I am Somali
These are the words to the classic song Soomaali Baan Ahay that I’ve tried to translate. I must say, though, that any translation from Somali to English doesn’t give much justice to the original and doesn’t convey the message accurately. If you spot any mistakes in the translation, or you find any better words to use, please do let me know..
Sinnaantaan la magac ahay
San-ku-neefle ma oggoli
Inuu iga sarreyn karo
Anna garasho sogordahan
Sooryo ruux ugama dhigo
Soomaali baan ahay!
I share names with equality
A mortal I do not allow
That he surpass me
And allusive words and hints
I confer not on anyone as gifts
I am Somali
Inkastoon sabool ahay
Haddana waan sarriigtaa
Sacabbada ma hoorsado
Saaxiib nimaan nahay
Cadowgayga lama simo
Soomaali baan ahay
Though impoverished I am
Yet my hardships I endure
And my palms I do not extend
A man with whom I am friends
With my enemy I do not rival
I am Somali
Nabaddaan u sahanshaa
Colaaddaan ka salalaa
Soomajeesto goobaha
Ninka nabarka soo sida
Gacantiisa kama sugo
Soomaai baan ahay
I am in a quest for peace
And from enmity I am terrified
But [from the battlefield] I flee not
And the man who brings wounds
From his hands I await not [I launch assault]
I am Somali
Nin I sigay ma nabad galo
Nin isugeyna maba jiro
Libta weli ma sii deyn
Gardarrada ma saacido
Nin xaq lehna cid lama simo
Soomaali baan ahay!
A man who endangers me lives not in peace
And there isn’t a man who did wait for me
Gratitude I have not yet abandoned
Nor do I support not any transgression
And a wronged man I compare not with others
I am Somali
Ninkaan taydu soli karin
Uma yeelo suu rabo
Sida dunida qaarkeed
Sandulleynta ma oggoli
Ninna kabaha uma sido
Soomaali baan ahay
To whom my ways do not appeal
As he wishes I do not comply with
Like some parts of the world
Coercion I do not accept
Nor do I carry any man’s shoes
I am Somali
Ninka Iga sed roonow
Siintaada magaca leh
Ogow kaama sugayee
Hana oran sasabo badaw
Dareen seexda ma lihiye
Somaali baan ahay
O’ you who is wealthier than I
Your offerings for name’s sake
Know that I expect them not
Say not, too, persuade the ignorant
For I have not a conscious that sleeps
I am Somali
Ninna madax salaaxiyo
Kama yeelo seetada
Sasabo ma qaayibo
Sirta waxaan iraahdaa
Saab aan biyaha celin
Soomaali baan ahay
Neither man’s stroking of my head
Nor his lace on my legs [duplicity] do I accept
Persuasion I do not approve
As for secrets [about me] I say
A Saab [vessel] that hold no water
I am Somali
Dabayshaan la socod ahay
Salfudeydna uma kaco
Waabay sunaan ahay
Marna samawadaan ahay
Samir baan hagoogtaa
Soomaali baan ahay
I am of a step with the wind
And on impulse I do not act
I am like fangs of poison [when provoked]
And at times, the bearer of good [when dealt with peace]
I am swathed in patience
I am Somali
Nin I sigay ma nabad galo
Nin isugeyna maba jiro
Libta weli ma sii deyn
Gardarrada ma saacido
Nin xaq lehna cid lama simo
Soomaali baan ahay!
A man who endangers me lives not in peace
And there isn’t a man who did wait for me
Gratitude I have not yet abandoned
Nor do I support not any transgression
And a wronged man I compare not with others
I am Somali
Saan la kala jaraan ahay
Summadi ay ku wada taal,
Rag baa beri I saanyaday
Anoo xoolo soofsada,
Xil midnimo anaa sida,
Soomaali baan ahay
I am like Saan [hide] split into two
That still bears the credentials
Some men once disintegrated me
Whilst I tended to my flocks
[But] the obligation of unity I [still] carry
I am Somali
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Some classroom lessons are clear
Looking back: Some classroom lessons are clear
May 17, 2008 -
Jen Pirrera, 31, came to teaching later than some. A civil engineer, then a youth volunteer, she moved to the Twin Cities from Iowa to become a math teacher. Young and hip -- she rides a cool rumbling motorcycle -- she began her teaching career at St. Paul's Humboldt Junior High. She burned out after three years. And, she said, she suspended more black kids than white.
"This is so stereotypical, but with most white kids, if you tell them to be quiet, they will. But with black kids, they won't."
She guesses that, once a month, she asked that a kid be suspended.
"You got to the point where you just called that kid's name because you just expect it," she said, regretting her actions in hindsight.
Over time, she became more patient, talked to kids one on one and sent fewer home. But that took time away from teaching the rest of the class. "It burned me out even more."
After getting out of teaching, Pirrera went to work for Bolder Options, which mentors at-risk kids for success in school and in life. She has mentored black students. Now, she's working as a substitute teacher. There is much, she said, that teachers must change.
"We have to catch their heart, make it relevant, be cool and likable, get them moving and teach to multiple intelligences. Be firm with expectations of all students, show you care about them, focus on their gifts and help them to see when they are successful."
JAMES WALSH
May 17, 2008 -
Jen Pirrera, 31, came to teaching later than some. A civil engineer, then a youth volunteer, she moved to the Twin Cities from Iowa to become a math teacher. Young and hip -- she rides a cool rumbling motorcycle -- she began her teaching career at St. Paul's Humboldt Junior High. She burned out after three years. And, she said, she suspended more black kids than white.
