June 2021 - Grow Schools

We Nominate Ms. Love for a Dewey Award! Compass Charter Schools has a knack for hiring great teachers. While we love all of the staff, teachers, and special tutors at Compass, we have a special place in our hearts for Ms. Kimberly Love.

We have known Ms. Love for five years now. Coco became her scholar five years ago when she was a timid first grader. She has Dyslexia and Asperger’s. Ms. Love is the perfect blend of kindness and unlimited patience. She always has suggestions for parents and learning coaches based on her many years of experience as an educator and her personal experience raising four beautiful daughters. When it was time for our daughter Birdie to attend school, we thought about public school, but with Coco at Compass and already having such a great rapport with Ms. Love, it seemed like a perfect fit to keep both girls at Compass. And when Coronavirus hit, we were so grateful that we did.

While public teachers were feeling overwhelmed, as they describe it, “like they were just treading water,” we had the benefit of all of Ms. Love’s years of experience in virtual education. Compass has not missed one day of instruction during the pandemic. Ms. Love has seamlessly seen us through the transition of a new education platform, Accelerate Education, and even finds time while coaching her own family at home to make special videos for us that helped us adapt to this change.

It is not easy during this pandemic, but I would describe our progress more as “soaring” than as “treading water.” I wish that every child and parent confronting Coronavirus and lockdown could have as rich and rewarding an experience as we have had at Compass. Ms. Love is a big part of that experience. It is both challenging and rewarding to be a parent and learning coach, but worth every moment. Compass even offers a course in parenting and coaching! And I received a lovely certificate! I can easily see why Ms. Love chose to teach for Compass. We’ve had coffee with the principal and many special field trips.

Birdie can’t wait for her in-person labs with Ms. Love. She loves all of the unique ways that Ms. Love creates to encourage scholars, like “clapping like you’re on a roller coaster” or “clapping like you’re popping bubbles.” She even has birthday days where scholars all wear hats and sing Happy Birthday. Birdie’s favorite is old-fashioned show and tell that is tied to the subject matter! And she loves when Ms. Love gives them time to “scribble on the ‘marker board’ before class.

Ms. Love thinks of anything and everything to create a sense of community. Her feedback on homework is nothing short of adorable. Our journey from a “shy” diagnosis to a diagnosis of Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, and Aspergers would not have been half as easy or nearly as pain-free for our shy little scholar if it had not been for Ms. Love. She created a safe online environment for her to participate and become acclimated with caring adults. Exceptional content can still be delivered to bright children with special needs by the right professional educators, using a suitable medium. Compass employs every medium and to the best benefit!

We are impressed with the technology chosen and the content of the various courses. We are also incredibly indebted to Ms. Love for referring our scholar, Coco, to testing for dyslexia, where she has been paired with the most wonderful teacher, Ms. Jen. Between Ms. Love, Ms. Jen, and now a fifth-grade addition of Ms. Eagelton and Ms. Grimes, we feel we have a “Compass Dream-Team” for our fifth grader! And we have not lost Ms. Love since she is still with our first-grader, Birdie, who will get to have her until she is in fifth grade. We love the way that Compass allows scholars to remain with one teacher, eliminating a period of “getting to know each other” every year. It provides more continuity of the program. And still, scholars are able to become acclimated to different types of teachers through various labs, tutoring sessions, and clubs during the week.

My husband is a Senior Programmer with Adobe, and I am a retired Literacy Consultant with three teaching credentials, so we recognize when someone is doing an excellent job. We call Ms. Love a “Master Teacher” for all of her superior organizational skills. We only wish that she could impart her wisdom to all public school teachers having such a tough time adapting to online learning during this current pandemic.

Ms. Love has excellent attention to detail, cares deeply about her families, and maintains weekly contact through various mediums flawlessly. She is so valuable to us, and her dedication needs to be shared. Our scholars love her! J.J. Lewis, Compass Superintendent & CEO, calls us the “Ms. Love’s Fan Club” when her families attend his virtual meetings. We have the same kind of fondness for Mr. Lewis. We can’t help complimenting good educators when we have them. It makes all the difference in the world that they so positively impact the lives of our children! The Andersons

Mrs. Blancato was my daughter’s teacher last year. She not only helped me as a Mom to know that my daughters’ vision was struggling, she also handled the COVID transition with the utmost organizational skills, as well as constantly be available to her scholars for them to be successful.

