SWS has jumped the shark

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This isn't even the most offensive email that SWS leadership has sent recently about which students and families are allowed to go to which events.

If you're so offended, take your kid out of the school.

You're mad because they had a social event for Black families and that all of this came out of direct feedback from black families at the school? I mean SWS can't win, first they are attacked on DCUM for being too white, then when they address specific and direct concerns that have been addressed, they're too woke?

Helpful, thanks.

A social event for only black families came up with the idea that the school should have a group for only white parents solely aimed at discussing their "personal internalization, experiences, and perpetuation of whiteness and racism"? That suggests deep problems in the school community and I do not agree at all with the person who said that this group has the same focus as a group on how to be an ally. It does not at all. And I find it bizarre that only white people are permitted to participate. (On top of everything else, for a public school, I'm not sure it is actually legal to have a white people only group if they are committing any actual public resources to this group; hard to see that this would meet strict scrutiny (vice, for instance, a black only group which as framed in this email would).

The social event was held at the school, so technically anyone from the school community could have gone. I don't think it's legal to hold an event in a public school space that excludes people based on race.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The audacity of caucasity on this post!

"White affinity group" is a very commonly used term nationally, both in educational and employment settings. The outrage here suggests you all either don't read, don't care to be better, and/or do exactly what such a group would challenge you to stop doing.

As several have pointed out, public institutions use resources to support marginalized/underrepresented groups all. the. time. Is the problem here that whiteness is not being centered and exhalted? Because that's how the bulk of you sound.

Also, stop saying 'woke.'

There is a chasm between "whiteness not being centered" and "perpetuation of whiteness and racism". The latter necessarily requires people to apologize for their existence and accept it as a failing. If you don't understand why these two things are not the same and why you alienate people by conflating the two then you are part of the problem. "Woke" is being used derisively to describe people like you who don't understand there's a difference. It is most ironic that you embody the new "woke" stereotype while demanding people stop using it to describe an exemplar of it.

"Allies" are important because we have learned over the history of oppression and war that the marginalized cannot often successfully advocate for themselves without people in positions of power working with them from the inside. You and others have perverted that concept to mean creating puppets who must pass some kind of purity test. Anyone who fails to agree 100% with your position is labeled a racist and becomes in your mind no different than a hood wearing, KKK white supremacist. That's counterproductive, false equivalence and succeeds only in alienating people who may agree with a great deal of what you say and advocate for, but may not agree with every last word.

There is certainly a difference between the "centering of whiteness" and the "perpetuation of whiteness" but um...I'm not sure you are actually clear about the distinction. And then you devolved into a nonsense rambling about the KKK and completely lost any intellectual credibility.

This thread is a cesspool of people who are so lost and shocked that schools and educators are responsible for more than just having really super awesome teaching strategies locked down. As though a child's ability to experience and engage in learning isn't directly tied to the historic, societal, systemic, and very obvious and apparent PERSONAL experiences of these students. It's a disgusting display of white people's inability to conceptualize a reality that exists for everyone except themselves. My favorite part of it all is that white people established the concept of race as we know it today, put themselves in the position of this identity called "whiteness" AND got to decide how that identity expanded as the centuries passed. Whiteness is defined by, validated by, and made real by white people. BUT NOW white folks couldn't be any more ready to throw the whole thing away because it doesn't make them look good anymore??? Do you know how many times I have heard a white person say "Why are you making this about race?" or "Don't you think it's more of a class thing, guys?"

No... it's a race thing because your great great great great granddaddy made it a race thing.

I reread my post (I am PP) and I realized it would be helpful to share that its a race thing because MY great great great great granddaddy made it a race thing, as well. My father is a white man from the south.

Maybe some of yall need to read some Ibrim X. Kendi. I bought my father "How to Be an Anti-Racist" and "Stamped from the Beginning" for Christmas and he was so annoyed with me. However, the other day we were out for coffee and he said he finished Stamped. I was stunned. It's not a light read by any means. He told me that he didn't want to tell me as he was making his way through it because there were times he admitted wanting to throw it in the trash. By the end of our outing, he told me he didn't know how to feel or where to go from there. I could have said..."umm...thats why I bought the other book too!" but I could see that he was going through some major mental shifts that would take time to work through.

Real empathy is possible folks but you have to start somewhere and its not a fun place to be...AT FIRST. But the more you sink into your false intellectual protection the more validate everything that whiteness was always intended to be and the more you confuse yourself and gaslight others. Its not about making people feel like they are racist. Its about self-witnessing and taking accountability.

I believe in yall.

