Thank you so much for this piece, I learned a lot. Some of the comments recounted about the value and atmosphere of the school echo the recollections in the documentaries I’ve made about historic schools built by African American communities during the segregation era. Although severely underresourced, the educators often created atmospheres of love and high expectations. My friend and mentor, Carrie Mae Sharpless Newkirk, used to say “children know when you love them.”

http://stackstories.com/new-carrie-mae-an-american-life-on-amazon-prime-video/