TL;DR: Check out Nice White Parents podcast series.
August is here! Usually in MN, August is a long, hot month with a lot of lake swimming, bonfires, and general awareness that school will begin after Labor day. Apparently in CA, August means back to school! Our oldest son will begin kindergarten this year, and obviously it won’t look exactly as we had imagined.
I’m pretty laid back about my kids and school (or so I’ve always thought…). In general, I feel strongly that academic achievement does not solely equate to success, I value effort and determination in the face of adversity over innate intelligence, and I think failure is key especially for kids (re: failure – I worship Wendy Mogel’s The Blessing of a Skinned Knee and am currently reading Jessica Lahey The Gift of Failure). I thought, perhaps naïvely, that I wouldn’t succumb to the general obsession about ‘getting into a good school’, whatever that meant.
All of this was theoretical until this past winter when we needed to start the enrollment process in Petaluma public schools for my son. My neighbor told me the elementary school we’re zoned for wasn’t “a great school” so I should open enroll in another elementary school a couple miles away (as she had done with her daughter). I diligently toured multiple schools and ultimately agreed with her. My zoned school is a little run down, has lower test scores, and serves a more diverse population (both socioeconomically and racially). I submitted the paperwork for the transfer and was granted admission to the school of my choice. You may be wondering, what does this saga have to do with standing up to intolerance and racism (assuming you’re even still reading)? It’s coming…
Then, last Sunday, This American Life podcast released the first episode of a new series called Nice White Parents (Link to the Series) which is made in partnership with the New York Times. I started listening, and you know that feeling when you realize you’ve done something that is in direct conflict with who you think you are? When your narrative self and your experiential self clash?! (Insert Raised Hand Emoji) The series is about the segregation in the public school system, and more specifically, the immense power white parents yield. Frankly, it’s cringe worthy when you listen, and yet, I have to admit I used my own privilege to change schools! I didn’t equate my actions regarding school choice with systemic racism despite the fact that it’s now so obvious. If I’m really sold on my beliefs about kids and school that I outlined above, why did I try to find a more ‘academically rigorous’ school for my 5 year old?! Needless to say, the podcast series has had a profound effect on my own journey toward combating racism. I’m not entirely sure what’s next but admitting my part in perpetuating the power of the collective ‘white parent’ feels like the right, first step.
#knowbetterdobetter