Club 2012: Black parents who made sure their sons succeeded in school

[Brown_Pride]

I don't know how to feel about this. One one hand I'm glad to see black youths succeeding and on another hand I can't help but feel like people are acting like its some sort of great feat for blacks to encourage their children to succeed in school as if its something that is inherently difficult for blacks to do.

I don't think it's not inherent it's just not done, so it's seen as an accomplishment when it is.

You're supposed to encourage your kids to study, you're supposed to be there for them.

there's a lot of shyt that's "supposed" to happen that doesn't.

When you're thinking about having kids you should be thinking about how you will create an environment that facilitates learning and how you'll make time to read with them and cultivate the curiosity and desire for knowledge that kids naturally have so they actually enjoy learning new things and being creative.

...i'm sure all those "planned" child births are well thought out, especially when it's a 16-19 year old kid.

You shouldn't be patted on the back for doing what you're supposed to do. I feel like articles like this patronize blacks a little bit.

I agree to an extent. I personally use the following phrase with my kids when they want something extra for something they are "supposed" to do, "I suppose I should reward you for whipping your own ass too". SO i get the idea your supporting, but the caveat here is that my kids have been successful at whipping their asses. Looking at just "numbers" the involvement of parents in education is simply not stellar, so when someone does it then SURE, pat that back. If one of my kids had an issue with whipping his ass then all of a sudden "get's it" well he'll be rewarded.

Major props to the parents for wanting their kids to do better though, no hate being thrown their way and I do think that its important for positive images of black youths to be shown in order to counter these negative images and to raise the self esteem of people of colour.

This is exactly what's important here and it sets an example, it creates a positive view I hope they teach others to do it too.

 

[Amestafuu (Emeritus)]

Do you any links or studies backing up this claim? Not to imply that you are wrong, but I often hear this argument about African immigrants and how it plays a large part in their academic success. With that being said I have yet to see evidence showcasing that African immigrants are already "better off" (monetarily, academically) than the average immigrant prior to coming to the United States.

the only difference between rich and broke Africans kids in education is that the rich kids can go to university abroad etc. the education system in most African countries is actually much more challenging that most western countries. however many people in the world hold western institution degrees and certificates to a higher standard. To get a great paying job the rich kids study abroad also to have more chances at employment. it is not because they are better off that African immigrants excel it is because it is part of the culture, all parents seem to do is brag about their kids achievements in school.

 

[Blackking]

No, they're not. Cotdamn you guys need to stop projecting your insecurities onto all black people. Being called white-washed does happen, but it has nothing to do with being African. That's another issue entirely.

Also, you can't compare the kids of African parents to American kids. That's two different value systems and perspectives on life. Immigrants parents look at America and see what can be instead of what they don't have. Furthermore, the African immigrants that make it here are often already highly educated or those with a disposition towards education. If I took the people from the slums who were ignorant and brought them here en masse, what would happen?

This post is ridiculously true on so many levels.

 

[Blackking]

You guys are hyping up Asian parents, African immigrant parents, etc.

That’s false sh1t. 1st generation immigrant parents do a few things correctly, sometimes those values are lost after 1 or 2 generations.. and most of the kids in HS these days are not being held to those standards. Imagine the mental brainwashing and horrible values that black non-immigrant youth have to deal with; depending on their community.

I was raised the way of this article. It was so strict and so a hand on, it was annoying. I appreciate everything now as a adult... however, I moved out my house when I was 16 in rebellion. It seems unfair that the black community has to filter through mental affects of history - when every other kid gets to simply go to school and come home and do normal sh1t.
When I left my house, I still made str8 A's in all honors courses, even left high school with college credits- The reason is, being raised this way puts a completely different value system in your head. I lived in trap house and had dd drop me off at school every day in stolen cars. Regardless, It's hard to shake good values.

So I agree with the methods but I don't agree that it's something new for black people, and don't agree that we should praise immigrants for their methods. Many black parents want to do this and they can’t due to their situation. Many black parents trust our education system. Black children excel most of the time when all things are equal. I was pissed when I found out I was transferring to some cac HS… then I realized the culture, the environment, the resources, and everything else made it easy for me to succeed. My SAT score were average… but would have been top 1 percent at my brother’s school.

 

[No1]

Do you any links or studies backing up this claim? Not to imply that you are wrong, but I often hear this argument about African immigrants and how it plays a large part in their academic success. With that being said I have yet to see evidence showcasing that African immigrants are already "better off" (monetarily, academically) than the average immigrant prior to coming to the United States.

Africans are often unable to get here unless they get here through (damn it I forget the name of the bill...I even had to write on it before...repubs tried to get rid of it at one point) the lottery program or other visas programs. The prerequisites to this is that one has at least a high school education or a documented work history (basically a specific skill). If you win the lottery and you don't have it, you go back home. But as someone who was raised by African parents (though pretty progressive), I can say that my parents were college-educated before they got here with nothing and the idea of not going to college never seeped into my head.

My boys next door never had that. But even more generally, there has always been a reverence for the educated in Africa. Education often = wealth in Africa and many people often have degrees just for the sake of the prestige. My parents used to hear about schools like Princeton and Harvard when they were kids in the 70s and dreamed of going to the US to study them (then they found out how much that shyt cost lol). I can say as someone who grew up with African parents, but is clearly American that I see the difference just by hanging out among the different people. Africans constantly say to their kids that are messing up that they're being like American children.

