8th graders show solidarity

newyawka "They gonna eat your shoulders."
Posts: 2860 Joined: 13-10-05
Submitted by newyawka on 21 May, 2008 - 18:31.
Quote:
Students at a South Bronx middle school have pulled off a stunning boycott against standardized testing.

More than 160 students in six different classes at Intermediate School 318 in the South Bronx - virtually the entire eighth grade - refused to take last Wednesday's three-hour practice exam for next month's statewide social studies test.

Instead, the students handed in blank exams.

Then they submitted signed petitions with a list of grievances to school Principal Maria Lopez and the Department of Education.

"We've had a whole bunch of these diagnostic tests all year," Tatiana Nelson, 13, one of the protest leaders, said Tuesday outside the school. "They don't even count toward our grades. The school system's just treating us like test dummies for the companies that make the exams."

...

"They're saying Mr. Avella made us do this," said Johnny Cruz, 15, another boycott leader. "They don't think we have brains of our own, like we're robots. We students wanted to make this statement. The school is oppressing us too much with all these tests."

link

Jess "The heart of a heartless world."
Posts: 1993 Joined: 26-11-04 Location: Brighton
21 May, 2008 - 19:34

AMAZING, I hope british kids start doing this with their SATs. I remember being told they were really important, some kids got really stressed about it, when all they're for is the school league tables.

Refused "LibCom's official social secretary"
Posts: 6145 Joined: 28-09-04 Location: Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
21 May, 2008 - 19:38
Tatiana Nelson wrote:
We've had a whole bunch of these diagnostic tests all year...

Lol, stay in school kid.

Jess "The heart of a heartless world."
Posts: 1993 Joined: 26-11-04 Location: Brighton
21 May, 2008 - 19:42

Why isn't it diagnostic?

newyawka "They gonna eat your shoulders."
Posts: 2860 Joined: 13-10-05
21 May, 2008 - 20:29

jess is right, that's a technical education term.

Refused "LibCom's official social secretary"
Posts: 6145 Joined: 28-09-04 Location: Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
21 May, 2008 - 20:45

I did it for the lulz. angry

Seriously though, the kids are alright.

the button "jesus christ, john, have you actually even read any marx?"
Posts: 5636 Joined: 07-07-04 Location: Lewisham, London
21 May, 2008 - 20:46
Refused wrote:
Seriously though, the kids are alright.

Jess "The heart of a heartless world."
Posts: 1993 Joined: 26-11-04 Location: Brighton
21 May, 2008 - 21:01

ncwob "'I hope the bourgoeisie will remember my carbuncles until their dying day' - K. Marx "
Posts: 533 Joined: 05-10-07 Location: North Carolina
21 May, 2008 - 21:03

God bless 'um...

David in Atlanta ""crude reductionist version of marxism""
Posts: 1713 Joined: 21-04-06
25 May, 2008 - 15:15

What's going on in eighth grades up in the northeast?
I just found this:

Quote:
Eighth graders get detentions for paying for lunch in pennies
by John Holl/The Star-Ledger
Friday February 29, 2008, 4:52 PM

Twenty-nine eighth graders at a Hunterdon County school received two days detention after they paid for their $2 lunches with pennies, officials said.
File Photo/Matt Rainey/The Star-LedgerSchool cafeteria lunch line.

The 8th graders at Readington Middle School were protesting having only 30 minutes for lunch each day. They received detentions for slowing the cafeteria line and disrespecting lunch aides, who had to count the 5,800 copper-plated coins, said Superintendent Jorden Schiff.

pghwob "Not an apologist for SEIU"
Posts: 683 Joined: 09-12-06 Location: CITIZEN OF INDUSTRY
25 May, 2008 - 15:30

You haven't heard of the new Jr. Wobblies?

catch "unpractical[sic] and blinkered"
Posts: 9935 Joined: 07-02-06 Location: London
25 May, 2008 - 15:36

This is amazing.

David in Atlanta ""crude reductionist version of marxism""
Posts: 1713 Joined: 21-04-06
25 May, 2008 - 15:38

as an update, the detentions were lifted due to massive solidarity on the part of the kids parents.

Catch 22
Posts: 494 Joined: 01-04-06
25 May, 2008 - 17:07

Well the song is called "hijos de Pueblo" for a reason. Go get em kids!

