The Truth about Education, from The Wire

The TV Show "The Wire" talks about Education.

[@GrandioseOtiose]

This show came out something like 14 years ago. I'm a teacher and I can say that nothing has changed. This is exactly what happens in schools come test time. As Colvin said, "When do shit change?"

[@malblago]

That's real sad bro, I am sorry.

[@minuit7915]

When parents do their jobs.

[@blackericdenice]

GrandioseOtiose I guess police are still crooks too

[@dustintwix4960]

Don't call it a test .

[@Branflakehere]

@mike force exactly teach your kids yourself

[@cardinals3902]

This analysis is so real it's disturbing. Seriously. This season was terrifying as much as it was entertaining.

[@ameremortal]

Nico Gallo So much to learn here. This show is even better many years after the first watch. All of your new knowledge can be used to bounce these ideas around even more. Such rich, beautiful ideas.

[@faybiel2981]

@@ameremortal and the ideas are executed so perfectly. This show can't be real, it's so good.

[@emmasandifer5976]

This ain't scary at all to me because I was used to it. Living in the inner city trying to survive. It was a struggle.

[@buddhatobe1]

Crack babies.

[@andreinybakken9252]

This is why a brilliant show like this won't be recognized in our time - it shows too much truth, just too damn much. A reflection of society, speaking precisely to the faults we all contribute to as a whole. In order to make change, real progress and reform, oneself has to be the change. All being strangled by politics. Prezbylewski was willing to put his head on the block - not in an irrational, reckless manner(that was the old him), but he actually reached through to the kids, eventually. They learned to apply learning of important mathematical skills, no matter to what ends they were aimed at in everyday life. It became one of the essential survival skills for those kids that were otherwise left behind anyway.

[@ShizPhilly]

“It’s not about the kids, it’s about YOU surviving” Damn!

[@trevorsmith8950]

Used to work in some inner city schools. That's not some cute turn of phrase, it's literally the damn truth.

[@aprince4]

Statements 200% correct

[@Nandoswitharando]

That’s a damn shame

[@JohnSnow-vf7wh]

Best advice I received my first year teaching. 14 years later I pass it on to our new teachers.

[@JohnSnow-vf7wh]

@Orando de Dia que??

[@clairestark9024]

It never ceases to amaze me how we've built hell on earth on good intentions.

[@glassessn]

@Ken MacDonald The republican party specifically the George Bush administration came up with the "No Child Left Behind" law which happens to be to be the law being critiqued here. God either you are so fucking stupid or a troll.

[@itsallgoodman4108]

@Ken MacDonald The Democrat party huh. So the Republicans must be the saviors huh. Get a grip man, EVERYONE is corrupt or paralyzed within their respective institutions. The rich get richer thats the law of the land. "Republican" and "Democrat" are the same meal just packaged in a different way for different people. Did you even watch the show?? Someone with your level of intelligence must have figured it all out without even watching a minute of it. I envy your brain capacity

[@leonardorestrepo5196]

@Ken MacDonald NCLB was a Republican thought up bill w/bipartisan support. Race to the top was a Democrat thought up bill with bipartisan support. The names change, the people yelling and claiming to have the "fix" education needs move around, but things on the ground stay the same.

[@demonmonsterdave]

You really believe there are good intentions?

[@clairestark9024]

@@demonmonsterdave if it were bad intentions itd be more efficient.

[@royalescorpio]

Even school systems juke the stats.

[@JULYXXIV]

Jazzi Hill "Majors become Colonels" or in the schools "Principals become Superintendents" and in both cases, someone else gets (re)elected. Rinse. Repeat.

[@buddhatobe1]

#bellcurve

[@YaowBucketHEAD]

And decades of doing this makes for an abundance of ignorance.

[@dawg8268]

@Scruff Looking Nerve Hurter So you will be taking up a position in the fall I take it...

[@Coffycoloredworld]

And look at America now... Our education system is only number one at one thing... School shootings.

[@zjc92]

"Wherever you go, there you are." Or, in other words, "the game is the game."

[@AGfrom83]

Just got more fierce

[@jclinton4473]

its fucked up because this is how it really is.

[@tyronegreen1961]

corruption is in every profession the rich and powerful controls every aspect of the economy

[@toxicmasculine77]

They both have the broader meaning that is simple but makes it always true; Wherever you go you will be there and the game is ofcourse itself. And the disputable meanings of nothing changes. Love clever little saying like that where you can read into it as deep as you want

[@tyronegreen1961]

@@slowpoke126 which is

[@diallo1347]

This was probably the hardest season to watch due to how real and sad it was.

[@flightofthebumblebee9529]

Standardized testing is obscene and the data gained from them means nothing. Schools don't teach practical things enough. My advice is take your kids to a vocational school or tech school, integrate them to work and hands on with things while also math, reading, English, history/geography, and science, economics, government, etc.

[@tyronegreen1961]

@@flightofthebumblebee9529 Its amazing how relevant your statement is in todays climate Vocational skill trade jobs is where the money is college courses just puts u in future debt

[@DreadPages]

@@flightofthebumblebee9529 I mean, they'll still test you. And you can still study for the tests there. Trades are full of standards to memorize, procedures to follow. Thing is, if you fail the trade school they take your money and move tf on. The problem with PUBLIC schooling, is parents dump them and expect something to happen for them. It feels bad to just "move on" from failing public school kids. Same reason why Charter Schools AND private schools churn out better students. Its not necessarily the funding or the teacher pay. Its the expectations on the students from their own homes.

