OlDaily…..is bigger always better??
I was scrolling through the blog of Stephen’s Web: Old DAily and came across an article that hit close to home. The article was about a Washington DC that is in the works of being sold to condo developers. The school is one of historical significance and is sadly being recommended for condo development. Stephen writes, “The funny thing about this is that the local newspaper has recommended selling off a (historic) local school and turning it into condominiums. And I don’t believe in coincidences. “Either way, whether public space is turned over to private charter operating companies or to condo/hotel developers, the real losers are kids, parents and communities, who have lost a valuable resource as well as a voice on how public space is utilized.”
I couldn’t agree more with his statement that the real loser are the kids, parents and communities because they’ve lost a valuable resource. I can relate to this story because of a similar situation. I attended a grade school in a small, yet very close community. The school usually had around 300 students each year and that was grades K-8. The facility wasn’t state-of-the-art, but what it lacked in resources it made up in staff and relationships. Everyone in the community knew everyone and to this day I have yet to see any school match the parent involvement the small school had. It was a wonderful school and sadly after my 8th grade year it was closed in order to consolidate. While I know this is an unfornate reality in education, the community suffered a great lose. I try not to, but it’s difficult not to compare that school to the school I work at today. The school I teach at has around 800 students and is only K-5. The building is huge and there are teachers that I’ve rarely talk to simply because the school is so large. It’s the complete opposite of the small school that is now a parking lot. Stephen got it right that the real losers are the kids, parents and communities. The new schools may be better equipped, but have lost the personal connections between teachers, students and parents that the small, community schools once had.
