Some people who live in our area would call us nuts. They wonder how we could allow our son to attend school in such a troubled neighborhood. If I'm to be honest, it crossed my mind as we attended the open house in the spring of his 8th grade year. Dunbar came with a reputation, and of course the community which surrounds it. We didn't know much about the school at that time. In fact our son is the one who asked if we could go check it out. One of his middle school teachers was the brother of an Assistant Principal there at the time. So off we went. Our son was excited about school for the first time in almost three years- there was no way we were going to pass on a chance to see the school.
As a parent and a teacher, I had lots of questions. Our son walked around and checked things out and my husband and I sauntered through, "reading" the people. We talked to several of them; the ATE coordinator, a couple of teachers. My teacher mind was made up. Many of the teachers had been there since the school opened, others since they started teaching. Almost everyone we spoke to had been there for years. They all said they couldn't imagine working anywhere else. They were passionate and proud about working at Dunbar High.
My teacher mind was made up. But my teacher mind had to convince my protective mom mind that my son would be safe going to school in this neighborhood. Make no mistake, my concern was only about violence and crime, not about the skin color of the kids or teachers. So I worked the room again, asking some of the employees about the rumors- some of which were rumors and some of which were true. Crime statistics are public record, and though they can be used to inflate the truth, they can also be indicators of what's really happening. Teachers all insisted they felt safe, and they thought the students felt safe. One of the younger male teachers even told me, "I bring my kids and my family out to the ballgames all the time. I've never felt unsafe." I considered it case closed. My kid wanted to go to Dunbar, the programs and teachers seemed fantastic, and I heard what I needed to hear.
Just about every aspect of my son's experience has been terrific. He loves his teachers, he has a great group of friends in the tech program, he swims for the school team and has a great relationship with his coaches. He's earned gobs of computer industry certifications. He also likes and respects his Principal. These are not gimmes for my son. He's not impressed by or afraid of titles. He is intuitive and reads character, and he likes and respects what he sees in Mr. Burnside, his Principal.
Here's the part I don't like. Every couple of months we get a recorded phone call. Sometimes before we hear the news and sometimes after. School was on lockdown because of a shooter in the neighborhood. A student was arrested for bringing a firearm to school. Two students were disciplined for eating marijuana brownies in the cafeteria. These are not the kinds of calls you want from your kid's school. Before he got his drivers license, our son missed the bus home one day. Come to find out, the reason was someone made an anonymous phone call to the school that a kid named Jacob had a gun. They pulled every kid named Jacob out of class, and the SRO questioned and searched them. Needless to say it wasn't my Jacob, but seriously? Due to the search he missed the bus home and we had to go get him. We could hardly believe the story he told us when we got there.
My husband says things like, "It seems like they're at least proactive and on top of things." And I think about the state of the world today and remind myself this kind of thing happens at high schools everywhere. I check in with my son regularly to make sure he feels safe, and he has never indicated otherwise. So I do this. I think about all the great things that are going on at the school. I look at all my son has accomplished there and how much he likes the ATE at Dunbar. And I trust the professional educators and law enforcement officers who monitor and secure the school on a daily basis. I'm not gonna lie, I struggle sometimes. But I still think we're making the right decision. I'm proud to be a Tiger Parent.
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