Do you support greater integration in your child's school and classroom?

[Anonymous]

I can't say I support further attempts at integration of my mostly white/asian school but I don't consider myself a racist. I'm struggling with my feelings on this issue and would like to hear from others.
Try to address this as if you own child's classroom were directly affected, with at least 13 to 14 percent minority enrollment, reflecting national proportions.

[Anonymous]

Yes, without question. I have an M.Ed., and having looked at the issue from a philosophical, ethical, and research perspective, I only see benefits to full integration. I believe in social learning, that all children bring different strengths and cultural experiences to school. In integrated classrooms, they learn from each other and develop social competency. To the extent that majority minority communities are not served well by their schools, I think that full integration is a school reform that might succeed where the past 16 years of NCLB reforms haven’t done much of anything. I also refuse to believe that children can be hurt by something as harmless as learning with other children who happen to be a different color.

[Anonymous]

Op what are your concerns?

[Anonymous]

Yes, I do. I think that kids benefit from learning in a diverse classroom--economically and racially. They learn to see people of other races as individuals, not stereotypes; they learn about other people's cultures and experiences; they learn to work with others of different backgrounds; they see that their culture is not the default. All of these things are enriching and valuable.

Now, the means by which integration is achieved might be a problem for me, but the fact of integration is not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't say I support further attempts at integration of my mostly white/asian school but I don't consider myself a racist. I'm struggling with my feelings on this issue and would like to hear from others.
Try to address this as if you own child's classroom were directly affected, with at least 13 to 14 percent minority enrollment, reflecting national proportions.

You may not consider yourself a racist, but that is a racist attitude for sure. You don't want students who are not white or Asian in your child's school. Why is that? Unpack your concerns and examine why you hold the beliefs that you do. Are you concerned that Latino kids aren't as smart as your kid? Are you concerned that Black kids are badly behaved? Those are stereotypes that are both harmful and untrue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't say I support further attempts at integration of my mostly white/asian school but I don't consider myself a racist. I'm struggling with my feelings on this issue and would like to hear from others.
Try to address this as if you own child's classroom were directly affected, with at least 13 to 14 percent minority enrollment, reflecting national proportions.

You are racist OP whether or not you consider yourself so.

And yes, I'm all for integration. My DC is in a majority minority advanced class. Minority children (yes even nonAsian minorities) are smart too. Shocking I know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I do. I think that kids benefit from learning in a diverse classroom--economically and racially. They learn to see people of other races as individuals, not stereotypes; they learn about other people's cultures and experiences; they learn to work with others of different backgrounds; they see that their culture is not the default. All of these things are enriching and valuable.

Now, the means by which integration is achieved might be a problem for me, but the fact of integration is not.

I support an integrated classroom when all the kids are on the same page. My kid's AAP class is diverse, economically and racially but not academically. My DC is learning that all children are smart and hard-working. In an integrated classroom where some children are above grade level and some are significantly below grade level, the children will learn a different lesson.

[Anonymous]

Moved my white kid from a mostly white/asian school to a fully diverse school with a very happy heart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op what are your concerns?

+1

[Anonymous]

My guess is OP thinks the non white/asian will be poorer and less studious and will cause the level of classroom instruction to drop due to distractions and having to teach to a lower median ability

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't say I support further attempts at integration of my mostly white/asian school but I don't consider myself a racist. I'm struggling with my feelings on this issue and would like to hear from others.
Try to address this as if you own child's classroom were directly affected, with at least 13 to 14 percent minority enrollment, reflecting national proportions.

You may not consider yourself a racist, but that is a racist attitude for sure. You don't want students who are not white or Asian in your child's school. Why is that? Unpack your concerns and examine why you hold the beliefs that you do. Are you concerned that Latino kids aren't as smart as your kid? Are you concerned that Black kids are badly behaved? Those are stereotypes that are both harmful and untrue.

+1

[Anonymous]

In theory, sure, of course I support it. Practically speaking, it can't be done in many areas without extensive busing. I can't support forcing families to send their kids to schools that are further away and make their lives more difficult from a commuting and childcare standpoint and make it nearly impossible to be involved in their kids schooling.

[Anonymous]

OP here: I've observed that very few people on these threads are supportive when their school is being rezoned to include more diversity.
I live in an integrated neighborhood and send my kids to integrated schools (more than just a token or two). Even our close biracial friends, who come over once a week, are struggling with these issues as the kids get older and their daughter is exposed to aggression from some girls who consider her uppity because she has a white boyfriend. I'm reassessing what to do about high school, as are they.
I'd say my life is far more diverse already than those who are calling me a racist.

[Anonymous]

DD's school is approx 20% black and hispanic and I have no concerns. What are your concerns OP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: I've observed that very few people on these threads are supportive when their school is being rezoned to include more diversity.
I live in an integrated neighborhood and send my kids to integrated schools (more than just a token or two). Even our close biracial friends, who come over once a week, are struggling with these issues as the kids get older and their daughter is exposed to aggression from some girls who consider her uppity because she has a white boyfriend. I'm reassessing what to do about high school, as are they.
I'd say my life is far more diverse already than those who are calling me a racist.

If your life and your kids' schools are already very diverse, why are you posting opposition to a school that has more than white and Asian kids in it? Are you opposed to some specific plan? Are you concerned with the effect of culture on social interactions between teenagers?

You need to be more specific. A blanket statement that you do not support integration in schools makes you sound like a racist. A statement that you have observed behavioral challenges related to race and ethnicity in older kids and are concerned about how you will handle such issues when your kids are older is not, on the face of it, racist.