Pam, I agree with you entirely.  When teachers and students face classrooms
of 40 or more children crammed into rooms that are too small and improperly
ventilated; when facilities require that an entire district of three or four
high schools and several more middle schools share a single swimming pool or
auditorium; when small salaries and lack of appreciation for the position
drive intelligent and talented individuals to become lawyers, doctors or
accountants instead--when all of these things happen, and more, it's only
too easy to see what we should be spending our money on.

Scott

----- Original Message -----
From: pam <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, June 01, 2003 10:44 PM
Subject: Re: Sterilization (was Re: My Job)


> To facilitate people moving out of the culture of poverty, I believe we
need
> to pour money into schools in low-income areas. We need to equalize the
> educational system and provide real opportunity to kids coming out of this
> culture. The culture of poverty is also a culture of hopelessness. In the
> early '80s a business woman in Oakland told a class of 1st graders from
> low-income families that she would pay for their college educations if
they
> would do well enough to get into college. She kept in touch with over the
> years, providing mentors and making sure they had tutoring when necessary.
> Every one of those student went to college.
>
> Pam
>
>
>
>
> > The theory of the culture of poverty as Lewis described it has been
proven
> > in the field of Applied Anthropology, and his studies are pretty much
> dogma.
> > It's the mindset that goes with this 'culture' that I'm talking about
and
> it
> > can be one of resignation or dependence, the end result is the same:
> living
> > entirely in the present, with little or no ability to conceive of the
> future
> > and how to plan for it.  As I said earlier, I can see why that happens.
> > However just as one can move from one culture into another, you can move
> out
> > of the culture of poverty.  It's not easy but you can do it.
> >
> > Kat
> > >
>