What really goes on in inner-city schools

In response to Ruben Navarette's "Flunking in education" column, I can say as a retired teacher from the inner city of Chicago that Mr. Navarette has no idea what goes on in an inner-city school.

After five or six weeks many of the students have lost their books. The teachers must not let the students take their books home, for fear that they will be lost and therefore homework, if done by the students, must be done on copysheets. Some students go from class to class disrupting each class so that the teacher cannot talk to the students. Some gang leaders intimidate the students in the class so that students do not respond to the teacher. Some students even beat up students who get good grades in class.

Sometimes, in order to stop the teacher from teaching the students, do not as a group bring their books to class, nor pen and paper. Some students know how to get rid of a teacher, especially one who gives the students class and homework regularly - by repeatedly disrupting the class so that principal sees a disruptive class. If the students see that the teacher is being graded on how well the students do on standardized tests, the students as a group may purposefully do poorly on the end-of-the-year test. This is what may go on in some schools.

The No Child Left Behind Act only deals with teachers, not with the actuality of student behavior as most politically motivated, uninformed pundits on education are trying to blame the teachers and break the teachers unions. How do you teach the many kids who do not even come to school regularly? Beside the teachers, the students must do their part as well in participating in their education.

Stewart Brekke

Downers Grove