Coach Carter

The movie “Coach Carter” is about a man who attended Richmond High when he was in high school comes back to coach the basketball team. The team is not supposed to do anything great during the season but ends up having the season of a lifetime. Richmond, California is not a wealthy town and has a hard time funding for different activities. Before the season starts, coach Carter makes all the players sign an agreement that they are to maintain certain expectations of the coach during the year such as a 2.5 G.P.A. and attending all their classes. With all the players knowing this, a check up comes and most of the players have not met the expectations. This causes a lock down in the gym not letting the team play their games until they meet the expectations they agreed to. The parents and residence of the town become very unhappy about this situation because the team is doing so well. The principal says that the basketball team could be the best part of their lives with the greatest success. Coach Carter refused to accept that and made sure the boys got the best of what he could give them and try to get them to college with their education and not their athleticism. I chose "Coach Carter" because there are kids today who are given up on in schools and are not given the extra boost of support to make it the next step to make something of their lives.

In Ronald Takaki’s chapter 12 “El Norte,” Mexicans migrated from Mexico into the United States. They heard they could get a better life with better wages to support their families and along with the revolution they wanted to leave Mexico to get away. Mexicans did not receive the same education as white Americans. They were sent to a segregated school. It was said there would be a revolution if the Mexicans went to school with the whites. According to Takaki, “In the segregated schools, Mexican children were trained to become obedient workers.” This is saying they were not good enough to learn what the white children were learning. They were being sold short of their potential by the white race. This relates to Coach Carter because everyone was selling the students short of their potential. They did not believe they could go any farther in their life like college and become a successful person in the world. Teachers who are supposed to support the kids to become better did not support minus a small group. Like the Mexicans, whites did not believe the Mexicans could be at the same level as them.

This move taught me a lot. You should never sell yourself short of anything. You need to put your mind to things and stick with them even if people have doubts you will not be able to do it.