I don't want my kid to be the only white student . . .

[Anonymous]

meant "think" not "thing"

[Anonymous]

I think it's ridiculous to not acknowledge that black kids can be very mean to non-racist white kids. Blacks aren't the only victims of this segregated screwed-up city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid was the only white student in her class last year. We blithely assumed she would be fine, because kids are color blind, right? She ate alone every day. She told me (and the teacher confirmed) that she tried to join the other children at recess but was rebuffed. More than once, she came home crying because another elementary school child told her to take her "white ass" and get lost. (Well, the first time, she asked me what "ass" meant, because she had never heard it before.) We stuck it out through the rest of the year, but changed schools this past fall. Her new classroom has a good mix of kids, and a great inclusive vibe; she has many friends in her class, not just white kids. Any kind of homogeny is bad for the "only".

But you might not be aware of that tendency, because there are lots of stupid bitches around, so you've always been in good company.

I disagree that any kind of homogeny is bad for the only. Frankly, I think being the only black kid at an otherwise all-white schools is probably easier, since no white child would dare tell a black child to "take your black ass and get lost." White children, frankly, do not speak that way.

White children in DC don't, maybe, but there's a whoooole lot of 'em in the rest of the country that do.

But this is DCUM and we're talking about DC, not the rest of the country. And, honestly, except for some locales, I cannot think of a single place where a white child would speak like that.

Seriously? I think that there are probably more locales than not where a white child would speak that way. It is less likely here and in other urban areas with high SES, but in the space between DC and San Francisco I think you would be surprised at how readily the "N" word rolls off the tongue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid was the only white student in her class last year. We blithely assumed she would be fine, because kids are color blind, right? She ate alone every day. She told me (and the teacher confirmed) that she tried to join the other children at recess but was rebuffed. More than once, she came home crying because another elementary school child told her to take her "white ass" and get lost. (Well, the first time, she asked me what "ass" meant, because she had never heard it before.) We stuck it out through the rest of the year, but changed schools this past fall. Her new classroom has a good mix of kids, and a great inclusive vibe; she has many friends in her class, not just white kids. Any kind of homogeny is bad for the "only".

But you might not be aware of that tendency, because there are lots of stupid bitches around, so you've always been in good company.

I disagree that any kind of homogeny is bad for the only. Frankly, I think being the only black kid at an otherwise all-white schools is probably easier, since no white child would dare tell a black child to "take your black ass and get lost." White children, frankly, do not speak that way.

White children in DC don't, maybe, but there's a whoooole lot of 'em in the rest of the country that do.

On my son's lacrosse team last year one little boy was called a dirty nigger! Yes here in DC, practice was at Deal Middle School! My son later asked me what does nigger mean?

Lacrosse team? So, we're talking teenagers? I said white children and was assuming primary age with that. I agree the language gets dicier with the teens.

They were betweek=n the ages of 7 and 10.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think I understand what you're saying, or I'm giving the benefit of the doubt.

I don't want my child to be the "only" something: the only girl, the only white child, the only child from an agnostic family, fill-in-the-blank. I also hope that someone else's child isn't the "only" anything: only mixed-race, only Hindi, only non-native English speaker, only child with 2 dads, etc. I try to strike a balance between teaching her to appreciate her uniqueness, and also feeling part of a group. I sign her up for team sports so she can learn to be a good team-member and work towards a shared goal. I sign her up for individual lessons where her success or failure rests on her own efforts. I put her in a school with children of all different kinds of backgrounds to broaden her horizons, and help her learn to relate to all kinds of people.

I know I'm not alone here - aren't we all trying to find the right balance for our children? I can understand someone not wanting to be the "only" of any race or background, not out of dislike or mistrust, but because it's a dynamic I think is at odds with real life, at least most of the time.

I hope that doesn't make me racist, but I'll have to live with it if it does because it's what is best for my family.

I totally agree with you! This doesn't make you a racist at all. You sound like an awesome parent. I feel the same way as you do and I'm AA.

[Anonymous]

It is not okay for elementary school kids to use words like ass or the n word. It's very possible that kids who use them live in a bubble, and the general acceptance of these words perpetuates the bubble. I don't care what color the kid is who uses these words - I don't want my kid around them.

[Anonymous]

That kid was not necessary even being rood. Aa english is different from mainstream english that you are familiar with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid was the only white student in her class last year. We blithely assumed she would be fine, because kids are color blind, right? She ate alone every day. She told me (and the teacher confirmed) that she tried to join the other children at recess but was rebuffed. More than once, she came home crying because another elementary school child told her to take her "white ass" and get lost. (Well, the first time, she asked me what "ass" meant, because she had never heard it before.) We stuck it out through the rest of the year, but changed schools this past fall. Her new classroom has a good mix of kids, and a great inclusive vibe; she has many friends in her class, not just white kids. Any kind of homogeny is bad for the "only".

But you might not be aware of that tendency, because there are lots of stupid bitches around, so you've always been in good company.

I'm so sorry that this happened to you daughter. That's great that she is in a more welcoming and inclusive school now.

