Hats off to our county’s school system. Us parents can be quite the crapshoot.
Nevertheless they brought a handful of us in to participate in the interview process for the new principal at my son’s elementary school. They held “stakeholder” interviews with small groups of parents, faculty, and administration. They hedged their bets by giving us scripted questions that parents had submitted, but we were able to go rogue if there was time. Those “extra time” questions were super informative to me, but not just about the candidates.
I was reminded that parents always come to the table with our own agendas.
Questions were asked about boosting teacher morale, about inclusion and educating neurotypical students about those with special needs. Questions were asked about the use of data to empower teachers and what they might do for the school if they received a large sum of grant money.
These answers all mattered, especially to the parent asking. We have so many nuanced experiences forming our parenting decisions for our one-of-a-kind children. I forget all the time that my children aren’t the only unicorns. I especially forget that we aren’t parenting in a vacuum.
This was fresh on my mind when we read A Computer Called Katherine written by Suzanne Slade, illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison. This book tells the life story of Katherine Johnson, the Black female mathematician whose work contributed greatly to the first successful U.S. space endeavors. The book describes her childhood, in which her community was up in arms about many issues, including desegregation and women’s rights. The book phrases it beautifully: “Their arguments seemed wrong to Katherine — as wrong as 5+5=12. [...] She kept working hard in school and dreamed of a future when all people would have equal rights.” Determined to give her what she needed regardless of the beliefs of their community, her parents moved to a new town so she could receive the education she needed to thrive. They did all they could to give their exceptional child the world she deserved.
It’s a risky move, bringing in the parents. But Johnson’s mom and dad showed us that we have to listen to all of the parents at the table.