[@zippymufo9765]

Season 4 was the most important season of THE WIRE, because it shows that the system exists to perpetuate itself, not to educate children. It shows why things never change, and it takes unusual determination to escape the cycle.

[@wtfdtreats]

Nah, thats the status quo excuse, the real reason why these kids (irl) will not succeed has nothing to do with the educational system, the real reason is much more, _cold_

[@heraldofoblivion499]

@@wtfdtreats ???

[@flightofthebumblebee9529]

Seasons 2-4 are EXTREMELY important. All 3 seasons and facets need complete reform or America is doomed. The ports (labor and jobs in general), the local and state politics game, and the education system.

[@zippymufo9765]

@@wtfdtreats I never said it was was why the kids didn't succeed 😂 I said it was to show that the school system doesn't exist to make these kids succeed. It's always possible to transcend institutions, but people need to understand the nature of institutions before they start assigning blame.

[@wtfdtreats]

@@zippymufo9765 The school system sucks, but it's largely irrelevant, high IQ people will succeed regardless. We're not going to skip assigning blame to women, ik you want to protect them so bad, but you can't, it's _their_ fault. 🤷‍♂

[@Lunibruniful]

Prezbilewski is such a teacher name.

[@iliaponomarev1624]

Still better, than "Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz".

[@nonamernobrainer846]

@@iliaponomarev1624 ok

[@Najebanski]

@@iliaponomarev1624 Polish Chad equivalent

[@revvolutions]

Presbo!

[@faridqridzuan7227]

Colvin tried to replicate his Hamsterdam strategy in schools, by segregating the corner kids and trying to rehab them while separating them from the others, who were then able to benefit from lesser interruptions. And just like Hamsterdam, the top shut it down. Basically this whole season was trying to parallel the similarities between police and school.

[@magetaaaaaa]

It's so frustrating because the systems worked, but political correctness had to step in and ruin it.

[@LaCokaNostra_]

Schools are nothing more than prisons. Built the same. Foods the same. Policy and guidelines are the same. Both aim to "rehabilitate" you. Both fail time and again

[@TheMGIvideos]

​@@magetaaaaaayes bro for suuuureeee

[@duncangrant563]

Colvin was such an underrated character, took so many steps in the right direction without the care of what his superiors thought

[@sizzlenotsteak]

Yah, f'real. Mad respect for the man. How do you say "mensch" in Ebonics??

[@pizzafacemcbride3582]

Yeah he was my favorite

[@laxjoh]

I don't think he's underrated at all. Everyone who watched this show pretty much loves Colvin.

[@akasilkyslim]

@@laxjoh I agree. I've ever heard anyone who didn't like Bunny Colvin

[@Nyx773]

Bunny was not underrated. However, the term “underrated” is overrated, overused and misused.

[@amanred9337]

I've worked in education for years in the UK and it is exactly like this, standardised test teaching. The Wire is so accurate, not just to Baltimore or America.

[@yungcoolie]

the theme of neoliberalism killing our cities is nothing new

[@amanred9337]

@@yungcoolie True. But no show has managed to nail the impact on the education system as much as America.

[@amanred9337]

As the Wire I meant lol

[@kijungpaik8515]

Wherever you go, there you are

[@robertortiz-wilson1588]

@@yungcoolie you dream about that word day and night don't ya? Lol

[@jeistarGames]

4:55 Holy shit prezbo was so upset he swore in some demonic language incomprehensible to mortal ears

[@mikegribanov6105]

Polish

[@mohawkmaniac1613]

😂😂

[@jbolanowski1]

I'm Polish and I didn't get it.

[@rundownthriftstore]

@@jbolanowski1 he meant Gdańsk Polish

[@othelliusmaximus]

@@rundownthriftstore what's that mean?

[@clueclown21]

This show was so deep it just hurts to see the life that some kids have to live

[@buddhatobe1]

Crack babies.

[@buddhatobe1]

@WORDto BIGbird go blame whitey for your shortcomings.

[@IloveGorgeousGeorge]

When Michael dropped his kid brother off at his aunt's with a shoe box full of cash...broke my fucking heart. And Dukie going to live with the junkies and bumming money off Prezbo....😭

[@edgehodl4832]

Tell it to greta thunberg, when she gave speech to UN that they stole her childhood and put her on time front pages

[@clueclown21]

Edge HODL. What!!!!

[@xorpe7172]

The kids absolutely killed their roles. “Darnell” probably don’t even have an IMDB page. Makes me sad

[@atribecalledlen3567]

Because most of the kids actors in the wire likely live in the environment their characters do

[@MrMalicious5]

@@atribecalledlen3567 Most of the actors are from Baltimore or DC.

[@Me_myself_and_I_AM_Vision]

@@atribecalledlen3567 far from the truth the one that played Randy has a KZbin channel and they had a watch party last year and see where they are now. They are far from there characters. True thespians

[@danemildulan7872]

That's beacause some of them had the actor that played Prop Joe as an acting coach.

