We have a pressing discipline problem that begins in classrooms and for far too many children ends in prison. As I watched the video of the recent assault on a South Carolina student in her classroom, I thought about my own experiences in classrooms.
That girl certainly could have been me, as I have been labeled obstinate and have always had a strong sense of what I thought was right or wrong. I struggled to learn to develop an acceptable voice in school.
In first and second grade, I screamed and cried about what wasn’t fair or quietly just walked away from the perceived injustice. I was the child that most teachers did not want in their classroom.
The video left me with many unanswered questions about why zero tolerance discipline policies and police in schools continue to put up barriers for black and Latino students to learn. Police in schools, suspensions and expulsions push children out of the classroom every day and contribute to the nation’s alarming dropout rate.
What is not discussed is the impact these disciplinary policies have on black girls — black girls like me once upon a time.
[For more of this story, written by Kayla Patrick, go to http://jjie.org/black-girls-ar...he-classroom/149706/]
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