Not to mention, she also has 4 children that were needing her help as their Mother. She is always so professional. She talks to her scholars with respect and love. She encourages reading daily and somehow always got the scholars to do that. As a 3rd grade standard of multiplication, she was able to keep the kids interested and engaged even from the zoom meetings.

All her scholars have respect and love for her and are sad to leave her class, but she keeps them excited to continue on to 4th grade and helps make them successful!

This article by Dr. Ramona Bishop is a repost from EdSource.

By now, many people are familiar with the troubling lack of diversity among classroom teachers in California. While nearly 3 out of 4 public school students are non-white, approximately two-thirds of our teachers are white. Most troubling is the serious lack of Black male teachers, who only make up 1% of California’s teacher workforce. We are beginning to see a consensus develop that says more Black educators are needed as one component of a strategy to help ensure more Black students get the education they deserve.

A bill making its way through the Legislature, AB 520, sponsored by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and introduced by Assemblyman Mike Gipson, would provide $15 million in competitive grants to schools that “address a local need for a pool of teachers that can serve the entire student body” with the intent of increasing the number of Black educators in the classroom.

The charter school I helped found serves a student body that is 95% children of color. Black men and women make up a majority of our board of directors. Recruiting qualified Black educators is a high priority for us, and we have been relatively successful. Eighty-five percent of our teachers are people of color, 30% are Black, including 15% who are Black men. I applaud Superintendent Thurmond and Assemblyman Gipson for their attention to this issue, and the bill is a good first step.

What our experience has revealed, however, is that we must do much more to truly address the very real, systemic issues that keep Black men from entering the teaching profession to be successful on the scale that will really make a difference to students of color.

The first issue is obvious, but some would rather not talk about it. While there has been marginal progress in recent years, continued under-education, over-incarceration and other issues in the Black community mean fewer Black men are qualified to teach. California has stubborn and persistent gaps in educational opportunities for Black males compared with nearly every other demographic group.

Subject-matter proficiency rates and A-G completion for Black boys lags badly behind those of white peers. Black students attend and persist through college at lower rates and have fewer professional opportunities. As a result, though they are bright and more than capable, Black men are underrepresented in nearly every profession that requires more than a high school diploma.

Increasing the number of Black men in the teaching profession is no different than increasing the number of Black accountants, doctors, engineers or lawyers. Drastic improvements in Black male education are necessary to improve professional opportunities for Black men everywhere, including as teachers.

Next, to ensure that qualified Black men who wish to teach actually make it to the profession, the role of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) needs to be considered from an entirely new perspective. The current compliance-based system for licensing teachers is bureaucratic and over-reliant on exams at the expense of fairly determining teacher competency.

Over and over again, I have encountered powerful educators serving as instructional assistants and substitutes who cannot pass one of the many assessments required for teachers to obtain their credentials. Required exams such as CBEST, RICA, CSET must each be reviewed for bias. Potentially impactful teachers have abandoned their pursuit of the profession because they are not able to pass one or more sections of these assessments or are stymied by rigid conditions.

One Black applicant I tried to hire wanted to embark on a second career as a fifth grade teacher. He had a doctorate degree and had completed his bachelor’s degree in three years, passed the CBEST and two sections of the CSET. However, because his college transcripts did not list the subjects in which he earned AP credit in high school in the late 1970s, he could not apply for a temporary credential. I lost the candidate to another profession while trying to figure out how to prove this was a great candidate for the position.

If we argue that students should have multiple ways to demonstrate their competency in core areas, why would the same not be true for our teachers?

Finally, school districts and charter schools may not contact the Commission on Teacher Credentialing directly to resolve issues regarding educator credentials. CTC policies unnecessarily require the use of county offices of education as middlemen. When working on these issues, we are at the mercy of county office credential technicians to interpret requirements or to advocate on our behalf.

While I appreciate the hard work and support of our county office credential technicians, local education agencies need direct communication with the credentialing commission to ensure that we are granted all the temporary, provisional and intern credentialing permits needed in a timely manner to ensure that our students have qualified, competent and passionate adults in place providing instruction in all classrooms.

Whether intentional or not, California’s legacy educational systems fail to adequately meet the needs of Black students and teaching candidates, particularly Black men. Getting more Black men into the teaching profession requires substantial solutions and audacious reforms, not small — if well-meaning — gestures like AB 520 that ignore fundamental systemic inadequacies holding back our Black men.

