I grew up in a liberal, integrated neighborhood outside of Cleveland, Ohio. My family always valued education, and after graduate school, I started working as a special education teacher. Starting out in that career has sent me all over the country to teach in very different kinds of schools: urban, suburban, rural, etc. It was the contrasts I saw between these schools that made me into a race realist.
One of my favorite, and most rewarding experiences in my career was when I worked at a high school in Kentucky. Almost all of the students there were white and had grown up on farms. The culture was one of tradition and respect: the boys took pride in having jobs and owning cars, the girls were polite and active in their communities. My background was very different from theirs, but regardless the students were all friendly with me, and even came to feel like family. Unfortunately, a budget cut kept me from staying there — but to this day, many of the students stay in touch with me. I am quite honored.
Years later I found myself working at a “diverse” school in Maryland. The difference could not have been starker. Assigning homework was a waste of time. Many black students fantasize about having the sort of thuggish life glamorized in rap, and are completely uninterested in anything outside of it. Rap is all they listen to and all they talk about — and they think anybody uninterested in the genre is out of their mind. Student assaults on teachers were also common there. So common, in fact, that the administration seemed desensitized to it. ...
Posts
