Churl Talk

I was searching for the hours to the community center, which is attached to my former school, when a link to an online discussion forum caught my eye. An anonymous author had posted a question about the quality of the school, particularly compared to another middle school in the northern, more affluent section of the county. The other school was Heidi's new school, and I clicked to the discussion with interest. 

The conversation took place over several hours on an October evening two years ago, when we were both still teaching there. At first, I was a little appalled that people were actually having such a public, if anonymous, discussion about me, my colleagues, and our students without our knowledge. There was also quite a bit of mis- and perhaps some disinformation. There were a couple of compliments, as well, but the two comments that broke my heart were these:

Yes, there are more poor kids than several of the other neighborhood middle schools but good discipline and stable teaching force manage the poor kids well enough for us.

And

I’m sure there is a bright cadre of kids [at my school] but there are way more kids on balance who are going to have needs just due to demographics. [the other school] is going to have — again on balance — a much larger group of very bright, very motivated kids. It’s my belief that kids are some of the strongest influences on each other and while you could find your way into that group at [my school] for sure you are much more likely to have that opportunity at [the other school] plus the overall dynamic is going to be less needs driven.

The second remark drew a sharp response:

My students have a large enough peer group of "very bright, very motivated" kids to rub shoulders with at school. Believe it or not, some of these kids aren't from well-off families. Heaven help us, they're from hardscrabble recent immigrant families where academic success is paramount. Their parents may have been professionals in Afghanistan, Syria, Venezuela or Mongolia, but some of them are janitors or Lyft drivers in VA for now. Needs-driven peers who put nose to the grindstone and don't compete to have the snazziest stuff seem like good influences on my spoiled children.

To which somebody replied:

Agree 100%. Uptight parents who boost for [the other school] are a drag. [My school] remains a solid choice for the mildly adventurous.

I was glad the thread ended so long ago, because after that? I was speechless.