Ramona Bishop is a co-founder, president and CEO of ELITE Public Schools in Vallejo. She has been an education professional for over 25 years and is a past president of the California Association of African-American Superintendents & Administrators and previously served as a member of the EdSource board.

Interested in starting a charter school in New York? Read on for some of the history of charter schools in New York, the unique challenges you might face, and the step-by-step plan to begin your charter school journey.

History of Charter Schools in New York

New York became the 34th state to welcome charter schools in 1998, after the passing of the New York Charter Schools Act. In 1999, two charter schools in New York City and one in Albany opened their doors to students. When the law was first enacted, there was a limit of 100 charter new schools and no limit on the number of public schools that could convert to charter schools. Since then, the cap at 100 charter schools has increased to 460. In the 2020-2021 school year, New York charter schools served over 150,000 students. In a state where approximately two in ten children live in poverty, public charter schools are believed to be students’ best shot at making a better future for themselves. Still, charter school success doesn’t come without a fair share of challenges.

Challenges for Charter Schools in New York State

If you’re interested in starting a charter school in New York, you’ll want to be prepared to address these common challenges:

Finding school facilities. Securing school buildings is a costly task for charter schools, and in New York City especially, the number of adequate, affordable buildings is slim. Moreover, securing the proper facilities takes time and money—two resources charter schools often lack.
Lengthy application processes. The application process is rigorous and requires ample planning and details that deter some charter school startups from even starting. Applicants are expected to have educational, organizational, and financial plans in order when applying to authorizers. Charter school startups should also have evidence to prove that the founding group can operate the school effectively.
Lack of resources. Although charter schools are publicly funded, they often receive less funding compared to traditional public schools. Running a charter just like any other school requires funding to provide students with an adequate education. Charter schools in New York are left with no choice but to find federal or foundational grants.

Authorizers of Charter Schools in New York

Authorizers are in charge of approving charter school applications, providing oversight of approved schools, evaluating school’s charter renewal applications, and updating the public with each school’s progress, according to SUNY Charter School Institute. Before you begin the process to start a charter school in New York, you’ll want to know which authorizer you’d like to apply through. New York has three authorizers:

The State Education Department (NYSED)
The State University of New York (SUNY)
The NYC Department of Education

Each authorizer has its specific application process and timeline, so it’s essential to decide which one you want to work with early.

Steps for Starting a Charter School in New York

Are you ready to start your own charter school in New York? If the answer is yes, here’s how you can get started:

Decide which authorizer you and your team would like to work with on your school. Remember, there are three different authorizers in New York. Do your research to find the right fit.
Submit a Letter of Intent to the authorizer of your choice. Authorizers will put forth a Request for Proposals (RFP), and you must respond with your letter of intent. Then, if approved, they’ll invite you back to submit a thorough proposal.
Complete the Capacity interview. Capacity interviews allow authorizers to “ask clarifying questions” to the founding group about their application. If you nail that, you’re one step away from getting approval.
Receive approval from a Board of Regents. Once your charter has been issued, you’re free to start implementing your next steps, such as hiring and opening enrollment.

Examples of Successful Charter Schools in New York

Charter schools in New York aim to reach and educate students in innovative ways that ensure academic success, and many of the state’s charter schools are performing off the charts. Learn more about some of the successful charter schools in New York:

Success Academy Charter Schools (New York, NY) have certainly lived up to its name. The charter school network operates 45 schools in New York City, and 20 of their schools ranked on a list of 30 highest-performing elementary schools in the state for the 2018-2019 school year.
The Charter School of Educational Excellence (Yonkers, NY) has seen continued success. Test scores reveal that CSEE students outperform traditional public school students on ELA and math exams. The charter school is doing so well that it’s in the process of expanding its campus and adding a high school.
The Equality High School (Bronx, NY) highly focuses on academic achievement for its students who predominantly enter the school with low math and reading proficiency. Even with those headwinds, ECS brings its students up to proficiency by their senior year, and the school has an overall graduation rate of 85 percent.