"This is so stereotypical, but with most white kids, if you tell them to be quiet, they will. But with black kids, they won't."
She guesses that, once a month, she asked that a kid be suspended.
"You got to the point where you just called that kid's name because you just expect it," she said, regretting her actions in hindsight.
Over time, she became more patient, talked to kids one on one and sent fewer home. But that took time away from teaching the rest of the class. "It burned me out even more."
After getting out of teaching, Pirrera went to work for Bolder Options, which mentors at-risk kids for success in school and in life. She has mentored black students. Now, she's working as a substitute teacher. There is much, she said, that teachers must change.
"We have to catch their heart, make it relevant, be cool and likable, get them moving and teach to multiple intelligences. Be firm with expectations of all students, show you care about them, focus on their gifts and help them to see when they are successful."
JAMES WALSH
Sent home: The suspension gap
Jerry Holt, Star Tribune
Champlin Park High School ninth-grader Keenan Hooper, 15, and school counselor Doyle Johnson had a friendly chat before the morning bell. Keenan was suspended often in middle school, but not once at the high school, where connecting with students and cutting suspensions are faculty priorities.
Black students are far more likely to be suspended from school than are their white classmates -- and Minnesota's disparity in suspensions is twice the national average. Why? What are the consequences?
By James Walsh, Star Tribune
Last update: May 18, 2008 - 12:35 PM
Featured comment
BALONEY !
It's "poverty"... it's "society"... it's the schools/teachers fault.... Doesn't anyone take responsibility for their actions any more ? I … read more grew up in a small town where everyone was poor. No one acted up, played thug, clown, or came to school with a chip on their shoulder. No one acted up.....Everyone graduated !
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Audio slide show: About suspension – in their words
In their eyes, teachers too hasty in handing out punishment
Looking back: Some classroom lessons are clear
Getting to know kids is key to plan for improvement
Days at home for a 'sassy mouth'? Not in St. Paul
More from Lifestyle
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Keenan Hooper likes to joke around and admits he has a motormouth. He also admits to getting into trouble again and again with teachers weary of his antics. School officials have sent him home more times than Keenan or his mom can count. ¶ So often, in fact, during his past couple years at Jackson Middle School in Champlin that he was referred to special education for a "behavioral disability" and saw his grades plummet.
This is not what Keisha Hooper wants for her son, who is black. She said she has asked how sending him away is helping.
"Teachers need order in the classroom, I agree," Keisha Hooper said. "I think where we part ways is that they seem to lose patience with the black kids more than they do the white."
Black students in Minnesota are being suspended at a rate about six times that of white students, according to a Star Tribune analysis of state Department of Education data. Some are sent home for serious misbehavior, like fighting or drugs. But most are suspended for lesser incidents, such as talking in class, goofing around or challenging teachers -- offenses for which there is more disciplinary leeway.
Black children across the country are suspended more often than whites. But Minnesota's suspensions disparity is twice the national average.
It's an issue evident in schools across the metro area.
In Osseo schools, black students make up 22 percent of the enrollment but 62 percent of the students suspended.
In Eden Prairie, where black enrollment is 9 percent, 41 percent of the students suspended were black.
And in Wayzata, 35 percent of the students suspended were black, while black students were 7 percent of enrollment. Every Minnesota school district with black students suspends them at rates higher than whites.
The consequences, educators say, are especially significant because Minnesota already has one of the nation's largest achievement gaps between black and white students, as measured by test scores and graduation rates. Kicking black students out of class may be widening that gap at a time when it's becoming increasingly important to close it, some educators say.
"You can't teach them if they are not there," said St. Paul schools Superintendent Meria Carstarphen, who has made cutting the number of suspensions -- especially those imposed for more subjective reasons -- a priority. "If you're really serious about closing an achievement gap, you have got to go deeper. You've got to bore deep [into suspensions]."
Many educators say the cause of the disparity is a complex web, with threads running from cultural differences to breakdowns in some families to evolving definitions of what's effective teaching.
"There's no simple answer to it. I'm not sure what to do about it," said Delroy Calhoun, executive director of Bethlehem Community Center in Minneapolis and a longtime educator. "Something's wrong."
But any effort to study why black children are suspended more than whites should include looking at how well a mostly white teaching corps connects with an increasing number of black students, school officials say.
Some fresh signs of success dealing with the issue are apparent in schools where teachers and administrators are newly committed to connecting with kids on a personal level and working with challenging students in the classroom.
"If kids believe that we love them and we are passionate about what we do, they want to work for that relationship," said Kate Maguire, assistant superintendent for leadership, teaching and learning in the Osseo schools. "When you have a roomful of students who look like you, perhaps those relationships are easier. When they are different, it makes the intentionality of building those relationships ever more important."
She added: "It's about assumptions that we all carry with us. ... But you have to get in there and work and listen and play with people who are different from you."
Zero tolerance
Minnesota law requires children be sent home for such things as bringing a weapon to school, for assault or for possessing drugs, Carstarphen said. And even kids acknowledge that they should be suspended for fighting.
In those cases, Carstarphen said, families and the broader community must play a role in curbing misbehavior. For many kids, how they act in school is an extension of what they're doing at home and in their neighborhood, she said.
"This is not just a school system problem," she said. "This is also about families being able to take more responsibility for their kids outside the classroom. We need all hands on deck if we really want to change this."
