As a child, I was flattered to be treated as part of the elite. Our children need support, not flattery. They need leadership if they are to become leaders in a diverse society. They don't need further separation or the ignorance and misunderstanding that result from it. The ball is in our court and our children are watching.
Tracking equals segregation.
It did when I was a student, and it still does today. We are at a crossroads and it's time to choose for ourselves as teachers and for all of our students. I am currently a college student majoring in education for grades 5-8, and I was not aware that tracking is synonymous with racism. As a student, I have personally experienced the joy of learning in an honors class conducted by an exciting professor and surrounded mostly by students who care about learning. Unfortunately, I have also experienced the drudgery of being in a class of students who could care less, conducted by a professor who shared the same attitude.