Ensuring Long-Term Success for Your Charter School in New York

Operating a successful charter school calls for preparedness. Here are the best practices observed at high-performing charter schools in the country:

Create a mission statement that embodies academic success. The best charter schools have a clear mission statement that emphasizes academic success and personal development for students. Your mission statement should be easy to follow and understand.
Integrate the mission across school programming. Thriving charter schools don’t only have excellent mission statements, but they embody them. To be an effective charter school, the mission must be implemented in the school’s curriculum, its hiring practices, and more.
Encourage a supportive environment at the school. Meet each student where they are and create systems to help get students back on track. Successful charter schools cultivate a community around caring for their students.
Engage parents and caregivers in the students’ education. Partnering with parents to develop education strategies and be involved in their child’s overall school experience has proved to be a best practice for many successful charter schools. Students with involved parents are more likely to have higher grades and test scores, regardless of a student’s income or background.
Invest in enrollment marketing. Launch social media campaigns, email newsletters, and digital ads to reach your future students. Successful charter schools need successful students, so prioritize your enrollment marketing.

Finding a Building for your New York Charter School

You’ve got your mission statement and everything else to start your charter school, but what about your building? Finding facilities for New York charter schools is a complex, costly task, and funding charter schools in New York can be a challenge. However, New York has passed state law to provide some relief for unhoused charter schools.

In New York City, charter schools often share buildings with other non-charter public schools or are given free public buildings to use. But charter schools have to request rental assistance from the Department of Education when facilities aren’t available. Relying on rental aid isn’t the first option for most charter schools, so securing proper funding is essential for charter school startups. Providing facilities financing is one of our areas of expertise.

Do You See Yourself as a New York Charter School Leader?

Starting and operating a charter school in New York can be challenging and can also be extremely rewarding. However, once you make it past the initial startup hurdle, you can create a brighter and more innovative future for thousands of students.

Get the chance to make a difference in students’ lives by starting your charter school in New York.

Free Download: The Charter School Growth Guide: Grow Your School at Every Stage

Whether you’re just beginning the process of starting up a charter school, looking to expand, or trying to prioritize your next steps, this guide is for you.

You’ll find advice from experienced charter school leaders who deeply understand the unique terrain of charter school growth—they have been where you are now. You’ll get tips for you and your team on developing a strong charter, building culture and community support, and boosting your financing and practices to support your growth.

Black leaders have long understood the path to equity is through education. That’s why Black people risked punishment, in times when learning to read was made illegal to them, to smuggle books and teach their children.

That’s why educators such as Fanny Jackson Coppin and Mary McLeod Bethune fought so hard to increase education opportunities for African-American people.

And that’s the very same reason why Black charter school leaders devote our lives to creating and growing charter schools that elevate educational standards in predominantly Black communities.

That’s why young educators like Patrick Edmond are stepping up to the plate as school leaders. That’s why my team of charter school leaders at ELITE Public Schools is bringing STEM and robotics programs to Black students.

That’s why inspiring educators such as Robert Marshall of Vanguard Collegiate of Indianapolis place such an emphasis on Social Emotional Learning and the well-being of their students.

That’s why charter school leaders like Craig Cason are demanding excellence from Black students and growing an expectation that college admission is not only achievable but the expected norm.

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Black Charter school leaders are aware these schools provide Black families with educational opportunities. Many studies also show these schools are getting dramatically better outcomes for Black students.

Charter schools are also more likely to employ Black teachers. This is important because research shows that Black students who have one or more Black teachers are more likely to go to college.

A Unique Problem-Solving Perspective

Charter school leaders focused on Black excellence bring a unique problem-solving perspective to their mission. In the economically depressed county is Quincy, Florida, Crossroad Academy Charter School is teaming up with a historically Black University to bring opportunity to rural Black students.

In Madison, WI, One City Charter Schools is partnering with a network of local realtors to bring Black families up to $15,000 for a down payment on a home. The program, called “OWN IT, Building Black Wealth.”

That’s why some charter schools are focusing on employment opportunities post-COVID.

That’s why Black education leader Sharif El-Mekki has raised $3 million with which he aims to bring 21,000 Black students into the teacher pipeline.

As Sharif El-Mekki states in an opinion piece, Black leaders have long looked at charter schools as a mechanism of emancipation, a tool for self-determination. School choice has meant something at a much deeper level to folks who were at one time actively prevented from learning.

A national study of 41 urban areas estimated that charter schools provide black students in poverty with an additional 59 days of learning in math and 44 days of learning in reading per year.
In a review of 15 randomized control trial studies on academic effects of urban charter schools, 12 showed significant benefits for reading and math, three showed no effects, and none showed negative effects.
Studies in three states have demonstrated that attending charter high schools boosts college entry and persistence.
Studies in two districts have shown that attending charter schools decreases criminal activity. (Source: Madison Institute)

Honoring Leaders of the Past, Building Leaders of Tomorrow

Robert Marshall, Founder & Executive Director of Vanguard Collegiate of Indianapolis, was recently recognized as one of the select few InnoPower Innovators on the Rise, for his role in furthering Black innovation and advancement.

