By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog
Over the weekend, Save Jerseyans, I was hanging out with two good friends on the (very) late end and caught an early morning broadcast of one of my favorite movies, Lean On Me, the classic film starring Morgan Freeman based on Paterson’s legendary tough-talking principal and passionate school choice advocate Joe Clark.
Clark worked his magic in Paterson back in the mid-1980s. It didn’t last. About 30 years later, the city’s education system hasn’t maintained any of the momentum.
Our politicians should re-watch the movie. They’re still operating under the misguided assumption that money is the x-factor behind a quality education. Joe Clark proved that that was, pardon my French, complete and utter bullshit. The learning environment is what makes the difference; $50 million facilities can’t compensate for a dead culture ruled by shattered homes, drug dealers and violent gangs.
We’re losing the battle. Look what happened at the Monroeville Mall (outside Pittsburgh) on Friday night:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSzARapTUO4
The epidemic of “police violence” sweeping America is imaginary. Classrooms resembling the chaos witnessed at the mall above ^^ are terrifyingly real.
Check this out (shot earlier in 2014 down Texas way):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehpG2HF8Z1I
I can only imagine what Principal Clark would say to those students (and the teacher) starring in this video.
“This is an institution of learning, ladies and gentlemen,” Freeman, depicting Joe Clark, declares in the 1989 movie. “If you can’t control it, how can you teach? Discipline is not the enemy of enthusiasm!”
Yup. Want to change our schools? Change the culture. Too bad almost no one currently in charge shares his enthusiasm for common sense.
In some cases bad behavior is several generations deep – learned at home and among peers. That behavior is not going to be changed by any government program no matter what level of funding is provided.
What ever happened to Joe Clark?
@Brian Amen. Now we need to vote for politicians who have the courage to say it and act on it.
Also getting corporations back into OUR cities so businesses can grow and there are employment opportunities for students in our inner cities.
Moolies being moolies. Am I the ONLY one with the cuiones to say what needs to be said?