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.
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