However, I'm not surprised by this at all. I grew up in a multiracial family and I attended DCPS. I've experienced lots of racism from black students. My parents transfered me to a predominately white Catholic school. I never had any racial problems at my Catholic school. It was a great fit for me. The problem is that DC is still a very segregated city. Unfortunately, behind closed doors some blacks in DC do resent whites and teach that hate to their children. Even though the city paints itself as being liberal, I find some of the folks in DC to be extremely close-minded. Now that I'm an adult I notice how open whites in DC are to my biracial children and how hostile some of the black people are. So, your daughter's situation is one of the many incidents against diversity and change in this city. There is a level of resistance in DC towards racial integration and diversity that I can't seem to fathom. Hopefully, things will get better and people will be more open to accepting others.

By the way, I wish your daughter lots of luck at her new school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That kid was not necessary even being rood. Aa english is different from mainstream english that you are familiar with.

Are you saying that telling someone to get their white ass out of here is not necessarily rude?

[Anonymous]

"Rood"? Is that "Aa english"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid was the only white student in her class last year. We blithely assumed she would be fine, because kids are color blind, right? She ate alone every day. She told me (and the teacher confirmed) that she tried to join the other children at recess but was rebuffed. More than once, she came home crying because another elementary school child told her to take her "white ass" and get lost. (Well, the first time, she asked me what "ass" meant, because she had never heard it before.) We stuck it out through the rest of the year, but changed schools this past fall. Her new classroom has a good mix of kids, and a great inclusive vibe; she has many friends in her class, not just white kids. Any kind of homogeny is bad for the "only".

But you might not be aware of that tendency, because there are lots of stupid bitches around, so you've always been in good company.

I disagree that any kind of homogeny is bad for the only. Frankly, I think being the only black kid at an otherwise all-white schools is probably easier, since no white child would dare tell a black child to "take your black ass and get lost." White children, frankly, do not speak that way.

You are so ridiculously ignorant, I am almost speechless, and I'm rarely speechless. You have obviously never been the only black child anywhere. As someone who is black and has often been the only black child in several settings (including private schools and G&T public), I can ASSURE you that there are MULTITUDES of white children who say "black ass" and, even more disturbing in my opinion, "n****r ass" in predominantly white school settings.

You're probably a troll and just said that to get a rise out of people, but in case you truly, actually think white children don't know how to speak that way, just wanted to address that gross misconception from what is probably an array of misconceptions you possess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That kid was not necessary even being rood. Aa english is different from mainstream english that you are familiar with.

Are you saying that telling someone to get their white ass out of here is not necessarily rude?

I agree this is really something other than rude. More like an ignorant, racist threat. Hate speech should not be tolerated period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That kid was not necessary even being rood. Aa english is different from mainstream english that you are familiar with.

You're joking right?! I'm AA and I find your assumption offensive. AA's are not a monolithic group. Also, any child that is utilizing profanity and racial insults towards another child is not okay in any shape or form. I wouldn't tolerate that type of language in my house nor would I accept my children to speak in that manner. Also, it's not just the language that was offensive. The behavior of excluding someone or making them feel bad is a form of emotional bullying.

[Anonymous]

On a more pleasant note, my PS3 child is an "only" in our classroom (though not in all of PS3), but we have had no problems. I felt a little strange about it at first, but then decided to take my cues from my child rather than vice versa. Well, those little kids all hug and snuggle and shove and share germs like all little kids do, so it definitely has not been an issue this year.

At parent meetings and such, I am often the only white parent, but we all just carry on. I think we were all a little out of our comfort zone at first but I found everyone to be grown-ups about it. We might come from different backgrounds, but we're all interested in helping our kids succeed. Just another experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
However, I'm not surprised by this at all. I grew up in a multiracial family and I attended DCPS. I've experienced lots of racism from black students. My parents transfered me to a predominately white Catholic school. I never had any racial problems at my Catholic school. It was a great fit for me. The problem is that DC is still a very segregated city. Unfortunately, behind closed doors some blacks in DC do resent whites and teach that hate to their children. Even though the city paints itself as being liberal, I find some of the folks in DC to be extremely close-minded. Now that I'm an adult I notice how open whites in DC are to my biracial children and how hostile some of the black people are. So, your daughter's situation is one of the many incidents against diversity and change in this city. There is a level of resistance in DC towards racial integration and diversity that I can't seem to fathom. Hopefully, things will get better and people will be more open to accepting others.

By the way, I wish your daughter lots of luck at her new school.

You're right, PP. Your post makes me think about the all-AA teaching staff and K+ voting out all the white officers of the new PTA at Payne ES on Capitol Hill almost a year ago. The PTA has only been up and running for a year at the time. The group was rolling with white and biracial leadership, parents of kids in the first racially diverse PreS3 group, which AA stakeholders so resented that they staged a take-over. The PTA hasn't met since, and every former white officer will be gone by the summer (no whites staying for K, let alone elementary grades). The school remains almost entirely AA (a touch Latino) above PreK4, and failing, with awful test scores. So darn depressing, and predictable.