Common narrative in the history of Black education.

Common narrative in the history of Black education. 

“When Malcolm X is in 8th grade, his English teacher, Mr. Ostrowski, asked what career Malcolm was thinking of pursuing. At the time, Malcolm was a very bright student who was at the top of his class. 

Malcolm tells his teacher that he wants to be a lawyer. Mr. Ostrowski, who has been encouraging up until that point, tells the young Malcolm that the legal profession is not a realistic career option for a black person.     

Instead, he urges Malcolm to consider something more realistic, such as a career in carpentry or working with his hands. At the same time, Malcolm hears Mr. Ostrowski encouraging the white kids in his class to stretch themselves in terms of their careers—even though they are far less promising academically than he is. 

This incident caused Malcolm to go through an internal change and begins to shy away from white people and to chafe when people make racist remarks.”

This definitely mean that the school and what your kids learn about will actually affect them directly or indirectly.