Jackson Free Press

Boneqweesha Jones: "Welcome to the Ghetto Science Public Television premiere of 'Stuff That Matters.' Yes, I'm back on the scene like a record machine and ready to share and talk about important things. Please be advised: This is not a celebrity-gossip, hot-topic show with giddy hosts continuously chatting about entertainment, fashion and food.

"Tonight, I want to know why some teachers cheat for students on standardized tests. Maybe my special guest, Harris 'Stotle' Jenkins, will shed some of his street-intellectual insight regarding this matter.

"What's the word, Harris?"

Harris "Stotle" Jenkins: "If you are referring to the public-school cheating scandal in Atlanta, my answer would be society's 'fascination with escalation.'"

Boneqweesha Jones: "Fascination with escalation? Sounds like you have an issue with 'Hooked on Phonics.'"

Harris "Stotle" Jenkins: "In my humble opinion, we live in a society fascinated with pressuring individuals to succeed. Ivan Illich, author of 'Deschooling Society,' calls this trend 'escalation leading to success.'

"For example: A company boss is pressured to make his or her workers more productive so that the company makes more money. If the boss fails, the company fires him and his fellow workers and replaces them with someone more capable. Also, the children suffer the most. Some folk will do anything to keep a job or get a bonus. I think that is what happened in this cheating scandal."

Boneqweesha Jones: "Whatever happened to 'enough is enough'?"

Harris 'Stotle' Jenkins: "Unfortunately, it has become 'greed is good.'"