I feel like my elementary school experience was unique because I, as a white person, was a minority. Most of my classmates were Filipino. They were extremely wealthy compared to my family because many of their parents were doctors in our small community. In hindsight they were upper middle class at best; I didn't realize until adulthood how much my family struggled financially.
My Filipino classmates' artwork was consistently posted on the chalkboard. They got to be captains in PE class. They were first chair of every band/orchestra section. All the teachers were constantly sucking up to their parents because they had the means to be financial benefactors to the school. Everyone expected my Filipino classmates to be the best at everything. No one expected me to be exceptional and when I did something extremely well, it was like a break from normal and people acted like they were amazed. At least that's how it felt to me.
I am grateful for my childhood because it gives just a tiny taste of what discrimination on a larger scale feels like. I eventually graduated out of my small school and I live somewhere else now but my childhood experiences contribute to my empathy. I still can't understand how anyone could see someone with an Asian background as "less than" because to me, my high-achieving friends were more than I thought I could ever be. They were goals. I'm still friends with many of them and I can't imagine my life without them. They taught me SO much about what it is like to be human.