This fall, DuBois Integrity Academy will be taking a field trip this Fall to Selma, Alabama as part of a historic reflection on the benefits of knowing the struggles of the past. DuBois Integrity Academy will take 700 of their scholars on a walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, which has become such an important part of our American history.

The Black Teacher Pipeline will launch this year. It will identify and cultivate high school and college students for careers in education, offering them apprenticeships starting in high school, mentorship into college, and overall support through their first four years in the profession.

The Black Educators of Excellence Fellowship will partner with the United Negro College Fund to recruit and financially support students.

The goal is to bring 21,000 Black students into the teaching pipeline and mint 9,100 Black teachers over the next 12 years in 10 communities around the country.

Resources:

Since 2017, Charter School Capital has held an annual essay contest celebrating exceptional teachers. We call it the Dewey Awards, in celebration of Mr. Richard Dewey – a teacher who provided exceptional mentorship to our founder and CEO Stuart Ellis. Every year we get a brilliant selection of stories written by students from charter schools all over the nation. This year’s winners are featured here. But each of these stories is worth sharing.

This week we bring you a story written by Ana Daley, about Mrs. Cook, of Carolina Charter Academy in Angier, North Carolina.

As an adult, I often think back on my time as a student and the teachers that have helped shape me into the adult that I am today. This has been especially true since I took a position as a school nurse at my children’s charter school (Carolina Charter Academy) this year. I now have the privilege of working side by side with some of the most amazing teachers and people that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I see how they pour themselves into these children, day after day. I see, firsthand, the time and energy they spend caring for these kiddos, acting as not only educators but helping provide a comfort zone for these children as well.

Way long ago, when I was in high school, in 1991, I had a drama teacher named Mrs. Cook. The thing I remember the most about her, was how accepting she was of all her students. We were a bunch of outcasts in the drama club. There were children that were just discovering their sexual orientation, kids that marched to their own unique beat, and just basic teen hormone problems. At the time, my parents had split up and were getting divorced. It was an extremely difficult time in my young life, but I knew at school, in drama, that I felt a peace and belonging.

I always felt welcome and accepted in Mrs. Cook’s class. When I felt the least confident and unsure of myself, she could see my potential. She encouraged me to go out for the lead in a play. She then cast me as the lead of this one-act play (Pink Lemonade for Tomorrow), my first ever performance. She directed me, encouraged me, helped me find my self-confidence and my voice at a time in my life when I was lacking all the confidence in myself to do anything worthy of praise. That confidence that she helped me build took that performance and our drama club to state that year. We lost, but we were one of the best in the state of Florida, all thanks to the guidance and direction of our wonderful Mrs. Cook.

For sure, Mrs. Cook is now retired, but I will forever be grateful for the strength she saw in me, when I was having a hard time seeing it myself. This brings me back to the school I am nursing at now. I see the strength and courage of these teachers, reaching out to make a connection with their students, even virtually, as a pandemic rages on all around us. I see them, much like Mrs. Cook, going that extra mile to not only educate, but make their students feel safe, validated, and seen.

Ana Daley, then and now.

This virtual event offers tons of value to anyone involved in the charter school movement. There will be tracks appealing to any role in education, from remote learning to equity and inclusion, from leveraging ESSER funds to facility financing, from teacher recruitment to board succession.

The conference kicks off Monday, June 21st, with a session on culturally responsive teaching, a session on building and sustaining community, and an intriguing panel challenging the one-teacher-one-classroom model of schooling.

There’s also a panel aimed at closing the education gap affecting middle-schoolers due to COVID-19 and a great breakout session on seizing the opportunities digital teaching has shown us during the pandemic.

We’ll be engaging in a spirited conversation about charter school facility financing at 8:00 am-8:45 am on Monday.

Also, on Monday morning, there’ll be a breakout session on the ways schools can foster a sense of belonging in students and ways to prioritize students with disabilities. Other breakouts will focus on student engagement and on the future of online learning.

All of this before 9:00 am!

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Charter School Capital sessions:

Tuesday, June 21 at 1:00 am ET
The Secret Sauce: Charter School Enrollment Marketing

Tuesday, June 22 at 10:00 am ET
Help is Here: Putting COVID-Relief Funds to Work

Tuesday, June 22 at 3:30 pm ET
Facilities Financing + No-Cost Bond Alternative

Wednesday, June 23 at 12:00 pm ET
The Secret Sauce: Charter School Facilities Financing

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At 9:00 am, Dr. Priscilla Chan will deliver the opening keynote, focusing on student and teacher needs post-COVID-19.

