get them to fear and respect him or get them to like him. We see him making progress with the kids as they begin to like him more and more. The administration also makes his job difficult, as it seems that they aren’t really doing their jobs. We see them tell Prez some “teaching” strategies, like turning up the heat and closing the windows. This makes the kids tired, so they are easier to manage. They focus on defeating the kids rather than educating them, which defeats the purpose of teaching. They also do things like leaving the updated math textbooks in boxes in a supply room, along with a perfectly functioning computer. These are tools that could help Prez, but they aren’t being made available to him. Finally, his teaching style makes it hard. He wants to teach the kids material in very conventional ways, how he was likely taught. He begins to realize that these kids don’t learn from that, and so he begins experimenting with teaching them using other methods, specifically through games like dice. He teaches them about odds and probability through games that can earn them money. This proves to be much more successful for him.
ReplyDelete2. I think that Prez’s class is working better. We have clearly seen how much the students have improved over the course of the year, and the other class just seems to spend a lot of time arguing with each other. I am uncertain as to what they are even learning, whereas Prez is able to make sure that the students are able to keep learning what he is teaching.
3. Like others have said, Zenobia is referring to the idea that the government thrives from practicing similar behaviors to those which they are punishing the lower income communities for. She also is pointing out that the corners, the “small thing” are just a part of these communities, the “larger things.” The government allows for companies to sell cigarettes and alcohol, but when it comes to drugs there is a distinct line. While I don’t particularly think that this is an equal connection to make, I can see where she is coming from. Drugs are probably much more normalized to her, as she has grown up in and around them, and she knows the realities of them. This doesn’t leave her with unrealistic fantasies, negative or positive, which may be untrue for those in charge of lawmaking. She seems to have trouble understanding why selling drugs is so problematic, and has seen it allow many people in her community to obtain money. I think that these are all things that she is referring to.
1. I would argue that the issues lie in a combination of the three. I think that Prez went into the job from an approach that the kids were never going to be receptive towards. He was too official and rigid and didn't break the concepts down into real-life examples the kids might respond to. The whole culture of Prez being white in a black school definitely does not help his case. Also, his kindness backfires as the kids find they can take advantage of him, but I think he realized this and we see him getting stricter as the episodes go on. He is also finding ways to reach them more by using the dice as a hand on activity to engage them. While this improvement is easy to see, the teachers are giving his feedback to simply teach to the test which is an example of the educational philosophy hurting his creative ability to be e good teacher.
ReplyDelete2. I would agree with this statement as it is the most engaged and passionate we've seen these kids at school in the whole show. They almost think they are beating the system and rebelling in class but they are only buying into it more and actually participating. I also think it is working better because the woman who is running it is obviously highly qualified for the position and both isn't fazed by the kid’s wild behavior and finds ways for them to learn and work together. An example of this is when she takes something they all have in common and are comfortable talking about, the drug trade and corner boy status, and has them all collaborate on a code. By bringing up topics that they are so familiar with, the teacher almost tricks them into being engaged and participating.
3. This point is a moral issue that all teenagers come across in some point of the maturation. The realization that adults do all the same things that they punish kids for doing. AKA the classic “Do as I say, not as I do” concept. It is at this point of growing up when kids Naymond’s age see this as completely unfair and proceed to want to fight the system and rebel. Zenobia is referring to the societal issues that everyone faces and the bad things that anyone could do, not just kids. She is saying that yes, the students have issues and do wrong, but so do the teachers and everyone is on the same playing field at the end of the day. I think she is right in the sense that the issue at hand is greater than just these students, but I also think that addressing their issues is the only way to try and stop them from just shifting to become bad adults part of the bigger problem. So yes, the teachers or police or adults are hypocritical when reprimanding kids, but what else are they supposed to do when they don't want the younger generation to end up like them.