 

[No1]

the only difference between rich and broke Africans kids in education is that the rich kids can go to university abroad etc. the education system in most African countries is actually much more challenging that most western countries. however many people in the world hold western institution degrees and certificates to a higher standard. To get a great paying job the rich kids study abroad also to have more chances at employment. it is not because they are better off that African immigrants excel it is because it is part of the culture, all parents seem to do is brag about their kids achievements in school.

No, this is not true. Math may be more challenging at the grade school level like it is in many foreign countries and a lot of what you said about opportunities is right, but cut it out. My friends from all of West and Central Africa and Southeast Asia always talk about how much harder Michigan was than their local universities. They always talk about how the work their friends are doing is so basic to them. They also ALWAYS beat them for jobs at home.

 

[Amestafuu (Emeritus)]

No, this is not true. Math may be more challenging at the grade school level like it is in many foreign countries and a lot of what you said about opportunities is right, but cut it out. My friends from all of West and Central Africa and Southeast Asia always talk about how much harder Michigan was than their local universities. They always talk about how the work their friends are doing is so basic to them. They also ALWAYS beat them for jobs at home.

Well their experience differs from mine but the point is that parents do have to be involved. Kids and the Public school system alone can't cut it.

 

[No1]

Well their experience differs from mine but the point is that parents do have to be involved. Kids and the Public school system alone can't cut it.

No, one ever disagreed with that so I don't know why you're saying it. That is the most common sense thing. Unless you live in a high tax bracket, public schools won't do much (unless it's like a magnet school in a poor area and even then parents have to be involved, but that's true for private schools too). This is a general and common sense principle. It was that other stuff that you're passing off as generally true that people are looking at. Especially when most of the evidence contradicts what you're saying. In fact, you are the first person that I've ever heard say something like that. My friends from Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Malaysia, Korea, Japan, China, South Africa, etc., have never said what you're saying about foreign education supposedly being more challenging. Certainly not at the collegiate level like you were stating. That made me question everything else you had to say.

It's pretty much general consensus that American universities are the envy of the world.

 

[Serious]

I can say that my parents were college-educated before they got here with nothing and the idea of not going to college never seeped into my head.

Yeah my mom wasn't having it. There was no if, and's, or but's about it...

I was pissed when I found out I was transferring to some cac HS… then I realized the culture, the environment, the resources, and everything else made it easy for me to succeed. My SAT score were average… but would have been top 1 percent at my brother’s school.

Same thing happened to me. I went back and forth between primarily urban and suburban schools. The difference is pretty apparent. At urban schools I effortlessly aced courses while never really paying attention and constantly causing ruckus. I was always suspended or in detention for fighting, yet kept my grades tight. These two anomalies are normally contradictory of themselves. Meanwhile, at the suburban schools, I was just an average B+ student, who wouldn't put forth the extra effort for an A+.

 

[Amestafuu (Emeritus)]

No, one ever disagreed with that so I don't know why you're saying it. That is the most common sense thing. Unless you live in a high tax bracket, public schools won't do much (unless it's like a magnet school in a poor area and even then parents have to be involved, but that's true for private schools too). This is a general and common sense principle. It was that other stuff that you're passing off as generally true that people are looking at. Especially when most of the evidence contradicts what you're saying. In fact, you are the first person that I've ever heard say something like that. My friends from Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Malaysia, Korea, Japan, China, South Africa, etc., have never said what you're saying about foreign education supposedly being more challenging. Certainly not at the collegiate level like you were stating. That made me question everything else you had to say.

It's pretty much general consensus that American universities are the envy of the world.

Well Kenyan education is... we have a lot of rich white kids in private schools there too, they study down there for a reason.

 

[Economics]

we do have it... in African immigrants but they get made fun of for being or white washed "square"




but this is what it takes to make it, this is what the Asians do. It's not a secret just a lack of effort. Most ignorant parents seem to think that they just send kids to school and that is their whole involvement in the education.

When I helped tutored/teached and went to conferences regarding aiding struggling kids in failing school districts, this was constantly brought up by educators and myself. No parental investment. Being from a similar background/environment as most the kids we focused on, I knew those odds are stacked against them since it was parents/guardians who didn't give a damn or couldn't parent right or was never there because of constant work.

 

[Amestafuu (Emeritus)]

never there because of constant work.

this is a valid issue, especially with a lot of single parent homes.

 

[Serious]

this is a valid issue, especially with a lot of single parent homes.

Simple solution, stop having children out of wedlock. Use protection, take your BC pills on time, wear the patch, get a shot. There's too many options out there now, yet the cycle continues.....

 

[714562]

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[SuburbanPimp]

Alot of people saying "Thats what they supposed to do" which is right but the fact is alot of them don't. Especially in single parent homes.

We had something kind of similar to that at our school, it was mainly the the black parents of the boys on our basketball team in high school just networking and using their resources. We all got to take a SAT prep class for free, Had people from college admission offices talk to us and had study groups put together.

Its amazing what people can do when they come together, utilizing resources, and networking. I just wish we would realize that instead always being about self.