[@DeviousHands]

@Richardson William the sign of perfect acting. Just because it comes easier doesn't make it less impressive

[@CuriousGeorgeFloyd]

Look, I went to Elementary, Middle, And High School in Baltimore and this... The Wire is absolutely 100% accurate and true about everything from The Streets, To The Schools, The Police, The Prison System, To The Quality of Drug's & It's Dealer's. Everything The Wire focused on was done entirely perfect. A literal (And Perfect) depiction of life in Baltimore. If you are From/In Baltimore, You more than likely know.

[@careful7951]

Not just Baltimore the whole country in term of urban school's. Same bull💩 in Philadelphia.

[@chrisbailey5486]

@@careful7951 and HTown

[@GuinessOriginal]

Ain't just baltimore, this is America. You think the country is gonna keep up with the rest of the world like this?

[@malakaibrown94]

hell yea same in any ghetto in America HS in nyc was unpredictable more worried about trying to not get out of there in a gurney I even remember a kid brought a knife out after school in bussing but I didn't know it until the day after it happened but I saw cop cars shit special ed is just like the corner kid classes but they didn't teach me anything new so I decided to drop out the schools are just like a cleaner prison shitty food gangs of course and all day bullshit

[@gregrock7451]

My mother is a Baltimorean born and bred. But that was the Baltimore you see in Barry Levinson movies; the Baltimore depicted in "The Wire" looks like it couldn't be further from that. The show's creator worked for a dozen years at The Baltimore Sun; most of the characters are somehow or other based on real cops, real gangsters and real politicians while covering the city. Hell, at least one of them-- Felicia Pearson-- is a native of the ugly side of Baltimore. She wasn't actress, nor did she ever take acting lessons. But she **did** do six years in the slam for a murder beef. So she really had the "authenticity" thing down. So much so that not long after she got written off of the show, she ended up in jail again because she got busted doing something or other for one of the local dope-slinging crews. What really blows me away is that I've read in articles about guys who were once bona-fide players in "The Game" in Baltimore who were solicited as consultants by the creators/writers to make the series as authentic and real as possible. To hear them tell it, "The Wire" looks like an ABC Afterschool Special compared to realities of life and death in the B-more drug trade.

[@ztellers27]

They learn absolutely nothing. These teachers are speaking the truth.

[@johnnyjacuzzi7498]

There’s no apostrophe when describing multiples of something ask your teachers.

[@cinemaparadiso5402]

Fixing the education system is highly anti-semitic .. students need to learn BLIND OBEDIENCE ..to follow orders .. education isn't about knowledge it's about learning to be obedient and to learn one career and not to be thinking outside the mainstream ... Also young people need to not have any free time, they need to be busy studying and/or working .. when young people have a free time then they might think ..and if they think they might start to ask questions ..and then revolt ...

[@willb2506]

@@cinemaparadiso5402 Look up the definition of the word “Anti-Semitic”

[@slappy8941]

@@willb2506 It's antisemitic to notice things.

[@MrWhite-pn7ui]

@@willb2506 That's two words.

[@billyeveryteen7328]

In a show that was already pretty depressing, this season was incredibly bleak. I'm glad Naymond made it out all right, but Dookie and Randy fell through the cracks, as do far too many kids in the real world.

[@Gnosis639]

And Michael, and Kenard, and the boy that shot Omar idk why I can't remember his name. Naymond was the only one and he made it by the hairs ofnhia chinny chin chin. He had someone that cared in his corner

[@vincevincent3425]

@@Gnosis639 kennard is the on that shot Omar

[@chet6969]

It was definitely saddening to see that Naimond was the only member of his group of friends who managed to make it through middle school and thrive afterwards, and that was due to dumb luck - he dropped Bunny's name to Carver at just the right moment. Ironically, Naimond was also only able to go into a loving and nurturing home because he already had a parent (Wee-bey) who cared about his well-being. Randy, Duquan, and Michael were all essentially orphans and had no one with the power to protect them from the streets or the city's dysfunctional bureaucracies.

[@magetaaaaaa]

Really pissed me off later when Bunk goes to interview Randy. He's older and he's turned mean and aggressive due to the bullying and abuse he suffered from being labeled a snitch. The police dropped the ball in every way when it came to him and then they have the audacity to try to come back and twist his arm later.

[@magetaaaaaa]

Randy's story pissed me off so much! He got fucked over essentially by people trying to protect themselves and personal grudges. Not sure who gets most of the blame but Herc definitely dropped the ball hard and I wasn't sad to see him demoted at the end of the season.

[@georgekobakhidze5964]

This was single greatest season of the single greatest series in history of television.

[@kingtrawal]

Yes

[@norrisrico]

Dead on. It was as close to the perfection of reality as art as you can get.

[@TheSchemer1]

No Breaking Bad Season 5B is

[@johnsailorsgoat]

@@TheSchemer1 Breaking Bad 5B was incredible but NOTHING will ever top Season 4, Episode 13 of The Wire.

[@TheSchemer1]

@@johnsailorsgoat Okay, I ask you this. Would you drink to this show at a relaxed party?

