Lupe Saldana Answerability and the Educational school system I began teaching an alternative education class in April of 2002, after the regular teacher never came back one day. These kids are not high school dropouts, but elementary students from kindergarten to third grade whose ages range from 5-8 years old. Already at their very young age, they had been kicked out of several elementary schools, and were sent to me to help them in an alternative setting. According to the program, this was suppose to be a classroom where they received the same education as any where else, but were worked with in a much smaller setting to fix there major behavioral problems with the help of psychologist, staff, social workers, counselors, and parents. It was located in a storefront. An office space in a plaza next door to a barbershop and a tax service. At first, I understood why the class was located where it was. The kids were uncontrollable in a regular school setting. It seemed logical especially when I saw some of there behaviors, but as I began working with them I realized a lot of there problems were due to lack of attention and love. They just wanted to feel loved and wanted. The kids: I want to describe some of the kids and what they went through in there daily lives and give some type of explanation of why they were so uncontrollable. Aaron- Aaron was at the program when I arrived. He had been there for four months. He was in the end first grade, only six years old, but could not read one word or add. He had been kicked out for hitting other kids, hitting the teacher, running around the school, major defiance, and screaming uncontrollably. As I got to work with Aaron, I met his family mom was a drug addict. Dad was not around, but mom’s new boyfriend was a wife beater and child abuser. He was the oldest of three other kids. Mom was very young. Grandparents were no better than the mom. They looked very ill themselves. He came dirty to school all the time. Sometimes extremely hungry from not having dinner the day before. That is why I used to pack lunches in his bag pack even though I was told to throw them away because it was against regulations. As time went bye I got really close to Aaron and even though his behavior improved I could not let him go back to regular school due to the fear I had of him being lost in the system. At least I had some control of what he learned and some love from me. Travis- When I met Travis he scared me. The mom’s stories of him wanting to kill himself, choking other kids, and hitting himself against the wall until his head bleed. I was scared to think what affect he might have on the other kids. But as I began to work with him I realized all he wanted was a hug. I gave him one every morning. He was happy. He would come in frowning but them he would smile. He could not read or add. We began working very slowly and he loved to learn. He was a second grader. He did not miss a day of school. He did not even want to go home. Mom was too hard on him and did not know how to show emotion. She would hit him a lot. Once the teacher next door told me that she had seen a major bruise on his hand. I tried to report it, but since I did not see it and he never came back to school after that day. I never knew what happened to him. I sent people out to look for him, but no one would do anything. Still today I think about him and I wonder if he is ok! Norman - Abused, no parents got kicked out for fighting, hitting teachers and fighting all the time. Stepparents are sick of him. Has repeated first grade three times. Cannot read. Tim- Abused, no parents ­drug attics, got kicked out for fighting, destroying school property and fighting all the time. Just wants dad to take him out. Dornell- Oldest of five kids, mom is very young, lives in projects, cleans house and takes care of kids to please mom and receive love from her, moms boyfriend is drug seller. Got kicked out for same reasons as TIM. Juan- wants mom just to love him. Mom has new family with new boyfriend and hates that Juan is there. Gets no attention or love. Is out in the street all day long. Anthony- has been kicked out for a gun at school. He is a second grader. He can not read. Carries a knife to protect him because some young gang kids in the neighborhood have already staved him in the eye. He belongs to a gang. I will write more intensely about these kids later. Just wanted to give an over view. The truth of the program: The truth is that not the assistant Sup. Attent. Of elementary schools will help with these kids. These are poor, black/Hispanic young kids, boys and who come from the hardest neighborhoods in the city. Where drug attics and drug sellers are part of their lives. They grow up alone and lacking attention or love. The school cannot make the parents help these kids. But the school system doesn’t help either. They have no money for these kids. We play in alley because they so badly want to go outside and play that I take them out even though I am not suppose to, but their kids. There is no psychs, no counselors, no parents and no social workers. There are no books and what little there is are old and recycled from the warehouse. I pack lunches in there bag packs. I try to get them uniforms from other places. I ask the barbershop to give them free haircuts. But no one will answer to the badly need that these kids need. No one will give me answers of why do we have to let these kids be a reproduction of the system. We are setting these kids up to fail and no one cares. The school system as a social reproduction of inequality is where I used to work, but after a year and half of it. I left because no one would answer to these kids. I was fighting someone who had too much power and just gave up on these kids. I have forwarded some pictures of the kids and I playing in the alley and my classroom that I tried to decorate to look alive.