Let's assume for a minute that all of this stuff you claim to be true in this post and your one above it is. So what? Aside from making well-off white liberals feel better about themselves, how does this help poor black and other minority students (except Asians, since they "don't count") who are struggling in school get ahead? It doesn't. Not only does it not help, it actively hinders their learning and advancement since instruction time is taken up with all this Kendi-esque nonsense.

[Anonymous]

who is paying for Kindred/the Affinity Groups, is this what proceeds from the auction and giving campaigns are funding?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This isn't even the most offensive email that SWS leadership has sent recently about which students and families are allowed to go to which events.

If you're so offended, take your kid out of the school.

You're mad because they had a social event for Black families and that all of this came out of direct feedback from black families at the school? I mean SWS can't win, first they are attacked on DCUM for being too white, then when they address specific and direct concerns that have been addressed, they're too woke?

Helpful, thanks.

A social event for only black families came up with the idea that the school should have a group for only white parents solely aimed at discussing their "personal internalization, experiences, and perpetuation of whiteness and racism"? That suggests deep problems in the school community and I do not agree at all with the person who said that this group has the same focus as a group on how to be an ally. It does not at all. And I find it bizarre that only white people are permitted to participate. (On top of everything else, for a public school, I'm not sure it is actually legal to have a white people only group if they are committing any actual public resources to this group; hard to see that this would meet strict scrutiny (vice, for instance, a black only group which as framed in this email would).

The social event was held at the school, so technically anyone from the school community could have gone. I don't think it's legal to hold an event in a public school space that excludes people based on race.

But didn't one of the PPs say that SWS is already doing that by holding black-only events?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:who is paying for Kindred/the Affinity Groups, is this what proceeds from the auction and giving campaigns are funding?

Apparently, clips below from the school wide email:

Each year, FSWS sets a budget based on the gap between what DCPS provides and our funding needs for important support and enhancements. This is done through coordination among the board members, which consists of parents, community members, and the administration.

The current programs funded include:

The FoodPrints program
Additional teaching and administrative assistants
Classroom supplies and field trips
Teacher Training and Professional Development
Technology purchases
Partnership with Kindred for DEI and anti-racism programming

The need for additional funding (on top of the standard DCPS budget) is even more critical this year, as SWS was hit with budget cuts from the city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn't it illegal for the government (i.e., a public school like SWS) to divide up people by race?

Isn't segregation by race illegal in a public school?

It was the norm in the 1950's but the black children did not get the same quality of education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The audacity of caucasity on this post!

"White affinity group" is a very commonly used term nationally, both in educational and employment settings. The outrage here suggests you all either don't read, don't care to be better, and/or do exactly what such a group would challenge you to stop doing.

As several have pointed out, public institutions use resources to support marginalized/underrepresented groups all. the. time. Is the problem here that whiteness is not being centered and exhalted? Because that's how the bulk of you sound.

Also, stop saying 'woke.'

So language matters in one direction only? Some people are rightfully allowed to be offended by skin-based insults, while it's open season on other groups? This mindset is exactly that displayed in the SWS program description and is what is likely to undermine the program's presumable goals.

No it’s white fragility by textbook definition and the faulty logic presented by the offended white folk on this thread is a tragically ironic example of why these initiatives are sorely needed. In all honesty, they basis of this work is pushing past the feelings of defensiveness and discomfort for the sake of growth. It is quite known and discussed that many families will feel the way many of you are feeling. The goal of the work is to being forth those who are open and willing to push past that discomfort and learn something. This change is painfully and deeply rooted. This is century work and thank goodness for those who embark on it.

Being "discussed" does not make it scientific. Being in a textbook does not make it factually correct, as our 20th century sorely shows.

That the recognition and remediation of unconscious bias entails discomfort is logical. But twisting that logic around to claim that anything goes as long as it causes defensiveness and discomfort is bollix.

It’s only bollix if you don’t see the discomfort as *the entire point.* What PP is describing is a struggle session, and the whole point is to make the subjects feel distress and thereby strengthen the power of those conducting the struggle session, and send a clear message about conformity to those watching. It’s no accident that this happens at schools.

Some historical background:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-criticism_(Marxism–Leninism)#Soviet_Union

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Struggle_session

I realize this sounds hyperbolic. To be clear, I don’t believe that the “white fragility” discourse has the same power structure as Soviet Russia or Maoist China. That would be an overblown accusation, obviously. But I do believe the underlying social dynamics are very, very similar, in that public confessions of shame are utilized in order to bring other people in line and reinforce an orthodoxy.

