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By Heather Morgan
Wisconsin State Journal
James Comer and his three close childhood friends grew up poor in the South. They went to the same schools, had many of the same experiences.
Each of his friends' lives went on a downward spiral, one succumbing to alcoholism, another spending time in jail and the other suffering from mental illness.
Comer earned a medical degree and became an educator, activist, psychiatrist and nationally known expert on reforming troubled schools.
"We have lost many of the natural supports in our community that support children . . . and the schools can't support children alone." |
It wasn't that his friends had any less intellect or will, the Yale professor told an audience Thursday evening at the Memorial Union Theater.
Like many troubled students in today's schools, Comer's friends lacked the development and support that he was fortunate enough to get at home, Comer said in a keynote address for the UW-Madison School of Education's celebration of American Education Week.
"Children need more help with their development than they ever have before," he said. "We have lost many of the natural supports in our community that support children . . . and the schools can't support children alone."
The author of six books and 500 articles on education and race relations, Comer urged businesses, community agencies and others to help schools meet children's needs in our rapidly changing society.
"It's the whole community that has to be involved to solve the problems of education," he said.
But schools are accountable too, he said.
Schools are sorely unprepared to deal with today's problem children, often responding to them with anger and punishment, Comer said.
Educators should "not see children as bad, but to see them as underdeveloped," he said.
He gave the example of a 9-year-old boy who was the fourth transfer student to be plopped in front of school administrators in a week.
A frustrated administrator rolled his eyes at the boy, who promptly responded by kicking the administrator's leg.
Schools have to learn to understand why children lash out like that instead of just punishing the behavior, he said, noting that schools have to deal with and educate even the most frustrating children.
Unlike a few decades ago, there are few jobs today that don't require an education, he said.
Posted November 30, 1999