Reaching out in Denver

Ok, so this is what I think I am going to do and I am going to use PNN as my jump-off point/cheering ground. I am going to register for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writers Month) for November (the month). I have 30 days to write 50,000 words which is roughly 150 pages. As I tend to be long-winded, I need more than 150 pages, but it’s a good start. Oh, and my novel won’t start as a novel, though it may evolve into one. See, I want to write about what it’s like to move across the country, alone, from a blue state to a purple one (which will probably be good for me, but is REALLY hard just now) to start a new school. The evolution, should I decide to publish this I may need to fictionize it, ala To Kill A Mockingbird, though hopefully I don’t need to wait twenty years to publish (though Harper Lee did need to actually grow up and I like to think I am rather grown). So, here to goes:

The last two weekends have been incredibly educational for me. The first weekend I stood in front of a table with a banner with the school’s name on it in front of Walmart in the morning and in front of a grocery store called King Sooper in the afternoon (two hours each). It was a windy day, so keeping things from blowing away was a hassle. Also, may people assumed we were asking for money and rushed on by. What was I doing, and with whom? I have a partner in crime, the school Project Director, a really wonderful guy named Brian, who was there me for each occasion. We were informing families about the option of attending a free school in which their children can learn in either Mandarin or Spanish for Kindergarten, first and second grade, with English introduced in third grade. The school will go from Kindergarten to eighth grade, and we hope to eventually add an early childhood program. The school in the 30 second elevator speech (that’s jargon for tell me briefly what it’s about):

Academic excellence through language use: Families will choose one of two tracks, Spanish or Mandarin, and children will learn all subjects in those languages only for the core academic day (8 am to 3 pm), from kindergarten through second grade, when English will enter for a small portion of each day. If you speak a high status language and are pressed to learn a new language at a young age, in a group with others doing the same, your brain will actually develop more synapses and you will use more of your brain and you will perform better academically.

All children will develop bicultural, bilingual, biliterate skills—and have the option of multilingual language skill development: Opening with seats for Kinder, first and second and adding one grade each year through eighth grade, all children will become fully fluent in their target language (Mandarin or Spanish) and will have the option of adding a third language.

A strong arts, music and physical movement component: Arts, music and movement are the best means for teaching language and thus, the school curriculum will be replete with a focus on these. Also, there will be an extended day program (regular day: 8 to 3, all immersion; extended day: 3 to 5, some English, actual artists, musicians and athletes teaching the classes and an opportunity for ESL, special education enrichment, English reading, and extra support target language learning (even for the ‘other’ language, so Mandarin speakers can learn Spanish and vice-versa).

A healthy, green environment: We will contract with a healthy food provider for an optional breakfast (at 7 am), lunch and snacks called ‘Revolution Foods’ who emphasize healthy portions and options and organics when possible. The school will have working garden used for science, for encouraging local healthy choices and for family input. IF we are able to eventually build our own school (three years out) we will do so with green energy in mind and with lots of green field space, for life-long exercise. Life-long sports will be the school’s only options, so no cheerleading or football but lots of soccer, swimming, running, yoga, dance, basketball (think of things people continue to do at 60).

So, that’s the school. Ask questions as it will give me something to write about!

Walmart. . . well, a learning experience. Personally, I hate Walmart as a company (there, I said it). BUT, the manager was super to us and the foundation is giving us money. I still don’t like a non-unionized staff, people paid less than living wages, most things made overseas and a pitifully small level of support for health insurance, but, it’s growing on me. Also, as there are pitifully few options for shopping in Denver, I find myself here as a shopper more than I’d have ever though possible. Life is weird.

Standing out in front, we talked with people and tried to convince them we were only enrolling. However, families with older children walked on by after we mentioned ages and younger children (4 and under) said not till later. This is interesting to me. I have wealthy white families contacting me to ask about how to be involved with the school for their children who still count their ages in months but poorer families often think that those decisions happen later. A clear class difference or is it a reflection of differences in parents’ education levels (which also mirrors class differences). In the end, four completed applications.

Next, on to King Soopers. Yes, every time we are out there we get the word out about a new school (and we tempt them with candy, which kills the healthy hoping me but the fact is it works!). However, it was a bust, no completed applications though some families took some.

This weekend (after the blizzard, more on that later) we sat/stood in front of a place called “the Country Buffet” which is an all you can eat place. Again the management was wonderful, seriously wonderful to us (at the end the manager even walked out, asked how we were doing and asked about other ways he could support the school, wow!). Now, I tend to hate places that are all you can eat as I do not think the concept healthy (to get your money’s worth you feel a need to eat a lot and though there are often healthy choices the majority are not) and no difference here and most people walking in were demonstrably larger than the Colorado population at large. However, remember what I said about living in a blue state and moving to a purple being good for me? I am learning to bend on my issues and starting to feel that hate (for Walmart and/or all you can eat) are far too strong as terms. *Audible gasp from my liberal friends back home (and I am left of liberal) reading this.*

That evening we were at a Halloween special for kids at the Police Academy. We arrived at 4:30 but Brian and I did not find each other until ten till. The function was from 5 to 8 pm so we got busy with the table, banner, information sheets, applications and candy—it was a Halloween function after all. Well, it was a bonanza of families with kids the right age (we had been warned 1200 show but did not take this seriously). We ran out of information sheets right away. Brian left me to get more as I could speak to parents in Spanish (and there were many who preferred Spanish). While he was gone I ran out of candy! Ack! At a Halloween festival, running out of candy is the worst, worst, worst. No one wants to come to your table. So, he returned with 300 copies of the information forms and more of the applications and I sent him right back out for candy (poor Brian). By the end of the night we were both pretty tired but we had 12 completed applications and I had handed out almost 300 information forms and spoken personally with several parents.

Why are we doing this? Charter schools are often accused of ‘creaming,’ of only taking the best students away from already struggling schools. Many studies suggest that charters accept less than a proportionate number of special education and English Language Learner students than their public school counterparts. There is some truth to this, but it’s complicated. Across the nation, there are two groups, Latinos and English Language Learners (ELLs), that are less likely to make choices about schooling than any other groups. Some say ELLs and Latinos are the same, but they are not. Many ELLs are not Spanish-home-speakers and most Latinos are not ELLs, but there is some overlap. Regardless, these are the groups left behind in highly impacted schools as everyone else jumps ship for other school choices. My belief is that Latinos and ELLs do not make choices about schools (any choices, magnet schools, inner-district choice, private schools, private schools with funding, vouchers, and charters) because most schools do a poor job of figuring out how to market to these groups. I am not saying this is easy. Reaching across cultural differences to market a school/program in another language is a challenge, to say the least. However, I refuse for our school to throw in the towel and do the typical, ‘we really tried but they just did not come.’ So, we are outside Walmart, outside King Sooper, outside Country Bugget, we leafleted cars outside the Ross and we attended the Halloween event. Our goal is to have a minimum of 40% of our students come from low-income homes. That percentage would keep us true to our charter and would also allow us to qualify for more grant funds (so it’s hardly altruistic on our part, it is pretty capitalistic if you think about it). But, I want us to surpass the target and to really make outreach a priority. To this end, I will write more about meeting with the families who know the system and how to make it work for them (wealthier and more highly educated) and about other outreach efforts we have in mind. However, as this is work towards NaNoWriMo, the goal for each day is 1500 words and I now have 1740, so I’ll stop (not that it would hurt to build up a buffer. . .) Oh, and I’ll write more on the blizzard next time too.