She added: "We absolutely should hold kids to those standards. It's not like we're trying to send the message that kids shouldn't be suspended if they bring a gun to school."
But of the nearly 40,000 Minnesota students suspended last school year, fewer than 3 percent were for bringing a weapon to school.
The most common reason for suspension in Minnesota is "disruptive behavior," a broad category that includes laughing during a test and running around in the classroom. And it may be the category in which the decisions of teachers and principals are most subjective.
At Hopkins West Jr. High, officials meted out 20 suspensions for "disrespect." In the Anoka-Hennepin schools, nearly 3,400 suspensions were handed down to middle school students for "disrespectful, insubordination or language" reasons. Of the more than 500 children in kindergarten through third grade who were suspended in St. Paul last year, half were sent home for behavior for which district policy does not require suspension.
"Teachers have to develop more tolerance. And the only way they can get that is through teacher training," said Roger Banks, a research analyst for the Council on Black Minnesotans. "Discipline is a teaching moment. This is where your abilities as a teacher come into play."
Statewide, nearly 15,000 students were suspended for disruptive behavior; another 2,300 were sent home for things they said. That's nearly a quarter of all suspensions. And 40 percent of those kids were black.
Suspending students for being loud does more harm than good, said Philip Miner, director of community initiatives for the Minnesota Private College Council.
"My greatest concern with the data is this: I am of the mind that if you separate a kid from the classroom, learning stops," Miner said. "When we overlay that reality with the demographic data that suggests too few students of color graduate from high school, how do you reconcile the fact that we are bumping so many kids out of class and breaking their link with academic progress?"
Sometimes, the question of suspending a student or not is more muddled.
Cashon Richard, 15, was suspended a few times in middle school. "But it got real crazy this year," said the Washburn High School ninth-grader.
This year, Cashon -- who says he's a gang member -- has been sent home several times for fighting. But he's also been suspended for being three minutes late to class, for going to the bathroom without a pass and for sleeping at his desk. In all, he guesses, he has been suspended 15 times this school year.
Eleanor Coleman, chief of student support services for the Minneapolis public schools, said district officials are working to cut suspensions and find ways to head off issues before a child must be sent home. But school officials sometimes must consider a "pattern of behavior" by students, in which serious incidents combine with more minor ones to disrupt learning for other students.
"Students don't often think about how their behavior impacts the rest of the class and other children's ability to learn," she said. "Maybe a school is trying to send a message to a child."
Said Cashon: "I think the teachers just don't like me."
DeShawn Richard, Cashon's 19-year-old brother, is a rising local rapper who said Cashon's teachers seem quicker to send him home than when DeShawn went to school. "It's not like he gets mad when he gets suspended; it's not really a punishment," he said. "He's at a point now where he feels that everybody's giving up on him."
Forging relationships
Brandi Stamper answers a visitor's questions with a small, hard-to-hear voice. She's seldom quiet any other time -- including at school.
The 14-year-old at North View Junior High in the Osseo schools has been suspended twice for turning up her volume. "I think some teachers don't like me because I'm kind of loud," she said.
There is one teacher -- Denise Rupert -- who Brandi says is firm, funny and patient, "as long as you don't disrespect her."
Brandi's mom, Sheila Stamper, said: "That's really what the kids are looking for, to be heard."
A postscript: Brandi was suspended again Thursday and Friday for getting into an altercation with a girl who knocked her books out of her arms. Sheila Stamper learned about the suspension through a phone message.
Rhoda Mhiripiri-Reed, the principal at Champlin Park High School, said her school is working to close the achievement gap and cut suspensions by better connecting with students. Last year, black students accounted for 43 percent of the suspensions at Champlin Park High School but 14 percent of its enrollment. On April 22, the school held a voluntary assembly for black students to talk about academics and discipline. The gathering of about 400 students included performances, poetry and a presentation by Mhiripiri-Reed on the achievement gap. Then a panel of top Champlin Park students who are black led a wide-ranging discussion. The assembly lasted nearly three hours.
In addition, a group of teachers, students and staff members meets twice a month to talk about ways to improve the school climate.
At a recent meeting, teacher Marika Belusa talked about adjusting to "cultural differences" between black students and white. One difference, she said: Black kids are often just louder than white kids.
Aaron Kane, a social studies teacher, grew up in an all-white town in Wisconsin and attended Winona State. Getting a job at Champlin Park, with its blend of urban and suburban kids, "was a new experience for me." For the past eight years, he has worked to get to know all of his students. If you know them, he said, you're less likely to send them out when there's an issue. When they know you, there are fewer issues.
"When I send a kid to the office, I not only have lost that kid for today, but maybe for three days," Kane said.
Several teachers in the group said that with increasing pressure to raise test scores, some teachers -- squeezed by time and rising class sizes -- find it easier to send loud, challenging kids out of the room rather than work with them. They've had teachers warn them about a "problem" student before a class even starts.
But, Belusa said, "It's the time of a student's life when you have the most influence. Yes, we're a microcosm of the larger community. But to me, it's important that we tell our students, 'We're not just looking at what color you are.' We have to teach hope."
This year, the number of black students suspended at Champlin Park has been cut almost in half, Mhiripiri-Reed said. "So there's improvement."
Improvement, too, for Keenan Hooper. The boy who was suspended more times than he could remember has not been sent home once since becoming a ninth-grader at Champlin Park. Watching him move through his classes, it's easy to see he still goofs around and still, sometimes, has a motormouth. He also seems to have better relationships with his teachers. He certainly has a good one with his principal.
