Tonight we went to the school's Open House and met both the Pre-K teachers and toured their rooms. They both said that the afternoon class count is smaller, with more one-on-one attention from the teacher, so that confirms what class time I will be requesting. The rooms were very impressive, set up just like a kindergarten room. The second teacher was much nicer and more approachable and her interactions with her students parents were really encouraging, so I will be requesting her. We were able to see the pictures of each child in the class on their lockers in the room and neither class had a single Caucasian child. There were about 3-5 Asian, 2-4 African American or Biracial and the rest were Hispanic and a lot of Middle Eastern/Indian. It was the most diverse classes I have ever seen. The teacher said that only a handful do not speak English at the beginning of the year, but they all catch up by Thanksgiving. His registration is in April, and I will look over the curriculum then. The projects on the wall all looked great for Pre-K to me...coin money, Texas flags and facts, and other things- so that was encouraging as well. And the other thing was that there were posters and cut-outs all over the room that were very diverse. I mentioned to the teacher that it looked very well stocked (Billy said, Sensory Overload!) and she said that they are fortunate with their funding to be able to get everything they want and need. All the books were in excellent condition, as well as the crayons and toys in the play areas. Okay- I'm rambling! Let's just say, I was excited!
On that note though, it looks like Billy and I have made the decision that as far as Kindergarten and above goes, we would rather our children be in a better school than a diverse school. I have been corresponding with a college friend who is I believe a 3rd grade teacher, and she has had some interesting insights as she teaches at a lower-rated school. Here is something she wrote today and I'm sure she won't mind me sharing:
"The counselor at our school is African American and was raised by her bio-parents. However, because her parents were educated (they were both teachers) she got called an "oreo" and was made fun of by her African American peers when she was at a diverse school. She pointed out that "classism" is just as painful as racism. When she moved to a predominantly white school, she fit in much better, even though she looked different. Something else to throw into the mix!"
This goes along well with a woman we heard speak. She is a bi-racial adoptee who went to grade school and middle school in a racially diverse school and said she never felt accepted by any racial group, and had an awful experience. When her parents put her in a school in a nicer area that was predominately Caucasian, she fit right in and said it was the best time of her life. Another story was told to us recently by an African American woman who works for Gladney Adoption Agency. She said that when she went off to college, she chose to go to a school where she was the only black student in any of her classes. She expressed this concern to her mother, who is African American, who said "so what? That is an excellent school and you ought to go there." So she did and loved it. Then when she got hired on at Gladney 10 or so years ago, she said to her Mom that she would be the only African American person at the agency and her Mom once again said, "So? That is a great agency to work for."
These are the things we have been thinking about lately and going round and round about. When it boils down to it, as my teacher friend confirmed, the "good" schools have more freedom in their day to get creative with the curriculum and think outside the box in a way that challenges their students. The lower-rated schools are just treading water and doing all they can to get their kids to pass the TAKS test. The kids that do well are often left to fend for themselves as much of the day is spent in reviewing for the majority that lags behind.
So, even though we feel really great about this Pre-K program, when it comes to the following year, we will need to be more selective as our choice of schools will begin to have a greater affect on his overall academic achievement.
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3 friends commented!:
I think y'all have really good points. Plus, as long as he is around other AA families, like at church and/or his neighborhood, etc., then he'll still have ample opportunities to bond with other AA people and develop his sense of self and his heritage.
From what I saw at my inner-city school, the "smart kids" (hard workers, regardless of intelligence) were treated so harshly by the others. It was partly a race thing, but only partly. It happened within each racial group and between different groups. I never really realized it fully until this post, but classism was definitely a factor. It's easier to see the race usually, and blame things on that, but poverty is just as powerful.
I would have to agree with the comments you've already received. I've been speaking with teachers for a while now about this idea and they have all echoed the same sentiments. We're still debating the local public school vs. the private school, even though we're in a great area for both our class and our son's race. He's only two months old and we're already discussing! This parenting business is hard work, and we haven't even really started yet! : )
Just getting around to reading these posts. Interesting stuff I never thought about but makes complete sense.
If we're not able to home school we'll be looking into a good private school, if we can afford it. It is important that our children get a good education.
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