To non-white parents with kids at mostly white schools

[Anonymous]

We have bi-racial kids and are zoned for Bannockburn/Westland/Whitman. These are all great schools, and I'm glad to have access to them, but I'm concerned about the lack of diversity. For those of you with non-white kids at these or similar schools, how do you compensate? We have friends of all races and socioeconomic backgrounds that we see periodically (most who have kids and live in DC where we used to live or further out), but it seems like school is where kids form their core peer group and it's obviously where they spend most of their time.

Many thanks!

[Anonymous]

We're an interracial family in a mostly whit school (not as white as the ones you listed).

We have family members of different races and play sports with different kids so it doesn't bother me much.

I truly don't care what color my kids' friends are so if they all end up being White/Asian/Latino/Whatever, I don't mind as long as they're nice kids.

My kid gets plenty of exposure to people of various races and religions in this area, so not a concern, IMO.

[Anonymous]

Don't you mean Pyle is the middle school?

[Anonymous]

MoCo schools are very diverse and race/national origin is not an issue. I have worked at many schools for over 20 years and only once have I felt like I did not belong there (a non-French person made derogatory comments on my French accent).
So your kids will be fine.

[Anonymous]

Some of us can find no school in the whole metro dc area with a significant % of our ethnicity. Oh well.... I think the sooner you stop categorizing yourself and kids the better this country will be..

[Anonymous]

Thanks, I don't care what color my kid's friends are. But I do want them to have regular exposure to kids and people of all races, not just family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some of us can find no school in the whole metro dc area with a significant % of our ethnicity. Oh well.... I think the sooner you stop categorizing yourself and kids the better this country will be..

Embracing and celebrating diversity isn't possible without recognizing that we're not all exactly the same.

[Anonymous]

For a significant part of my childhood, I was the only biracial child in my whole school (not in the US). Kids bullied me for the first few weeks, I clobbered them, we became friends. Done. It was a simpler time.

Now that my Asian-looking kids attend Bethesda-area schools, I have become aware of a different issue. Here in this country, people tend to think of Asians as relatively non-creative math-inclined achievers. It bothers me, but I don't think my children are aware of it, and I'm not going to tell them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of us can find no school in the whole metro dc area with a significant % of our ethnicity. Oh well.... I think the sooner you stop categorizing yourself and kids the better this country will be..

Embracing and celebrating diversity isn't possible without recognizing that we're not all exactly the same.

Agree 100%, members of an ethnic group aren't all the same either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
For a significant part of my childhood, I was the only biracial child in my whole school (not in the US). Kids bullied me for the first few weeks, I clobbered them, we became friends. Done. It was a simpler time.

Now that my Asian-looking kids attend Bethesda-area schools, I have become aware of a different issue. Here in this country, people tend to think of Asians as relatively non-creative math-inclined achievers. It bothers me, but I don't think my children are aware of it, and I'm not going to tell them.

Sadly, they'll figure it out for themselves pretty soon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
For a significant part of my childhood, I was the only biracial child in my whole school (not in the US). Kids bullied me for the first few weeks, I clobbered them, we became friends. Done. It was a simpler time.

Now that my Asian-looking kids attend Bethesda-area schools, I have become aware of a different issue. Here in this country, people tend to think of Asians as relatively non-creative math-inclined achievers. It bothers me, but I don't think my children are aware of it, and I'm not going to tell them.

Sadly, they'll figure it out for themselves pretty soon.

A direct result of hyper-infatuation with categorizing people in the US.

[Anonymous]

We are active members of a black church. I make sure my kids make friends outside of the school they attend. They participate in enrichment activities that are outside of our immediate neighborhood so that they can meet a wider variety of people. We are at private schools, so while they focus a lot on racial diversity they do not do such a great job with socioeconomic diversity. It's difficult sometimes (especially as they get older), but I think it is worth the effort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have bi-racial kids and are zoned for Bannockburn/Westland/Whitman. These are all great schools, and I'm glad to have access to them, but I'm concerned about the lack of diversity. For those of you with non-white kids at these or similar schools, how do you compensate? We have friends of all races and socioeconomic backgrounds that we see periodically (most who have kids and live in DC where we used to live or further out), but it seems like school is where kids form their core peer group and it's obviously where they spend most of their time.

Many thanks!

Are your kids adopted? I only ask, because if you are an interracial couple, I would think that you would have access to the community, family, friends, etc of the non-white partner.
You don't specify what the two races are of the biracial kids. But, you could sign up for soccer, scouts, the YMCA in an area that would have more of the diversity you seek - Takoma Park, Silver Spring, Rockville, DC, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have bi-racial kids and are zoned for Bannockburn/Westland/Whitman. These are all great schools, and I'm glad to have access to them, but I'm concerned about the lack of diversity. For those of you with non-white kids at these or similar schools, how do you compensate? We have friends of all races and socioeconomic backgrounds that we see periodically (most who have kids and live in DC where we used to live or further out), but it seems like school is where kids form their core peer group and it's obviously where they spend most of their time.

Many thanks!

Are your kids adopted? I only ask, because if you are an interracial couple, I would think that you would have access to the community, family, friends, etc of the non-white partner.
You don't specify what the two races are of the biracial kids. But, you could sign up for soccer, scouts, the YMCA in an area that would have more of the diversity you seek - Takoma Park, Silver Spring, Rockville, DC, etc.

I'd like more exposure than just family. And as I said, we have a diverse group of friends, but I'm wondering if that's enough given that children's core peer groups are usually in school with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have bi-racial kids and are zoned for Bannockburn/Westland/Whitman. These are all great schools, and I'm glad to have access to them, but I'm concerned about the lack of diversity. For those of you with non-white kids at these or similar schools, how do you compensate? We have friends of all races and socioeconomic backgrounds that we see periodically (most who have kids and live in DC where we used to live or further out), but it seems like school is where kids form their core peer group and it's obviously where they spend most of their time.

Many thanks!

Are your kids adopted? I only ask, because if you are an interracial couple, I would think that you would have access to the community, family, friends, etc of the non-white partner.
You don't specify what the two races are of the biracial kids. But, you could sign up for soccer, scouts, the YMCA in an area that would have more of the diversity you seek - Takoma Park, Silver Spring, Rockville, DC, etc.

Most of the kids on my kid's soccer team are halfsies (mine included).