Heads of the Colored People(11)
I’m not of the mind that the only two black children in the class should be enemies, nor do I like the attention it draws to them (or their parents) when they’re already in a difficult position. I would think that a black woman of your stature and success would understand how isolating work and school environments like Westwood can be for people like us. Jordan and I hesitated to send Fatima to a PWI, but we know the benefits of a school like Westwood. I hoped Christinia and Fatima could be friends and could support each other in this space, but it’s been clear since second grade that you and Christinia are not willing to make that work. You could encourage your child to be cordial, however, and less brutal. You could spend more time with her so she doesn’t lash out at others. You should get the help you both need in overcoming your tendencies toward pettiness.
I’m sure Fatima would let Christinia into her growing inner circle—even her after-school reading club—if Christinia would only apologize and behave. Jealousy can become a lifelong problem. On that note, I hate to bring this up now, but we were surprised by how poorly Christinia behaved when Fatima’s poem won over hers last year. I’d like to make sure we don’t end up with a repeat performance of that tantrum when the poetry competition rolls around this year.
As for the hard-boiled egg, we resolved that last spring and bought Fatima a new backpack. And I believe you knew that already.
We should talk about some concrete ways we can encourage our girls to get along. Perhaps Mrs. Watson can help, since she has mentioned Christinia’s problematic behavior before, something to the effect of, “If we don’t fix things now, she’ll have a hard road ahead of her.”
Cheers,
Dr. Monica Willis, PhD
Author of Every Voice Counts: Helping Children of Color Succeed at Predominantly White Schools ? ? ?
OCTOBER 9, 1991
Monica,
Excuse the informal note.
Mrs. Watson told me herself at Pavilions that “it doesn’t matter how brilliant the child is. No one will ask about her grades later in life, but they will want to know how well socialized she was.” She made it no secret that she was referring to Fatima, not Chrissy.
And to that point, I think you’re doing both yourself and Fatima a great injustice by continually emphasizing her “brilliance” over other children. Lots of people skip grades, and skipping kindergarten isn’t something to brag about. I doubt that the standards at her old school were as rigorous as those at Westwood. What exactly was she advanced at, naptime? Maybe a stint in kindergarten would have cultivated her social and problem-solving skills so she wouldn’t run home and tell her mother everything. Children need strength of character and independence, after all.
If you’ll recall, moreover, I was there at the recital where Fatima read her “award-winning poem,” and while my doctorates—yes, plural—may not be in literature, I’m pretty sure hardly anyone would call “Butterfly Pie” a work of poetic genius. You can’t rhyme “pie” with “pie” multiple times and call that poetry; you just can’t, even if you have the excuse of only being in fourth grade.
We are not self-conscious about Christinia’s blackness. I attended Westwood myself as a child and was very happy there, even though at the time I was the only black child in the entire K–6 division. Perhaps the kids at Fatima’s old school were bad influences on her? Why did she change schools after first grade anyway? That’s generally a bad sign.
Isn’t your degree, by the way, an EdD?
—Lucinda
? ? ?
OCTOBER 11, 1991
Lucinda,
It’s hard to believe you’re not a brain surgeon with your manifold doctorates and strong sense of logic. Fatima changed schools because we moved. Was she supposed to commute from Claremont to Fresno every morning so she could attend her old school?
I’m not surprised if Fatima’s subtle wordplay was lost on you, since it’s clear reading problems run in the family. Fatima said she saw Christinia struggling in the Panda reading group, and Mrs. Watson hinted that the Iguanas—Fatima’s and Emily’s group—are reading much more advanced work than Charlotte’s Web or The Boxcar Children. Fatima started on Little Women during her own free time and has read through a number of Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary works, even Ellen Tebbits and Otis Spofford (which I read as a much older girl). And, Fatima has a poem coming out in Ladybug magazine in a few months.
Not everyone is suited for literary work. I’m sure you know that from your own writing struggles and the extra effort you had to put behind your research in order for anyone to take it seriously. Isn’t there still some kind of issue with your last project and the IRB, or is the issue with Dr. Patel’s ex-wife? I know someone who might be able to clear things up for you, if you’d like the help.
My very best,
Monica
? ? ?
OCTOBER 11, 1991
Monica,
Mrs. Watson said there is absolutely no reading group higher than the Panda group, and that the Iguanas have been paired to minimize their various social anxieties, so I have no idea where you’re getting the notion that Fatima’s reading is more advanced than Christinia’s. Chrissy has no social anxieties, and if she’s ever struggled socially, it’s because other children don’t understand her. And Chrissy read that abridged version of Little Women just yesterday on the way home from soccer practice. The pictures took up more space than the words.