The Obvious Question November 26, 2007
Posted by Webmaster in Armed Forces and Military, Education, Racial Differences.trackback
AFP:
Military training program for teens expands in US
CHICAGO (AFP) - Dozens of teens dressed in uniforms provided by the US Marines stand at attention in the gym of a Chicago public high school as a drill sergeant goes through a list of the day’s do’s and don’ts.
(snip)
This is particularly troubling given that the programs are concentrated in low-income and minority neighborhoods, said Sheena Gibbs, a spokeswoman for the Chicago branch of the American Friends Service Committee which lobbies against the programs.
“If you want to teach discipline and leadership then do it for everyone and don’t make them wear (military) uniforms,” Gibbs said. “Students (at regular schools) protest that they have to still share books but the military academy has laptops.”
(snip)
And every morning in formation, Sgt. Major Smith draws a line between the discipline and stability of the Marines and the chaos of the high-crime, low income neighborhood where most of the students live.
“My elementary school was out of control. Everybody just did whatever they wanted,” said Mariah Coleman, 14.
“Here there’s discipline, but there’s freedom as well. Everybody just respects each other and we get respect from the teachers.”
Why does it take a quasi-military program to bring discipline to “low-income and minority” schools? Other schools haven’t had severe discipline problems, even without J-ROTC.
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