50.FOREWORD TO THE NEW EDITION 8

English words count: 487
Margaret Rossi is relatively new to the district. She is a former Catholic nun who has taught in another urban district and at a white suburban private school. She considers herself a "hard" teacher, and she cultivates that reputation throughout the school. She laughs at the fact that the children refer to her, behind her back, by her surname, as if they were speaking of a drill sergeant.
Rossi says she "hated" teaching at the private school because she felt the children were "neglected": they were given material things but lacked sincere parental involvement. She describes African American children as the one group of children who "will be themselves no matter what" and who will tell you exactly how they feel. "They don't try to deceive you by pretending that something is all right when deep down inside they don't think it is." Her assessment of African American children's frankness is based on experiences in both African American and white school communities. Instead of regarding these perceived differences as deficits, Rossi has called upon them as strengths.

"Let's say Rashad is right, and no planes could get through the U.S. radar/' said Rossi. "What other reasons can you offer as to Vibram Five Fingers why these news issues would he important to us here in this community?"
The students sat MBT Shoes Sale silent Discount MBT Shoes for what seemed like a long time but was actually only about a minute and a half. This waiting for an answer was characteristic of Rossi's teaching style. She was not uncomfortable with classroom silence, because she believed that when you posed substantive questions with students, you were obligated to give them time to think about an answer. Finally, Denisha, a small African American girl who was a diligent student but rarely spoke up in class, raised her hand.
"Yes, Denisha?"
In a soft and measured voice, Discount MBT Denisha said, "Well, 1 think it affects us because you have to have people to fight a war, and since they don't have no draft, the people who will volunteer will be the people who don't have any jobs, and a lor of people in our community need work, so they might be the first ones

Before Rossi could comment, an African American boy, Scan, chimed in. "Yeah, my dad said that's what happened in Vietnam—blacks and Mexicans were like the first ones to go."
"I'm not sure if they were the first to go,MBT Sale," remarked Rossi, "but I
Vibramcan say that they were ovarepresemed." She writes these words on the board. "Do you know what I mean by this?"
None of the students volunteers a response, so Rossi proceeds with an example.
"If African Americans are 12 percent of the total U.S. population, and Latinos are 8 percent MBT Shoes Clearance of the total U.S. population, what percent of the armed services do you think they should be?"
"Twenty percent total," calls out James, beaming at his ability to do the arithmetic quickly. "Twelve percent should be black, and 8 percent should be Mexican."