Thinking of sending my white child to Banneker

[Anonymous]

Gee I guess Joe Weeden should've sent his daughter to Banneker then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: If it involves less focus on attraction to/from the opposite sex and less interest in that sort of "coolness"

Very interesting implied belief that your white child won't be attracted/attractive to black members of the opposite sex. I'm trying hard not to troll...In seriousness, I would (a) reconsider that belief, and then (b) consider how you would react if your child goes to Banneker and is attracted/attractive to black teenagers, and (c) consider how you would react if your child DOESN'T go to Banneker and is attracted to black teenagers.

I'm assuming that OP means that the academic focus means that "coolness" and dating aren't the kids #1 interests.

Yes, those kids work hard!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: If it involves less focus on attraction to/from the opposite sex and less interest in that sort of "coolness"

Very interesting implied belief that your white child won't be attracted/attractive to black members of the opposite sex. I'm trying hard not to troll...In seriousness, I would (a) reconsider that belief, and then (b) consider how you would react if your child goes to Banneker and is attracted/attractive to black teenagers, and (c) consider how you would react if your child DOESN'T go to Banneker and is attracted to black teenagers.

I'm assuming that OP means that the academic focus means that "coolness" and dating aren't the kids #1 interests.

Yeah, I think she means, she is looking for a geekier crowd.

I think you’re right. But what bothers me is that she prefaced it by saying her kid is white. Her question was not unique to white kids. Why even mention race unless you had a concern about fitting in (which would be appropriate question to ask). AA families care about whether their kids are not/crazy too.

+100

Tired of white parents acting like they are taking some huge risk/making some huge sacrifice by sending their kids to a school that’s not predominantly white.

- a white parent

In a lot of cities you are taking a risk. Most of these schools are filled with poor performing students, which is reason enough to go elsewhere.

Jeez, you are ignorant. Do you actually know anything about Banneker besides the fact it's majority black?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would worry about bullying. Your child will be the only white kid. Will they be comfortable? Will YOU be comfortable with your kid dating black teens.

Oh my god, you just assume that black kids attending a magnet school will bully a white kid?

[Anonymous]

OP, I think it's worth going through the process and seeing what you think. Back about 15 years ago when my white kid was applying to magnet schools, she applied to Banneker. I was extremely impressed by the open house - held on a Saturday, with faculty, staff, and students in attendance. The students led the tours and were quite mature and impressive. This was compared to a disorganized SWW open house in a large room at GW where there were no students and few staff members.

Ultimately my kid didn't get in - and I'm sure it's because in the interview she said she couldn't handle pressure. And that was true in fact - she couldn't handle pressure so it wasn't the right place for her. But if it had been, I would have been very pleased to have her go there.

Anyway, the thing is that you should check it out and figure out whether it's appropriate for your kid or not. There are too many people on DCUM who won't even look at Banneker - and for some people that comes out of ignorance and fear. Go see the school and talk to the parents and make up your own mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would worry about bullying. Your child will be the only white kid. Will they be comfortable? Will YOU be comfortable with your kid dating black teens.

Wow I didn't this was still a concern in the DC in 2019!

I think the election of trump is proof that America is full of educated white women who would never say they are racist but clearly played right into his racist playbook. So if you think this is odd in 2019 you have your head in the sand. Lots of folks are find with friends of all different back grounds but get weird if its something more. Nothing surprised me, not even in a progressive place like DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would worry about bullying. Your child will be the only white kid. Will they be comfortable? Will YOU be comfortable with your kid dating black teens.

Oh my god, you just assume that black kids attending a magnet school will bully a white kid?

No the assumption that any kid who is an "only" has a higher likelihood of being bullied. Blac, white, latino, disabled whatever. Did you all not go to high school. I also think black kids at predominately WoTP schools are getting bulled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would worry about bullying. Your child will be the only white kid. Will they be comfortable? Will YOU be comfortable with your kid dating black teens.

Why would you worry about bullying? Any evidence to support that?

My kid attends a majority minority school with few white kids--have never heard of any race-based bullying. Not sure why it would be any different at a high school like Banneker, filled with smart, studious kids.

NP here. I'm glad your child hasn't been singled out or bullied based on their skin color. Mine has. It has affected her quite a bit. I am not making assumptions about the social scene or potential for this to happen at Banneker but it certainly can happen, even amongst "smart, studious kids." Forgive me for not wanting my child to experience it again.

[Anonymous]

“Tired of white parents acting like they are taking some huge risk/making some huge sacrifice by sending their kids to a school that’s not predominantly white.

- a white parent”

Because racism goes both ways in this city, so there’s a good chance that a white kid in a school with predominantly AA staff and students will be treated differently because of his race.

[Anonymous]

This thread is SO uninformative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would worry about bullying. Your child will be the only white kid. Will they be comfortable? Will YOU be comfortable with your kid dating black teens.

Oh my god, you just assume that black kids attending a magnet school will bully a white kid?

No the assumption that any kid who is an "only" has a higher likelihood of being bullied. Blac, white, latino, disabled whatever. Did you all not go to high school. I also think black kids at predominately WoTP schools are getting bulled.

Here my $0.02 as the parent of a white child in a predominantly black school (my kid is one of 3 white kids in the entire 3-5 grades). I think white parents worry about their child getting bullied because a minority child in a predominantly white school isn’t treated very nice by the white students. They assume roles would just be reversed, which isn’t the case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“Tired of white parents acting like they are taking some huge risk/making some huge sacrifice by sending their kids to a school that’s not predominantly white.

- a white parent”

Because racism goes both ways in this city, so there’s a good chance that a white kid in a school with predominantly AA staff and students will be treated differently because of his race.

This assumption doesn’t actually happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would worry about bullying. Your child will be the only white kid. Will they be comfortable? Will YOU be comfortable with your kid dating black teens.

Oh my god, you just assume that black kids attending a magnet school will bully a white kid?

No the assumption that any kid who is an "only" has a higher likelihood of being bullied. Blac, white, latino, disabled whatever. Did you all not go to high school. I also think black kids at predominately WoTP schools are getting bulled.

Here my $0.02 as the parent of a white child in a predominantly black school (my kid is one of 3 white kids in the entire 3-5 grades). I think white parents worry about their child getting bullied because a minority child in a predominantly white school isn’t treated very nice by the white students. They assume roles would just be reversed, which isn’t the case.

+1

Most AA children aren't taught to treat people differently because of their skin color.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Banneker is a good achool and the best in DC but Most DC schools are so below average that really doesn’t mean much.

I know it’s a magnet school, but Banneker PARCC scores are higher than any HS in Maryland, even the de facto magents (wealthy/white).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would worry about bullying. Your child will be the only white kid. Will they be comfortable? Will YOU be comfortable with your kid dating black teens.

Oh my god, you just assume that black kids attending a magnet school will bully a white kid?

No the assumption that any kid who is an "only" has a higher likelihood of being bullied. Blac, white, latino, disabled whatever. Did you all not go to high school. I also think black kids at predominately WoTP schools are getting bulled.

Well, I'm a white person who moved into a low-income black neighborhood and my neighbors welcomed me with open arms. So I don't make the assumption that being an "only" is automatically a problem. And certainly I wouldn't expect it at a place like Banneker where the kids have huge workloads. A friend of mine substitute taught there some years ago and she said the kids were respectful and well-behaved and a joy to work with.