[@cjj9127]

My dad was a headteacher in a very underprivileged area for years he fought this bullshit his whole life he’s my hero

[@spambamkeija634]

Props to your father. He definitely had a good heart. Whatever it is you do in life, I hope you hold the same values and morals. Shit, I hope you’re better than him in every way possible. Blessings

[@caro3287]

"They know exactly what it is they're training for and what it is everyone expects them to be. It's not about you or us or the test or the system. It's what they expect of themselves. Every single one of them know they're headed back to the corners. Their brothers and sisters, shit, their parents. They came through these same classrooms. We pretended to teach them, they pretended to learn and where'd they end up? Same damn corners. They're not fools, these kids. They don't know our world but they know their own. They see right through us."

[@charliestewart3082]

Bunny Colvin is best character in this show, genuinely tries to change things for the better and constantly runs into problems

[@ShadowSonic2]

Problem is he's oddly naive.

[@VoLCoMzYaDiGG]

Bunny has got to be one of the best characters of the entire series. Laughing and asking "when do shit change?" is frightening. It really is scary how no one gives a fuck.

[@jdsmith542]

Actually, the teachers do care. But they can only help if they are teachers; if they buck they system, they are gone. So they are stuck between 'do what you can' and 'go do something else'.

[@andrewperez7844]

Former teacher here. This is scary accurate and brings me back to those depressing times. What a GOAT of a tv series

[@andrewperez7844]

@Jose Rivera I am a Web Developer now. Complete pivot

[@ghettoplatinum969]

it's this story line why I'm leaning to season 4 being the best season of the wire. season 4 was excellent all the way around and was a clear example of how society fails young children, but come with the jail, felonies etc once these children you fail become what a impoverished community makes them. we do a horrible job at providing education, skills, trade, jobs, etc to young children but are quick to find ways to get rid of them and blame they parents who only come through this same failed system. it's really sad all the way around.

[@Iwmar]

I don't know what sort of special retard it takes to watch the wire which clearly shows that the issue with education stems from terrible parenting and endless cycle of crackheads raising next generation of crackheads and then go on a tirade about government and society being somehow at fault. All long lasting change comes from self improvement. Give hungry man a fish etc. It's a system that cannot be fixed. Put more money into social programs etc? You're just giving junkies more money on dope. Crackdown on production and distribution of drugs? You're just forcing dealers and producers to be more creative and cunning when it comes to smuggling and distributing while they start going on murderous gang wars fighting over increasingly competitive and risky market. Really only real way to fix this would be taking away those children from their shitty parents who can't be changed anymore but there's simply too many of those broken families.

[@dysplasiagiraffe4845]

Iwmar bruh you’re a fucking idiot. The real world problems the wire depicts are literally rooted institutional racism, plain and simple. You can try pull yourself up by your bootstraps and a few just might manage it, antithetical as it is, but the issues go way beyond. There’s books for you to read, I ain’t typing em

[@ashantinyongo7632]

Iwmar where do you think these “crack heads” come from? Crack doesn’t grow in the streets, be informed on the history of these communities and why they are the way they are before speaking on how to fix them.

[@glennwatson3313]

Society did not fail those children. They failed themselves and their parents helped. You could see those teachers were tying the best they could. Even the administrators were trying. It was the kids who were not trying. In fact many of them were actively sabotaging the school.

[@ghettoplatinum969]

@@glennwatson3313 how in the world do children fail themselves? If that is the criteria the hell they in the school for in the 1st place? The parents are simply byproducts of those failures themselves age attrition doesn't supplement poverty disenfranchisement and lack of skills and trade affordable and available for impoverished communities. Your post makes no sense

[@theirishone7747]

Darnell: "What you wanna eat?" Albert: "Give me some crab cakes and a coke and hurry that 🤬 up, tew." 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@panchov3129]

Lmao "tew"

[@theirishone7747]

@@panchov3129 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@panchov3129]

@@theirishone7747 haha I get hassled all the time for saying tew

[@theirishone7747]

@@panchov3129 Dang fr?! Why?

[@panchov3129]

@@theirishone7747 my business partners aren't used to our talk

[@sablesoul]

I just noticed but I love the use of the walkie talkie chatter in the classroom hallways. Really pushes the point that it's no different than police radio.

[@Raphie009]

"Wherever you go, there you are."

[@aoucelloutus3573]

Dmoney saves pitman.

[@AllThingsKen]

lol

[@mrivera6975]

I'd take that as an answer.

[@christianhuston897]

coz he a sucker

[@ayeena092498]

🚶‍♂️🚗 The above stated facts have led me to conclude 🙂

[@joetheGod13]

That shit was funny

[@minininj58]

It’s sad to realize that this was my school experience too.

[@johntitor7989]

Damn man, sorry to hear that shit.

[@joshpotter3172]

Kids can see thru that shit. I’m from a rural area, but we had went thru this same shit and the state eventually came in. For being highly educated the people calling the shots are fools. I only wish I I made enough to either send my kids to private school or to let my wife stay home and homeschool my kids.

[@johnindigo5477]

@@joshpotter3172 if it wasn't for the internet I wouldnt have known half the stuff they tried to explain in class.

[@lifesignjohnson]

Good ol' Bush administration! 'merica!