"Keenan?" Mhiripiri-Reed said, when asked about how his year has gone. "He's adorable."
James Walsh • 651-298-1541
COMING MONDAY: A St. Paul school confronts the issue.
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Comment on this story | Read all 39 comments
Schools need options, not quotas.
Perhaps the most disturbing statement in the article is the Principal saying that they got to get their numbers of suspending children of color under target! WHAT??? So if a child of color beats the tar out of someone, and the school is over target for suspensions they can't / won't suspend them??? Who is the genius that thought up this one???
posted by davidrhaas on May 18, 08 at 6:10 pm |
16 of 17 people liked this comment.
re: baloney
ok so in small towns there's no problem because every one there "takes responsibilty for there for there actions" no one acted up, no one dropped out why does every do people ever leave "paradise" and move to the city? and of course no white children ever fight or are disruptive in school. why is the concept that sometimes children are treated unfairly so difficult to believe. look people there is prejudice in the world. until we admit it we can begin to deal with it. if the article had said more girls are suspended than boys would there be this outcry? examine the situation. if there is no truth to it move on. but if we find there is we must deal with.
posted by jayydubb on May 18, 08 at 6:44 pm |
1 of 10 people liked this comment.
For everyone who cries discrimination...
In reality, the most discriminated people in society is the whites. Everyone else wants everything handed to them because they feel they are owed everything. Think about this, if three black kids beat the tar out of a white, they get suspended and most likely the parents will cry foul, but if three white kids beat up a black kid, all of society will scream racism. I think in general the african american have a general lack of respect for everybody else that has been taught them by parents and the community, so it should be no surprise that they get into trouble more. Why should they be "tolerated" when there are other kids trying to learn!
posted by robtune on May 18, 08 at 7:12 pm |
9 of 11 people liked this comment.
a substitute teachers view
I taught for ten years after college in the late seventies and eighties. Two years ago I returned to teaching and taught in Columbus Nebraska. I moved back to the cities recently and have been subbing in area schools. The bigest thing I se is the disrespect i get form several of the students and it is almost always black female students that talk back when you ask them to be quiet. To say that black students are louder is not an excuse to except it. With the larger classes ( 35 or more in some cases) you find, because of a decrease in the number of teachers, any disruption is quickly magnified. The behavior i have witness would not be tolerated my any employer - why should teachers
posted by joblanch on May 18, 08 at 7:46 pm |
4 of 4 people liked this comment.
Bill Cosby's book offers some insight
60 years have passed and how many children have been raised since Equal Opportunity laws were brought about? What responsibility does the black community have to clean up it's own house and quit blaming the white folk? Bill Cosby's book tells it like it is.
Champlin Park High School ninth-grader Keenan Hooper, 15, and school counselor Doyle Johnson had a friendly chat before the morning bell. Keenan was suspended often in middle school, but not once at the high school, where connecting with students and cutting suspensions are faculty priorities.
Black students are far more likely to be suspended from school than are their white classmates -- and Minnesota's disparity in suspensions is twice the national average. Why? What are the consequences?
By James Walsh, Star Tribune
Last update: May 18, 2008 - 12:35 PM
Featured comment
BALONEY !
It's "poverty"... it's "society"... it's the schools/teachers fault.... Doesn't anyone take responsibility for their actions any more ? I … read more grew up in a small town where everyone was poor. No one acted up, played thug, clown, or came to school with a chip on their shoulder. No one acted up.....Everyone graduated !
Add your own comment | Close comment
39 comments | See allPrint this story
E-mail this story
Save to del.icio.us
Share on newsvine
Share on Digg
Related Content
Audio slide show: About suspension – in their words
In their eyes, teachers too hasty in handing out punishment
Looking back: Some classroom lessons are clear
Getting to know kids is key to plan for improvement
Days at home for a 'sassy mouth'? Not in St. Paul
More from Lifestyle
A younger style of politics
Itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny, yellow polka dot ... tankini?
Soap Opera Digest
Sound advice: Connecting subwoofer is easy
Makeovers: From drab to fab
Keenan Hooper likes to joke around and admits he has a motormouth. He also admits to getting into trouble again and again with teachers weary of his antics. School officials have sent him home more times than Keenan or his mom can count. ¶ So often, in fact, during his past couple years at Jackson Middle School in Champlin that he was referred to special education for a "behavioral disability" and saw his grades plummet.
This is not what Keisha Hooper wants for her son, who is black. She said she has asked how sending him away is helping.
"Teachers need order in the classroom, I agree," Keisha Hooper said. "I think where we part ways is that they seem to lose patience with the black kids more than they do the white."
Black students in Minnesota are being suspended at a rate about six times that of white students, according to a Star Tribune analysis of state Department of Education data. Some are sent home for serious misbehavior, like fighting or drugs. But most are suspended for lesser incidents, such as talking in class, goofing around or challenging teachers -- offenses for which there is more disciplinary leeway.
Black children across the country are suspended more often than whites. But Minnesota's suspensions disparity is twice the national average.
It's an issue evident in schools across the metro area.
In Osseo schools, black students make up 22 percent of the enrollment but 62 percent of the students suspended.
In Eden Prairie, where black enrollment is 9 percent, 41 percent of the students suspended were black.
And in Wayzata, 35 percent of the students suspended were black, while black students were 7 percent of enrollment. Every Minnesota school district with black students suspends them at rates higher than whites.
