Are they really "Bad Boys"?

Bad Boys by Ann Arnett Ferguson
Some things I understand:
I felt that Bad Boys was about the lives of some young black males that were considered “bad boys” and how they were made that way. It was scary to read this article and find out that it was not necessarily the family life or friends that turned these kids into unmanageable ones; it was the school system that they were in. It was also alarming that most of these “unsalvageable” students were black, and many of the black students that were not bad kids were always considered to be on the brink. One of the reasons Ferguson hints at to part of these students’ problems is the Punishment Room. She witnessed many unacceptable behaviors from the ADULTS, not the students in this room. For example, “…verbal harangues, sympathy, and physical intimidation.” (pg 8-9) She also realized, through working with Horace that “those who were classified as lazy, belligerent, incorrigible at school could be respectful, diligent, and responsible in other contexts.” (pg 15) Ferguson also looked deeper into the lives of these boys by observing their hangouts, listening to their music, and paying attention to how race creates inequality.
3. Some things I don’t understand:
1. At first I did not understand what “white flight” (pg 5) was, but then realized in this text it is referring to desegregation.
2. “While several kids raised the issue of how race made a difference in their experience of school, the adults typically limited their talk about race matters to numbers and distribution.” (pg6) Why would a teacher do this? I think Ferguson would agree with me that there is a big difference in experience based on race.
4. Connections to other texts:
1. This article greatly reminded me of Hines and how he felt that teenagers are people too. At one point Ferguson referred to these young students as not “totally human” (13) which Hines would disagree with. He states that being a teenager isn’t an identity but a predicament most people live through” (2), also “Today’s teenagers serve a sentence of presumed immaturity, regardless of their achievements or abilities.” (16)
2. Linda Christensen also describes the “secret education” (126) that she sees in the media, books, and movies. I think that Ferguson would agree that there is a secret education in this school she is in. She refers to this as the “hidden curriculum” (2)
3. Tricia Rose’s work indirectly relates to this piece because these boys were relating to hip hop and it helped define them. Rose states that “Hip Hop replicates and reimagines the experiences of urban life and symbolically appropriates urban space through sampling, attitude, dance, style, and sound effects.” (402)
5. Questions/Comments
1. Since all of us have gone through elementary and secondary education does anybody feel that their race did change the experience they had in school?