[@TheEmoSpider]

3:03, snoops sister in the front. Only in a few scenes and never speaks a word during the entire series

[@CGoody564]

"real G's move in silence like lasagna" :P

[@leegsy]

Wee Bey Jr mentions her sister in season 4.

[@Raphie009]

@rick mckinnon "Yo' Snoop, your sister's in my class!" "Fuck is you high or sum'n, nigga?"

[@careful7951]

Which one was snoop sister.

[@Raphie009]

@rick mckinnon It's all good, I knew you'd get it.

[@jekke777]

What? They gon' study your study?? Best line ever.

[@Carpet_Carp]

I mean, this is how science works. It's not really about solving problems, more about explaining them. I always had kind of a problem with this line because of that.

[@shuaguin5446]

@@Carpet_Carp Change through studies is real but slow, Datas agregate until a paterns emerge. Then it can teached to futur educated citizen such as those counselor of Carcetti (i hated that blond dude so much). But in the end it can take decades before change the action of those in power, wich justify Colvin sarcasm.

[@vmurda415]

It's crazy cause I'm in grad school rn and this is literally 75% of what we do. The other 25% is coming up with better alternatives to the studies

[@freeHorizon]

I just noticed that Colvin's storyline in Season 4 is much the same as it was in Season 3. In S3 he confines the drug trade to a small area where the police and social workers can focus their efforts on rehabilitation, while the other areas of the city become safer. in S4 the most challenging students are moved to a special class where they are not cruelly "left behind" but instead getting the individual attention they NEED, while the other students are able to learn in a more stable environment. In both cases, politicians and bureaucrats who, quite naturally, care more about their own political futures rather than the people they pretend to help, end up shutting everything down and reestablishing the status quo, all while saying nice things to the public.

[@joemcguire9988]

I worked as a teacher in a school like this with kids like this in a hopeless atmosphere like this. Your time is spent dealing with social and psychological problems you’re not qualified to help with and teaching to heartless tests with little interest in anybody actually learning anything. If you try to teach something engaging you get admonished for not focusing enough on the “skills” they need for the test and if you try to stick to the test, not only do the kids hate it but the administration puts it on you to make it engaging. And if you’re new, forget about it. Sink or swim. I had to get out of that work because it was too mentally and spiritually punishing for too little reward. But I can’t help but lament those kids who didn’t have the option to go elsewhere. I did what I could to be good for them while I was there and I pray one or two of them has some fond memory of me. But they got enough on their plate I don’t blame them if they forgot about me either. But I haven’t forgotten them.

[@joenicedj]

My ex-wife was a middle school principal when The Wire was on HBO. I got to know some of the kids in my ex-wife's school and learn about the bureaucracy at North Avenue (Baltimore City Public School Headquarters) This series is all too real.

[@BostonGhost617]

4:49 "The above state facts led me to conclude he's a sucker" 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@SavoPaddy]

I loved the Wire but it is truly depressing how real these issues are. Incredible show.

[@knight7se7en]

I've said it before and I will say it again. Standardized tests do not assess the knowledge base of any particular student in any subject. Standardized tests assess how well students take standardized tests.

[@catty_5656]

Lol, watching this as a Year 11 and it's terrifying. Even as a student, this stuff is so obvious to me but seeing it in this show is still scary. How is the system so messed up? Education no longer matters just the stats. It's completely ridiculous. And, honestly, it's even more terrifying to know that these kids aren't that much younger than me. By the end of season 5, Dukie and Michael are a year younger than I am right now. Being 16 has never been an issue watching this show because I can handle this stuff pretty well and my parents are always there to watch it with me and discuss what happens but this season is particularly disturbing because all of the same things are now happening to kids. Chilling but truly wonderful as a series

[@LunarySSF2]

even more fucking annoying about how it's "just the stats" is that sometimes when the stats look too bad, they try to juke the stats anyway

[@irishpatriotv2575]

Are you seriously that much of a wuss that you need your parents to hold your hand through this?

[@SaltyChip]

The man that played "Bunk" wanted off the show when he read season 4s storyline. He thought they were going to make the kids look bad and make the teachers victims. He quickly changed his mind when he realized how well it was exposing the problems of inner city schooling.

[@RaptorJesus]

I can just imagine David Simon hearing that, smiling, shaking his head and saying "oh ye of little faith.."

[@rell0778]

This shows politics are surprisingly modern for it's time (actually not even modern, because a lot of people still aren't open minded with their political views). I was skeptical to see where the show was going with this school thing given the year it was made. And I was very surprised at how they handled it, this show is legendary for a reason. Amazing writing.

[@Tres_Nueve]

The Bunk actor is unfortunately a simple man irl.

[@SimpleReally]

"academics? what, they're gonna study your study" legendary line

[@Bowserslave]

There's just so many goddamn gems of dialogue throughout the entirety of the show. Beyond just the extremely quotable ones like "All in the game" or "Come at the king you best not miss", moments like 2:28-2:45 continually reinforce the idea that from cops, to schools, to the drug dealers, everyone follows a chain of command and follows rules in "their game". Its the fact that this theme continues to persist well beyond S1 is what makes "The Wire" feel so alive.

[@anthonysalciccioli6052]

I’ve been a teacher for over twenty years. NCLB has been a disaster. I am amazed how accurate the Wire was, truly a remarkable show.

