Ignorance is Bliss: Detroit’s Acceptance of Being Dumb…

♦ Fat, Drunk, & Stupid is No Way To Go Through Life…♦

“If you think education is expensive, try ignorance!”

— Derek Bok, Harvard University President 1971-1990

DETROIT — Detroit is a place that on the surface wants you to strive to be successful. That is, until you actually achieve success. Once that happens, all bets are off. One of the keys to being a success, as I have always been told, is to get a good education and continue to learn even after you get the degree. My mother taught in the Detroit Public Schools for 38 years (1966-2004) and saw some of the most talented people of multiple generations pass through her classrooms. Succeeding in spite of the numerous deficiencies of DPS should be considered a badge of honor. Detroit’s schools, like many other things in this area, are the worst in the United States. Whether it’s the stunning 22% graduation rate, a mind-blowing 77% of 8th graders scoring “below basic” on standardized math test scores, or the widespread and rampant graft and corruption of the school system itself, Detroit isn’t exactly a bastion of higher learning. So when I read in the Detroit News this morning that the current president of the Detroit School Board, Otis Mathis, is essentially a functioning illiterate, I found it equal parts ironic, maddening, and insulting. Let’s Go.