I had read a handful of articles similar to this one in my undergrad for a Multicultural Education class. All of the articles focused on the same message for educators to think about and adopt into their practice: do not ever count someone out because of the color of their skin, who you think they are, or where they are from.

This story made me feel incredibly sad. I learned from history that people of color did not have it as good as white people but reading this story gave me a different point of view on how they felt about going to school and not having the same opportunities as white people. As a preservice teacher, no one should have to hide their identity to make a white teacher feel comfortable. Everyone should feel comfortable in the classroom, especially the students.

One time in my life I felt that way was when I was in elementary school. I went to a catholic school, and the black students were treated very differently than me. This one girl had no friends in our class because she was different, and the other students made fun of her skin color or hair because it wasn't like their hair. I felt bad, so I tried being her friend. 

I am like the mother, not because I know what she went through but because I know I want all my students to feel safe and welcomed into the classroom that we share. I want my students to feel comfortable coming to school and be themselves and feel loved and secure in this classroom. I couldn't imagine being a teacher to look at one of my students and look down on them because they look different, act other than me, or have more skin than me. I would feel horrible if any of my students had to change how they were to be in my classroom. 

I have read many articles or stories with a similar message or theme for different classes throughout undergrad. The articles or stories all focused on racism, but they might focus more on history, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and how he fought for his freedom. 

The mother and I are alike in that we wish the same for our children – to be recognized and nurtured as who they are, and encouraged to do what they want to do and be successful as who they want to be. We are different in that my daughters will not have to struggle with the same misconceptions or biases that others will consciously or unconsciously hold towards them.

I remember once reading a story about a teacher who had a group of students that had an amazingly successful year in an above-level English class. Everyone had been so surprised that it was going so well and the teacher didn’t understand why until someone informed them that the students were supposed to be the “below level” group. The teacher asserted that the students excelled because they were treated like successful, achieving students and the students strived to meet those expectations. They weren’t taught with negative biases or preconceived notions and therefore were not “taught down” to. I always thought that was interesting and a lesson that can be applied in so many places.

This story really made me feel a lot of empathy for the mother as she shared her inner experience. I felt like I now hold her deepest hopes and wishes in my own hands. She has shared not only with her son, but with all of us who have read this, which is maybe her intention. Maybe her intention was really for teachers to see this so that they consider the stories of all of their students. It’s like she has given us a set of directions and criteria by which we should follow when interacting with our students, especially those who are racial minorities. I feel a deeper sense of compassion for students who have barriers that I never had (having to walk 4 blocks to get to the bus, being a racial minority in a school etc). 

When have you felt that way in your real life? 

In my real life, I’m not sure that I can say that I’ve ever felt like the mother in the story. I’m white, and my schools were in areas that are about 99% white. I never felt “invisible” or like I had to act differently because of my race. The only connection that I can think of is that my parents may have felt some of the hopes that the mother in the story felt. My mom went to tiny schools in 100% rural areas where she missed out on a lot education-wise, so she says. She was brilliant in math, but the school didn’t offer anything past Algebra. She wanted to enter engineering, but didn’t feel confident based on her experience. My dad went to schools where students received corporal punishment (beatings) for wrongdoings. They both were very bright and excelled in school. They still take education very seriously to this day. So maybe they hoped that my experience would be different from theirs in terms of access to education and treatment by teachers. 

How alike or different are you from the mother in this story? 

I am like the mother in that we both had musical aspirations which were shot down in some way. I, too, wanted to make music my life’s work, and I was good. But nobody recognized it or encouraged it. Otherwise, I would say that I am completely different from the mother in the story. I have never felt the experience of being a racial minority at school. I never had the barriers of walking four blocks to the bus and taking a 30 minute bus ride to school. I won’t have to worry about my kids’ experience with their race in school. I wasn’t accelerated in reading like she was. 

What other articles or stories have you read with a similar message or theme?

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates comes to mind. Coates writes it almost as a series of letters to his young son. He explains his experience growing up in Baltimore and what he’s had to navigate throughout his life in terms of his education. He shares his hopes and dreams for his son, and I was left feeling a greater sense of responsibility and compassion towards how I interact with those who are racial minorities.