Good sense prevails in Pasadena

An unpopular truth

[Reprinted from Issues & Views December 16, 2002]

When a white high school teacher made note of some basic facts that are generally known to be true, he set off a storm.

Scott Phelps, who teaches Science at John Muir High School in Pasadena, California, and is a 12-year veteran of teaching, claimed that most of his problem students--i.e., those who misbehave and get poor grades--tend to be blacks. This was an observation, culled from his experience, and written in a letter, in October, that he sent to other teachers in his school.

His remarks were in the context of discussing recent scores of the school's students on the Academic Performance Index (API). This year's scores were high, claimed Phelps, because both the sophomore and senior classes were composed of good students. However, he continued, next year, achievement will not be as high on the API, because the students who will have moved up the ranks as sophomores and seniors will predominantly be blacks, who will bring down the scores. Part of Phelps' letter read:

But overwhelmingly, the students whose behavior makes the hallways deafening, who yell out for the teacher and demand immediate attention in class, who cannot seem to stop chatting and are fascinated by each other and relationships but not with academics, in short, whose behavior saps the strength and energy of us that are at the front lines, are African American. . . . Eventually, someone in power will have the courage to say this publicly.

Although Phelps went on to say in his letter that many black students, especially those whose parents are involved with the school, were well-behaved, this did not help him much. You can guess what happened next. After some of the recipients of the letter informed the school's administration of Phelps' frank comments, he was suspended and placed on administrative leave.

But then something strange happened. Strange, at least, for these politically correct times. First began the usual blabber on the part of school administrators about the need for understanding "diversity." Then the district conducted an investigation of Phelps. Next, parents, students, and other citizens of Pasadena began writing letters to the editors of the local newspapers, discussing the case in local Internet groups, sending e-mails and letters in support of Phelps to school district bureaucrats, and encouraging Phelps himself to hang in there and fight for his job.

Some black students and former teachers stood by Phelps, expressing their approval of his candidness. One such was Aundre Mathews, a former student of Phelps, who was quoted in the Padadena Star-News (10/22/02), saying: "He is one of the few teachers I believe who went to school every day for something other than a paycheck. What he is saying is the truth, it's just that nobody wants to hear it." Mathews claimed that the school's administrators did not hear the message that Phelps' was trying to convey, but were interested only in playing the race card.

A former teacher, also black, Wilma Thomas-Simon claimed that Phelps told the truth. She declared, "A white man took a stand and told the truth. I'm glad he said what he said. I'm just sorry I didn't say it."

In a letter published in the Pasadena Star-News (11/7/02), Pasadena resident Karolyn Berkman, told of her experience when she visited John Muir High School in the 1980s, with the intention of sending her son there. A day's tour of the school changed her mind, and she left "appalled by what I observed," both in the halls and in classrooms. "Things don't change," she wrote, "when the people at the top don't care. We need to explore that instead of denying problems exist."

Two weeks after his suspension, Scott Phelps was returned to his job at John Muir. Although he has met some hostility, most of his students appear happy to have him back. School district officials have been forced to turn their attention to the problems of the school. A district superintendent came and set up shop in an empty room where faculty was invited to openly discuss the kinds of concerns expressed in Phelps' letter.

Phelps also held forums for teachers to examine the progress of the district's plans for the school. The district held a seminar for faculty and students of the region's five high schools. Greg Mosely of Pasadena's Black Males Forum visited John Muir to see if his organization could help by setting up a mentoring program to help with academics. And a group of parents have formed Mentoring and Partnership Youth Development, in the hopes of passing on some academic and social skills.

In his statement upon return to the school, Scott Phelps wrote," Despite some criticism of the manner in which I expressed myself, from much experience, I truly believe that had I expressed them through official channels, the issues would not have gained such widespread and necessary attention. . . . The issues I have raised have been well known for many years, and indeed have been officially documented by others. The statistics are irrefutable. We must seize the opportunity created by this stir to address them."

Steve Rose, who has taught at John Muir for 20 years, says about the whole Phelps episode: "The intent of his letter was to bring us together, and it has. We all need to work on the same thing--bettering our students."

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