[@AbzAden]

In a nut shell everyone is juking the system...that's what the wire is trying show

[@johntitor7989]

Nut shell, I think is the saying.

[@AbzAden]

@@johntitor7989 good catch lol

[@SuperChuckRaney]

MAn when Presbo is teaching that Pythias stuff, he might as well have been talking French to the kids. They can't wrap their head around that story, no one talks that way, not even kids in the suburb.

[@aperson7303]

Ever heard of Percy Jackson? Wdym they can't wrap their heads around greek mythology?

[@histochronos]

To be fair, he was teaching in a crap way. You gotta involve the kids. Play a game teaching the vocab and go into the backstory enough to draw interest out of the students. Once there, they’ll comprehend it better. Although they probably emphasized this purposefully for the show.

[@leonardorestrepo5196]

@@histochronos sry to say, but this is how they do test prep in inner city schools. ELA is the biggest challenge, so science/social studies/electives just go out the window. Hell, even math becomes part of ELA test prep

[@Holygiant]

@Kilo Byte It's pretty damn sad because it has a lot of potential to impact kids. There was an NPR piece on an English teacher at a high school in NJ who taught kids how to interpret Kendrick Lamar and then he came and visited their school. If it's taught by a good teacher who knows how to connect students to material, it can be a fantastic subject. Unfortunately there are a lot of reasons why it doesn't happen much.

[@SuperChuckRaney]

@@aperson7303 It's not that the kids can't wrap their head around the LESSON. It's the words, the dictation and the names of the players. Here is a lin from Shakespeare in English. Can you tell me what it says? ""prepareth to square! i shall heave the gorge on thy livings, naughty mushrump!""

[@ngonzale3]

One of the most important thrilling masterful shows ever put to screen.

[@delisiastore6626]

Me to i would care about the Money it ain't affecting me

[@JustSomeCanadianGuy]

I'm Canadian, I didn't know about this standardized test stuff til I watched this show. I figured maybe it was a Baltimore or Maryland thing. NOPE! Nationwide!!!

[@briandawsonii4451]

Facts

[@TribuneAquila]

Its not as bad as this show depicts.......well as long as the school is in a rich nieghborhood, then its just a little better.

[@scatterthewinds3126]

EQAO. I hated it.

[@mikeol510]

@@scatterthewinds3126 STAR testing for CA lol

[@N.n.i.k]

Definitely not here where i'm at

[@maxsch8454]

It’s a global problem, not just urban America. All over the world children are being failed by appalling education systems.

[@jcwilder86]

this is so moving, i lived in a wealthy neighboorhood, got transfered to a school like this and it was so sad, teachers couldnt teach, students couldnt learn, all memorize testing and standard testing and other then that if anyone showed up they slept

[@herve160181]

The details. It's why this show is the greatest.

[@strangebrew1231]

Except keeping the room warm won’t make them drowsy. It needs to be cold to make someone drowsy. Making it warm has the opposite effect

[@doctorseuss5349]

Mostly, I agree. The key is setting the temperature outside their comfort level. But; yes, warmer/hotter the temperature, the more agitated people become. Look at when riots occur. Mostly in hot temps...Watts, LA, 2020...etc

[@yurikadzz]

This show gets more relevant with every year that passes

[@mijreed]

"No child left behind"...this is your legacy. Teaching to kids will pass a test (who care if they actually learn) because funding is tied to it. Great job GWB. The problem is that the GWB's government basically said with that is that we don't trust teacher to teach. We need to tie their hands and force them to do what we think is best.

[@Nitronic99]

Education is the lifeblood of a civilization. It's lack is the death of one.

[@hwholmes]

I understand where you're coming from, however swearing is intrinsic to the identity of this Baltimore it adds a degree of realism that is what makes it special. Secondly the kind of people who are offended by swearing are 99% of the time not going to watch the wire anyway

[@halleyhoop]

Wherever you go, there you are.

[@SOS-ct9mv]

I'm a teacher it's all accurate, except the left out teachers being blamed for a system that is set up to fail.

[@cyanrazorCel]

Most of the time when Namond would call the school schemers and prison wardens, he was right.

[@tankmaster1018]

"Whachu wanna eat?" "Give me some crab cakes and a coke, and HURRY THAT SHIT UP!"

[@christiankelley4776]

Colvin and Prez had the audacity to try and cut the school to prison pipeline.

[@Chromeshell]

For a show largely about drugs, gangs, and police work, these episodes about the school systems were some of the hardest hitting.

[@dakritic]

“They gonna study your study”… LMFAO… Gets me every time.

[@shawqin992]

I'm studying to be a social scientist to conduct applied research in education. This line is heartbreakingly true.

[@pdhudsonUSMC]

It’s the whole country these days. Do what you’re told and smile. Don’t think or innovate. Do it the way we want you to do it. “Ours is not to reason why. Our is by to do or die. “

[@christopherjohnson9485]

That first minute hit me like a load of bricks. That's EXACTLY like it was for me for my first year of teaching, but I was lucky enough to have a principal that understood the game. The funny thing is, teaching the test doesn't work, not even in the short term; you're better off teaching them from where they're at.

