Evening star., 1955-09-07

relatively few, which helped
keep problems manageable.
Many parents accepted the
new situation. Some did not.
Some principals told Of white
parents who Withdrew pupils on
day and never returned.
School officials granted about 400
hardship transfers, although Of
ficially not on racial grounds.
Children Enrolled Reluctantly
There were cases. too, where
parents enrolled children relnc-
tantly. Some kindergartens.
which are voluntary, had fewer
white children than upper
grades. Some white parents en-
rolled undergraduates late. ap-
parently having waited to see
what things were like.
Principals told OF instances
where parents. both white and
Icolored. suspected the teacher at
fault when children who previ-
,ously had done well brought poor
report cards home. Some par
lents objected to having children
lin classes with colored teachers.
On the other hand, there were
many incidents involving both
parents and children which in
dictated acceptance. One prin-
Ic!pal told of a white parent who
had protested about a colored
teacher at first, but later said:
II didn't know a teacher could
teach that much to children.
| A colored teacher at another
school was given a surprise party
by her sixth grade. One white
lgirl wrote her letter calling her
"the best teacher I've had yet"
Celored Mother Heads PTA
At one Northwest school
where the principal had worked
for several years to build good
neighborhood relations between
white and colored children
goodwill developed to the point
where a colored mother was
elected president of the PTA
although the school had less
than a third colored pupils.
Even more encouraging, to
school officials. was the spirit OF
acceptance shown by families
whose children for the first time
were required to enroll at Negro
schools. There were many such
cases. These were the more
significant because the white
ratio in none was higher than
IA per cent.
Principals often reported not
only that such children had
dome well but that their parents
had become active in PTAs and
mothers clubs, helped take
Iclasses on trips and expressed
lenthusiasm about their chill
dren's progress.
Some Negro secondary school;
Ialso had small white nlinorities
AT one junior high. q white gir'
was elected student council Sec
lretary and was graduated with
honor grades. the only non.
Negro in the graduating class
She told this writer she wa,
quite happy in the school.
Spiritual Change
The spiritual change which
occurred in the single year was
sometimes eloquently demon
tstrated. At one Southeast ele-
mentary school this writer
happened to be in the audi
ltorium at the end of a gradua-
tion rehearsal when a sixth
grade girl, one of three white
youngsters in the grade and 81
in the school, stepped up. Burst
ing into tears, she told the prin.
cipal she did not want to leave
the school.
At another school, a 9-year-
lold-the only white pupil in the
school--in a letter composed as
an English assignment wrote:
/ Il like my teacher. I like the
school because all the teachers
are nice. The principal Of the
school ! like most Of all"
/ One mother who enrolled her
daughter in, kindergarten at a
school where she, too, was the
Ionly white child, said she had
some misgivings, even though
ishe favored integration. But
lshe said the situation worked out
Iquite satisfactorily.
/ "Nothing to Worry About"
| "It's the anticipation that's
the worst thing" she said
"When it happens. you find ii
isn't anything to worry about.
/ Generally, colored teachers
seem to have made a good i'm
ipression on white principals. 1t
was obvious in some classrooms
even to a casual visitor, that
teachers had the respect of their
pupils and that the education
going on was of high caliber
Some principals had reservations
about certain teachers. but there
was no special racial distinction
on this.
White teachers, for their part
seem to have sought scrupulousl,
to be impartial. The writer hearc
Iof one teacher who at the star
of school seated her class accord
ling to race, but this was corrected
|by the principal. Some teachers
Isaid explicitly that they though
Iof their pupils only as children
I 1t was evident that somt
teachers we're not happy about
1.-THE situation, and occasionally
lone said so. But parents ane
school officials said they were
Iheartened by the professional
spirit shown during the year. al
well as the obviously hard worl
which was done.
] Schools made no attempt To pf