EdmontonWobbly "Sombre, jaded class warrior."
Posts: 1312 Joined: 25-03-06 Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
25 May, 2008 - 17:09

Shit is there a way we can send letters of support to these kids?

newyawka "They gonna eat your shoulders."
Posts: 2860 Joined: 13-10-05
25 May, 2008 - 17:19
Quote:
Eighth graders get detentions for paying for lunch in pennies
by John Holl/The Star-Ledger
Friday February 29, 2008, 4:52 PM

Twenty-nine eighth graders at a Hunterdon County school received two days detention after they paid for their $2 lunches with pennies, officials said.
File Photo/Matt Rainey/The Star-LedgerSchool cafeteria lunch line.

The 8th graders at Readington Middle School were protesting having only 30 minutes for lunch each day. They received detentions for slowing the cafeteria line and disrespecting lunch aides, who had to count the 5,800 copper-plated coins, said Superintendent Jorden Schiff.

this is just like the IWW starbucks tactic. that was stupid, this is stupid. i express solidarity with the lunch aides.

OliverTwister "Tied directly to Bekken and the Philly camp"
Posts: 2190 Joined: 10-10-05 Location: San Francisco, USA
25 May, 2008 - 20:58
newyawka wrote:
Quote:
Eighth graders get detentions for paying for lunch in pennies
by John Holl/The Star-Ledger
Friday February 29, 2008, 4:52 PM

Twenty-nine eighth graders at a Hunterdon County school received two days detention after they paid for their $2 lunches with pennies, officials said.
File Photo/Matt Rainey/The Star-LedgerSchool cafeteria lunch line.

The 8th graders at Readington Middle School were protesting having only 30 minutes for lunch each day. They received detentions for slowing the cafeteria line and disrespecting lunch aides, who had to count the 5,800 copper-plated coins, said Superintendent Jorden Schiff.

this is just like the IWW starbucks tactic. that was stupid, this is stupid. i express solidarity with the lunch aides.

Ridiculous. The difference is that the kids are reacting to the conditions forced on them by the authorities, and they don't have a lot of ways to do that.

If some prisoners went on hunger strike against shitty conditions would you express solidarity with the doctors who have to force-feed them?

the button "jesus christ, john, have you actually even read any marx?"
Posts: 5636 Joined: 07-07-04 Location: Lewisham, London
25 May, 2008 - 21:03

Sk00lz r pR1s0n2!!!!111!!!!

black bloc

thugarchist "Warning: This poster is recuperating our struggle!!!11"
Posts: 4114 Joined: 26-11-06 Location: Seattle, WA US of A
25 May, 2008 - 21:04

The lunch ladies are our oppressors.

the button "jesus christ, john, have you actually even read any marx?"
Posts: 5636 Joined: 07-07-04 Location: Lewisham, London
25 May, 2008 - 21:30

The prison guards of the education machine. cry

fnbrill "Mocking In the Fee World"
Posts: 745 Joined: 13-01-07
25 May, 2008 - 21:46

My first protest was one I and some friends organized in 7th grade. Back then. 1970, there was Boys and Girl's shops. Boys learned home repair and crafts, girls cooking, etc. We simply did a sit in of the other's class room - Boys in girls, girls in boys, until the school agreed to teach all skills to both. It didn't happen that year, but began the next. Kids are right on, I was already reading Eugene Debs then.

Randy ""Spreading the Gospel of Sausage Gravy.""
Posts: 463 Joined: 31-01-07 Location: East By-God Kentucky, USA
25 May, 2008 - 21:53

When everyone had been served, the lunch ladies at our school* used to give out the remaining rolls. (After awhile, it became apparent they were preparing extras because they knew we liked them.) Does this mean I collaborated with the lowest echelon of the ruling class?

*I can't saw where this took place, obviously. Security culture. In case it turns out they were actually proles, ya know.

OliverTwister "Tied directly to Bekken and the Philly camp"
Posts: 2190 Joined: 10-10-05 Location: San Francisco, USA
26 May, 2008 - 06:29

honestly if i was a lunch server i would cheer this on.

pghwob "Not an apologist for SEIU"
Posts: 683 Joined: 09-12-06 Location: CITIZEN OF INDUSTRY
26 May, 2008 - 06:48

Actually, where this is done the folks in line should make sure to leave nice tips (I know kids probably cannot do this and the school would not permit tips), so its not like I'd be frustrated as a worker, but would just hang back and let the $ in my jar increase. Also, we didn't leave pennies, but it just took people a while to get the $ out of their pockets and figure out the right amount.