Books

I am 32
Teaching
Community
College classes
At night in the ghetto
In East Austin when one
Of my black students fails
His first test in US history and
I ask him how come since he hauls
Around a half dozen books in a
Belt over his shoulder and is
A top-ranked Army NCO a
Top recruiter explaining
To him that my tests
Are part from class
Notes and part
From the text
Book which
I discover
He can’t
Read as
He is
Illiterate
So I suggest
He stop carrying
Around half a dozen
Books to look like he can
Read and drop my class and
Sign up at once for a remedial
Reading class as he will not
Get through community
College until he can
Actually read and
This problem is
Widespread in
1978 Austin
And later
As it is
Felt
By some
That it is better
To pass students who
Cannot read than drop them
Leading to my repeated
Comment in faculty
Gatherings that
Students must
Be able to
Read a
Text
Book
A not too
Popular idea
With some faculty
And administrators
Though I never drop a
Student if they can attend
Each class and show some
Level of literacy with a grade
Average in the high 50s which
Earns them a D so they can
Either take the class once
Again or transfer to a
Local University or
College that will
Accept a D as
Credit for the
Course and
There are
Always
A few
Who
Do so
And go
On to earn
Their AA degree
Then go on to earn
A bachelors in a field
They are interested in.
This is my night job from
The late 60s until 2001
When I retire from my
Day job at TXDOT to
Teach daytimes till
2015 about 47 or
So years of
Teaching
The 13th-
Grade
College
Freshman.