This morning, I was lucky to stumble upon some amazing local video content documenting life in the Kansas City, Missouri School District.
Here's the presser copy for a groundbreaking local documentary:
"CityBall is a feature-length documentary showcasing a year in the life of student athletes in the Kansas City Missouri School District. Once the toast of Kansas City athletics, the Interscholastic League is now riddled with problems including budget cuts, below average facilities, coaching turn-over, and staffing shortages. The students themselves have to overcome daunting odds just to graduate from high school. Many live in very low-income surroundings, having to work multiple jobs to contribute to the household's well-being. Some are learning from the examples of older siblings that gang and drug-related activities can be destructive, and even deadly. This project explores the positive role of athletics in the precarious lives of these impressionable students. It also delves into the roles played by parents, coaches, and school administrators in the many decisions that influence the futures of young athletes in Kansas City."
Don't forget to check out the website of the mid-America Emmy award winning documentary.
Surviving in this world DEMANDS teachers and coaches that have gained perspective from being in this environment, adjusting for each case and each moment, and using that experience to help these kids any way they can at any level they can be reached.
ReplyDeleteOh wait,silly me... the new school board of outsiders and their new tough guy superintendent just ran off about 350 of these veteran teachers so as to pump up their power vanity...but you know what?... they don't have to worry because they don't work in the classroom...they work in an office, with a locking door, with a travel budget, leave of absences, and networked friends in human resources all through the educational systems of the United States.
Props to CityBall journalism!
Picture looks like a cop gathering.
ReplyDeleteI bet a great basketball program will solve all of the KCMSD's problems. yeah, that's it. Get kids to play ball.
ReplyDeleteSports and practices do help the students...but then we get "tough guy" administrators that come in and say, "you can't do sports until you achieve these goals."
ReplyDeleteOf course, the goals are unreachable to most of these ghetto kids so they are ineligible for the one thing they care about, which makes them angry, bitter and even harder to teach and adds to ghetto obesity.
These kids should be required to participate in sports, NO MATTER WHAT.
Tony - I'm the producer of CityBall - thanks so much for the posting of the trailer...I want to spread to word to as many people as possible...it's so simple, get a kid engaged in something, anything - anything is possible...treat like crap - crap is possible. There's a lot bigger issues than whether Central has a winning season, but just getting these kids to participate and be occupied is at least a place to start...thanks again...buy the DVD at www.cityballmovie.com and all the profits go to the CityBall Scholarship Fund - this summer - we sent 23 kids to camps they normally wouldn't go to - each of them told me it was an experience they will never forget.
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