Looking for parents who have moved kids from private to DISD public schools (about)
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I'm a liberal and even I don't believe that crap. My entire extended family was raised in predominately white schools we are able to function in society just fine thanks...LOL
Never said people can't function. I attended all private schools here in Dallas and I function just fine as well, but I admit to not always feeling 100% comfortable around all sorts of people (not only minorities but also from different socio-economic backgrounds) and I think part of this is my having been so sheltered during my childhood. My daughter, on the other hand, has never known anything BUT being around all sorts of people and I do see a difference.
I have an eighth grader who has been in private school since pre-K. For a variety of reasons - continually rising tuition cost, insanely high workload, lack of balance, lack of diversity - we are considering moving her to our local public high school (WT White) next year. We are interested in hearing from any other families who have made similar moves. Advice? Thoughts? Regrets?
We didn't do this but our granddaughter had 2 friends that went from private christian schools to public, one when they entered middle school and one high school. both did very well, they were a little advanced which is good not bad. Both graduated with honors from high school, in the top 10% of their class and went on to successful college careers.
One of the two was soically a little behind.
Of course this has nothing to do with WT White high school you are referring to, both of the two I am talking about were in the Lewisville/Flower Mound district.
My daughter attended parochial from K-8 but went to a public high school. It definitely took her some time to settle in. She went from a school of 300 kids to one with over 3,000. The size of the school was a bit daunting at first but she settled into her routine in a month or two. The biggest difference for her was the vast difference in the attitudes of her schoolmates. This of course will happen to any child going from middle school to high school, where they are exposed to a great deal of new students from other schools ... but for her, going from a quiet Catholic school to a busy urban environment full of foul-mouthed bullies was a real shocker. She was pretty blown away by the language and behavior of some of the kids in public high school.
In the end I think it was good for her - she learned more acceptance and tolerance of others than she would have had she stayed the course in a parochial school. The quality of her public education was good and she stayed involved in a lot of activities, too.
When I attended Lakewood Elementary way back when, there were no blacks (some hispanics and asians) - we then moved to Arlington for a couple of years and I was in shock there at all the foul-mouthed, crass kids. I guess I did not realize how upper-class Lakewood really was until we moved. I also went to school with blacks for the first time, but there weren't that many. The only time I had really been around blacks was at the State Fair and when I played with a kid whose daddy was doing work next door for quite some time.
When we moved back to Dallas and I entered Woodrow that is when I was exposed to the kaleidoscope of color, income and classes. However, I don't remember anyone being particularly foul-mouthed as they were in Arlington, where everyone was pretty much middle and working class and lived in the same kinds of houses. This is where I had a huge awakening or epiphany if you like..I made friends of all stripes and they are still my friends. Then I went to the preppy paradise of SMU and realized what a treasure I had in my high school experience.
The point is, I did not realize what I was missing. If you come from a very homogeneous place you may not realize that yet, either. When you have friends of other colors and you see how they are treated by some folks, it's a real eye-opener. You have to live it.
I'm a liberal and even I don't believe that crap. My entire extended family was raised in predominately white schools we are able to function in society just fine thanks...LOL
Do you think you were more prone to believe ethnic/racial stereotypes since you were not around other cultures?
I went to school in Africa and did not have any contact with caucasians until my sophomore year in HS. Even though I could function just fine, i found that some of my beliefs about whites were ridiculously wrong.
the US is a very diverse society. being able to interact with other cultures is an obvious advantage that an all white/black/brown private school can not provide
Do you think you were more prone to believe ethnic/racial stereotypes since you were not around other cultures?
I went to school in Africa and did not have any contact with caucasians until my sophomore year in HS. Even though I could function just fine, i found that some of my beliefs about whites were ridiculously wrong.
the US is a very diverse society. being able to interact with other cultures is an obvious advantage that an all white/black/brown private school can not provide
I grew up in an all-white area and then moved to Africa after college. I had NO problems, no ridiculous preconceptions, etc. I have since worked in NYC with many people of different ethnicities, races, religions, etc and have always been very comfortable.
There are plenty of racist people in diverse schools--sometimes these schools even reinforce that. I think a lot of whether or not people have stereotypes depends on the attitudes and lessons of their parents more than anything.
That said, I bet moving from private to public would be OK. You child would have a solid academic base and probably come in with the higher academic tracks and find people similar to him/herself. I would much rather have a child be in private getting that base in elementary/middle school and then go to public high than go to public elem/middle and private high. The fundamental elements of learning/studying are taught in the lower years.
Good point; we'd look for some kids in the neighborhood for her to meet before she would start.
