 Suki Wessling
suki@santacruzparent.com
10/05/09
Hi Friends. My "new" blog has been offline, so here I am posting to my "old" one. What's old becomes new. That sounds wise in some way!
Today I want to write about supporting a school that my kids don't go to. Huh? I'll tell you why: Like all schools, it's full of committed staff who are doing their best on an ever-shrinking budget. Like all schools, it's got great teachers who love kids and want to be the best teacher each child ever has. Like all schools, it is full of parents who love it and have devoted a lot of time, energy, and money to it.
The fact is, not all schools are right for all kids, or all families. But Linscott Charter School is very right for the families who have chosen it. It's a rare beast in its own neck of the woods: a parent participation school in Watsonville, a charter school with a lower income parent community. Linscott offers something to Pajaro Valley families that no neighborhood public school is able to: a school with a promise to focus on whole child education..
Everyone who has ever studied how kids learn knows that what our standard public schools are doing more and more of just doesn't work. Kids don't learn in isolation. They learn from the whole experience of their lives. Every study on the subject shows that kids who play music learn math better. Every study on the subject says that kids who do whole body physical education learn better in the classroom. Every study on earth says that kids who do art learn to think more deeply. There's no mystery here.
Some people believe that charter schools compete with neighborhood schools and thus make them weaker. Those of us who follow what charter schools are doing know that their existence makes neighborhood schools stronger. If parents have a choice, and one of their choices is a school that offers whole-child education, that raises the bar for neighborhood schools. Also, as I pointed out earlier, not every school fits every child. Linscott fits 200 kids pretty darn well, and most of those kids would not be better served if they were forced to go to another school.
If you care about test scores, I can point out that Linscott gets fabulous test scores. But what people who understand test scores know is that they only show how good that set of kids is at taking tests. What makes Linscott unique is that they refuse to give up all the stuff that schools around them can hardly remember: art, P.E., music, science, literature. Whatever other schools have cut, Linscott keeps fighting to keep.
But this comes at a cost. Charter schools are funded purely through ADA (Average Daily Attendance) funds. So they are poorer than the competing neighborhood school. This year's cuts to education have been devastating to your neighborhood school. What do you think they've been to charter schools?
Yet Linscott parents don't give up: they keep fighting. They followed the school auction fundraising model for a few years, but it was clear that this model doesn't fit a school that doesn't have a high-income parent base to draw from. This year they're trying something new, and it sounds really fun:
The High Ground Organics Harvest Fair is being held to support Linscott Charter School. It sounds like it's going to be fun for every family that shows up.
"This event is a great opportunity for families to come out and see a working organic farm and have some fun," says Jeanne Byrne of High Ground Organics. "There will be lots of hands on activities to keep children engaged. Whether they are looking for an organic pumpkin patch to get their Halloween pumpkins, want to pick strawberries in an organic berry patch, or are lured in by "farm" arts and crafts, the kids will have a good time."
I know that Linscott is probably not your school. 200 kids in a county of 100,000 people sounds pretty insignificant. But as every parent, every teacher, and every school administrator knows, each one of them is a precious resource that we need to invest in. Turn up Saturday not just to show your support for Linscott Charter School: do it to support your child, all children, and to have a really fun time!
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I was up at 6am determined to work before reading email, but a subject caught my eye. Kim Komando recommended "Cool Site of the Day: It's time to get back to reading! At today's site, you'll find works by 3,500 famous writers. No e-book reader required!" Hmmm... that site might be interesting and something I could share with our reading readers.
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