[@aaryanvadaria5494]

A French film called The Class won the Palme D'or (a major award for a film) in 2008. I saw the movie before I saw The Wire. Now that I think of it, I find many similarities in these both storylines. Both have a teacher stuck in the system trying to make a difference for the kids thr system itself has rejected. Both of them give us a representation of the struggle a person with good intentions faces against the system. A more fun fact is that both( The Wire and The Class) of them are based upon material written by people who were once upon a time themselves trapped in this system. Greatest show ever created. No second thoughts about it

[@kamisensei1616]

Had this exact thought earlier this week as well. Difference being I watched The wire before the class.

[@ajitkirpekar4251]

Its an example of incentives. We have an incentive to measure good schools through standardized tests. The teachers are following incentives. The benefit of the kids is not their concern because ultimately, they dont get rewarded if the students do better and are punished if they do.

[@andregordon2599]

The fact that the schools as a failed system were just creating little soldiers for the drug war makes this season incredible and horribly tragic.

[@cjordanvab]

I remember when everything wasn't multiple choice. We actually had to write our words/answers out. When that standardized testing came out, that is when everything change to multiple choice.

[@bulletsalad3927]

No one cares about the kids it's all about keeping their jobs

[@itsvenombro3058]

First of all I have witnessed so many times how teachers asked for one year off specially woman's who are teachers when they become pregnant they ask for more money

[@lishajohnson1958]

And getting the funding to do nothing with these kids...smh

[@Twelvehourpowernap]

The school stuff was so tragically depressing

[@wephilips6651]

I had forgotten about all this stuff! I have just started teaching in UK and whilst where I am is not as extreme as this at all there is so much I can relate to! Just the extreme disconnect from the day ti reality - to leadership- to government direction and the constant moving of goal posts and shifting terminology. As a first year teacher than line about surviving stuck out too

[@joejo867]

God save me from Inspections😂 I remember how stressy out teachers got around Inspection time. One of our best teachers was an old girl who specialised in giving you an expert Deadleg in your tutor group, only if you deserved it though. She also fought for her students when Admin and "Those above" were straight being dickheads. She got more out of our disruptive pupils than anyone, and was a genuine inspiration to all of us, just because we all knew she cared about all of us. God love you Miss Thomas, one of the good ones

[@tojiroh]

@@joejo867 sorry to ask, since I can't find the term anywhere, but what do you mean by "deadleg"?

[@ScreamBloodyMetal]

“The first year isn’t about the kids. It’s about you surviving.” I wish someone had told me that before my first year as a teacher. Maybe I’d still be one if they had. The education system chews teachers up and spits them out almost as fast as it does students.

[@47shadows76]

Kids really nailed their roles, remember that there is a whole camera, lighting and sound crew in there.

[@LIBERALGUNSMOKER]

in the wire when pres became a TEACHER he changed, he started caring about the kids of b more and started hating the cops

[@andrew7taylor]

+LIBERALGUNSMOKER Where did you get that he hated the cops? He didn't, his duty just changed.

[@bennolaaa]

+andrew7taylor it sort of shows when bunk and Lester come to ask him about randy snitching, and he tells them he told him not to tell the police.

[@andrew7taylor]

ben mcguire Yes, because he knew that word would get out and Randy would have been branded a snitch forever. He just wanted to shield him from that. Woah, that's exactly what happened to him eventually!

[@SimunSansa]

He doesn't hate cops man, he distrusts institutions. I'm sure he hates the cop that he was, though. Well, some parts of it.

[@CGoody564]

He doesn't hate cops; he simply has new perspective and sees that the public schooling system and the cops both operate in a manner that doesn't necessarily benefit those they're supposed , but in a manner that makes their atrocious crime and graduation rates seem not as bad so they can save face. Presbo wants to address the issues in regards to the community; he didn't tell Randy not to tell because he dislikes cops; he told him not to say anything because it would result in being labelled a snitch, being dragged in to a criminal case as a witness and being made to testify, he wouldn't gain anything by helping them, etc. He wants to help Randy; not hinder police necessarily.

[@shaunlomness4555]

I’m Canadian and our education system is not based on this at all. The Wire just shows the truth about US schools without hesitation. America should learn from countries like Finland and Norway to improve education. Among other things.

[@TheBreezus]

There is a reason the USA spends more on military than education we rather just dominant Finland and Norway rather than outsmart y'all. It's a shame because if I had the same chance as y'all I might have change the world. But instead I was sent to the desert and my life is fucked.

[@riparoo9675]

Inner city schools in Canada are no different at all. I'm from Alberta so I'll use us, but we have HLATs and PATs to test elementary/junior high kids. It was mostly fine in my cushy suburban school, but even in mine there were kids who struggled. Go to an inner city or a reservation and it's all the same game. Kids with absent parents, teachers who want to help the kids out and management who need to meet quotas to keep their job. Maybe it's better here than America, but it's still horrid here.

[@MrWhite-pn7ui]

@@riparoo9675 Shhhh, you're not supposed to bring facts in opposition to the "Murica bad, my country better" narrative.

[@VTREXify]

@@MrWhite-pn7ui America isn't better then most developed nations, so it's true.

[@MrWhite-pn7ui]

@@VTREXify I think it is. Those other developed nations have many problems of their own.