The consequences, educators say, are especially significant because Minnesota already has one of the nation's largest achievement gaps between black and white students, as measured by test scores and graduation rates. Kicking black students out of class may be widening that gap at a time when it's becoming increasingly important to close it, some educators say.
"You can't teach them if they are not there," said St. Paul schools Superintendent Meria Carstarphen, who has made cutting the number of suspensions -- especially those imposed for more subjective reasons -- a priority. "If you're really serious about closing an achievement gap, you have got to go deeper. You've got to bore deep [into suspensions]."
Many educators say the cause of the disparity is a complex web, with threads running from cultural differences to breakdowns in some families to evolving definitions of what's effective teaching.
"There's no simple answer to it. I'm not sure what to do about it," said Delroy Calhoun, executive director of Bethlehem Community Center in Minneapolis and a longtime educator. "Something's wrong."
But any effort to study why black children are suspended more than whites should include looking at how well a mostly white teaching corps connects with an increasing number of black students, school officials say.
Some fresh signs of success dealing with the issue are apparent in schools where teachers and administrators are newly committed to connecting with kids on a personal level and working with challenging students in the classroom.
"If kids believe that we love them and we are passionate about what we do, they want to work for that relationship," said Kate Maguire, assistant superintendent for leadership, teaching and learning in the Osseo schools. "When you have a roomful of students who look like you, perhaps those relationships are easier. When they are different, it makes the intentionality of building those relationships ever more important."
She added: "It's about assumptions that we all carry with us. ... But you have to get in there and work and listen and play with people who are different from you."
Zero tolerance
Minnesota law requires children be sent home for such things as bringing a weapon to school, for assault or for possessing drugs, Carstarphen said. And even kids acknowledge that they should be suspended for fighting.
In those cases, Carstarphen said, families and the broader community must play a role in curbing misbehavior. For many kids, how they act in school is an extension of what they're doing at home and in their neighborhood, she said.
"This is not just a school system problem," she said. "This is also about families being able to take more responsibility for their kids outside the classroom. We need all hands on deck if we really want to change this."
She added: "We absolutely should hold kids to those standards. It's not like we're trying to send the message that kids shouldn't be suspended if they bring a gun to school."
But of the nearly 40,000 Minnesota students suspended last school year, fewer than 3 percent were for bringing a weapon to school.
The most common reason for suspension in Minnesota is "disruptive behavior," a broad category that includes laughing during a test and running around in the classroom. And it may be the category in which the decisions of teachers and principals are most subjective.
At Hopkins West Jr. High, officials meted out 20 suspensions for "disrespect." In the Anoka-Hennepin schools, nearly 3,400 suspensions were handed down to middle school students for "disrespectful, insubordination or language" reasons. Of the more than 500 children in kindergarten through third grade who were suspended in St. Paul last year, half were sent home for behavior for which district policy does not require suspension.
"Teachers have to develop more tolerance. And the only way they can get that is through teacher training," said Roger Banks, a research analyst for the Council on Black Minnesotans. "Discipline is a teaching moment. This is where your abilities as a teacher come into play."
Statewide, nearly 15,000 students were suspended for disruptive behavior; another 2,300 were sent home for things they said. That's nearly a quarter of all suspensions. And 40 percent of those kids were black.
Suspending students for being loud does more harm than good, said Philip Miner, director of community initiatives for the Minnesota Private College Council.
"My greatest concern with the data is this: I am of the mind that if you separate a kid from the classroom, learning stops," Miner said. "When we overlay that reality with the demographic data that suggests too few students of color graduate from high school, how do you reconcile the fact that we are bumping so many kids out of class and breaking their link with academic progress?"
Sometimes, the question of suspending a student or not is more muddled.
Cashon Richard, 15, was suspended a few times in middle school. "But it got real crazy this year," said the Washburn High School ninth-grader.
This year, Cashon -- who says he's a gang member -- has been sent home several times for fighting. But he's also been suspended for being three minutes late to class, for going to the bathroom without a pass and for sleeping at his desk. In all, he guesses, he has been suspended 15 times this school year.
Eleanor Coleman, chief of student support services for the Minneapolis public schools, said district officials are working to cut suspensions and find ways to head off issues before a child must be sent home. But school officials sometimes must consider a "pattern of behavior" by students, in which serious incidents combine with more minor ones to disrupt learning for other students.
"Students don't often think about how their behavior impacts the rest of the class and other children's ability to learn," she said. "Maybe a school is trying to send a message to a child."
Said Cashon: "I think the teachers just don't like me."
DeShawn Richard, Cashon's 19-year-old brother, is a rising local rapper who said Cashon's teachers seem quicker to send him home than when DeShawn went to school. "It's not like he gets mad when he gets suspended; it's not really a punishment," he said. "He's at a point now where he feels that everybody's giving up on him."
Forging relationships
Brandi Stamper answers a visitor's questions with a small, hard-to-hear voice. She's seldom quiet any other time -- including at school.
The 14-year-old at North View Junior High in the Osseo schools has been suspended twice for turning up her volume. "I think some teachers don't like me because I'm kind of loud," she said.
There is one teacher -- Denise Rupert -- who Brandi says is firm, funny and patient, "as long as you don't disrespect her."
Brandi's mom, Sheila Stamper, said: "That's really what the kids are looking for, to be heard."
A postscript: Brandi was suspended again Thursday and Friday for getting into an altercation with a girl who knocked her books out of her arms. Sheila Stamper learned about the suspension through a phone message.
