Asian American students at private schools?

[Anonymous]

Getting back to OP's question - where are there Asian American students...

Sidwell and Green Acres, - one or two in each class, with one or two mixed race.

I saw the least (and I was counting) at Maret and GDS. I don't know what excuse GDS has but Maret is small. Maret seems to be concentrating their efforts on AA and Hispanic recruitment. Maret has a scholarship fund (Malone) starting in 4th grade that is for gifted/talented Hispanic students. When we toured last year I noticed an increase in "students of color" starting in 4th grade. K was very white with a sprinkle here and there.

GDS had one, two tops in each class.

Beauvoir - we never got to enter the actual classrooms, just pass by in the hall so I didn't get a good sense. I imagine they also have 1-4 total of Asian or Asian/other race.


Quite frankly, I would take the number of students with both Asian parents as a good sign of the academic rigour of a school. I grew up with many Asian-American friends and there is no way their parents would spend over $20k on a soft education. My friends (emphasis on the -American), however, are another story.

[Anonymous]

pp, I agree with the word soft. Yes many of these privates are softies (Sidwell included). Many of the private school students would be humbled by the competition at TJ, Langley, Churchill, Whitman, Blair, Richard Montgomery. A lot of the public schools seem to have more kids of scientists, physicists and engineers, who would never consider private often because of income. I have found them to be actually better educated and smarter than some of the lawyer/doctor parents at my dd's private school. Their kids do very well in public school, without the fuss. Frankly, some of them would be down right bored in a calculus class at Sidwell.

[Anonymous]

It seems as though the schools see diversity as a black white thing.

[Anonymous]

people's responses to this question reveal a lack of understanding around the diversity within the asian-american community. you have first-, second-, and even third-generation asian-americans of various social and economic strata--with origins from different countries, all with different values. people make different trade-offs because we are all fundamentally different no matter how we might look to you. blanket statements about what asian-americans believe as a whole do not make sense.

[Anonymous]

The Malone Scholarship at Maret is not based on race of any kind. It can go to any child who is academically gifted and shows economic need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:people's responses to this question reveal a lack of understanding around the diversity within the asian-american community. you have first-, second-, and even third-generation asian-americans of various social and economic strata--with origins from different countries, all with different values. people make different trade-offs because we are all fundamentally different no matter how we might look to you. blanket statements about what asian-americans believe as a whole do not make sense.

That is true for all "races", Hispanic, Black, "Arab",...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems as though the schools see diversity as a black white thing.

Well, maybe a black, white and brown (Hispanic) thing. The Hispanics I know well who are able to afford private always choose the parish school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you also don't see many Hispanics.

How can you "see" Hispanics if they are white Hispanics? Not all Latinos are Hispanic and not all Hispanics are brown.

Sorry, but most, even the "White" ones, are of a slightly different hue, which I can see.

Then I guess you've never been to Spain or seen Argentines. They're about as white as can be and don't have any hue. Half the Argentine population is of Italian extraction since there was such a large Italian immigration influx into Argentina in the early 1900s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems as though the schools see diversity as a black white thing.

Which leads to the perverse result of continued discrimination against Asians and Hispanics in the private school game.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you also don't see many Hispanics.

How can you "see" Hispanics if they are white Hispanics? Not all Latinos are Hispanic and not all Hispanics are brown.

Sorry, but most, even the "White" ones, are of a slightly different hue, which I can see.

Then I guess you've never been to Spain or seen Argentines. They're about as white as can be and don't have any hue. Half the Argentine population is of Italian extraction since there was such a large Italian immigration influx into Argentina in the early 1900s.

I have been to Spain and Italy, and I know about Argentina's immigration.
People from the Mediterranean look darker than those from say the British Isles, so in a play ground I can spot a child of Spanish or Italian descent and one of Northern European descent. Some Europeans say that Africa starts south of the Pyrenees, some say it starts south of the Alps. The Argentineans who look White are often of German and Irish descent, same for other whites in S. America.
I am a bit concerned about so many people from Latin American obviously going out of their way to emphasize that they are White. Perhaps they think it will elevate them socially if they display their pedigree. But be careful, genetics have the last word. I heard that 86 percent of Brazilians have some African ancestry, while only 6 percent consider themselves Black.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you also don't see many Hispanics.

How can you "see" Hispanics if they are white Hispanics? Not all Latinos are Hispanic and not all Hispanics are brown.

Sorry, but most, even the "White" ones, are of a slightly different hue, which I can see.

Then I guess you've never been to Spain or seen Argentines. They're about as white as can be and don't have any hue. Half the Argentine population is of Italian extraction since there was such a large Italian immigration influx into Argentina in the early 1900s.

I have been to Spain and Italy, and I know about Argentina's immigration.
People from the Mediterranean look darker than those from say the British Isles, so in a play ground I can spot a child of Spanish or Italian descent and one of Northern European descent. Some Europeans say that Africa starts south of the Pyrenees, some say it starts south of the Alps. The Argentineans who look White are often of German and Irish descent, same for other whites in S. America.
I am a bit concerned about so many people from Latin American obviously going out of their way to emphasize that they are White. Perhaps they think it will elevate them socially if they display their pedigree. But be careful, genetics have the last word. I heard that 86 percent of Brazilians have some African ancestry, while only 6 percent consider themselves Black.

Spain is a big country. My point is that in northern Spain they don't "look" hispanic. They are as fair skinned as someone from Scotland because there isn't much sun. You could easily walk by a "hispanic" person and not know it because you are too busy looking at the darker Mediterannean looking ones.

Northern Italians have fair skin and blue or green eyes. They don't all look Mediterranean and darker. My ex-boyfriend's mother was Italian with blond hair and green eyes, while his Irish father had black hair and brown eyes. My point is that these countries have a variety of complexions and it's not accurate to use one wide brush stroke to characterize people from a country.

[Anonymous]

12:22 OMG, what a racist commentary. I'm in utter shock. How much time have you really spent in either South America or Europe?

I hope we don't meet on the playground. What in the world would you think of my biracial child?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:12:22 OMG, what a racist commentary. I'm in utter shock. How much time have you really spent in either South America or Europe?

I hope we don't meet on the playground. What in the world would you think of my biracial child?

I agree with you. These comments are rather pathetic. Going back to the gist of this thread, a school where Asian American students are well represented and integrated is WIS, where all races and cultures are welcome and treasured.

[Anonymous]

I don't see it as racist, there are different looks among Europeans. I lived in Ticino, and they don't look Irish. Hair and eye color have little to do with it.
OP, there should be more Asians in private schools..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:12:22 OMG, what a racist commentary. I'm in utter shock. How much time have you really spent in either South America or Europe?

I hope we don't meet on the playground. What in the world would you think of my biracial child?

I am not PP. As with all discussions on race, hurling the R word as a supreme weapon of sorts is unfair. At least in this context. I don't feel comfortable with what 12:22 has said. There is definitely the whiff of elitism. But I don't think, on the post alone, you can label her a racist. I'm not 100% sure about her statistics re: Brazil, but it does sound about right. What PP says about Hispanics emphasizing their white roots is sad. But true. It is equally applicable to the AA (both African and Asian) communities. It's not their fault. Blame it on advertising, white culture, etc. Anyway, that's my view. Attack as you see fit. But just don't use the R word. It's unfair and untrue.