(This is #3 of a multi-part series. To read pt. 2, click here.)
Let me share an awkward story with you.
A few years ago, in the time of the ascendant Opt Out movement, I was riding a cab to the airport. The driver, an elder Dominican man, had on a Spanish-language radio channel on when I heard something that piqued both of our interests. A local charter chain broadcasted that they were opening more seats to parents, listing their resources and enticing parents with the word “free.”
I smirked a bit until the driver said, “See? Those are the types of schools I like.” I asked why. He said in Spanish, “In those schools, there are very few issues. And when a kid acts out, they get booted out and that’s it! There’s no time for little games in those settings.” I let out a “huh.” He went on to tell me about how well his child seemed to be doing in there, not because of academics but because he didn’t hear issues about the school. Unlike those public schools that just accept everyone.
I was literally sat. On the one end, I didn’t want to take his experience from him. I’ve had middling success with changing someone’s mind in 35 minutes. On the other hand, I had a whole body of research and experience telling me that his perceptions ran up against my evidence of these students’ schooling experiences. It didn’t matter that the school called itself a public charter school.
This was all information.
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