Rhoda Mhiripiri-Reed, the principal at Champlin Park High School, said her school is working to close the achievement gap and cut suspensions by better connecting with students. Last year, black students accounted for 43 percent of the suspensions at Champlin Park High School but 14 percent of its enrollment. On April 22, the school held a voluntary assembly for black students to talk about academics and discipline. The gathering of about 400 students included performances, poetry and a presentation by Mhiripiri-Reed on the achievement gap. Then a panel of top Champlin Park students who are black led a wide-ranging discussion. The assembly lasted nearly three hours.
In addition, a group of teachers, students and staff members meets twice a month to talk about ways to improve the school climate.
At a recent meeting, teacher Marika Belusa talked about adjusting to "cultural differences" between black students and white. One difference, she said: Black kids are often just louder than white kids.
Aaron Kane, a social studies teacher, grew up in an all-white town in Wisconsin and attended Winona State. Getting a job at Champlin Park, with its blend of urban and suburban kids, "was a new experience for me." For the past eight years, he has worked to get to know all of his students. If you know them, he said, you're less likely to send them out when there's an issue. When they know you, there are fewer issues.
"When I send a kid to the office, I not only have lost that kid for today, but maybe for three days," Kane said.
Several teachers in the group said that with increasing pressure to raise test scores, some teachers -- squeezed by time and rising class sizes -- find it easier to send loud, challenging kids out of the room rather than work with them. They've had teachers warn them about a "problem" student before a class even starts.
But, Belusa said, "It's the time of a student's life when you have the most influence. Yes, we're a microcosm of the larger community. But to me, it's important that we tell our students, 'We're not just looking at what color you are.' We have to teach hope."
This year, the number of black students suspended at Champlin Park has been cut almost in half, Mhiripiri-Reed said. "So there's improvement."
Improvement, too, for Keenan Hooper. The boy who was suspended more times than he could remember has not been sent home once since becoming a ninth-grader at Champlin Park. Watching him move through his classes, it's easy to see he still goofs around and still, sometimes, has a motormouth. He also seems to have better relationships with his teachers. He certainly has a good one with his principal.
"Keenan?" Mhiripiri-Reed said, when asked about how his year has gone. "He's adorable."
James Walsh • 651-298-1541
COMING MONDAY: A St. Paul school confronts the issue.
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Comment on this story | Read all 39 comments
Schools need options, not quotas.
Perhaps the most disturbing statement in the article is the Principal saying that they got to get their numbers of suspending children of color under target! WHAT??? So if a child of color beats the tar out of someone, and the school is over target for suspensions they can't / won't suspend them??? Who is the genius that thought up this one???
posted by davidrhaas on May 18, 08 at 6:10 pm |
16 of 17 people liked this comment.
re: baloney
ok so in small towns there's no problem because every one there "takes responsibilty for there for there actions" no one acted up, no one dropped out why does every do people ever leave "paradise" and move to the city? and of course no white children ever fight or are disruptive in school. why is the concept that sometimes children are treated unfairly so difficult to believe. look people there is prejudice in the world. until we admit it we can begin to deal with it. if the article had said more girls are suspended than boys would there be this outcry? examine the situation. if there is no truth to it move on. but if we find there is we must deal with.
posted by jayydubb on May 18, 08 at 6:44 pm |
1 of 10 people liked this comment.
For everyone who cries discrimination...
In reality, the most discriminated people in society is the whites. Everyone else wants everything handed to them because they feel they are owed everything. Think about this, if three black kids beat the tar out of a white, they get suspended and most likely the parents will cry foul, but if three white kids beat up a black kid, all of society will scream racism. I think in general the african american have a general lack of respect for everybody else that has been taught them by parents and the community, so it should be no surprise that they get into trouble more. Why should they be "tolerated" when there are other kids trying to learn!
posted by robtune on May 18, 08 at 7:12 pm |
9 of 11 people liked this comment.
a substitute teachers view
I taught for ten years after college in the late seventies and eighties. Two years ago I returned to teaching and taught in Columbus Nebraska. I moved back to the cities recently and have been subbing in area schools. The bigest thing I se is the disrespect i get form several of the students and it is almost always black female students that talk back when you ask them to be quiet. To say that black students are louder is not an excuse to except it. With the larger classes ( 35 or more in some cases) you find, because of a decrease in the number of teachers, any disruption is quickly magnified. The behavior i have witness would not be tolerated my any employer - why should teachers
posted by joblanch on May 18, 08 at 7:46 pm |
4 of 4 people liked this comment.
Bill Cosby's book offers some insight
60 years have passed and how many children have been raised since Equal Opportunity laws were brought about? What responsibility does the black community have to clean up it's own house and quit blaming the white folk? Bill Cosby's book tells it like it is.
SCSU Student leaves training at Technical Hight School
SCSU student leaves training at Technical High School
By Dave Aeikens • daeikens@stcloudtimes.com • May 12, 2008
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A St. Cloud State University student in a teacher-training program at Technical High School left the school in late April because he says he feared for the safety of his service dog.
The school district calls it a misunderstanding, and officials there say they hoped Tyler Hurd, a 23-year-old junior from Mahtomedi who aspires to teach special education, would continue his training in the district.
Hurd said a student threatened to kill his service dog named Emmitt. The black lab is trained to protect Hurd when he has seizures.
The seizures, which can occur weekly, are from a childhood injury.
