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Advice from actual Banneker parents.
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Anonymous
| Child is considering Banneker for next year. She will be coming from Oyster / Adams. We're looking at SWW, Wilson and Banneker. SWW and Wilson have a relatively mixed ethnic makeup. When I asked the Banneker principal about how they address the concerns of students who are not African American, she replied "there's no need to." I find this a bit hard to believe. Can any actual parents of Banneker students comment on how this topic is addressed, if at all? |
Anonymous
| I think there is no need to because everyone at Banneker is African American. Case closed. |
Anonymous
I'm the OP, and that's just not true. The school is around 10 - 15% other races. But hey I figured I attract some trolls with this post, just not so quickly. |
Anonymous
| hmm. i find that response kind of troubling. does she really think that? is she sticking her head in the sand? or is banneker a parallel universe of only unicorns and rainbows? |
Anonymous
|
OP,
Maybe the principal meant there's no need to because she is not aware of any concerns. What kind of concerns are you anticipating? |
Anonymous
|
Don't get why this needs to be addressed and what good would come of it. As an AA parent in a predominately white school I would never ask the admin how they would deal my kid being a minority.
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Anonymous
You wouldn't? Most parents would and do. |
Anonymous
OP here. I'm not asking how they would "deal" with my kid as a minority, I'm asking how they address race issues. |
Anonymous
As far as I'm concerned that's the same thing. |
Anonymous
Really?? How odd. Most AA parents I know do. |
Anonymous
I certainly did! |
Anonymous
|
It's a sensitive topic to raise. Sometimes, when I go to open houses and I raise similarly sensitive issues with the principal, I sometimes find that the reply I elicit does not include the information I need...I find that I need to give a little thought to phrasing the question in the most diplomatic way possible. (But that's just me; my husband says I'm not always tactful when I ask questions.)
There was a thread on the private school board where an AA parent wanted to know about how Sidwell deals with diversity. Some parents suggested that AA parents contact current AA Sidwell parents to query them on their experience. Perhaps you could do that at Banneker, and then raise specific concerns with the principal. Just a thought. I think it's great you're exploring Banneker. Did you like it? |
Anonymous
|
OP,
Again, what kinds of concerns do you forsee if you daughter attends a school where she's in the minority? I'm just not following what they might be. I think your best bet is finding current families who fall into that 15% and exploring your concerns with them. Also, are Wilson and SWW mixed or white majority? (I'm guessing you're applying to a Wilson academy, which are white minority.) |
Anonymous
| I understand what the OP is talking about (and I'm black, by the way). Banneker, as far as I know, has no (or very few) white students. The OP is concerned about any issues that may arise from her daughter being the "only one." And that's perfectly understandable. What concerns me is the Principal's attitude. I would maybe try and explore the issue more with her; if she's unwilling to discuss, then that's not a good sign. And good luck OP; Banneker's a good school! |
Anonymous
| But as I noted above what if the principal hasn't heard about any issues and has deemed there's no need to because things go well? I'm not following the problem with the principal's response, the response does not absolutely mean she's refusing to look something straight on. |