Frankie (Keyshia's mom) attacks public schools and get my goat!

On Tuesday morning a friend of mine asked me to DVR BET’s wildly successful program, Keyshia Cole- The Way Life Is. I have heard of the program, but I had yet to sit down and watch it fully. Being a fan of R&B music, I appreciate the work Keyshia Cole has done and how she has shown significant growth as an artist over the course of two albums, so I was excited to watch this program.

I watched the program and was left feeling not only angry, but a little disgusted.

The point that angered me was the attack of Keyshia’s mother Frankie on America’s public schools system. Keyshia Cole’s sister Neffe (I think this is spelled correctly…shoot… I’ve never seen this name before…) is considering sending her daughter Brianna (a seemingly bright and very charismatic young lady) to Atlanta’s Southwest Christian Academy.

When providing reasons as to why the move from a public elementary school to a private middle school should occur, Neffe (the child’s mother) cited smaller class sizes and more parental involvement, both of which are admirable reasons for wanting to send a child to private school.

When the two spoke to grandma Frankie about the private school option, she provided numerous reasons that were not only offensive to me, a product of public schools, but down right elementary (where Brianna just finished school) in reasoning.

Frankie said, “You need private schools because it will help you have a better future. Public schools gone take you way off of your goal…It’s important to me that Brianna have a solid education. Neffe didn’t have a solid education, Keyshia didn’t have a solid education, and it’s important to me that someone break the family curse.”

An educator’s response (If only I could sit my home girl down, adjust that lace front and those teeth and say…)
Frankie, what are you talking about? Keyshia and Neffe did not struggle in regards to education because they attended a public school. Not only did students graduate from whatever public school these young women attended and go on to college, but some of them became teachers, lawyers, ministers, doctors, and successful entrepreneurs. The curse these young women were afflicted with is the same curse too many young people are afflicted with and that is being born into a family where a parent or parents fail to make decisions that will positively impact their children.

Frankie is a reformed crack cocaine addict, the mother of numerous children (by numerous fathers), many of whom were reared by foster care because Frankie was neglectful and a prostitute. And while I am glad she reformed her life for the better with help from her inspirational daughters, Keyshia and Neffe, I don’t think she is the best sounding board for her granddaughters future. And the number one detractor against private schools, oddly enough, was Frankie herself. She went, for a little while she claims, to private school. And look where she ended up.

The entire episode can be seen at:
http://www.bet.com/onblast/default.html?chan=3&id=2462&i=4&sub=&itype=e


A final note:
On the show, one can routinely see Frankie’s love interests. All of these men are tall, a lil rugged around the edges and young… extremely young. Frankie is clearly not a young woman. Clearly, Frankie is not a playful little pussycat. She is actually too old to be a cougar. She’s more like a saber tooth tiger. And no, I am not making fun of her false teeth. I am simply saying she is too old to be on the prowl off of Bankhead Highway (Hollowell Parkway in these modern times) looking for ‘lil thugsters and dime bags of weed.