My story as an educator is not typical. While I have written curriculum that aligns my African American History course with the Ohio State Content Standards, designed a mentoring program for African American students that promotes self awareness, communal consciousness and teaching as a viable profession and am extremely proud of who I am as an African American woman, the assumption is made by many that I work in an urban environment. I assure you that I do not.
For sixteen years I have worked in a suburban school district where my students and I are an obvious minority. I am one of five African American educators at the high school where I teach and the African American students number less than ten percent of a population of approximately fourteen hundred.
Contrary to popular belief, in suburban districts, we face the same societal ills as our counterparts in the inner city however our children are many times exposed to these ills earlier because of association with their white peers who have capital and access and because those ills exist within a shroud of secrecy. The prevailing attitude is if it’s covered up, handled in-house or not discussed in the newspaper then it doesn’t exist. This causes a false sense of security and is dangerous!
Add these societal ills to an educational environment that is viewed as “superior by proximity” where focus is placed solely on perceptions of safety and passing test score percentages. We as parents and teachers fail, until it is too late, to be vigilant; vigilant against the low expectations, disproportionate special education identifications and high suspensions, in comparison to their white peers, that our children face.
Exposure to these societal ills are compounded by the crisis of identity that African American students face in predominantly white school environments when they are not exposed to their history and culture in the school curriculum or when every academic accomplishment is met with a critique of their racial identification as “acting white”. This too is dangerous to the development and future options of our children as many choose not to perform up to academic par rather than be identified as traitors to their race.
In the face of these concerns, what is a parent to do? Below I have listed a few suggestions that may help you and your child transition to or survive in a suburban school district:
1) Form a partnership with your child’s teacher(s) that is based on honest dialogue about your child and your expectations for how the teacher(s) will nurture his/her academic and cultural identity development. Discuss your concerns about curriculum and your willingness to work with that teacher to provide a culturally relevant and affirming experience for your child. This will positively affect your child’s educational experience and will, quite frankly, enhance the education and exposure of your child’s classmates to different cultural knowledge and experiences.
2) Be engaged in and be seen at school activities that are not sports-related. Whether it is coaching a chess or gaming club, advising a culture club or being a guest speaker in a classroom you are showing commitment to your child’s wholistic educational development. You will also meet other like-minded parents with whom you can network.
3) Network and learn the system/culture of your child’s school to help them successfully navigate it. This may mean cultivating your child’s academic strengths or interests by soliciting a teacher to mentor them. It may also mean getting to know the school counselors and secretaries as they will have access to opportunities and/or resources critical to your child’s future goals and success such as post-secondary options, internships, shadowing experiences and scholarships.
4) Keep your child engaged in activities through church and community organizations that provide mentoring, academic and leadership development as well as community service. This will give them a strong spiritual and cultural foundation that will help them to take the trials and tribulations that they are certain to experience and turn them into triumphs steeped in academic accomplishment as well as cultural and social affirmation.
While I know the suggestions that I have provided are not exhaustive or earth shattering I do know from experience that they are a start to providing our children with the support they need to be successful as they face the challenges presented by their suburban education experiences.
Yours in the struggle as we save our children… one suburb at time!
Nikki Marchmon-Boykin
nmarchmon@gmail.com
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