WITH HONOR TOWARD NONE

Just as each fingerprint is a total unique entity, every person is a total unique entity. We are each comprised of a combination of genes that, with the exception of identical babies, no one else has. That is what makes us distinct individuals. Evanston Township High School wants to “punish” those individuals who are smarter than others by eliminating honors classes from the curriculum. The reason? There are not enough minority students in the mix.

According to the Chicago Tribune, “One of the most racially mixed high schools in Illinois, Evanston has a mission of embracing diversity and promoting equity and excellence for all students. But its own data show that few minority students make it into the school's most rigorous courses that will best prepare them for college and the future.” The story continues with, “Across the Chicago region, high school officials say they are making inroads in diversifying their advanced classes, but Evanston is considering the boldest step of all: eliminating an elite honors English course that has traditionally been offered to the highest-achieving incoming freshmen — usually white. The proposal has spurred an emotionally charged and race-tinged debate in the liberal, multiracial community that is home to Northwestern University.”


By eliminating honors classes because, they say, most of the students are white, would be akin to eliminating basketball programs because most of the players are black. The students are not chosen for the classes because of the color of their skin, but because of their scholastic ability. It is the same theory that athletes are chosen to play on a school’s team because of their sport’s prowess.


The Tribune also reported that, “In Illinois, about 71 percent of students in Advanced Placement classes were white in 2006, the most recent Office for Civil Rights data available. That compares with 9.7 percent black and 9.4 percent Latino students in AP that year.” So because there is an abundance of white students in honors and AP classes, the school should eliminate the classes instead of trying to help minority students reach the same scholastic level? This makes no sense!


At a school meeting last week, Evanston Township High School District 202 Superintendent Eric Witherspoon said, "I'm excited about moving away from racially segregated classes." Again, this statement makes no sense! The students in the honors classes were not selected because of the color of their skin, but because of their academic intellect. The tests the students took to see whether they were prepared for honors classes are color-blind. The people who scored the results did not know if the test-takers were white, black, or purple.


I am fortunate to have been born with "intelligent" genes. I am a member of the genius organization Mensa and even though I participated in advance placement classes in high school, many times I was bored. If I had been in classes with non-super-achievers, it would have been worse because teaching is always "dumbed down” to the level of the slowest learner.


To achieve diversity by mixing vastly diverse intelligence levels will only hurt the highest achieving students because they will zone out when placed in a situation where they will not be intellectually challenged.


Competitive marathons seem to be won by an abundance of Kenyan athletes. Does that mean, to make it equitable, they should be handicapped in future marathons to ensure everyone an equal chance of winning? Do we tell seven foot basketball players to slouch so as to be competitive with someone who is only five feet tall? Of course not! We don’t do it in athletics and we shouldn’t do it in education.