Norfolk's "model" school

Teaching Pre K-8, May 1996 by Raymond, Allen

Mike's goal is to be sure that when the kids leave him he's done the best he can, that they're ready for first grade, that he's made them happy, that they want to come to school. "If I can get them started off on the right foot, then perhaps the rest of their 12 years in school will go smoothly. I hope so. It's important for me to get them started, to like coming here."

Mike, like other teachers in the school, takes a protective, supportive interest in his students as they progress through this K-5 school. "Il follow their progress after they leave kindergarten," he said, "checking their folders from time to time, talking with them in the hallways about how they're doing, attending honor assemblies."

And it doesn't stop in school, this concern about the welfare of the kids. "If I could go out and make the world right, I would," Mike continued. "But I can't. There are things I wish I could straighten out in the lives of our children, but I can't do that either. Sometimes we're dying when we put a child on the bus, not knowing what will happen that night. So, we lie awake, worrying. Those kids are ours! They're part of our family. You wake up wondering if they're going to be okay tomorrow.

"Some people don't understand that." child who gave us a bright smile, but we want every child to walk out the door feeling some sense of success."

But the staff knew there was still a missing link - the parents, who were apparently in the same boat as the kids; they didn't feel good about themselves either. Stress was high, and many were faced with immense personal problems.

So the school set up a Parent Resource Center, a large, beautiful, comfortable home-like room (see photo on page 42) with couches, tables, a kitchen area, a sewing area and a place to read and talk.

The goal was to bring parents into the school, to get them involved, to help them succeed. In the Parent Center, they learn how to mend clothes, prepare nourishing foods, help their kids feel good about themselves. There are family learning nights, weekly family computing nights, and a continuous stream of letters sent home to parents.

There was a shining moment when it became apparent the school's efforts to reach out to parents was a success.

That moment came when a private developer (not the city) announced it was about to demolish homes in the neighborhood, replacing them with more expensive housing. This meant many families would be forced to move out of the area and their kids would be attending a different school. In protest, parents held a huge candlelight vigil and their message was clear: "Willard is our school; we want our kids here."

"I truly believe," Ms. Brinkley said, "the parents felt the school was `theirs.' For some of them this may have been the first time they had something special, something different, something important they could call their own."

The staff at Willard is probably as "possessive" about its school as are the parents. And they are certainly as proud, which we spotted the minute we entered the school.