MLK Day and Finals

I went to check out the MLK Parade on Monday. I have gone the last few years because I usually know someone in the parade and will usually see a couple of my students. The MLK parade in LA is right in the hood and is known for violence, sadly enough. There was a bit of a low turnout because of the weather. There were a ton of police. Some of them really looked like they were just waiting to beat someone down. I saw a couple people being arrested as I walked through the crowd. The was a mix of the smell of rain and weed in the air. There were probably more gang bangers out together this year than I have seen in a while. I'm not exaggerating or putting it on either. Dudes had the tats and the rags to prove it. It made me wonder what attracts them to the parade. Is it just because it is the neighborhood? Is it because of the large crowd, and the chance to holla at the females? Or is it because there is something about Dr. King that attracts them to the parade. Some sense of pride or recognition? Although some would disagree, I think that because it is MLK, that does relate to the turnout. This is probably one of the few events that even bangers are openly invited too, despite the high police presence, and the lack of creative floats and performances! It's a catch-22...these young guys need to be invited into the community, but at the same time, they come to the parade and tear it up. The next day as a few students asked if I went a few others said they didn't because they didn't want to "get shot." It is sad when people don't want to come out for a community event because of the real fear of violence. 

The first day back was also the day before the finals. One student came in distraught because his friend was killed at a party over the weekend. Another student lost a cousin outside of the U.S. This is a lot to work with right before the test. Some other students were unfocused for a variety of other reasons. As part of their study guide I had given them 60 multiple choice questions from previous tests, and told them that 30 of those questions would be on the test. Then I made 30 new questions based on our last unit, which we have not tested on. In addition, they were given the answers to 60 questions. I felt like I really set them up to be successful, but also required that they study. Some real took advantage, and some did not. More finals' updates coming soon.