[@flapjack6495]

"Where ever you go , there you are " that line is probably the best line in the whole show

[@meteor2012able]

I taught in a university where Latinos from poor communities attended. Many of them graduated HS with high GPA. Initially, some had big heads and confident of success. They soon discovered they were ill prepared for university demands.... Some of these "A" students, I discovered did not know how to read a text book or to study efficiently. In part, I fault the system of letter grading withing school districts. People: an A or B in some Barrio or ghetto is not the same as in affluent areas. Letter grades and GPAs?....Hell no! I can't go on, it is too painful. P.S. Thank GOD for parochial schools and community colleges!

[@t1mmah]

The whole "6 week curriculum alignment for the state exam" hit hard. School was just like that from 3-12th grade. The whole thing was for the school system to push out stats to show off how well they were supposedly doing. Sad I didn't see this as a kid.

[@pdog109]

gimme some crab cakes and a coke, hurry that shit up too

[@johnberney6563]

Kenard was a mood lol.

[@kijungpaik8515]

That was not Kenard

[@its_jawsh6145]

Most realistic experience (from my perspective of the teachers and students) of my time in HS and MS. All this No Child Left Behind BS, our teachers taught us the curriculum as quickly as possible. As I live in a rural area we have the exact same problems as inner city kids in some respects. Teachers hitting their deadlines for curriculum even if noone remembers anything. It was the most obvious in our AP US History class. Thankfully I enjoy and have studied history but just watching everyone just barely absorbing anything was incredibly dissapointing. We zoomed through 200 years of history in 7 weeks. So much was skipped over or barely talked about. We talked about WW2 for 3 days. The school system today is a joke and standardized tests are absolute BS, no kid takes them seriously and they should never be taken as a serious metric.

[@itsbrendannn7175]

ahaha the way colvin calls out the bs of “no child left behind” and how pissed the suits get lmfao

[@jeyjeydirty]

This. This makes it all clear. i remember we had to always test for the benchmark in elementary and middle school. Teachers going fucking crazy making us do 5 of these questions before each class lesson (45 mins only per class) and they told us that the literacy exam is usually failed by high school students until my senior year class passed it.

[@sannydee]

Thats the truth...i watch this now as a teacher...your first year is so much about surviving....DAMN this hits home.

[@hwholmes]

You seriously edited out the swearing? Good compilation otherwise but seriously?

[@nickagger534]

KZbin would monetize

[@SpeedHomeAttack]

@@nickagger534 Its already demonetized due to it being a television show clip uploaded having copyright.

[@shruk4]

I dunno, maybe this way a teacher could show it in class

[@LostSleepTV]

I assume it was done to be shown in classes without administrations complaining.

[@jonmilon2482]

I work for an independent school bus company which does almost statewide runs. This same exact bullshit happens in the suburbs too. The education system is fucked no matter where you are.

[@rbadami101sw]

This series covers so many issues, not just at the surface but deep issues.. it's so real it's scary

[@Youften]

Just a thought I had: At about the 4.30 mark... In the classroom, you can still hear a caralarm.. it's faint enough to not grab your focus away from the dialogue, so I didn't realize it but .. it's a clever way to emphasize that the streets are never far away enough from these kids for the teachers to actually be able to reach/teach them. Class is really the backgroundnoise to them, their thoughts are really somewhere else.. I find it so sad how the brilliant series covered so many problems in society in an authentic and revelatory way, yet I read that still nothing has changed.

[@GeraldHarris-cf2zh]

As much as they ain't being taught they don't wanna learn.

[@BG-my7eg]

Imagine this, but with all the kids with cell phones buzzing and texting. It is even worse than this today.

[@robbyeneal659]

This is so real!

[@KiloByte69]

Whats with the censorship?

[@Xmvtjets96X]

We gotta protect the kids who are watching a show about systemic issues in our education system obviously

[@FreshTillDeath56]

This was obviously edited for some sort of public presentation. I don't agree with censorship, but eh what are you gonna do.

[@PCRyder]

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the bureaucracy that is public education.

[@KingSosa-of5oe]

Bro I’m so glad I’m watching this cause it’s happening so much rn

[@leonardorestrepo5196]

I was a teacher in a brooklyn middle school in East New York, specifically Brownsville, for 3 years. I quit, went back to school, and had to take two (and a half) jobs to keep up with expenses while doing night classes. All of that was still dramatically easier than being a teacher in a "high impact" school.

[@the_one_who-knocks]

Watching this 1 clip makes me want to go and watch all 5 season for a 4th time.

[@blackequitynetwork1669]

I wasn’t shocked at all! Since I lived through this education system.

[@brianbonilla9498]

This whole season reminds me of my time at Locke high school in SCLA

[@amanred9337]

Colvin was a visionary genius. Years ahead of his time!

[@callmehanson9466]

You know that Prez was a great teacher when he got the kids to want to do math problems instead of watching a movie in class.

[@timsexton]

Ha, ha. Probability rules & shooting craps (dice). *_TRUST !!_*

[@magetaaaaaa]

I think Last of the Mohicans was a book before it was a movie. My guess is that they were reading that instead of watching the movie which is why they all wanted to do dice instead.

[@Scrappy_ill_fold_ya_Doo]

This is sad. Especially when things like this happens in real life.