Rise

Last Thursday I went to New York City for the weekend to celebrate my sister's 50th birthday. If I told you that Friday I was extremely fortunate to spend the morning in an inspirational place, it wouldn't surprise you. If I told you I had to get up at 4:45 a.m. and travel to a middle school in Newark, New Jersey to be inspired, that may surprise you. It certainly surprised me.

My nephew is in his first year of teaching fifth grade History at Rise Academy, a KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) charter school in Newark, and the place I visited last Friday morning. It was especially insightful for me having two children of my own that are around the same age as his students.
To give you some background, Rise Academy's population is 91% African American and 9% Latino. 91% of the students are eligible for free/reduced meals. While Rise Academy is part of the public school system, it is a charter school and students are eligible to attend by lottery. They are in a community where high school graduation rates are low and college acceptance rates even lower. These are things that I take for granted given the environment I grew up in and the one my children are growing up in.

We arrived at the school early so we were able to get a tour of the building. Each floor is designated to a grade (fifth through eighth) and instead of being referred to as the grade they are in, they are known by the year they will graduate high school. That means that my nephew is teaching the Class of 2019.
The walls throughout the building are decorated with displays meant to inspire and serve as a constant reminder of the goals of the school. One of the things that struck me most was the emphasis on college. There was a display in the hallway showing pictures of all the colleges that staff members have attended...Syracuse, Yale, Brown, Ohio State, Marquette, Illinois, Cornell to name a few. In the math room, there are pennants hanging from each of the colleges. For many of these students, this may be the only place where college is even talked about. It may be the first time it was presented to them as an opportunity for their future.
During our tour we saw the gym, or what my friend Angela would refer to as the "cafegymatorium". I asked my nephew if the kids have a regular gym class. He said they have it once a week and the teachers rotate who will run it. So I followed up by asking if they had any music or art. He told me that many of these students are coming from public schools and are performing way below grade level. Their goal at this point is to get them up to grade level academically so their focus is on core curriculum.

As it got closer to the beginning of the school day, we observed the staff have their morning meeting in preparation for the day. Think of the staff of teachers at your child's school or the school you attended. Now imagine what it would be like if the staff was all young, energetic, and enthusiastic. What if they were all excited about the idea of making a difference? What if they were all in agreement on the best way to do that and as your child moved from class to class and grade to grade, there was a consistent message? What if these messages were so important that they were printed on the back of the uniforms? Uniforms that the students have to earn through behavior and performance. Messages like: "Work hard. Be nice."

It sounds too good to be true, but it is and it is working. I was stunned when I saw the students come into their first period, which is called advisory (like home room) and were completely silent. They got to their desks, took out their work, and spoke only when the teacher addressed them. They were called up individually to check in their homework assignments and then returned to their desks to take a daily math test.

I noticed that some students had brought in breakfast from the school food program. This is another area where this school is committed to their students. They know that providing them with healthy food options is the best way to fuel their bodies so they have partnered with Revolution Foods who serves high quality, fresh and healthy food to schools.

For the remainder of the morning, we were in my nephew's classroom where he began to teach the first of his three sections. The students were to sit up straight with hands folded in front of them on their desks and eyes on the teacher. They had respect for their teacher, classroom, and classmates. I was surprised to see how my nephew commanded authority, but was also able to have fun with the students. A great balance. A great teacher. One that is making a difference.

I left the school feeling hopeful, inspired, and extremely proud of the work that my nephew is doing.