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Artelia Hill, parent of six students at Bethune:
When I heard Bethune was being turned around, I was mad. I was used to the staff that was already there, so I decided to transfer my kids out. But when they announced the turnaround, I saw by the teachers' reaction that some of them were there for the kids, but some were just there for a check. One of my children’s teachers told me to leave the kids in the school, that the turnaround was going to make the school 100 percent better and give the kids a better chance of the school meeting them on their level. So I went to the meetings and events. During the summer, the school doors were always open, even during construction. I’d go in and the staff would find a place where we could sit and I could ask questions. I went to the back-to-school barbeque. I met the principal and all of my kids’ new teachers and I saw they were there for the kids. I said, well, this just might work.
Before the turnaround, the kids were running the halls. School doesn’t end until 2:45 p.m., but you would go by the school at 1 p.m. and see kids standing outside, and kids would just walk out of classrooms if they felt like it. Now, the discipline is totally different. The kids are quiet when they’re in the halls. The ones who are there to learn aren’t distracted by the ones who are there to play. And the ones who are there to play are influenced by those there to learn. The kids who are unruly are taken out of the classroom to the refocus room. My children are excited to go to school. Last year, they didn’t want to go. They said, "These kids are bad, they’re fighting." Last year, there was no respect for authority in the school. Now, the staff demands a level of respect and the kids flock to it – they need it. And they have a lot of after-school programs, which keeps kids in school from 8:45 to 5, keeping them busy. My boys are into karate and my son tried out for basketball. He didn’t make it, but the coach said he gave it a good try. They have ballet with Joffrey instructors that my daughters are into. At the end of the year, 10 students are chosen to get a scholarship and attend Joffrey. If they don’t do well in school, they can’t go – it keeps children on their feet. |
