So Few

Ben shared an article about the dismal number of Black and Latino kids in gifted and talented programs.

I was reminded of the struggle we went through as I fought to have both he and Frankie identified as gifted almost thirty years ago.

I knew as black boys, the first thought when they walked in the schoolhouse door was that they would be behavior issues and be behind academically.  I was going to make it my business that they were neither.

Of course, they did not have behavior issues.  They knew they would have to answer to me if there were any problems, and I was a lot tougher than an school administer would be.

I also made it my mission in life to supplement their learning at home, so that when they walked into class, they had already been introduced to the concepts at home. This simple act of having them do the next year's work in the summer preceding their next grade, made a huge impact in keeping them ahead of the pack.

As much as I could, I wanted to control the labels assigned to them.

We were living in Tulsa, Oklahoma when Ben started school.  I inquired about the gifted program and kept getting the run around.  The next year we move to the suburbs of Tulsa, to the small town of Broken Arrow, and again, my request to have Ben tested were ignored.  It was a small district, with the central office located on the main drag in town.  One day I stopped and asked to see the superintendent.  I was ushered in and told him I was new to the area, and wondered what the procedure was for getting a student tested for the gifted and talented program.  He explained that I had indeed followed the correct process, and he would look into why it hadn't happened yet for Ben.

Low and behold, the next day I was called in to the principal's office, letting me know that Ben would indeed be tested, and it was scheduled immediately.

He comfortably passed the prescribed benchmark, and from that day forward was identified as gifted.

Again, I knew these classes and programs would not be a panacea, but I wanted to be sure that this label - gifted student - would be permanently assigned to him.  I knew it would open doors and set him on track for a more rigorous and challenging school experience.

With Frankie, getting him identified was an easier process.  One because I knew what to do, and two because we were in California by then.  On the surface things were easier, but I also knew that narrow-minded attitudes were not just relegated to the Southern states, and that racism in California had the potential to raise it's ugly head at any time.

First goal was accomplished though, when both boys were identified as gifted.

Then the "fun" began when I had to deal with their teachers, who felt they knew my children and what they needed better than me.

The condescension exuded from many of them was an ever present fog hanging over every interaction.

I will never forget a popular grogram at Ben's school in Oklahoma that made this huge deal of kids who were able to complete 300 math problems (100 addition, 100 subtraction, & 100 multiplication) in 10 minutes of less.  Successful students were presented with an award at a special assembly and their picture was hung in the foyer for all to see.  This program was for third thru sixth graders.  Ben was in second grade at the time.

He repeatedly asked his teacher if he could compete, and she told him no.  I went to see her and made the same request, and she asked me why I was pushing him.  I asked her if she would have asked that same question to an Asian parent, and of course, she had no reply.  What she didn't seem to grasp was that I wasn't pushing Ben.  He had an internal drive to compete and be the best.  I was simply advocating for him to have the chance.

Long story short, Ben was finally allowed to compete and became the youngest student to not only complete the task in 10 minutes, but he also completed all the problems correctly in less than 8 minutes, moving to an even higher level, that very few mastered.

He was given a certificate in the assembly for this achievement, but for some reason, his picture never made it up in the foyer, or any other place else in school.

Not to worry though, I stopped by the local paper and shared Ben's achievement as the youngest student to achieve this mark, and he was featured on the front page of the next edition.

I share these experiences not to pat myself on the back, but to illustrate the ongoing fight in advocating for my boys.

I wish I could say that these were outliers, but instead, they were just the beginning of years of fighting and advocating.

I also wish I could say things have changed, but this article that I referenced at the top of this post, suggest otherwise.

You decide.

http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/01/why-are-there-so-few-black-children-in-gifted-and-talented-programs/424707/