kids from violent areas

[Time2Ref]

Coach, basketball is only the tool to help these children. It is not the end to the means. You already know that. It is obvious that you are an educated person. (I'm not entirely sure that you aren't still trying to "work the refs", right here on this forum). Are you trying to win basketball games (and help your own situation) or are you trying to help these kids?


You wrote:
Ultimately, my kids know they are the ones who have to adjust to a different culture if they want to be sucessful. I always worry when they put their faith in the system and it doesn't seem to work for them. I know this may seem like a small point but a lot of my kids are not sure it's worth it to "act more white." A lot of little rewards help.

You know that you must teach these kids that life isn't as simple as "Do these things and you will live happily ever after". That's how fairy tales end, not real life. The answer to bigotism cannot not be solved on this forum. There are poor white kids too. You must teach them it is not "act more white". That is just an excuse, a cop out. When you allow them justify that remark, you are doing them a great dis-service. There are sucessful African Americans. There are Angalo-Saxons who are losers. When you let color enter into the conversation as a valid excuse, you have lost the battle. You must stop that as soon as you hear it. As you know, you don't brush it under the rug so that you can gain their trust. You stop practice, you sit down and have a discussion. You show them that they could do everything right, and still get the short end of the stick. That's life, no matter what color you are. But you must try to be sucessful. That a Black person must act "White" to become sucessful is B.U.L.L. S.H.I.T..... It's a society we live in. White people have to learn to "Act" a certain way also if they want to be sucessful. To be sucessful in Buisness, I had to act like a buiness person. The President of the company I worked for was Black. A college graduate. He taught night school part time. I am sure that he had a lot more going on than I even knew. He wasn't "ACTING". He was/is sucessfull because he set high standards for himself. Perfection cannot be obtained, but it makes an excellent goal. I could write pages, but the issue will not be solved by my ranting on and on.

I would suggest that you decide what it is you are trying to do. Once you decide if you are helping yourself or helping the kids, your solution will become clear.

The lesson is not "If you do the right things, the right things will happen to you". The lesson should be "You must try your best to succeed. It won't be easy. You will find roadblocks at every turn. It is up to you to overcome the hurdles. You only lose when you stop trying. Don't expect a secret potion, don't trust you future to a lottery ticket. Don't fight the opponet. Don't fight the officials. Fight the world, and win. You must continue to try, even when the cards are stacked against you." But, I think you already know this.

Oh yeah, what does Bill Cosby say about this matter? See for yourself.

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewSpecialRe...20040702a.html