“The mere imparting of information is not education.”

-Cater G. Woodson

The public school system sucks! Trust me, I’m a witness! Ever since first grade, I’ve been going to some type of public school. I’m currently a junior in high school experiencing the absolute worst year of my school career. Outside of seeing my friends and associates, spreading the word about my articles and gathering material for my novels, school is basically pointless. It’s a cold, honest truth that deserves to get mainstream attention!

I believe I’m speaking for every young person that attends sub-par public schools. We’re almost set up for failure. From the lackadaisical teachers to the over-the-top drama perpetuated by many of the students, public schools are like nightmares to BMB’s (Business Minded Brothers) and SRT’s (Sisters Running Things). Or, it can be a minor thorn in your side until the year of graduation. No matter how great of a student you are, we all go through trials and tribulations on this academic plantation!

In my first novel The Diary of Aaliyah Anderson, Aaliyah’s school life is one of the major storylines. Many fans of the novel on Wattpad and at my school cite the fact that Aaliyah’s struggle at Clarkson Middle School is relatable. So, using my future best-selling literary classic, let’s break down the two main problems stemming from public schools around the nation.

 

1)   Public Schools Are Usually Violent, Negative, Hopeless Environments

 “I go to Clarkson Middle School, the hoe capital of Willowsfield. Seriously, half of the girls in my 8^th grade class are baby mamas and future prostitutes. For example, my former bestie, Jennifer Watson got caught ‘giving head’ to three different guys in the boy’s restroom during lunch last year. How stupid can you be to do something like that during school knowing you’re gonna get caught?

Clarkson isn’t only the ‘hoe’ capital of Willowsfield, it’s also drama central too. We fight and argue over the stupidest stuff ever. Gangs, rumors, clothes, boys, girls, sports, money, drugs, lockers, even schoolwork!! Yeah, it’s gonna be really hard to focus on my education in this ratchet environment but hopefully I can pull something off so I can get away from this horrible, ghetto school.”

-Aaliyah Anderson, from the Young Adult novel “The Diary of Aaliyah Anderson

In the story, Willowsfield is statistically the most dangerous city in America. That mindset translates itself over to the school environment. My hometown of Macon is what inspired the creation of Willowsfield. While Macon isn’t nearly as horrible as Willowsfield, it has numerous similarities.

As I continuously read through the novel, I realized that The Diary of Aaliyah Anderson is a sort of allegorical text. Merriam-Webster defines the word allegory as “work of written, oral, or visual expression that uses symbolic figures, objects, and actions to convey truths or generalizations about human conduct or experience.” My novel isn’t only an accurate portrayal of teenage life in America; it’s also a reflection of the journey I had to endure to become a published teen author and journalist.

Aaliyah exists in an environment where success is foreign unless you’re excelling at a sport, selling drugs or hustling to get into the music industry. Aaliyah is incredibly ambitious. She desperately wants to be a big name entrepreneur. She’s even been doing certain things that push her closer to achieving her dreams. However, she endures hate and negativity daily. It’s incredibly disparaging. Later on in the story, she even has a mini breakdown!

Parents, how do you expect your children to succeed in an environment where success isn’t even an option? How do you expect the young people you love and adore to excel in school when it’s basically an academic battle field? Now, I’m not trying to be the bearer of bad news! It is possible for a young person to keep focus on their goals in this proverbial prison. But it is an incredible challenge that requires faith, hard-work, thick skin and proper support from family and friends. Boxing and/or martial arts training wouldn’t hurt either!

2)   Public Schools Are Usually The Home Of Horrible, Careless Teachers

Mrs. Connor, Mrs. Connor! In the urban contemporary allegory that is my novel, the character of Mrs. Connor symbolizes every elderly teacher that I’ve had in my storied school career that treated me literally like dirt for no reason at all. I based Mrs. Connor off of one particular teacher that I had to deal with back in middle school but, out of class and respect, I’m not going to mention her name in this article. I’m pretty sure that when the people from my middle school read The Diary of Aaliyah Anderson they’ll know who the infamous “Mrs. Connor” is based off of.

I urge everyone reading this article to go and check out the preview of The Diary of Aaliyah Anderson on my Wattpad profile so you can really grasp the concept of how terrible Miss Connor is. Her and several of the other older teachers (who the students of Clarkson call the “Teacher Mafia”) make Aaliyah’s 8^th grade experience a living hell! From the comments from the fans of my story on Wattpad, I’m not the only person that had to deal with several Mrs. Connor’s in my school tenure. As a matter of fact, based off the comments and feedback that I’ve received, that’s one of the most relatable parts of the novel!

I know of many teachers, both young and old, that have the tendencies of a Mrs. Connor. These “teachers” (if we can even call them that) are totally inept. They’re quick tempered, attitudinal and not mentally capable to deal with any children, especially the volatile beings that are teenagers. As instructors, they fail in every way imaginable. Like what elder and educator Carter G. Woodson said in the quote at the beginning of the article, there’s a difference between giving non-stop information and actually getting your hands dirty and teaching your students. Many of these Mrs. Connor type teachers are totally unaware of this distinct difference. This is why you see many intelligent, talented and capable students fall by the wayside. Our minds aren’t properly challenged by these teaching imposters!

Parents, how do you expect your children to be prepared for state standardized test when you have teachers like Mrs. Connor  running around? How do you prepare your child to face the mental trauma that a teacher like her  would bring? Parents and guardians, it’s your responsibility to be on guard to protect your young  kings and queens from witches like her. One thing you’ll see from reading my novel is that teachers  like Mrs. Connor don’t fare well against students, parents and administrators that are intelligent and  don’t support their messed up ideology.  Just ask Clarkson’s new principal Miss Carter!

That’s all I’m going to say………

Teen author Randall Barnes talks about why teenagers don’t like (and often hate) to read and how we can change the narrative. He also interviews Mackenzie Terry (@Kenzieterry5 on Snapchat)and Kiera Scott (@kiara_scott01 on Snapchat) , two reluctant teen readers.
https://soundcloud.com/authorrandallb/randall-on-why-teens-hate-reading

Check out “The Diary of Aaliyah Anderson” book series on Amazon:
-Volume I: amzn.to/1REdVEK
-Volume II: amzn.to/1N0zFHl

I would love to hear from you! Contact me directly at:
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