In 1983 I do not think it was common for schools to have an anti-racist policy.
To be honest, if ever I mentioned to white friends in Leicester that understanding about racism was necessary, I usually received a “lecture” on how all children get teased.
People then told me about children with red hair suffering playground taunts and children wearing glasses etc. Did they suggest that it was part of growing up and almost “good for them”? I wondered. Did we have to sit by and watch our children suffer?
Image courtesy of Vlado at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
I found myself wondering why it was that although I did not like to think of any children being mocked and taunted, I felt passionately that racism was particularly insidious. I felt a bit like a voice in the wilderness. This may be hard to understand today, when people are regularly accused of making racist comments and their reputation then suffers – see one or two famous footballers. But things were different in the 1980s.
Image courtesy of Vlado at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
One person who did understand about racist name-calling was the Head teacher of Sam’s Junior school in Leicester. I may have mentioned a certain incident in a previous blog post, when the Head responded brilliantly to a distressing situation. This was in Sam’s last term at the school. It was the first time we heard of Sam suffering this way and we took instant action. Sam came home from school in a state. He said that some children had rounded on him and taunted him because of his colour. He told the dinner ladies, but they just said
“Move away from them. Don’t take any notice”.
This was deeply upsetting and he must have felt that he was all alone. Dinner ladies were adults and he had expected support from them.
However, as soon as Sam came home from school he told us and I rang the Head.
He took the matter very seriously and promised to deal with it as soon as staff arrived at school the following morning. This would include all dinner ladies who did playground duty.
The Head did exactly as he promised and he spoke kindly to Sam, and Sam felt greatly reassured. He did not have any further trouble, and he knew that the Head Teacher and his class teacher would be there for him if any children started insulting him again.
We felt incredibly relieved and grateful for his understanding and intervention. So, ideas and understanding about racism were at last s l o w l y beginning to surface, but I think that Head was ahead of his time.
What would the situation be like in London we wondered?
London. Here we come!
23/02/20151983. The search for a school in London with an anti-racist policy.
09/03/2015In 1983 I do not think it was common for schools to have an anti-racist policy.
To be honest, if ever I mentioned to white friends in Leicester that understanding about racism was necessary, I usually received a “lecture” on how all children get teased.
People then told me about children with red hair suffering playground taunts and children wearing glasses etc. Did they suggest that it was part of growing up and almost “good for them”? I wondered. Did we have to sit by and watch our children suffer?
Image courtesy of Vlado at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
I found myself wondering why it was that although I did not like to think of any children being mocked and taunted, I felt passionately that racism was particularly insidious. I felt a bit like a voice in the wilderness. This may be hard to understand today, when people are regularly accused of making racist comments and their reputation then suffers – see one or two famous footballers. But things were different in the 1980s.
One person who did understand about racist name-calling was the Head teacher of Sam’s Junior school in Leicester. I may have mentioned a certain incident in a previous blog post, when the Head responded brilliantly to a distressing situation. This was in Sam’s last term at the school. It was the first time we heard of Sam suffering this way and we took instant action. Sam came home from school in a state. He said that some children had rounded on him and taunted him because of his colour. He told the dinner ladies, but they just said
“Move away from them. Don’t take any notice”.
This was deeply upsetting and he must have felt that he was all alone. Dinner ladies were adults and he had expected support from them.
However, as soon as Sam came home from school he told us and I rang the Head.
He took the matter very seriously and promised to deal with it as soon as staff arrived at school the following morning. This would include all dinner ladies who did playground duty.
The Head did exactly as he promised and he spoke kindly to Sam, and Sam felt greatly reassured. He did not have any further trouble, and he knew that the Head Teacher and his class teacher would be there for him if any children started insulting him again.
We felt incredibly relieved and grateful for his understanding and intervention. So, ideas and understanding about racism were at last s l o w l y beginning to surface, but I think that Head was ahead of his time.
What would the situation be like in London we wondered?
Odette Elliott
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