I am always amazed at how angry some people get when they hear me talk about why my kids love their schools. Every time I praise our city school, the failings at another school get pointed out to me. No RCSD parent is unaware of the problems in this system, but these problems do not negate the positives. The positives happen at the school level with resilent and beautiful children being taught by committed and generous teachers. If we are lucky, we have an intelligent and gifted administrator at the helm of the school. The breakdown happens at the levels above.
The positives are real and should be pointed out as a counterweight to the overwhelmingly negative image in our area of the children who attend RCSD schools. If I did not live in the city and send my kids to city schools I too would be dismissive of or frightened by the idea of my children spending the day with city kids. What a shame that would be, to live in ignorance of the beauty, talent, courage and determination of our children. When was the last time you read an article about the students in the RCSD that highlighted their humanity instead of starting from the assumption that their outcome had already been decided and they were poised to be a victim or a perpetrator of violence, hunger or despair?
There is an enormous amount of work to be done in this community to fulfill to all our children the promise of a fair and equal public education. Instead of castigating parents who choose not to leave the city, who choose to roll up their sleeves and be a part of the educational aspirations of all our children, we should give them credit for seeing past the fear, anger and sheer ignorance that permeates the discussion around city schools.
I am and will be forever grateful to the RCSD students and teachers who have taken care of my children all these years. They are the better for it, and I am as well.
Re: “Standing up for city schools”
I am always amazed at how angry some people get when they hear me talk about why my kids love their schools. Every time I praise our city school, the failings at another school get pointed out to me. No RCSD parent is unaware of the problems in this system, but these problems do not negate the positives. The positives happen at the school level with resilent and beautiful children being taught by committed and generous teachers. If we are lucky, we have an intelligent and gifted administrator at the helm of the school. The breakdown happens at the levels above.
The positives are real and should be pointed out as a counterweight to the overwhelmingly negative image in our area of the children who attend RCSD schools. If I did not live in the city and send my kids to city schools I too would be dismissive of or frightened by the idea of my children spending the day with city kids. What a shame that would be, to live in ignorance of the beauty, talent, courage and determination of our children. When was the last time you read an article about the students in the RCSD that highlighted their humanity instead of starting from the assumption that their outcome had already been decided and they were poised to be a victim or a perpetrator of violence, hunger or despair?
There is an enormous amount of work to be done in this community to fulfill to all our children the promise of a fair and equal public education. Instead of castigating parents who choose not to leave the city, who choose to roll up their sleeves and be a part of the educational aspirations of all our children, we should give them credit for seeing past the fear, anger and sheer ignorance that permeates the discussion around city schools.
I am and will be forever grateful to the RCSD students and teachers who have taken care of my children all these years. They are the better for it, and I am as well.