Everything After - A 9.11 Youth Circle

Do you think schools do enough to make kids aware and accepting of difference? What does your school do? When did these "courses" start? Do you think they should have been started earlier? Do you think students really listened to what was being said, or did it just kind of go in one ear and out the other?

What Courses? Honestly, my school is full of people who act the same, think the same, believe the same, talk the same, etc. Its sad. Our school is about as diverse as... um... (I'm having trouble thinking of a good metaphor, here) I don't know. But they're all Christian (oh, they're the odd aethiest or Marilyn Manson type... but mainly) Conservative Americans.

Seriously...discrimination is a really big factor at my school..and the thing is it's reverse discrimination. I am not predjudice, nor have I ever been, but this is how it is: The african americans at my school think they can get away with whatever they want, and they do. One of our assistant principals is african american and she hates all the white girls and the guys who aren't football players. The teachers do nothing to stop it, personally I think they're afraid of them. As for the rest of us, it doesn't matter what social group you're in: football players, cheerleaders, drama kids, valley kids, mountain kids, ROTC people, band people, etc..we all dress and act the same. And we still have people we don't like. There are no courses to teach diversity and I think the way our school thinks is "live and let live." We don't bother them, they don't bother us. There is no diversity and it makes me sad b/c we're all a bunch of clones. You try and stand out and all of a sudden you're "wierd." You can't win for losing. Which is why I just try to blend in..it's really all you can do.

Seriously at my old school when I was in public schools(I'm homeschooled now), the teachers and even principals made a big difference between the football players, cheerleaders, wrestling, soccor and every other sport we had there.... But then they also made a difference between the girls who were a size like 4 and the girls who were an average size(14+). For example my friend who was a lil heavy, probably a size like 16, wore a tank top to school on a hot day since we didn't have ac and they asked her to change but then this girl who was like a size 4 wore a tank top that same day and they didn't say a word to them. The school says they enforce the dress code for everyone and I'm sorry they don't! Also at my school, there were no classes for diversity. We also had only like 2 African-American kids in our school and I can imagine how they felt 'cause they were a minority in our school and I know the teachers treated them different.

Dress code? You mean I don't go to the only school that has it? WOW...actually they only enforce the dress code here on those of us who aren't popular...GOD FORBID my pants are frayed on the bottom, but if one of the popular girls has frayed pants it's like oh well. Same goes for us tucking in our shirts, which is a dumb concept, b/c there are some overwieght people who aren't comfortable with tucking their shirts in and wearing belts..I personally don't tuck my shirts in, and they never say anything to me. Maybe that's cause the principal knows better than to say anything to me, I've had words with him a couple times. Back to the subject...I think dress code is made up to make the school look good, rather than stop discrimination and violence b/c all it does it cause discrimination among the faculty towards the less popular students. Thank goodness it doesn't only happen here though... :)

Umm I dunno I haven't had the pleasure of being in like a "diversity awareness" class of any sort but I have read similar pamphlets! Heh. I dunno I'm all for educating people and stuff but I wonder if these classes might fall into the trap of teaching political correctness verses teaching tolerance and really opening someone's mind.