1. Coming into the fourth season, the show doesn’t really give us any backstory on Prez besides him telling the vice principal that he used to be a policeman. However, we know that he’s had no prior teaching experience and hasn’t yet received his teaching certification. The first year of teaching is difficult for any teacher; being exposed to a group of young, oftentimes wild kids and forcing them to sit down and learn is no easy task. The kids at Tillman Middle are an entirely different animal. In many ways, Prez is fighting a losing battle. He’s trying to teach kids a curriculum that they aren’t interested in learning in a school that perpetuates a “memorize the test answers” teaching mentality. As of right now, he has all of the odds stacked against him. He is, however, able to get the children to learn through playing dice - he’s smart enough to trick the kids into learning. The challenge is figuring out how to use fun games for all of the lessons. Eventually, he’s going to have to compromise and teach part of the way the school wants, because if he doesn’t, there’s a high risk that the students won’t pass their exams and move onto the next grade.
ReplyDelete2. I strongly believe that both classes are on a very similar trajectory. While the experimental classroom is not learning the material required for eighth grade, they’re developing as students, working together, and discussing topics they can relate to. Prez’s class, on the other hand, is learning the required material, but he’s figured out a way to make it enjoyable for the students. In both cases, the teachers/supervisors have figured out a way to engage the students in learning. Both classes have their struggles; most of the kids in the experimental class want to get suspended and the kids in Prez’s class aren’t doing as well as he had hoped. Yet, both classes are able to succeed in their own way.
3. I think that a point that the show is trying to make is that all of characters are somehow contributing to society. Even the drug dealers and the drug stealers (Omar) are contributing by offering drugs for drug users to use. Whether the police like it or not, drug dealers are in many ways essential to the flow of Baltimore. I think that’s what Namond and Zenobia are trying to say here. I partially agree with both of their statements. Everyone in Baltimore is just trying to survive, and for a select percent of the population, surviving entails selling drugs, earning money, and selling more drugs. Namond, just like Marlo and the other kids in the experimental classroom, are doing what they know in order to succeed in life. It’s not traditional, and it’s certainly not legal, but it’s a process that occurs and it works as a profession for certain people. I think that Zenobia is trying to also make a comment on how drug dealers are a necessity in society. They have their thing - being corner girls and boys - but it’s part of a bigger thing: being a part of the pyramid of success in Baltimore. In my opinion, the show does a great job of making every character and scene very realistic and human. None of the scenes presented are perfect, and it’s because life is imperfect and unpredictable. In a perfect world, there would be no drugs, deaths, etc, but there are, and because of it, the cycle of life in Baltimore is able to run smoothly. The policemen have jobs, drug users use drugs, political figures have issues to fix, drug dealers sell drugs, and the world goes on.
1. I do think it is a combination of the three that are making Prez’s job a lot harder than it should be. I think the students are only products of their environment, so I can’t totally blame them for perhaps not being very serious about school when it seems that no one around them has benefitted by doing well in school. However, the two biggest problems I think would have to be the administration and the philosophies of the administration. Today we heard one of the teachers telling Prez that the first year of teaching isn’t about the kids, it’s about how well the kids do on tests. I think the administration isn’t at all interested in what exactly these kids are learning because they already have a preconceived idea of where exactly the kids are going to end up. Personally, I went to an elementary school where they taught us the test, not the information so I sort of understand how these kids might feel. I think that teaching to the test is such a rigid way of learning, and the kids are obviously not responding to it, but the numbers are what is valued not the kids.
ReplyDelete2. I think that the alternative classroom is beginning to work. There is a vast improvement in the kids’ attitudes, but they’re not learning traditional school stuff. It seems like the teachers are trying to help the kids define what they do and explain the rules of the corners to then flip it and explain how it’s all bad (reverse psychology.) I can’t really compare it to Prez’s class because they just seem so different. I don’t exactly understand what the teachers are doing at this point but it seems more like group therapy rather than a classroom. Overall, I do think the kids in Prez’s class are learning less because they aren’t at all interested in math, and the kids in the alternative class seem to be a lot more passionate talking about how the corners work.
