Returning Abroad and Continuing an Argument
Before my children started kindergarten, my wife and I argued. I wanted our children to attend public schools. She wanted to enroll our children in the best school, period.
I believed in public school reform and envisioned working in Chicago schools to support Black, Brown, and other students from underserved communities. My PhD in Policy Studies in Urban Education convinced me that I had the answers to systemic problems. The struggle taught me humility.
Like others, I didn’t understand the depth of the status quo.
Nikole Hannah Jones’ explanation of An Argument featured on This American Life and shared in The New York Times resonated with me. She described her conviction to partner with her husband and change the education system. Jones placed her daughter in a New York public school and attempted to work with teachers and administrators.
Her efforts failed, and her daughter resented the decision to enroll her in a neighborhood school.
The argument I had with my wife continued until it was too late.
We moved abroad, and our school dilemma became null. In 2016, we relocated to Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico. As expats, we had limited options and placed our children, ages, 3,4, and 5, in a private school.
They thrived and learned Spanish.
After two years, we relocated to Antigua and Barbuda, where we encountered a similar school situation to Mexico. As non-citizens, private education was our only option. Almost seven years later, we repatriated to the United States with serious concerns.
The anti-DEIA movement had returned its leader to the White House. As parents to three Black children, we feared an education system that undervalued their identities. For the first time in ten years, we also had private, public, charter, or independent school options.
Our little ones had finished their formative educational years in private schools, and we questioned whether to continue this strategy for increasing the likelihood of academic achievements. Before relocating to Elk Grove, California, we did our research and found that most schools held high ranks among the State’s “GreatSchools.” My coworkers reinforced the report’s findings and suggested a neighborhood school.
We followed their advice.
Our children came home nearly every day with stories about fights. While they had witnessed and participated in fights at their previous schools, the frequency of occurrence at their new schools was unmatched.
They didn’t say much about the curriculum, but they encountered academic challenges. While in the Caribbean, teachers taught students British English.
My children turned in assignments at their US schools where they spelled favorite as favourite. They made additional spelling and cultural mistakes.
After almost two years in the States, we moved abroad again. Our children’s adjustment to a new private school is underway. The school’s location dictated our decision.
Despite the warmth and beauty of this next chapter on the Caribbean islands, we’ve debated whether moving away from the opportunities in the United States made sense. Given the recent removal of policies with the potential to remedy racial and other identity-based injustices, I am convinced we made the right decision.
Whether you live in or outside the US, choosing the right school is a difficult decision.
My daughter is almost the same age as Nikole Hannah Jones’ daughter. She is clueless about the argument my wife and I had before she started school. While she has yet to graduate from high school, she wants to attend college abroad.
Wherever she finishes her studies, I hope she commits to a cause that advances an argument for justice, equality, and education.
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