Throughout Monday, several exciting panels and breakouts will follow, from the role of Black institutions in the charter school movement to solutions for reaching homeless students. In addition, there will be a breakout session on teaching computer science and an intriguing panel called ‘Moral Courage: The No-Shaming Approach to Antiracism and Inclusion.’

On Monday afternoon, a breakout on charter schools as true community anchors has our attention. We at Charter School Capital have long believed in the role of charter schools as hubs of stability and support for families.

Also on Monday afternoon, there will be a showing of the film ‘Girl Rising‘ – featuring powerful stories about courageous girls around the world.

On Tuesday, there will be a panel on learning loss prevention, a breakout on opening a new charter, tackling COVID-related depression in kids, a panel on LGBTQ+ students and allies, a breakout on charter school marketing, and a great panel called “Not Going Back to Normal.”

Additionally, Kairos Academies will lead a panel on personalized learning, two panels on Social-Emotional Learning, a panel on raising money for your school, and a breakout on enrollment marketing.

Dr. Miguel Cardona is scheduled to speak on Tuesday at 11:00 am. His speech is titled ‘Celebrating Educator Excellence.’

On Tuesday afternoon there will be a session on parent engagement, a breakout for startup charter schools, a breakout on online tutoring, a celebration on 30 years of charter schools.

These are just some of the exciting sessions we’re looking forward to attending. The 2021 National Conference promises to be an information-packed event with something for everyone. We hope to see you there!

Visit Our Booth at NCSC21

Since 2017, Charter School Capital has held an annual essay contest celebrating exceptional teachers. We call it the Dewey Awards, in celebration of Mr. Richard Dewey – a teacher who provided exceptional mentorship to our founder and CEO Stuart Ellis. Every year we get a brilliant selection of stories written by students from charter schools all over the nation. This year’s winners are featured here. But each of these stories is worth sharing.

This week we bring you two stories, both honoring the same teacher: Mr. Adam Fleischer of Kihei Charter School. One was written by McKade Fasel and one by Felix Daniel Velasquez.

Sent by McKade Fasel

Mr. Adam is a High school humanities (ELA and Democracy) teacher. Mr. Adam has inspired me so much in life. He has inspired me to do my best in life. He has an extremely charismatic personality that just can’t be replicated by other teachers. All of my peers and I love him. He knows how to be serious and fun at the same time. If there is anybody you want to see happy it is him. He is so cool.

He was the first teacher in our entire school to use Discord. One of the reasons why he is so cool is because he gives us opportunities to do extra credit. Because of this, I have a 107 in his class which is an A+. This just proves that he wants to see us succeed. He changed who I am. Before being in his class, I used to have C+ and B-’s for grades. Now, I have 100s in ELA. This is because he makes the work super easy to pass. I am really thankful for how much effort he has put into us.

A few years ago, he used to work as an EA (educational assistant). An EA is someone who goes around making sure the teachers have a little bit of help when teaching the kids. EA’s have to love working with kids and Mr. Adam did that so well. EA’s usually do simple jobs like Recces monitor (interacting and engaging with the kids while they play). Mr. Adam Impressed those above him so well, they put him in the ranks of a teacher. Speaking of ranking, our school has a rather unofficial ranking system. It goes like this: EA, Teacher, Principal, and then at the very top is the Head of the school. The reason why we have a head of school above the Principal is because our school is a K-12 school. There are three divisions: Elementary (K-5), Middle (6-8), and High (9-12). Even though it sounds big, Our school has about 1,500 students. That is to give you perspective on just how many teachers there are.

Sent by Felix Daniel Velasquez

In the beginning, this school proved to be a challenge, but I could not have gotten the opportunities to find my future without my teachers. In this unsuspecting, gnarling situation, these people helped me learn the aspects of how to process information and how to move on with life. I believe a multitude of teachers and educators have helped me during these times as my life could not have changed without their help. My teachers have opened the door of knowledge for subjects like current events, technological knowledge, coronavirus, and most importantly 21st-century skills.