3. I think this is the director trying to project the message that America should just legalize drugs. Namond was talking about alcohol and cigarettes and how negative/ addictive they can be, however, they are still legal. Basically, adults are allowed to sell items that we see can be just as damaging as drugs in communities. Personally, I agree with what Namond was saying because there are a lot of double standards with laws that aren’t addressed in this country. I think what Zenobia is saying is that people who work the corners are only the small part in the whole drug dealing operation. I’m not particularly sure if she was trying to downplay the seriousness of what they do, or just say they it’s nice being apart of something greater than yourself. I think the way drug trade works is similar to the government and police just based on how the system works. There are many people some important and very many who aren’t as important. They all work together to make something greater than themselves, like a city, work. I think the kids are just trying to help the adults see that what they are doing is the same, they just have differing goals.
The problem for Prez is the system he is confined to and has to work under. This is best shown with the newer textbooks and computer being left in a storage closet unused by the teachers. The system also causes the problems that the kids pose as they haven't had to learn yet and nobody has wanted to teach them, they haven't even had to go to school, meaning they naturally won't cooperate with Prez and the rules he puts into place or his attempts to teach them about math.
ReplyDeleteI think both Prez's class and the experimental class are successful but they run differently and try to achieve different goals almost. For example though with Naymond in the class Prez couldn't get control yet in the experimental class Naymond is under control Prez is now teaching a whole class full of kids math. This to me shows two different types of teaching as Prez isn't trying to get kids off the street he is trying to teach kids math and he seems to be doing a good job. I would in that case have to disagree with the statement that the experimental class is more successful.
I believe that Naymond is pointing out that he and his classmates or only a cog in the machine that was created not by them but by the government. He also seems to point out that people are quick to almost dehumanise drug dealers and criminals as animals or "bad guys" when in fact its more layered. This fits with the themes that run through the show as we have discussed in class. We see this in all the characters, in Snoop, Chris, Omar and even Marlo. From what I can see in this world it seems to be true and this can be seen when we get looks into the police department and mayors office as these kids become statistics and political tools. Carcetti doesn't want to change the school system as he is afraid his name might get attached to it which could hurt his career in the same way it did the last few mayors. The last point that is made by Raymond ties into this as the war on drugs was a political move and despite cigarettes and alcohol being just as dangerous they're legal
I feel like the reason Pres’ job seems so hard to him is the approach that he is taking towards teaching the kids the curriculum. As we saw before, the students didn’t react very well to the traditional, lecture like way of teaching that Pres was practicing. However, once the “corner kids” got filtered out and Pres started to teach the class using a more interactive method, the kids started to understand was Pres was trying to teach them. This totally changed the dynamic of the classroom and made the kids less irritable towards their work and each other. Overall, I believe that things changed for the better because of the kids and the educational philosophy he was operating under.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the corner kids are put into a special class to cater for their needs, I feel as this program shouldn’t be seen as a negative thing. At first, the class was very chaotic and uncontrolled because the kids were being forced to focus on something they weren’t necessarily “passionate” about. But once the dynamic of the class changed from “book education” to “street education” everything changed for the better. The kids seemed to be more engaged and less aggressive towards the teacher and their classmates. I feel like the classes aren’t fully divided between levels of intellect, but what the students need to focus on the most, i.e: education vs discipline. Both classes are learning ‘something’, but I feel like they are nearly in the same place in relation to the curriculum.
I believe that when Zenobia says that “we got our thing, but it's just part of the big thing," she means that what the corner kids are doing (drug slinging, etc) is only a small part of the big drug trading operation that is taking place in Baltimore. This quote from Zenobia makes the point that from where they’re from, dealing drugs is just a way of life, and that it isn’t regarded as much because it’s so common as a result of the conditions they live in. Namond is also right when he says that "we do the same things as you all. Except when we do it, it's like, oh my God, these kids are animals,” again, expressing how common and routine drug trade is relative to their current situation.
1. The difficulty of Prez’s job is a combination of things. The biggest at the moment is the administration. While the kids used to be a bigger issue, Prez seems to have connected with them. His unique way of teaching seems to have gotten through to them, and tricked them into learning. Now especially without Namond and Zenobia disrupting the classroom, he has more control. The problem now is that the administration wants him to stick to the curriculum. Trying to do this makes things harder in the classroom, and is clearly not helping the students. This faces Prez with the problem of keeping to what the school wants, or going with his better judgment and teach what he thinks his students need.
