I think it is finally time to tell my #Baltimore public school story. It was not easy though the school was great:
Both of my sons attended independent schools. When my youngest was in 5th grade, we pulled him out cuz I saw, felt & got choked by the racism
A pubschool thread 1/12

Every time there was an issue, my son seemed to be involved EVEN when he wasn’t around. I was angry all of the time and we decided we had to go (cuz how many times can you call people out about their racist sh*t). So we moved to a public school & at first I was excited... 2/

He got into a fight on the first day of 6th grade. He was dragged for being a private school kid & a couple of the brothas cornered him on the steps. He was hit and kicked. He fought back but they had each other & he was new. Nobody saw a thing!
Day Two: meeting at the school 3/

He also asked if he could start sitting in my car until the bell rang. The principal promised that she would look into it and he would be fine. That day he learned about a game called “60 for 60” where you go to the boys bathroom and you give and take body blows for 60 seconds 4/

Day Three: meeting at the school
The principal was looking into it and no worries because he would be fine
That day he learned that snitches get stitches: even though he wasn’t naming names; they saw his mother coming to the school everyday
Day Four: he just stopped telling me 5

I told him we were going to transfer and I was working hard to find another school - he asked to stay because “wherever I go, I’m the new kid”
I then asked for the name of the ring leader, the bully, the one that really scared him. It took days/weeks really but I got it
6/12

I asked the principal to set up a meeting with that childs mother. She arrived and I told her straight up: your son is my sons biggest problem and either it’s going to stop or I will use everything I have to take him and your family down so We decided to work together 7/12

We worked to make them friends. We had a whole plan and though they never became “friends” - they weren’t enemies. He backed off and got some of the other guys to back off. But my son never fit in: there was always another fight; another incident; another issue; another run in 8/

We made it through year one: and though my son had a 100 average, he didn’t laugh and smile as much. He was becoming a little harder, more cynical, more critical of himself and others. We looked at homeschooling, transferring. I was banging my head against the wall... 9/12

He lasted one more year: played basketball, joined the Debate Team, made friends, continued training as a fencer.
I thought things were fine/better until that day when we were riding home from school and he told me that he was done. Here is how he explained it:
10/12

It’s like swimming in the deep end: some days you tread water and you think you’re going to make it and some days someone is pulling at your feet trying to drown you. Mom They’re winning becuz I’m drowning. Im tired. I can’t swim anymore.
We transferred and never looked back. 11/

There are days when I think about those 2 yrs and I wonder how they shaped my youngest IN much the same way that I wonder how going to private for 12 yrs shaped my oldest.

Being a Black parent trying to make the best & safest educational choices for yr son in this city is HARD