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Friday, July 13, 2012

The One Educational Conversation No One Wants To Discuss



Part 4

This is an extension of part three.   This section discusses social issues that influences student learning and classroom interaction. These problems affect entire families and communities.

FEMALES:

The Sadker study found indications that African-American girls fare even worse than white girls in classroom interaction.  Although black girls try to initiate more teacher contact than any other group, they are frequently rebuffed, and usually receive less teacher reinforcement.

Even, the odds of a young white women being a murder victim are 1 in 369; for a young white man 1 in 131; for a black female 1 in 104 and for a black male, 1 in 21. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (CDC) reported that among females, blacks had higher homicide rates than other racial/ethnic groups; however, American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/AN) women aged 30--49 years also had high rates. These findings indicate heightened risk for females during adulthood, which might be indicative of intimate partner--related homicide. These findings also are consistent with a study that reported high rates of intimate partner-related homicide among black women aged 20--39 years and another study that estimated that one third (30.7%) of AI/AN women aged ≥18 years had been physically assaulted by an intimate partner in their lifetime.

Although the 1999--2007 homicide rates were highest among blacks, their rate for 2007 represents a substantial decrease compared with the early 1990s. In 1991, the homicide rate among non-Hispanic blacks peaked at 38 deaths per 100,000 population, which was nearly twice the rate reported in 2007. Similar decreases from the early 1990s to the mid-2000s were observed among the other racial/ethnic minorities.

MALES:
Approximately 1 in every 3 black males teenagers is unemployed and those who are working take home paychecks with 30% less salary that white workers.  It has been reported that in major cites like New York, Chicago, and Milwaukee unemployment can be as high as 68%.

It’s estimated that 25% of black youths’ income results directly from crime and 1 in every 6 males is arrested by age 19. When you live with this much blight, it is difficult to fine hope in your environment. It becomes difficult for a teacher to tell their student to excel in education when their family and community that consist of the educated and the non-educated are equally unemployed.

The CDC's study indicates that during 2007, homicide rates were highest among persons aged 15--34 years, and the overall unadjusted rate for males was approximately 4 times that of females (9.8 versus 2.5 deaths per 100,000 population, respectively). Unadjusted homicide rates were highest among blacks (23.1 deaths per 100,000), followed by American Indians/Alaska Natives (7.8) and Hispanics (7.6), then whites (2.7) and Asian and Pacific Islanders (A/PIs) (2.4).

Additional analyses by age, race/ethnicity, and sex revealed that black males aged 15--34 years were at greatest risk for death by homicide. Based on the available data, black females also had the highest homicide rates compared with females in other racial/ethnic groups within each age category, with the exception of women aged 30--49 years. Homicide is the leading cause of death for young black men. In New York City, about 3 out of 4 black males never make it to graduation.  In Milwaukee, 94% of all expelled students are African-American boys.


Suicide:

Reflecting on my prior posting that conclude with the issue of suicide.  In 2006 , 1954 African Americans completed suicide in the U.S.. Of these, 1669 (85%) were males (rate of 8.8 per 100,000).  The suicide rate for females was 1.4 per 100,000. In 2006, there were only 285 African American female suicides. 

The ratio of African American males to female was 5.85 to 1.  The suicide rate among African American females was the lowest of all racial gender groups.  As with all racial groups, African American females were more likely than males to attempt suicide and African American males were more likely to complete suicide.

CDC indicated suicide was the third leading cause of death among African American youth (ages 10-19), after homicides and accidents. The suicide rate for young African American youth was 2.62 per 100,000 (n=182).  For African American youth, the rate of male suicide (4.34 per 100,000) was 5.1 times higher than that of females (0.85 per 100,000).

African American youth suicide rates were generally low until the beginning of the 1980’s when rates started to increase radically.  Between 1981 and 1994, the rate increased 78%.  Since then, the rate has decreased significantly. 

The American Association of Suicidology  states that males accounted for 90.5% of African American elderly (65 and older) suicides.   Firearms were the predominant method of suicide among African Americans regardless of gender and age, accounting for roughly 52% of all suicides.  
 
So I ask the question again, what can be so wrong in someone’s life that they are willing to commit suicide.  The answer in many cases is nothing. There is nothing wrong; however there can be biochemical factors that can be contributing factors.   An article written by Dawn Turner Trice of the ChicagoTribune about a high school student name Duane Christopher Peterson Jr. who lost his fight with depression by committing suicide. 

Junior Seau a man that also had everything to live for also took his own life. I spoke with a someone about the passing of Junior Seau.  They refuse to acknowledge that in the mist of a wonderful life that maybe he (as we all do to some degree) was facing some demons in his life.  Their response was that it just seems fishy that he would do this.  I attempted to explain with my limited knowledge of suicide that one who commits or even contemplates suicide does not necessary think about life the same way as someone else.  Duane Peterson is an example of how biologicalfactors played a role in his death.  In Junior Seau case, there is  growing conversation that head injuries that football players incur may be a contributing factor.  

Just recently, of the Los Angeles Times wrote about a study of the T.gondii parasite that could contribute to the attempt of suicide. Researchers estimate that T.gondii is carried by 10% to 20% of Americans, who can get it by changing litter used by infected cats or eating undercooked meat from an animal carrying the bug. Whatever the cause, it seems that we shy away from the conversation of suicide for various reasons including religious beliefs. In this rapidly changing world we need to learn how to be sensitive to this ailment and  find ways to help students to cope with mental ailments.

Image a student in a classroom trying to make sense of their world who may be suffering from daily thoughts of do I live or is it time to die. Remember this student is someone’s child and that child might be sitting next to you right now.