The dog has a pouch on his side that assists those who stop to help Hurd.
Hurd said he was unable to finish his 50 hours of field training at Tech. The university waived the remaining 10 hours, he said. He plans to do his student teaching outside a high school setting.
“We came up with a solution because I felt threatened by it," Hurd said.
The school district and university are working to make sure a similar situation doesn't happen.
Kate Steffens, dean of the college of education at St. Cloud State, and Tech assistant principal Lori Lockhart met Thursday.
The threat came from a Somali student who is Muslim, according to Hurd, St. Cloud State and school district officials.
The Muslim faith, which is the dominant faith of Somali immigrants, forbids the touching of dogs.
Hurd trained at Talahi Community School and Tech. He said his experience at Talahi was good. The Somali students there warmed to the dog and eventually petted him using paper to keep their hands off his fur, Hurd said.
Things didn't go as well at Tech, Hurd said. Students there taunted his dog, and he finally felt he had to leave after he was told a student made a threat. Hurd met with Lockhart but said he did not feel comfortable continuing.
Julia Espe, director of curriculum, instruction and assessment for St. Cloud school district, said the school needed to do a better job communicating.
“I think it was a misunderstanding where we didn't really prepare either side for possible implications," Espe said.
Espe said the school's investigation determined the student did not make a direct threat.
“We certainly welcome (Hurd) in our district, and we hope we can get this all resolved so he feels welcome and his dog is welcome," Espe said.
St. Cloud State places about 1,000 students in 240 schools to help prepare them for careers in education.
In St. Cloud school district, 330 are in the field training program Hurd was in and 94 are in student teaching.
Steffens said it is important to respect different cultures and the rights of disabled students.
“I think this is part of the growth process when we become more diverse," Steffens said.
Steffens called Hurd a good student and committed young man.
Gary Loch, who is the diversity coordinator for the district, said the situation was an unfortunate case of miscommunication.
“I'm not quite sure where the breakdown comes into play here," Loch said.
In your voice
Read reactions to this story
Newest first Oldest first
VoicesInTheHall wrote:
Replying to slapnutz:
Replying to SaintWEB:
ALL MUSLIMS need to be removed from our country. They need to be prevented from building their mosques on our land. The Constitutional Framers did not intend for Freedom of religion to include all sorts of wack job retards like Islam, Buddhists, Mormons, Satan Worshippers, or Televangelists. The intent was that the government would not establish a church like was done in England.
AMEN
Praise the Great Spirit!!
5/18/2008 2:43:26 PM
By Dave Aeikens • daeikens@stcloudtimes.com • May 12, 2008
Read Comments(339)Recommended (46)Print this page E-mail this article
Share this article: Del.icio.us Facebook Digg Reddit Newsvine What’s this?
A St. Cloud State University student in a teacher-training program at Technical High School left the school in late April because he says he feared for the safety of his service dog.
The school district calls it a misunderstanding, and officials there say they hoped Tyler Hurd, a 23-year-old junior from Mahtomedi who aspires to teach special education, would continue his training in the district.
Hurd said a student threatened to kill his service dog named Emmitt. The black lab is trained to protect Hurd when he has seizures.
The seizures, which can occur weekly, are from a childhood injury.
The dog has a pouch on his side that assists those who stop to help Hurd.
Hurd said he was unable to finish his 50 hours of field training at Tech. The university waived the remaining 10 hours, he said. He plans to do his student teaching outside a high school setting.
“We came up with a solution because I felt threatened by it," Hurd said.
The school district and university are working to make sure a similar situation doesn't happen.
Kate Steffens, dean of the college of education at St. Cloud State, and Tech assistant principal Lori Lockhart met Thursday.
The threat came from a Somali student who is Muslim, according to Hurd, St. Cloud State and school district officials.
The Muslim faith, which is the dominant faith of Somali immigrants, forbids the touching of dogs.
Hurd trained at Talahi Community School and Tech. He said his experience at Talahi was good. The Somali students there warmed to the dog and eventually petted him using paper to keep their hands off his fur, Hurd said.
Things didn't go as well at Tech, Hurd said. Students there taunted his dog, and he finally felt he had to leave after he was told a student made a threat. Hurd met with Lockhart but said he did not feel comfortable continuing.
Julia Espe, director of curriculum, instruction and assessment for St. Cloud school district, said the school needed to do a better job communicating.
“I think it was a misunderstanding where we didn't really prepare either side for possible implications," Espe said.
Espe said the school's investigation determined the student did not make a direct threat.
“We certainly welcome (Hurd) in our district, and we hope we can get this all resolved so he feels welcome and his dog is welcome," Espe said.
St. Cloud State places about 1,000 students in 240 schools to help prepare them for careers in education.
In St. Cloud school district, 330 are in the field training program Hurd was in and 94 are in student teaching.
Steffens said it is important to respect different cultures and the rights of disabled students.
“I think this is part of the growth process when we become more diverse," Steffens said.
Steffens called Hurd a good student and committed young man.
Gary Loch, who is the diversity coordinator for the district, said the situation was an unfortunate case of miscommunication.
“I'm not quite sure where the breakdown comes into play here," Loch said.
In your voice
Read reactions to this story
Newest first Oldest first
VoicesInTheHall wrote:
Replying to slapnutz:
Replying to SaintWEB:
ALL MUSLIMS need to be removed from our country. They need to be prevented from building their mosques on our land. The Constitutional Framers did not intend for Freedom of religion to include all sorts of wack job retards like Islam, Buddhists, Mormons, Satan Worshippers, or Televangelists. The intent was that the government would not establish a church like was done in England.
