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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Would one (or all) of the people who wrote or +1’d that post about graduating from a title I elementary school be willing to do an AMA? We may be in this position. We’re having a wonderful experience at our title I school but more and more of the other white/UMC families leave every year - starting next year we’ll be one of just a couple left. I have a ton of questions about your experience. [/quote]

Ask some questions! I would answer. We stayed at a Title 1 until 4th, I have lots of complicated thoughts about the school experience, about what to do for middle school, and about what makes a school "good enough." I also moved my younger kid to a very highly rated non-Title 1 DCPS and have lots of points of actual comparison. [/quote]

PP here who asked for the AMA. Here are my questions (would be interested in answers from anyone with a child who actually had a kid go all the way through 4th or 5th grade at a title I school):

1) Were you able to make “family friends” via your kids school (where the kids were friends and the parents were friends) despite race/class/cultural differences? [b]If yes, can you offer any tips on how to make that happen?[/b] If no, did you miss this?

2) Did your school have a lot of Spanish speaking families? Did your kid become friends with those kids? [b]If so, how did you navigate the language barrier with those parents?[/b]

3) Did you talk to your kid about the racial differences at his school? About racism? About the dynamics of being the only white kid in the class? If so, at what age(s)? Did you bring it up or did they? Did they seem to notice or care? We’re there every any hiccups around being the only (or one of a very few) white kids?

I know that’s a lot - happy to also provide a burner email or something if you’d rather talk directly. The bolded are honestly my biggest questions. We’re in a situation where I’ve ended up friends/friendly with mostly the white/UMC families, and they are leaving at high rates, and I’m not having a lot of luck bonding with the families of color (despite my efforts). The language barrier has been huge, plus just some unexpected differences (ex: aftercare is dominated by white families, which I wouldn’t have guessed, some black families are housing insecure and move often, there seems to be less of a culture of scheduling time in advance to get together to play. Even weird things like the white families are all at the pool from 10 or 11 to 1 and the black families are there more in like the 2-6 window). I’m sure a lot of this is a skill issue on my part, and I want to do better and learn but I’m struggling a bit and don’t want my kids to be left out due to my own social limitations/awkwardness.

Oh and if you haven’t been at a title 1 through 4/5, please don’t respond. I myself was HORRIFIED when I asked the neighbor with a kid a little older if she knew a lot of the parents at the school (when my kids were toddlers) and she said “sure, all the white parents” and now that I’ve lived it, I’m seeing how that happens and how hard it is to swim against that tide. [/quote]

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