At the beginning of the school year, my educators opened the gate for opportunities that are occurring in our generation. These opportunities are known as current events. I used current events in Humanities (Language Arts and History), and Biology. One instance of my knowledge of current events is the California Apple Fire that was raging in August. The fire has since been put out long ago, but at the time was a cause for concern. It was caused at a local gas station by a car engine and since then burned around 25,000 acres. This assignment was for Mr. Adam Fleischer. Another instance of current events being acknowledged was when I wrote the final essay for the book The Hate You Give. To sum it up, this book’s theme is based on police brutality and racism. Similar real-life instances like the George Floyd and Breanna Taylor incidents correlate with the theme in The Hate You Give, all involving police brutality and their actions not being held accountable towards them.

Our essay was to state our opinions on the book and how the main idea of the book relates to real-life instances. The final instance of this topic being displayed is the current event assignments/presentation for biology class. The current events were based on scientific studies or theories that were published in the year 2020. For example, one of my most recent current events was based on CRISPR, a gene-editing tool that is still in the works. It states how an engineer could make a faster, more efficient way of COVID testing. The engineer, Doudna, tested COVID-19 with SARS-CoV-2. The results were nearly identical at around 93% and reported a minuscule value of false positives. This assignment was for Mrs. Wilson. Therefore, these educators have changed my life by opening the door to current events that prepare me for what’s cooking in the outside world. Another topic that caught my attention was technical knowledge.

During this unprecedented time, many schools decided to go virtual rather than in-person education. Because of this, students across the nation would have to learn how to use computers and other devices associated with zoom conferencing and google classroom. Mr. Hazlet was essentially an aid support because he introduced multiple technological tools such as chrome extensions and PIXLR. He has also taught students that are new to zoom on how the video conferencing software operated. Since most of the work in the Kihei Charter is now on Google Classroom, the most important aspect my educators have taught my classmates and I was the mechanics of Google Classroom. I turn in a plethora of assignments using google classroom and especially my digital portfolio which was created on a site known as Weebly, where I also made an educational website based on the Scoville scale. Numerous other programs like Google Docs, Slides, Sheets and Jamboards were also important tools that came in handy when it comes to virtual assignments.

All things considered, educators from Kihei Charter School have changed my life because they have provided me with the assets necessary to learn during this dangerous time.

Today, one of the well-known events unfolding during this time is the coronavirus pandemic. When it all began, schools closed, businesses shut down and filed for bankruptcy and the unemployment rate reached an all-time high. The whole world entered a state of fear and paranoia. In biology class, we are talking about genetics which is now further simplified to the molecular structures essential to all life as we know it. During this outbreak, it is highly encouraged that you are educated about the coronavirus. Coronavirus mainly spreads through the air via airborne droplets as it binds to a receptor in your cells with a substance called DPP4 to release its RNA into your body’s cells. This then causes the cell to create more copies of the virus. Therefore, it is very important to stay safe at this time which also means to protect yourself from the virus by avoiding contact with those who are infected and to avoid large gatherings. Part of staying safe also includes staying healthy as my health teacher Coach Jerry assigned material via Acellus on how to stay healthy and fit and avoid drug abuse.

Mrs. Wilson has also assigned a multitude of assignments so we can understand this topic better such as the upcoming coronavirus project and current event assignments particularly focused on coronavirus. Taking everything into consideration, teachers I could trust from my school have changed my life by providing me with some information on the coronavirus and most importantly, how to stay safe. The most important aspect is 21st-century skills as there is a whole wide world full of possibilities and you can only expect the unexpected. To get us ready for what we will face in our long-term careers and goals are the 21st-century skills, the algorithm of Kihei Charter School.

These skills are essential to school and long term careers because it is most commonly referred to in careers like in the medical field. For instance, one skill requires a student to keep track of their learning needs and to have goals. This is important because the student would know to be prepared for the outside world. Another way I used the 21st-century skills will be in a plethora of projects such as the model congress bill project and the coronavirus project for biology.

These assignments also conform to Interpersonal skills as these projects require peer evaluation in order to move forward. For example, I have reviewed other student’s work samples with details such as being less vague on their topics. This comes to show you how important it is to have the ability to acknowledge and use 21st-century skills to your advantage. Taking everything into consideration, educators from my school have made it possible for me to adapt to this school because they provided the tools and practice for what’s kicking on my bucket list. I believe that teachers were important during this unprecedented time because they catered to my needs for the future. With the help of numerous educators at Kihei Charter School, my new knowledge had an impact on my daily life as a whole. For instance, because of the new technology being applied to the overall schoolwork, I have adapted and learned how to use technology to my advantage in this gnarling situation. This conforms to one of the 21st-century skills, Information Skills. Speaking of which, the educators have also provided the materials necessary for future development. An example of this would be the digital portfolio I used for a student-led conference. Based on the information provided by my educators, I have made a final decision on who helped me out the most to help me succeed and prepare for the future.

