blog entry #2 :: pg 201-300

Education is stressed throughout pages 201-300. Alot of things have been happening at Crenshaw's Gifted Program. Olivia still struggles coming to school on time, Toya trying to find a school for teenage mothers, Ms.Little still feeling assaulted by the "racism" the staff gives to her, Curt awaiting his acceptance letter from Standford, and danielle and her father"s bond. All the students that attend Crenshaw"s gifted program are all alike in one way: education. Through all the obstacles they face throughout thier lives, they have one main priority which is education. They believe that through education they can get out the hood and actually achieve somrthing far better than what they're parents had given them. Take for example Toya. Toya is a very bright girl who all of a sudden returned to Crenshaw with a 10 day old baby, an unexpected birth that shocked everyone especially braxton. But Toya didnt quit there and she was not about to become a statistic. She did everything she could do to gain her education to get her and her new born baby out the struggle without the help of her aunt. Toya and the rest of the students all have this urge to suceed in life so they can become better.



clarification: who is tommie smith? and why is he important?
application : Do you think that your future depends on how your parents raise you? Why? or why not ?
application: if you were in olivia's shoes and was in jail would you give up on school? or just keep going?

And Still We Rise ( post #1 pgs 101-200 )

What comes to mind when you hear South Central in LA ? Crenshaw High School ? Most likely you would be thinking pregnant teenagers , gang banging, and drive by shooting every day , probably people fearing for their lives every day and afraid of coming out the house. But what people dont see are the determined, dedicated, and intelligent scholars there are in the "ghetto." America sees South Central to be a place of unreliable , no future people. But in Miles Corwin's book, "And Still We Rise" shows the life of the 12 gifted talented minority students who struggle everyday in life and still be able to maintain a 4.0 GPA and get accepted in the top UC's over white students. Corwin mainly focuses on the students and not the teachers. He focuses on obstacles the students must face just to graduate school. The students goes through family issues, financial issues, and social issues. And Corwin follows the life of the 12 students lives and tell their miracoulous stories.


Discussion Questions:
Clarification: Do you think teachers affect their students more than their parents?
Application : How does the media make the minority community looks affect the opinions of other people?