What to Expect for the Next year

Tuesday, 21 August 2012

I am now a resident of Washington, D.C. Hello cute little house on Capitol Hill J

Started Professional Development (PD) August 13, 2012 at IDEA Public Charter School in Deanwood.  So IDEA PCS became a military academy in 2005-2006. It is career-focused and aims for their students/cadets to go to college and/or maintain a career. It has a JROTC program that used to be required of all students focusing not only on academics but providing mentorship, leadership training, citizenship, and self-discipline.  The purpose and plan of the school at inception are great and have helped students in the past, but the school is struggling. http://www.ideapcs.org

Almost 4 years ago, IDEA PCS recovered from two major fires that threatened to shut down the school forever.  The first one occurred in the beginning of January by a student in the front office during winter break.  An accelerant was used in order to purposely destroy records.  After the first fire, the school made it its only mission to be able to reopen school within the next few weeks for second semester.  Only a week or two later another individual (student status unidentified) broke into the building to steal tvs, computers, and other electronics.  It wasn’t until early in the next morning that authorities were notified of a fire in the building.  By that time, the whole second and third floor of the historic building was torched. 

At this time, let me tell you a little bit about the community—Deanwood is a residential neighborhood that was not demographically zoned out.  There were no race or income restrictions in the area, as opposed to many other parts of DC.  The school itself used to be Carver Elementary School.  This building is preserved as a historic site because it was the first public school to admit black students.  Residents had to continually fight for basic city services, which brought out leaders and activists in the community.

The existence of IDEA PCS is a reflection of the growing community that is Deanwood.  Students of IDEA PCS come from all over the district but the majority of students come from the Deanwood and Minnesota Metro area.

This semester I will be working with Ms. Mallari co-teaching Math 7, Math 8, and one section of 9^th grade algebra.  I co-taught 7^th and 8^th grade math this summer so I cant wait to repeat that experience.

With all the administrative changes that have been taking place over the last month I am really excited to see how this year will shape out.  First day of school: 28 August 2012

w/love ks