This is what the Uyghurs are going through in China.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The audacity of caucasity on this post!

"White affinity group" is a very commonly used term nationally, both in educational and employment settings. The outrage here suggests you all either don't read, don't care to be better, and/or do exactly what such a group would challenge you to stop doing.

As several have pointed out, public institutions use resources to support marginalized/underrepresented groups all. the. time. Is the problem here that whiteness is not being centered and exhalted? Because that's how the bulk of you sound.

Also, stop saying 'woke.'

There is a chasm between "whiteness not being centered" and "perpetuation of whiteness and racism". The latter necessarily requires people to apologize for their existence and accept it as a failing. If you don't understand why these two things are not the same and why you alienate people by conflating the two then you are part of the problem. "Woke" is being used derisively to describe people like you who don't understand there's a difference. It is most ironic that you embody the new "woke" stereotype while demanding people stop using it to describe an exemplar of it.

"Allies" are important because we have learned over the history of oppression and war that the marginalized cannot often successfully advocate for themselves without people in positions of power working with them from the inside. You and others have perverted that concept to mean creating puppets who must pass some kind of purity test. Anyone who fails to agree 100% with your position is labeled a racist and becomes in your mind no different than a hood wearing, KKK white supremacist. That's counterproductive, false equivalence and succeeds only in alienating people who may agree with a great deal of what you say and advocate for, but may not agree with every last word.

There is certainly a difference between the "centering of whiteness" and the "perpetuation of whiteness" but um...I'm not sure you are actually clear about the distinction. And then you devolved into a nonsense rambling about the KKK and completely lost any intellectual credibility.

This thread is a cesspool of people who are so lost and shocked that schools and educators are responsible for more than just having really super awesome teaching strategies locked down. As though a child's ability to experience and engage in learning isn't directly tied to the historic, societal, systemic, and very obvious and apparent PERSONAL experiences of these students. It's a disgusting display of white people's inability to conceptualize a reality that exists for everyone except themselves. My favorite part of it all is that white people established the concept of race as we know it today, put themselves in the position of this identity called "whiteness" AND got to decide how that identity expanded as the centuries passed. Whiteness is defined by, validated by, and made real by white people. BUT NOW white folks couldn't be any more ready to throw the whole thing away because it doesn't make them look good anymore??? Do you know how many times I have heard a white person say "Why are you making this about race?" or "Don't you think it's more of a class thing, guys?"

No... it's a race thing because your great great great great granddaddy made it a race thing.

You are the poster child for why you can't make any headway. Anyone who dares to disagree with you is vilified. You don't want a discussion; you want to spout your deep thoughts and have people who are too afraid or suffering acute cases of liberal guilt tell you how smart and right you are. You are neither. Smart people are not afraid of having discussions with people who disagree with them. Anyone who does not bend the knee is a racist. How's that working for you? As I told you before, your approach and demand for absolute fealty makes people who otherwise support much of what you want to accomplish decide to say, "forget you".

What's funny is you think you speak for black America. You don't. Black America does not speak with one voice.

SWS deserves you, and you them. Best of luck with your abysmal, below grade minority cohort. They aren't learning to read and write, but at least you get to lecture he willing audience on the fundamental failure of their whiteness. LOL.

This x 1000.

And no I’m not white. The above absolutely alienates people like PP and people will say forget it and walk away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am multiracial and just CANNOT STAND such misguided behaviors. Which group do I join huh? This crap makes me feel even more marginalized. I hate it.

+1. My kids are multi-racial and I didn’t bother applying to SWS because of this nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The audacity of caucasity on this post!

"White affinity group" is a very commonly used term nationally, both in educational and employment settings. The outrage here suggests you all either don't read, don't care to be better, and/or do exactly what such a group would challenge you to stop doing.

As several have pointed out, public institutions use resources to support marginalized/underrepresented groups all. the. time. Is the problem here that whiteness is not being centered and exhalted? Because that's how the bulk of you sound.

Also, stop saying 'woke.'

There is a chasm between "whiteness not being centered" and "perpetuation of whiteness and racism". The latter necessarily requires people to apologize for their existence and accept it as a failing. If you don't understand why these two things are not the same and why you alienate people by conflating the two then you are part of the problem. "Woke" is being used derisively to describe people like you who don't understand there's a difference. It is most ironic that you embody the new "woke" stereotype while demanding people stop using it to describe an exemplar of it.

