Dying of Whiteness by Jonathan M. Metzl

Author:Jonathan M. Metzl
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Basic Books
Published: 2019-02-12T05:00:00+00:00

PART 3

KANSAS

BENEATH THE SURFACE

IT’S AUGUST 2017, almost time for the school year to begin. The principal of a large Kansas public high school spares time for a quick interview in the fifteen minutes he has between meetings. He appears calm, and he walks into his office to meet me, in sharp contrast to the swarm of activity taking place throughout the building. Teachers busily organize their classrooms. Students tack posters in the hallways, announcing upcoming rallies and events. Office staff scurry about. The energy is nervous, anticipatory, and seemingly all consuming. But the principal is unconsumed.

I make note of this as we begin our brief conversation. “You seem relaxed,” I say, “given all the commotion.”

“Well, you know,” he replies cheerfully, “I’ve been at this for a while.”

The first part of our conversation details his plans for the coming semester and his thoughts about the future of the school.

But the mood shifts when the topic turns to politics.

“You know, this is always my favorite time of year,” he says. “After the lull of summer, we’re finally back in business. Everything starts again. I feel it, for sure.

“But these past years,” he continues, “they’ve taken a toll on me, on lots of people. I went into this because I love Kansas schools. I just love what we do here. So many people feel ownership and pride.”

He pauses. “But given the greatness of our schools… it’s hard to understand, why have we stopped supporting them? If people only knew the ways we’ve stopped supporting our schools. A principal’s job used to be to provide vision. But now so much of what I do is shift money around. I take from here and put it there. Then I take from there and try to fill a gap somewhere else. Someday… this is going to catch up with us.… Probably already has.”

I nod, not so much because I know the particular pressures he faces, but because I’ve heard these types of concerns before.

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