A Tale of Two Teachers
Diane Waldron
Eastern Connecticut State University
“A” has been a colleague and friend for over fifteen years, and we have shared many “when I was a kid” stories. As you will read, the educational experiences of a white middle class girl (me) growing up in the suburbs were in many ways the same, and in many ways different from those of a Puerto Rican and African American boy (A) growing up on the outskirts of Bridgeport.
Neither A nor I attended pre-school; pre-school was not in vogue that long ago. However, we did both attend kindergarten, both at age five. A remembers being scared, and we both recall having one teacher and a large number of students in the classroom.
My elementary school went from kindergarten to grade five; A’s went to grade eight. We both recall one teacher in the classroom, responsible for twenty to twenty-five students. A enjoyed science, math, art, and gym, but had a difficult time with reading, which I always found very easy. During elementary school that A realized that he was a different race from most of his peers and his teachers. Most of his classmates were white, with one or two African American or Latino boys and perhaps one African American girl. He doesn’t remember any Latina girls until seventh grade; prior to that he remembers talking only to white girls as the African American girls would not talk to him.
My elementary and middle schools were almost all white students with the exception of our Caribbean neighbors. The Antrobuses were the only “brown” friends I had at home or school, until high school. Most students were Italian Roman Catholics; I was one of a small group of children with blonde hair and blue eyes.
A attended a technical high school, where shop classes and academic classes were separated by gender, so there were no girls in his classes. A saw a lot of bullying by white students against African American students. His teachers did nothing to stop this harassment.
There were shops whose teachers would not accept A as a permanent student because he was not white. His high school had many Polish and Hungarian students, as well as Italians. His best friend was an African American boy. A remembers never having a Latino teacher; most of his teachers were white, with one seventh grade science teacher, one high school guidance counselor, and one high school English teacher who were African American.
A’s parents were not involved with his schools, and discouraged his participation in school activities because of their religious beliefs. In high school, A became involved in intramural sports, ski and drama club, and student patrol. His “group” was the “not cool kids” group, kids who weren’t jocks, or nerds, or part of any other groups. I remember being a nerd, though I was friends with peers from other groups.
We both remember our teachers using chalk boards, pull down maps, film strips, movie projectors, and we remember using typewriters. While I enjoyed the library as a place to read and conduct research, A remembers his school library as a place to hang out and do homework, particularly when unruly students in the classroom made it difficult for him to get his work done.
While my community was involved with our town school by showing up for and financially supporting our sports programs, A remembers the community supporting his school by getting involved with the TTAC (shop advisory) committees.
My dream education would have included more career exploration and preparation. I graduated with no plan other than “going to college” where I started work on an English degree because I loved to write and read. A, on the other hand, had to work very hard to learn to read because of undiagnosed ADHD. His dream education would have included addressing his ADHD with strategies and coping mechanisms so that he could have learned more.
…and somehow, we both ended up teaching in the same school, many, many years later. A teaches Manufacturing Technology, which he studied in high school and I teach English. Both of us conscientiously try to remedy the shortcomings we feel existed in our own educations.