Ted Willis, Jr.
Cary, NC
As a teacher, I have seen how, with each passing generation, race is becoming less of an issue with my students. Most of the racial tension is bred from their parents and the time frame most of then grew up in (however, the parents are become the generation in which race was not an issue). The schools systems seem to still have a mindset that race is a problem *everywhere*. I disagree. Yes, I know that there are areas of the country where racial tension exists, but the younger generations are innocent of that. It’s being fed to them by the school systems.
When I was in college, I got in a verbal confrontation with my education professor, who claimed that “The school board of an LEA should reflect the racial demographics of whom it serves.” I replied, “So, you are saying that, just to maintain an equal reflection, you are willing to sacrifice people who deserve and are knowledgeable enough to make the right decisions for our students.” She couldn’t answer. It was this moment that I realized that the school systems are forcing diversity in places they shouldn’t. What they deem as being “fair” is causing even more tension.
Let our students decide for themselves who they want to sit with at lunch, who they talk to between classes, who they hang around. Have faith that they will make the right choices for themselves. I guarantee that if we let diversity happen on its own, the stipulation of “race” will decrease.
