A friend of mine, a high school English teacher with the Los Angeles Unified School District, asked me to substitute teach for her.  Teachers are given a one hour student free prep period each day and I took the time to read the student essays on the bulletin board.  These are the outstanding examples of the students work and the teacher had written “Excellent” and “Outstanding” across the top of their essays.  The writing was on a seventh grade level.  Granted, the school is ninety percent Mexican but these kids have been through elementary, middle school and now high school.

I called my friend that night and asked why she was lauding such mediocre work.  She said, “Michael, if I was to give the students the grades they actually earned I would be failing most of my students in all of my classes.  If I failed most of my students in all of my classes the principal would ask why all these students are failing.  He would then accuse me of being a bad teacher.  I’m not a bad teacher.  These are bad students.”

The truth is we don’t need better teachers.  We need better students.  The LAUSD is adamant about closing the so called “achievement gap” between the races.  There is no achievement gap.  There is however an “IQ gap” which in turn regulates academic achievement, conscientiousness and behavior.  Everyone knows this but it is the word that cannot be spoken.  IQ.

The implications of a majority non white semi illiterate population in the not too distant future is frightening.  We’re doomed.  Shop class anyone?