Yet another year has passed without much attention to the blog. While not an excuse, we’ve moved yet again, and much of last year was spent either getting used to a new community or preparing to move on to yet another.
The hardest part of our move this year was leaving Bellevue and Grandview Elementary. We were so fortunate to be part of the Grandview community last year, and our girls could not have had better teachers. Both Mrs. Skirvin and Mrs. Grever were absolutely fantastic. Our girls grew so much in their classes. Yes, they learned a great deal and experienced “success” on all measures that the schools and state of Kentucky thought were important. More importantly, they grew in their love and excitement about learning. They became more comfortable with who they are, and they learned how to be part of something bigger than themselves.
Now we are in the early weeks of Public School #2. I have to confess that it is very hard to not compare this school with Grandview as much as I realize it is not fair to do so. Grandview is truly unique, and I cannot imagine many schools achieving what they have.
Nevertheless, we cannot help but compare the two schools to some degree – not as a matter of blame, but as a way to try to better understand the context in which we find ourselves. The first issue we’ve had to overcome is the loss of the community school. Everyone walked to Grandview and chatted along the way; they also walked into the school where Mrs. Simpkins, the principal, greeted them, and they were able to say good morning to the teachers. We underestimated the importance of this sense of community. We knew the kids and their parents (or grandparents). We were able to have simple “running jokes” with the teachers that may or may not directly relate to the kids. We were able to handle challenges because we celebrated the mundane together.
Now we are in a school that has combined communities. It is located on a hill (after all, we live in a mountainous area), so there is no feasible way to park and walk into the school. Everyone arrives at the school either by car or bus. I do not know the parents. I hardly know the teachers or the rest of the school staff. The school is a big (albeit new) box in which my children enter each day and upon which they exit at the end of the day. As newcomers to the area, we area struggling with trying to help the girls make friends. After all, we cannot strike up conversations with their parents as we come to school in the morning or while we stand outside at the end of the day like we did before. We send notes home with the other children in hopes that their parents will respond. In addition, we try to interpret policies for homework, school rules, and district policies. Where we may have just asked the teacher or principal in passing last year to clarify something, now we have to rely on assumptions or draft emails in hopes to get clarification from teachers or others
I realize this is common in schools. Most schools are not community schools. Even those that are (and while in Atlanta I was a substitute at a number of them in Decatur), most parents are kept at safe distance on the front lawn most days. I also realize that such connection inside the school could become distracting and keep the teachers from preparing for the day. After all, I was an elementary school teacher and administrator in the past. I realize how precious that early morning time is. Nevertheless, Grandview managed to create a welcoming space for families in the morning. Further, families rarely – if ever – abused the privilege of entering the building. In exchange for their creating this space, Mrs. Simpkins and the teachers created a vibrant community that clearly demonstrated that educating the children of Grandview was a community effort.
My challenge to our girls’ current school – and for all schools stuck on hills (literal or metaphorical) is to create spaces where you can be community schools. I truly believe much of what affects truancy, discipline, etc. (all factors in AYP) could be drastically improved in schools if parents felt more connected. Creating and sustaining shared and welcoming spaces for all the stakeholders in the children’s lives is not so radical. It would take so little in terms of time or other resources. The one dwindling resource most critical, however, would be imagining what is possible.
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