Thursday, October 25, 2012

An Open Letter From A Dad To The School System


Dear Public Schools, Specifically Black Schools:

Fathers who are involved in and care about their children's educational experience actually do exist! I know you may not see many of them strolling through your halls, but we're out there. And we demand to be respected as part of our children's educational process. I'm so damn tired of being discounted and having the fact that I exist taken for granted by schools.

I know it may be hard to believe, but some of the students at your school actually DO come from two-parent homes. Even when they don't it is down right disrespectful of you to assume that the custodial parent is the mother or that the father isn't involved. I know, I know, it's mind boggling and mind blowing for you to have to fathom that there are actually involved dads, single dads or even stay at home dads out there, but nevertheless they do exist.

It amazes me how a woman can walk into a school's main office and say, "Hi, I'm here to pick up my children." and suddenly the children are produced and handed over to her without any hesitation; never knowing if she is authorized to take those children out of school or have contact with them. But let a man walk into that same office and say, "Hi, I just received a phone call saying that my child was sick. I'm here to pick him/her up. Here's my I.D." and suddenly a tribunal that could rival the Spanish Inquisition starts to take place. "What color are your child's eyes?" "How many braids does she wear in her hair?" "Is his hair wavy or rough looking?" This all takes place despite that man's name being on every document at the school and him being in attendance at all school related functions (PTA, Parent-Teacher conferences, Bring Your Parent To Lunch Day, Just Because Day, etc, etc...).

Look, I get it. You want to make sure the children are safe. I'm all for that, but don't act like they are somehow less safe if their father comes to pick them up than they would be if their mother came to pick them up.

This may or may not be being taught in your schools, but it takes both a man AND a woman to make a child. If you don't know that, then you don't deserve to teach a dog to bark, much less deserve to be teaching the future of this country and the world.

Signed,

How The Hell Are You Going To Call Me And Tell Me My Child Is Sick And Needs To Be Picked Up And Then Be Surprised That I Show Up To Pick Her Up?