Is she interested in being on the drill team or in band? If so then get her signed up this spring (check in January to see when they will fill out the forms for their classes next year as they do it early). If she is in something like band she will have summer band camp. By the time the 1st day of school rolls around she will already have a core group of friends from there that are from freshman all the way to seniors. Good to have as they will already "know the ropes" and can pass down information for them that the kids like to know/have. And if she needs any kind of tutoring or just another student that has been there/done that she will have some she already knows and might feel comfortable talking to. The other thing w/ being in something like band is the football games. She will automatically be on the "in" about what is going on and part of the school spirit.
I don't know how to explain it, but it's different when you grow up together with people of different backgrounds rather than just encountering them later in life.
BTW, you can apply for IB transfer into WW next spring. I won't guarantee that there will be no initiation ritual!
When I attended Lakewood Elementary way back when, there were no blacks (some hispanics and asians) - we then moved to Arlington for a couple of years and I was in shock there at all the foul-mouthed, crass kids. I guess I did not realize how upper-class Lakewood really was until we moved. I also went to school with blacks for the first time, but there weren't that many. The only time I had really been around blacks was at the State Fair and when I played with a kid whose daddy was doing work next door for quite some time.
When we moved back to Dallas and I entered Woodrow that is when I was exposed to the kaleidoscope of color, income and classes. However, I don't remember anyone being particularly foul-mouthed as they were in Arlington, where everyone was pretty much middle and working class and lived in the same kinds of houses. This is where I had a huge awakening or epiphany if you like..I made friends of all stripes and they are still my friends. Then I went to the preppy paradise of SMU and realized what a treasure I had in my high school experience.
The point is, I did not realize what I was missing. If you come from a very homogeneous place you may not realize that yet, either. When you have friends of other colors and you see how they are treated by some folks, it's a real eye-opener. You have to live it.
Good way to explain this. Sure, a person can function well in this world without childhood exposure to diversity - I think their experience as well as their openness is just enhanced by more exposure before adulthood.
Yes I think it would be even better if they started out together as TXNGL, Pepper and MacBeth are doing with their children.
I am very impressed with Lipscomb Elementary, where a group of affluent and bohemian white parents have banded together and jumped into a school which has been largely low-income immigrant hispanics for the last few years. I got this email the other day:
"Lipscomb Elementary PTA News
Updates from Our Neighborhood School
Lipscomb PTA Board Members 2009-2010
Mandy Allen President
Amy Tate Vice President
Web Mayfield Secretary
Terry Macias Programs and Hospitality Chair
Stacy Breen Treasurer
Robyn Schaub Communications and Publicity Chair
Susan Wood Finance and Budget Chair
Shelley Hagan Room Representative Chair
Kimberly Carradine Membership Chair
Jesse Moreno Health and Safety Chair
Lipscomb Elementary had a wonderful year last year. The 4th graders performed excellent on the TAKS test with an overall, EXEMPLARY result! This was the first year for the school to have 4th grade and still passed the TAKS test with flying colors. Lipscomb has been "exemplary" for the past five consecutive years! Our wonderful Principal, Ms. Gonzalez or better known as Ms. G, was one of the top 3 nominees for Principal of the Year out of all the DISD schools. Our PTA Carnival was better than ever thanks to our very own Munger resident, Chris Doss, who chaired this successful event.
This year we are off to a great start, much better than I ever could have imagined. Our PTA is more organized than ever and we are getting so much accomplished. We broke ground this week on our Teaching and Demonstration Garden. Our Master Gardener, Glenn Farmer, who is a Junius Heights resident, will be helping us to create a garden that will be similar to the one at Stonewall Jackson Elementary. If you are interested in getting involved there is still much work to be done and we really want this to be a community garden. Last month we had another successful garage sale. We thank those of you who contributed items to help us raise money for our PTA fund! Two years ago we began having an auction during our Spring Carnival. Last year it did so well we felt we should have it separate so we are having our First Annual Lipscomb PTA Auction. Times Ten Cellars has generously provided us with the space and our much loved Jimmy's as well as Whole Foods is providing food for the event. We are working to put together a wonderful auction so we hope you will join us on Thursday, November 19, at 7pm. It should be a fun night and look for auction items even more exciting than last year!!!! We have our usual Fall Harvest Festival during the school day on Friday, October 30. It's always a fun day for all and we welcome volunteers from the community to assist. Last year Jill Pridavka graciously volunteered by reading Halloween stories to the kids.
We are so pleased that so many Munger Place, Junius Heights and Swiss Avenue homeowners have gotten behind our little neighborhood school. There is still so much more to come this year and I will keep you posted of the goings on at Lipscomb through this newsletter and other email blasts.
Last edited by FarNorthDallas; 10-07-2009 at 07:26 PM..
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