"Allies" are important because we have learned over the history of oppression and war that the marginalized cannot often successfully advocate for themselves without people in positions of power working with them from the inside. You and others have perverted that concept to mean creating puppets who must pass some kind of purity test. Anyone who fails to agree 100% with your position is labeled a racist and becomes in your mind no different than a hood wearing, KKK white supremacist. That's counterproductive, false equivalence and succeeds only in alienating people who may agree with a great deal of what you say and advocate for, but may not agree with every last word.

There is certainly a difference between the "centering of whiteness" and the "perpetuation of whiteness" but um...I'm not sure you are actually clear about the distinction. And then you devolved into a nonsense rambling about the KKK and completely lost any intellectual credibility.

This thread is a cesspool of people who are so lost and shocked that schools and educators are responsible for more than just having really super awesome teaching strategies locked down. As though a child's ability to experience and engage in learning isn't directly tied to the historic, societal, systemic, and very obvious and apparent PERSONAL experiences of these students. It's a disgusting display of white people's inability to conceptualize a reality that exists for everyone except themselves. My favorite part of it all is that white people established the concept of race as we know it today, put themselves in the position of this identity called "whiteness" AND got to decide how that identity expanded as the centuries passed. Whiteness is defined by, validated by, and made real by white people. BUT NOW white folks couldn't be any more ready to throw the whole thing away because it doesn't make them look good anymore??? Do you know how many times I have heard a white person say "Why are you making this about race?" or "Don't you think it's more of a class thing, guys?"

No... it's a race thing because your great great great great granddaddy made it a race thing.

You are the poster child for why you can't make any headway. Anyone who dares to disagree with you is vilified. You don't want a discussion; you want to spout your deep thoughts and have people who are too afraid or suffering acute cases of liberal guilt tell you how smart and right you are. You are neither. Smart people are not afraid of having discussions with people who disagree with them. Anyone who does not bend the knee is a racist. How's that working for you? As I told you before, your approach and demand for absolute fealty makes people who otherwise support much of what you want to accomplish decide to say, "forget you".

What's funny is you think you speak for black America. You don't. Black America does not speak with one voice.

SWS deserves you, and you them. Best of luck with your abysmal, below grade minority cohort. They aren't learning to read and write, but at least you get to lecture he willing audience on the fundamental failure of their whiteness. LOL.

This x 1000.

And no I’m not white. The above absolutely alienates people like PP and people will say forget it and walk away.

Exactly. The ironic thing is that, at least in the past, one of the ways that SWS tried to distinguish themselves was by saying that their Reggio approach develops critical thinking skills (in contrast to the supposedly “rote” methods used elsewhere). We left several years ago but were there for a while and I’m not one conversation that I had with the principal did he show any ability at all to think critically about an issue. All questions were met with a word salad of progressive buzzwords and drivel. And sadly, many who worked for him modeled this. It is truly no wonder they clung to the cult of Lucy Calkins for so long despite its obvious shortcomings. And it is no surprise that they have gone full woke in the current political climate. These folks define what it means to drink the koolaid. I’m sad for what the SWS parents must be going through right now but at the same time I’m glad these issues are starting to see the light of day. It is the same nonsense over and over, just the topics change. In the past it felt very isolating to be a parent with a non medicated, neurotypical kid who priorities academics and is fine with the SEL so long as it doesn’t take away from learning the core subjects, and doesn’t mind if they keep score at the soccer game. But at least my kid wasn’t getting beat up at his IB school. It is just so so tiring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am multiracial and just CANNOT STAND such misguided behaviors. Which group do I join huh? This crap makes me feel even more marginalized. I hate it.

+1. My kids are multi-racial and I didn’t bother applying to SWS because of this nonsense.

Not at SWS but felt the same way during the elementary years with my mixed kids; couldn't wait to get kids out of elementary school. This type of in your face stuff generally ends there. I'm sure it got more intense after we left.

[Anonymous]

Ugh we’re zoned for SWS-FS, and I’m so glad we went private. Private is quite woke as well, but also smart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ugh we’re zoned for SWS-FS, and I’m so glad we went private. Private is quite woke as well, but also smart.

SWW-FS and SWS are two different schools. SWS has no zone— it’s lottery only to get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh we’re zoned for SWS-FS, and I’m so glad we went private. Private is quite woke as well, but also smart.

SWW-FS and SWS are two different schools. SWS has no zone— it’s lottery only to get in.

Same principal for a while

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh we’re zoned for SWS-FS, and I’m so glad we went private. Private is quite woke as well, but also smart.

SWW-FS and SWS are two different schools. SWS has no zone— it’s lottery only to get in.

Same principal for a while

No. School Within School (Capitol Hill) vs School Without Walls (West End)