Taking everything into consideration, I believe Mr. Hazlet was the most helpful of all my educators because he provided the materials needed to not only do assignments virtually but to also help plan for my future by providing me with the basics to create a portfolio.

Since 2017, Charter School Capital has held an annual essay contest celebrating exceptional teachers. We call it the Dewey Awards, in celebration of Mr. Richard Dewey – a teacher who provided exceptional mentorship to our founder and CEO Stuart Ellis. Every year, we get a brilliant selection of stories written by students from charter schools all over the nation. This year’s winners are featured here. But each of these stories is worth sharing.

This week, we bring you a story written by Tara Zamani about Mrs. Krystal Dunn of Lahaina Intermediate School.

I never liked math and deep down believed I could never be good at this subject. I was always reluctant to take math classes. When I transferred to a new school in eighth grade, I was placed into the honors algebra class. I was very behind academically in algebra because I hadn’t taken pre-algebra the previous year. I was nervous but my biggest problem was that I had low self-esteem about my math skills. I requested the textbook my peers had completed the previous year from my teacher, Mrs. Dunn. I disciplined myself and with the help of my mom, I was able to complete the whole textbook within two weeks.

Mrs. Dunn was impressed with my work and started helping me grow. I quickly became fond of Mrs. Dunn’s kind soul and started spending most of my free time in her classroom. Mrs. Dunn would push me to try harder to succeed. I could feel that she believed in me.

Toward the end of the second quarter of school, Mrs. Dunn started a math club. For the first time, I was excited about doing math and taking it as an extracurricular activity. She had turned a class I dreaded, into a place I wanted to spend all my time in. Math club was difficult but as the president, I pushed myself to work hard. Through her math programs, I was able to surpass many of my classmates who I was struggling to keep up with at the beginning of the semester. I was even acknowledged as algebra student of the year at eighth-grade graduation.

Mrs. Dunn’s class showed me that I have the ability to work hard and dedicate myself to my academics. I am very fortunate to have had such a lovely teacher who believed in my abilities. I hope I can meet more people like her on my journey of life.

Tara Zamani

Since 2017, Charter School Capital has held an annual essay contest celebrating exceptional teachers. We call it the Dewey Awards, in celebration of Mr. Richard Dewey – a teacher who provided exceptional mentorship to our founder and CEO Stuart Ellis. Every year, we get a brilliant selection of stories written by students from charter schools all over the nation. This year’s winners are featured here. But each of these stories is worth sharing.

This week, we bring you a story written by Bevin Theodore, from The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts. The piece is about his teacher Mr. Marc Del Rossi, at Voorhees Middle School.

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It has been said that people fear public speaking more than death. Combine that fear with an introverted nature and a hearty dose of middle school awkwardness, and you get a clear picture of my eighth-grade self. I rarely even raised my hand in class, so I would have done anything to avoid standing in front of a room and expounding on a topic.

For years, I successfully stayed out of the spotlight, content to let my more gregarious peers command the podium. And then I walked into Marc Del Rossi’s language arts classroom. As he eagerly talked about the public speaking opportunities we would have in his course, I sank in my chair, hoping perhaps he would overlook me when doling out speech assignments.

I would love to say I became comfortable with public speaking that year. In actuality, it never got easier for me. Sweaty palms, rapid heartbeat, and shaking voice were the hallmarks of my speaking attempts. I was terrified, and I hated every minute of it. But as I moved through high school and college and ventured into the working world, I realized Mr. Del Rossi had planted a seed. I did not enjoy public speaking, but I could hear his words in the back of my mind any time I found myself in front of a room. I was acutely aware of my posture, the power of eye contact, and the importance of pausing to gather my thoughts to avoid peppering my speech with filler words.

As I recalled those lessons I was not prepared to learn at the age of 13, I gained confidence and found my voice. I started saying yes to opportunities to speak at work and in the community. The fear of public speaking never fully abates, but I have found ways to turn it into positive energy. More than 25 years after I left Mr. Del Rossi’s classroom, I am an active member of a local Toastmasters chapter, a true testament to the inspiration he shared in his classroom.