1/2 Summary of Death at an Early Age
Stasia Huth-Fretz
10/12/14
In an civil rights campaign of 1964-65, Jonathan Kozol gave up the stable career in the academic world in Harvard Square to a poor black neighborhood in Boston. He became a fourth grade teacher there. Ever since that day he used most of his life providing equal opportunity within the public schools no matter its racial origin or economic level. Kozol is now the most widely read and honored education writer in America and spends his free time giving speeches to future teachers or trying to get rid of the No Child Left Behind testing law. His book Death at an Early Age which was a description of his first year as a teacher, was awarded the 1968 National Book Award in Science, Philosophy, and Religion.
Death at an Early Age is a collage of events that happened to Kozol at his time in Boston Public Schools. The conditions in this school are devastating. One room with five or six other classes or clubs also working while Kozol is trying to teach. The classes and clubs are separated by work out chalk boards. He talked about having screaming matches with his fellow teachers to try to be heard to his students. The students complained frequently of being unable to hear and blamed themselves instead of the teachers or the schools conditions. Why? They were embarrassed for their teachers with these kinds of conditions and were practically beaten both mentally and physically into submission and meekness. Kozol spoke of two accidents that will give the reader a adequate view of the condition of this school. An old chalkboard that was broken and wobbly was touched by the neighboring teacher to by moved and it broke down and fell, almost smashing a little girl’s head by two and a half inches. Everyone on the room froze for a few seconds and the girl smiled bashfully and apologized as if it was her fault. The janitor was called and he stared at it for a few moments before righting in up and told them not to touch it next time. A few days later it fell again, the janitor was called and her grabbed whatever was handy and make-shift a fix or it. Of course it did not last. Finally, the janitor grabbed the chalk board and propped it against the wall. Now the class rooms were only separated by three chalk boards instead of three.
Punishment was another shocker in my book. when children behaved badly, they were whipped with bamboo stalks. Some teacher would even go as far to soak them in water or vinegar to make it hurt more. Kozol spoke of the way teachers acted as horrifying. Some teachers did not bother hiding their glee and excitement when it came to whipping the children. Some whippings were not even recorded as they were supposed to be for dark reasons or for simply being too lazy to do the paper work. While these whippings were not meant for lasting damage but one child was whipped on the knuckle which left a permanent scar. The mother was horrified and when comforting the teacher who gave the whipping, the teacher said he pulled his hand back slightly in anticipation of the whip when it was coming down. She blamed him and when the mother wanted to see the records, of course it was one that was not recorded. Still, the teacher was off the hook and the child will be scarred for life.
The teachers, while some trying to treat all the children equally, failed. The white children were always treated better. The black ones usually always accused of lying even when they were not. Two students in a math class Kozol was subbing for did not get there papers back though they swore they did it. It was not uncommon for papers to get lost in this school and Koxol knew these students so he believed them. The Math teacher came up to the class one day, screaming at the kids that they were lying. He gave them a big speech until the kids, being beaten under the teachers words and gaze, finally agreed with the teacher just to get the teacher off their back. The teacher told Kozol that he knew these students and that they were liars. Kozol did not belief that the teacher knew their names, much less whether they were liars or not. Another teacher made a student apologize the Kozol, humiliating him along the way. The boy apologized but Kozol did not know what for and the subject was not brought up. The black students were often put down like so and any teaching that taught about blacks and their history or books with black main characters were forbidden on the account that it was unfair to the white students. There is one student who was mentally challenged who took normal classes since the special classes were filled up. Teachers would slam this kid against the wall to shut him up when he talked to himself. Kozol was doing a class to help children who had trouble reading. He chose the mentally challenged child as one of the students. The teachers later complained about him wasting his time and made him refuse the child anymore help. The kid would often ask Kozol if he could go to the reading class and Kozol told him not today every time until the child stopped asking.
The people in charge of the education placed the blame on all of these occurrences on ...no one. there was nothing wrong, no one to blame and the past is in the past. Parents just wanted their children to have chairs and desks, they weren’t looking for something to blame but the people in charge wouldn’t listen to that, they wanted people to know that it’s not their fault. Parents were worried about there children but when they confronted the teachers and principle, they would deny and blame the child, saying that they were troublemakers and the parents just didn’t know it. they would talk in circles until the parents gave up or were confused and left. Kozol wondered how many parents believed the teachers lies and punished their innocent children when they got home.
So far, I enjoy this book. I am shocked by the schools conditions and the way the children are treated. I have a black uncle and cousin so the thought of all this happening makes me wary and sad. I am so glad how far we’ve come, at least, I hope the schools are better than this now. I would not be able to handle those conditions. Reading this, I wanted to cry.
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