I have shared with you guys that I am an educator. One young man came across my radar recently who flunked the same class twice and was on his third attempt.

I was in the elevator when I heard someone yell, “Hold up!” I held the door and in walked a young brother. Our building had only two floors so the small talk was quick, but in that brief exchange he said he was bored and was not feeling school.

A few quick questions and I soon realized that this was the young man I needed to speak to regarding his performance. (I know, divine intervention; insert your own belief system.) My first instinct was to spray the elevator cameras with foam, disguising our identity, and then beat him like a piñata.

Instead, I gave him my “Why-are-you-here-trying-to-be-a-stereotype-and-making-it-easy-for-the-‘machine’-to-grind-you-up-and-spit-you-out?” speech.

This exchange reminded me of another intervention I had with a former student and her mother regarding the girl's commitment, or the lack thereof, to her educational pursuits.

I have often said that the longer I teach, the more I find myself doing things that parents should have done, i.e., home training. Yet more and more I have found myself having to educate not only students but their parents and support groups.

I remember speaking to one parent whose child was not even in my program, but the parent did not want to speak to any “white” officials. (Insert neck roll, loud talking and “they don’t know me.”). I get this a lot.

We set up a time after all this drama for her to call each day to check on the progress of her child. The day of our meeting I got a call that she couldn’t make the meeting because she had to take her daughter out for her birthday.

I pulled the student’s records; she had flunked two classes, had habitual absences and was not doing well in her other courses. We finally met and I informed the mother of her child’s less-than-stellar performance. I told her that whatever she bought for her daughter’s birthday she needed to take back and have her daughter reimburse her for all the money she is wasting on school.

Parents, wake up!

We have got to take responsibility for our youth. We went wrong by trying to practice that new-age Doctor Spock, time out, getting in touch with your feelings crap of raising kids. I am old school and believe that children need a healthy dose of fear.

You have to start early. If you don’t handle things the first time that kid pops off then that’s how you end up crying on Maury talking about your child wakes you up in the morning with a kitchen knife to the throat, talking about “I need some milk money, b----.”

I was taller than my Mom by the time I was in the sixth grade, but she had already established her bluff. I mouthed off one time, and before I could get a second eye roll in everything went blank. The next thing I knew I woke up to the paramedics waving three fingers back and fourth with me trying to communicate with slurred speech.

So parents, if you move suddenly around your kids and they don’t flinch, you are not doing your damn job!
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Professor Locs describes himself as an African American, gay, Southern male who has had an extensive career in higher education Click here to read his blog.

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