ReplyDelete2. I’m not sure that the experimental classroom is necessarily working better than Prez’s, but it seems to be working. I want to see how it turns out before I call it successful. While they aren’t learning then same things, they are still benefiting from the class. However, i’m not sure what the goal is for the experiment. Is it to get them off of the corners? Or is it to just get them to cooperate in class? While I’m not sure what it is, there seems to be a plan, and I think it working. They are at least not lashing out as much, and are interested in what they are talking about even if it is the drug trade.
3. I think Zenobia is referring to the fact that being a corner boy is only a small part of the operation. This leads to bigger parts of the business, which includes many parts of the society. The “big thing” I think Zenobia is talking about is everything involved/surrounding the drug trade. It’s not only drug dealers, it also involves the police and government and the way the are attempting or not attempting to solve the problem. The government doesn’t have any initiative to solve the issue, and the police force is playing a numbers game. By not solving the underlying issue, it only causes more. The corner kids “thing” is only a small part of the “big thing.” Even the adults play a role, it's just not the same as the kids.
1. What is making Prez's job so difficult? Is it the kids? Is it the administration? Is it the educational "philosophy" he's operating under? A combination of the three?
ReplyDeleteI think Prez’s job is so difficult because of all of the these reasons. The administration has so many rules about what he has to teach the students and all the rules in place. The kids are unfortunately behind in school, and for them too ever succeed Prez knows they need to go back to the basics, but instead he has to “teach the test”. This makes school even worse for the kids because some of them don’t know the basics, or “building blocks” for learning. The administration also kept the computers and 5th edition books in the basement, unused.
Now look at the experimental classroom run by Miss Duquette ad observed by Bunny Colvin and David Parenti.
2. Agree or disagree with this statement: this class is working better than Prez's class. If you agree, why? If you disagree, why not?
I disagree, I think this classroom experiment with the corner kids is starting to go decently well, but I think Prez’s classroom is now thriving, he has now learned how to control his classroom very well. Now look at the classroom with the corner kids.
Namond says, "We do the same things as you all. Except when we do it, it's like, oh my God, these kids are animals. Like it's it's the end of the world coming. It's bullshit...[It's] hypocritical." To which Zenobia says. "Yeah, we got our thing, but it's just part of the big thing."
3. So what are Namond and Zenobia pointing out to the adults here? What does Zenobia mean by what they're doing is "just part of the big thing?" Is she right? Is Namond right? What is a possible point the show is making through this moment?
They are saying that everyone has their vices, or issues, and just because they are kids they are expected to be innocent, but they were not born in to an innocent world, so it is impossible for them. When Zenobia says they are just part of a bigger thing, she means that just because they play a part in the drug trade, does not mean that if they stopped the drug would too. I think if they stopped they would still be in jail, or in trouble. They are born into this and they can not stay out of it. There is no way out of the world they live in.
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ReplyDelete1.Prez’s job is so difficult because of many different things. You could say that it is the kids, but you would then have to consider why the kids are the way they are. I think Prez’s job is so difficult because of the attitudes of the kids, the parents, and the administration. The administration is clearly corrupt because they value the numbers on test grades rather than the actual education. They also have students come to school two times in two months in order to be counted for attendance, and they don't really care if these students are actually coming to school more than twice.
ReplyDelete2. I agree. While Prez’s class does have some moments of learning where things seem to be going well, this class is having real conversations about their world. The difference between the two classrooms is that the students in the classroom of the corner kids are interested and engaged. From what we’ve seen, getting these students engaged in the lesson at hand is a difficult task. I think Prez’s class has come a long way from the beginning episodes, but the corner kids care about the class more than Prez’s students do. The success of the class depends on whether the administration of the school can get these kids to feel as passionate about other subjects as they do about life on the streets.
3. I think Namond and Zenobia are right. Namond is explaining to the adults here that being a corner boy is what they are supposed to do. That everyone does what they are expected by their community to do, and what they are given the option to do. Being a corner boy is Namond’s only option. The adults, or maybe the administration of the school, is being hypocritical in the way that they are playing into the overall system of Baltimore and doing what they can with what they were given, just like the corner kids. Zenobia relates their drug selling to overall system, and how they are an essential part of this system.
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