Like I don't think people really understand the conflict in raising black men.
As a father..... You instinctively raise your son to be strong, outspoken, confident, leader, strong willed, determined, aggressive
Then send him into a system that wants him to be passive, complacent, obedient, confirmed, like the fucking opposite...
They don't want strong black leaders....they kill those kids....
So we aggressively attack strong black outspoken men from the very start in fear that they will challenge the wrong authority and be executed as a result....
His teachers have said many times that initially he was right, but because he gets so worked up and refuses to calm down they are often incapable of properly addressing the problem due to his reaction....and that's one of his saving graces
He's highly intelligent...they need his test scores
His parents are very responsive....so they feel comfortable calling me vs sending him to the office
He doesn't go out starting shit, 90% of the time it's a reaction....
Every person I deal with understands that in his core he's a good kid.... But we also recognize he's a strong willed person in a world that would rather he not be....
I can see the 'protect him' nature of the people at the school who work with him..... But we also acknowledge that as a child, he's still immature in a lot of ways, and he has to figure out a way to control these emotions. So we can't save him from all consequences..... It's just fucking difficult