Yes, I agree that some of the more "visible shootings" have been
committed by adolescents who are white. This may increase concern or add a
sense of urgency to explore and improve conditions in our schools. It is
both an encouraging and discouraging comment: that we (American society
generalized) have to wait until enough white kids get caught up in doing
the damage that we tune into structural problems in schools. We (American
society generalized) seem to disregard "problems" or individualize them if
the "problems" are black, or latino/latina, or some other non-dominant
group. So easy to say, then, it's just those ________'s, it's their
problem. When it is one of "our kind," we seem to pay more attention. Sad
but true.
My deep sense of loss and discouragement is that feeling in my gut
that if more dominant kids don't get caught up in the violence, the
violence happening with kids who are from other ethnic and racial
backgrounds will continue to be ignored. Instrumental rationality, yes,
material conditions, yes, schools built for sorting, yes. I guess my
question back to you is, why is it so difficult to "get" folks to see,
recognize, pay attention to structural factors? Granted we have raised
"individualism" to a religion here, but there is so much evidence ...
Thanks for your ideas, Marc. Jennifer
_______________________________________________
Jennifer A. Vadeboncoeur, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Curriculum and Instruction
Montana State University
120 Reid Hall, Department of Education
Bozeman, MT 59717
Office: (406) 994-6457
Fax: (406) 994-3261