Commentary
From columnist Alexis Menocal Harrigan: It’s clear this email campaign did too much and missed the mark by focusing on self-promotion and not the immediate needs of students and families. When parents like me are seeking reassurance and helpful information as the school year begins, we were instead met with a barrage of grandstanding that did little to address anything we are concerned with at present.
When students saw teachers hitting the Nae Nae, they were elated. It’s a clearcut example of how Hip Hop improved schools. When teachers did the dance, students began to see them as human as opposed to disinterested adults that know nothing about them. Teachers connected with students in a way that was authentic to them. Connecting with students in authentic ways directly contributes to student engagement.
Each student brings a unique perspective, and I find immense joy in encouraging and motivating each of them in different ways.
One of our primary goals with Montessori on Wheels is to help children and families look out their windows and see their communities as spaces for learning and innovation.
Short of outright corruption, we should always vote in favor of DPS bonds and mill levies, especially when those ballot initiatives do not increase taxes, as has been the case the last several election cycles.
Consider the message sent by spending almost $100,000 to deconstruct the egalitarian philosophy that drove Denver Public Schools management for more than a decade. The superintendent’s corner office with a bank of windows looking over downtown and the soundproofing all but scream: ”Stay away. I have no time for the likes of you. And what happens behind that door is none of your damned business.”
What we haven’t acknowledged is that the pain that police officers felt in schools impacted them in negative ways just like everyone else. Now, add power to the equation. A scorned police officer using real, possibly negative school experiences as a foundation. That’s a scary concept.
In my opinion, East is ground zero for the most egregious failure of the discipline matrix. The new matrix’s consequences for violence in schools are inadequate.
I found community in my college at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and in my first career opportunity. And I have found it again through Ednium.
Why we don’t extend the school year by five weeks and make those last five weeks lower pressure and more fun for both students and teachers?
Engaging parents in the absenteeism conversation
We knew the methods we were using to deal with poor attendance weren’t working. We theorized that part of the solution might not look linear. We had to put ourselves in the shoes of our parents and ask ourselves new questions. Why, on the hardest days and in the hardest situations, might I move mountains to get my student to school? And when might I not?