AMEN
Praise the Great Spirit!!
5/18/2008 2:43:26 PM
ALL MUSLIMS need to be removed from our country. They need to be prevented from building their mosques on our land. The Constitutional Framers did not intend for Freedom of religion to include all sorts of wack job retards like Islam, Buddhists, Mormons, Satan Worshippers, or Televangelists. The intent was that the government would not establish a church like was done in
Recommend New post Reply to this Post Report Abuse
VoicesInTheHall wrote:
"So, now, are we going to also accept female genital mutilation? How about requireing 4 witnesses to prove rape? Are we going to accept ALL of the Muslim "values"? I say NO."
Where, robscottw, has anyone moved to change any laws to make these things happen. Seems we move to absurdity in order to make fear. Are you afraid?
5/18/2008 2:38:40 PM"So, now, are we going to also accept female genital mutilation? How about requireing 4 witnesses to prove rape? Are we going to accept ALL of the Muslim "values"? I say NO."Where, robscottw, has anyone moved to change any laws to make these things happen. Seems we move to absurdity in order to make fear. Are you afraid?
VoicesInTheHall
Recommend New post Reply to this Post Report Abuse
VoicesInTheHall wrote:
"The Constitutional Framers did not intend for Freedom of religion to include all sorts of wack job retards like Islam, Buddhists, Mormons, Satan Worshippers, or Televangelists. The intent was that the government would not establish a church like was done in England."
SaintWEB, I think you wander through the dark alleys of ignorance on the matter of what should be allowed as religion in this Country. The Framers left the matter of Religion up to the individuals rather than popular opinion or government to decide.
Perhaps you should first try to find and read the words of the First Amendment.
5/18/2008 2:35:15 PM"The Constitutional Framers did not intend for Freedom of religion to include all sorts of wack job retards like Islam, Buddhists, Mormons, Satan Worshippers, or Televangelists. The intent was that the government would not establish a church like was done in England."
SaintWEB, I think you wander through the dark alleys of ignorance on the matter of what should be allowed as religion in this Country. The Framers left the matter of Religion up to the individuals rather than popular opinion or government to decide.
Perhaps you should first try to find and read the words of the First Amendment.
VoicesInTheHall
Recommend New post Reply to this Post Report Abuse
justbehuman wrote:
Outrageous behavior by Muslims forces a student with siezures to leave school for fear his service dog will be killed.
Just look at all the deceptive horse manure the authorities come up with:
�I think it was a misunderstanding where we didn't really prepare either side for possible implications," Espe said. (Either side?)
�I think this is part of the growth process when we become more diverse," Steffens said. (Taunting and threatening a service dog?)
The school district calls it a misunderstanding (what exactly was the misunderstanding?)
Gary Loch, who is the diversity coordinator (!) for the district, said the situation was an unfortunate case of miscommunication (what was the nature of the miscommunication? Nobody explained to them they shouldn't taunt or threaten to kill a service dog?)
�I'm not quite sure where the breakdown comes into play here," Loch said. ("the breakdown" is in your addled brains)
5/18/2008 9:35:47 AM Outrageous behavior by Muslims forces a student with siezures to leave school for fear his service dog will be killed.
Just look at all the deceptive horse manure the authorities come up with:
�I think it was a misunderstanding where we didn't really prepare either side for possible implications," Espe said. (Either side?)
�I think this is part of the growth process when we become more diverse," Steffens said. (Taunting and threatening a service dog?)
The school district calls it a misunderstanding (what exactly was the misunderstanding?)
Gary Loch, who is the diversity coordinator (!) for the district, said the situation was an unfortunate case of miscommunication (what was the nature of the miscommunication? Nobody explained to them they shouldn't taunt or threaten to kill a service dog?)
�I'm not quite sure where the breakdown comes into play here," Loch said. ("the breakdown" is in your addled brains) justbehuman
Recommend New post Reply to this Post Report Abuse
slapnutz wrote:
Replying to SaintWEB:
ALL MUSLIMS need to be removed from our country. They need to be prevented from building their mosques on our land. The Constitutional Framers did not intend for Freedom of religion to include all sorts of wack job retards like Islam, Buddhists, Mormons, Satan Worshippers, or Televangelists. The intent was that the government would not establish a church like was done in England.
AMEN
I don't think the kid who said he wanted to kill his dog should get off without punishment. This is a terroristic threat. I believe he should get at least a day suspension for this.
You ask why the student making the threat wasn't suspended? You know the answer to that. The student who made a threat was not caucasian
IMwithSTUPID wrote:
the problem here is the poor young man who is acheiving his dream while overcoming REAL adversity (not just percieved adversity) looks to much like a regular white dude, and thus is not afforded extra protection under our laws
Free: Haven't you noticed? If someone does something bad, and they happen to be Somalian or Muslim, then their action was dictated by their faith or ethnicity. If a Christian does something bad, it's despite their faith or they seek forgiveness. The only time we lump Christianity into everything, is when we want to use it to define what it means to be "Good" and "Moral"...only Christians can define what those two words mean.
A kid threatened a dog. Somalian Muslims in St. Cloud have spoken out against it. Hurd himself said it wasn't about the Muslim faith. Yet people in this community chomp at the bit to find reasons not to like Muslims. Perhaps THAT is the reason for the sate of our Nation now.
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