80’s Education system??

This is something that’s been eating at me lately and I hope it’s ok to discuss here.

I was a really good student throughout grade school. I was always in the more advanced classes and had excellent grades. Ethnically, my classes were pretty diverse which was nice as I’m biracial. I had my ups and downs but I genuinely loved school and learning. Just a healthy experience to me.

Then I started 7th grade. This is tricky for me to describe. For whatever reason, I was placed in ”lower level” classes. That’s an incorrect description but the that’s what it felt like. Much of the time was spent getting kids to pay attention and climb off the tables. My biggest concern was where to hide my lunch money each day so it didn’t get stolen. Oddly, the classes were predominantly composed of black kids. There was the odd white kid but everyone was mostly black. I only say that because my 8th grade year, I was placed back in advanced classes and everyone was white. It’s as if they grouped kids by race rather than academic ability. It was a miserable year for me.

I spent much of 7th grade alone because I wasn’t able to make friends with any kids. I wasn’t accepted by the black kids because I was a “half breed”. I became a voyeur, watching everyone rather than participating. My 8th grade year, I was bumped up to advanced classes but now I was the only person of color in my classes. The classes were more structured and orderly but the white kids weren’t exactly welcoming. I made friends but I never had the closeness I shared with kids in grade school. There was always a distance. That honestly never changed. My fault I know but it was tough to work through.

I don’t know why I’m writing this. I just wondered what was the methodology behind organizing classes in the 80’s. I know there was a racial component. Several times I was pulled out of classes and given lectures by visitors to the school about opportunities for black students at various colleges. It was just strange. I have always felt if I’d similar experiences to what I had in grade school, with ethnically diverse classes and a challenging curriculum, I would’ve done better. I wouldn’t have been such an outcast and done better academically. I was a good student the rest of my time in school but always feel I should’ve done better.

Submitted June 10, 2019 at 08:22AM by Hubertman http://bit.ly/2XCvxL4