How We Saved The School.

Teaching in 2020 was no joke. From leaving for spring break in March and never returning, to virtual teaching, and returning with COVID-19 precautions - there was so much uncertainty and struggle. Teachers have been superheroes, and not in the overstated, hyperbolic way. They have truly carried the brunt of the pandemic and its effects on children on their backs.

I teach in an urban public school district in Missouri, the second largest in the state. We returned to school on October 19th. Being back in the classroom with my busy, silly 2nd graders was surreal. But really, the acts of kindness didn't stem from teaching during the pandemic at all. It stemmed from deeply rooted racism and disinvestment in public schools.

On December 1st my staff found out in a virtual meeting, only a few hours before the general public, that our beloved elementary school was slated for permanent closure. In fact, our district announced 11 schools for closure.

On a personal note, my partner and I are both educators here, and out of the 11 schools, we work at 3 of them. This news hit hard for us, especially after the extremely tumultuous year our students have had already.

How could it be true? Our elementary school is suffering from routine financial disinvestment, disinterest by city leaders (until they want to use it to make them look good, of course!), and low enrollment.

But as with all things, there is so much more good that does not translate into test scores, school grades, or Excel sheets. Every day at our school, our students are empowered to believe they can do and be anything. We say a pledge daily as a "school family" where the children repeat: "I am at school to learn the things I need to know. I will follow directions from my teacher so I can grow. I will do my very best today because I am a Dragon, and I can be who I want to be."

I started a basketball team last year for children in grades 3-6, and although our band of misfits were certainly the underdogs, we fought with might in every single game.

I knew that we could fight the school closure before the board of education voted on it, but I also knew it wouldn't be possible to fight it alone. It wouldn't take one big voice, it would take many, many small voices, many small acts of kindness and compassion.

I teach my students that good things happen when people work together. I can't think of any better situation or example to show them that than the community rallying around their school.

I created a petition, called city leaders, parents, local businesses. Within 4 days, our petition had gone viral in our city. We ammassed 900 signatures over the first week.

I posted in our community group, and soon enough, I had a list of volunteers. One day, we looked outside, and an elderly man was picking up trash in the front lawn. My students were amazed. How did all of this happen? Why would someone who didn't even know them, care so much about them that he would clean up trash from their school?

As a teacher in the city I teach in, in the district I have chosen, I always say I ended up here on purpose. My students are the best children in the world. They are the most compassionate, generous, loving children. They see problems and they want to fix them. They are selfless and caring. They deserve every good thing our community has to offer them. They deserve every act of kindness one can muster.

The students wrote letters to politicians, city leaders, the board of education. It was devastating on one end, knowing children in other districts, in other cities and towns, will never have to practice writing a letter by writing to the board of education to save their school.

On the other end, the activism I teach day in and day out, the community-oriented compassion that is ingrained in every lesson and discussion, was on full display. My students were fighting for something they cared about dearly.

Then the books started arriving.

I'd posted in the community group with the petition. But I also included that I had two children who needed a "Book Buddy" for the Book Buddies program I run. Every year, I partner someone from my family or a friend with a child. The child describes their favorite type of book, and are sent a book from their buddy.

Within 2 hours of posting, I had hundreds of potential buddies for my students. I showed up on Monday and these strangers had filled the front office with books for my kids. We recieved 186 books for Christmas.

Building on the momentum, we waited on the vote. Although the holidays were enjoyable, they were also stressful waiting for what felt like our fate in the balance of 7 people.

Finally, one cold Tuesday in early January, they finally held the vote. After a delay, new proposals to save schools, community partners stepping in with new solutions, they sat down to finish deliberating, and via Youtube live, we listened as they called a yea or nay.

Our school was removed from the list of closures, along with only one other. The remaining 9 are closing, with 1 turning into a middle school from a high school.

Our school was saved. It was a collective effort, many acts of kindness, and in this otherwise difficult year, a glimmer of hope. It reminded me, an exhausted educator, who spends hundreds and stays after school for free running a basketball team to compensate for all of the things my kids are lacking, that there are other people out there who want to show them kindness.

I hope that my students grow up to get out of the world exactly what they put into it. And I hope they always put in good things.