Race, Class and P.S. 20's Controversial Principal
This weekend the Local’s Andy Newman followed up the extensive blog reporting on P.S. 20 he’s been doing with an article about Sean Keaton, the elementary school’s love-him-or-loathe-him principal. The story describes Keaton, who missed the Fort Greene school’s graduation last week—he was barred from attending by Dept. of Ed officials owing to assault charges…
This weekend the Local’s Andy Newman followed up the extensive blog reporting on P.S. 20 he’s been doing with an article about Sean Keaton, the elementary school’s love-him-or-loathe-him principal. The story describes Keaton, who missed the Fort Greene school’s graduation last week—he was barred from attending by Dept. of Ed officials owing to assault charges he’s facing for allegedly beating up a teacher’s union rep—as being at the center of a race-class divide: “In the resurgent brownstone bastions of Fort Greene, Boerum Hill and the fringes of Park Slope, affluent parents with one set of expectations for their children’s education — progressive, hands-on, emphasizing freedom — are clashing with longtime, working-class residents who prefer stricter, more structured educational models like the one Mr. Keaton favored, leaving principals caught in the crossfire…At P.S. 20, some of the conflict has been tinged with race: Mr. Keaton is black, as are three-quarters of the students, while many of the families who said they found him hard to work with are white. Much of it has to do with class. Some comes down to personal style: Even many of Mr. Keaton’s supporters say he can be abrasive and inclined to escalate rather than defuse tensions.” In a poll of Brownstoner readers a couple months ago that ran before the assault charges, 47 percent of you said Keaton should be removed from the school; 17 percent said he should stay; and 36 percent said you didn’t know enough about the issue to have an opinion one way or the other.
As Cultures Clash, Brooklyn Principal Faces Assault Charges [NY Times]
PS 20: It’s a Long Story [The Local]
Time for PS 20 Principal to Get The Boot? [Brownstoner]
Photo from the Bridge & Tunnel Club.
“The Union Rep got in The Principal’s face and got his ass kicked with a good ole fashion Brooklyn Beat down!
Posted by: Return of The What at June 29, 2009 12:47 PM
TYPICAL LOW-LIFE RESPONSE.
“Less well off people of color have a very different idea of what discipline means and why children need it”
not even sure its a color thing. ive seen that leaning towards strict dicipline among poorer white, and various economic classes of eastern europeans (my parents) and asians
(Maybe The What is on to something with his covert race rant).
Not maybe is!!!!
The Union Rep got in The Principal’s face and got his ass kicked with a good ole fashion Brooklyn Beat down! This story is old but leave it up to Jon and Brownstoner to to roll out Covert Race/Class Warfare!
I was in a great part of this state yesterday! The neighborhood was fantastic. Large spaces, big green lawns, Children paying outside, excellent school system and not a care in the world. I thought about you (Neighborhood Hijacking Retards and their Crotchfruit living in the worst part of Brooklyn because of the Brownstone “investment”. You put yourselves and your Children’s future at risk everyday and whine like little pussies when you can’t get your way. This is why I’ve calmed down because is only a matter of time before you lose everything and the stagecoach returns in to a pumpkin…
The What (Dumbasses….)
Someday this war is gonna end..
“Less well off people of color have a very different idea of what discipline means and why children need it”
and at the risk of more contention, are you implying that they are right? ot that the liberals coddle their kids?
“don’t think an effective principle should be forced out…” agree, effective ones should be naturally adopted.
sorry, couldn’t resist.
It must be almost impossible for anyone. let alone a principal to please everyone. It sounds like Keaton really did some good things, and had great potential but his own personality got in the way. I don’t think an effective principle should be forced out because not every parent loves him- so long as the school keeps improving and kids are getting a good education. But a man who stomps a union rep/teacher during an argument should be in jail for assault. If he can’t control his temper in a meeting with a professional colleague, what makes anyone think he can control his temper with a child?
“crotchfruit”
This is a particularly offensive and unfortunate term.
As opposed to his rant on the Armory thread, I’m kinda inclined to agree with Polemicist here.
The author characterizes PS20 as a “place in a neighborhood where uneasily coexisting tribes come together for a crucial civic activity. And in Fort Greene, it seems like all the everyday hassles and potential flip sides of this place’s vaunted diversity — resentment, fear, misunderstanding, misinformed assumption — emerge in capital letters in the schools.”
So according to the author, Fort Greene is in the midst of some sort of tribal war. (Maybe The What is on to something with his covert race rant).
Anyway, the removal of Mr. Keaton is certainly a victory for one of these tribes.
Now that he is gone, will victors actually send their kids to PS20?