The Merrow Report is a show on PBS and NBR that explores front-page
news
pertaining to education in the United States. These are many
times hot
topics and issues that hit home for many Americans.
The Report that I watched was the second part of a three part series,
"Growing up in the City". The second part was called, "Discovering
Race",
which lasted 60 min.
"Discovering Race deals with the ways in which race becomes an issue
in the
lives of four adolescents". The setting is in a New York City
public
school, which has very high diversity. The report focused in
on four youths
which all have very different backgrounds. There is Sasha, a
Russian
immigrant; Paul, a Hispanic whose "look" labels him as a gang member;
Jessica, a white girl who comes from a privileged private school; and
James,
an African-American male dealing with society's norms.
Sasha is a fairly popular kid who is tall and athletic, but he has attention
problems in class and is in trouble a lot of the time. His mother
worries
that he will lose his Russian heritage and "wants him to marry one
of his
own kind."
Paul is also popular but has a hard time getting adults to respect and
not
fear him due to the way he dresses.
Jessica is a girl whose mom thought she needed more diversity in her
life,
so she would perform well in a constantly diverse society.
James is having difficulties dealing with a white-dominated society
and what
this entails in his development.
This was a very good report that examines what youths are dealing with
today
and how they are trying to balance parents wishes with there own goals
and
aspirations.
Five Questions I would ask the author
1. Will there be a follow up to see how these kids develop as years
pass;
whether they stick to there "color blindness" or if they select groups
similar to there own racial backgrounds?
2. What are some ways in which parents can help prepare kids for a
more
diverse society?
3. Are the problems these kids run into happen in other parts of the
country?
4. How much are parents affecting how kids react to different divers
situations?
5. How much do peer group's affect how kids react to different diverse
situations?
Submitted by Kirk Reinbold