Tomorrow I leave for a conference in Chicago, and in doing so, I am taking a big leap of faith--in me and in the dream that my husband and I share. The conference is for those who would like to open a charter school, and my husband and I want to do just that, not for our children but for Charlotte's children. There are segments of the CMS population who are not getting their needs met, and we want to create an environment that will not only meet their needs but will exceed their needs, meeting their dreams face-to-face.
I have always wanted to open a school. Ever since I taught at Dore Academy (now The John Crosland School) almost twenty years ago, and I was able to see how targeting my instruction for my students brought about 3, 4, & 5 years of academic gains. I have wanted to do that for students whose parents couldn't afford the 20K tuition or even provide transportation if they could somehow pay tuition.
Academic equality is a social justice issue for me. If we don't prepare students equally, how can we say that we are truly preparing students for the adult world? Why are we disappointed when students fail? Our goal is to create an academic environment that recognizes and makes use of both the strengths and the weaknesses of the economically disadvantaged neighborhood, for it is in valuing people, good and bad, and working with them where they are that we are able to begin helping them get to where they would like to be.
It is only through struggle that we appreciate the success, so I am ready to struggle up until and beyond the day we reach success. Namaste.
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