As the new school year looms on the horizon, and new backpacks and shoes are being purchased, I am grateful for the fact that our school system in Waltham is so good, and that my son is so excited to be going back next week. Yesterday he received a post card, REAL MAIL, from his soon to be first grade teacher. He was THRILLED and we sat down to read it together as he was getting ready for bed.
Recently Liz Humphries-McCarthy wrote in her Waltham Patch blog about the benefits of our Waltham schools. I could not agree more with the points she made. Make sure you read it.
Like Liz, when we had our son and began talking to other parents whose children were around the same age, some of them indicated they would move to other towns before their children started kindergarten, because they didn't think the Waltham school system would be up to their standards. We would have periodic mom get togethers, and inevitably the conversation would turn to how the schools were doing educating some of the mom's older children, and people would begin talking about average SAT scores and MCAS standings. And again, there would be this general consensus that moving to a "better" school system would be the thing to do.
There were a few of us who would not express that view though. I found myself expressing what I perceived were and are the strengths of the Waltham school system. Here are two I think are important:
Diversity. I love that my son hears different languages being spoken by his peers with their families. I love that he knows there are different holidays celebrated at their homes, and they eat different foods than we do. I want him to experience as much of this diversity as possible, to understand that the whole world doesn't look exactly like him, and doesn't always see the world through the same lens as we do. And that none of that is bad or wrong, just different and unique.
Teachers. Admittedly we only have one year under our belt at Stanley, but we have been so impressed with the quality of the teaching staff, the commitment of the admininstrative staff and the fact that Cooper is so excited to go back to school next week is a testiment to their dedication. It was weird transitioning from the very immediate and constant contact we had experience with day care/pre-school to the almost complete lack of one on one interaction with the teaching staff in kindergarten. I eventually reached out to his teacher after the first week to check in and tell her she should always feel free to give me feedback on how Coop was doing, if there were issues or whatever, and that email was the best means of contacting me unless there was an emergency. That was well received and we spent the year sharing updates and information periodically. She knew we were open and receptive to ALL feedback, and when my class clown of a child pulled a few "hilarious to the kindergarten set" stunts, or acted out, she let me know so we could reinforce what proper and acceptable behavior was in the classroom. She also shared the positive progress he was making, letting me know what she was working on with him and we used that information to provide more positive reinforcement at home.
And this is what gets at the heart of why just leaving to go to a "better" school system is so problematic to me. Schools work best when we as the parents stay involved. When we are invested in how our children are doing, when we work with the teachers to make the system work. And I am not saying that the people who leave for different towns won't be just as invested and involved. But if you think a system is not working, maybe helping to make it better is a good idea. As I work with students at the college level who have come out of the Waltham system, as I see my friends whose children have been educated in the Waltham system graduating from high school and going on to do wonderful things, I see success stories. I see how being in a system that values not just the college track student, but the student who may want to study the culinary arts or cosmetology works to prepare ALL of its students for the future.
Is Waltham's school system perfect? No. I would suggest no school system is perfect. Waltham has a few challenges facing it in the near future for sure, including an increased demand on its facilities and the teachers, as well as the reaccreditation of the high school. It has been well documented we are concerned about turnover and persistence in the teaching and administrative staff. But when looked at as a whole, when you look at the work being done on a daily basis in our schools, I think we have a system to be proud of; a system worth sticking around for.
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