Choosing A School For My Son In A Segregated State (A Reprise)
A few weeks ago, I attended my son’s prospective school’s fundraising fair in their backyard. They had the standards: a bouncy house, a ball toss, a face-painting station, and a plastic frog pond. They also had some unique features: a DJ that played Black music standards like Shalamar, Michael Jackson, and James Brown, a raffle for a dinner voucher at Sylvia’s, a principal in a smock running around with the kids and parents in a playful manner. As first time pre-K parents, we’re nervous for Alejandro, a boy who already counts to 100 and reads Dr. Seuss with clarity and regularity. Academically, he’ll be fine. His mother is an assistant principal and thoughtful educator. His father has taught for 11 years and waxes poetic about the latest education research and its ramifications for a well-read blog. He’s supposed to be fine.
But our question was, will the teachers like him?
I read Nikole Hannah-Jones’ latest piece shortly after the school fair. This article focused on the confluence between her work as a reporter for the New York Times and her daughter’s schooling threw tapped every nerve possible. In my mind, I’ve played Nikole’s words in my mind while trusting my child to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s UPK program. I believe in social justice. I believe that the choices each of us makes for our child affects other children thereafter. I believe my child will be alright regardless of what school he goes to. I don’t think public schools are all that public, but, as fate would have it, I live in the middle of Harlem / El Barrio, the heart of some of the most well-known – or notorious, depending on who you ask – charter schools in the country, from Eva Moskowitz’ Success Academy 1 to Geoffrey Canada’s Harlem Children Zone. Not only did I openly resist these school options, I even winced at the Catholic school options. As a Catholic school graduate, I hoped that the schools we chose had open spaces, creative pedagogy, and a loving environment for Ále.
We’re trusting these institutions with our child. continue reading
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