In defense of Fort Hunt

Do your kids go to the right school? Does it score 8 to 10 points on greatschools.com? How are the test scores? How many free-and-reduced lunches does it serve? What's the student-teacher ratio?

My kids don't go to the right school. 

In fact, according to an article that ran in the Washington Post over the weekend, it's the exact wrong school. 

It's the wrong school because more than one-third of the teachers left at the end of last school year. 

It's wrong because the government has deemed it a "priority school," which qualifies it for extra funding for its population of students in need. 

It's wrong because a lot of underprivileged students go there. 

It's wrong because some parents don't like the principal.

I see these problems, too, and they are troubling. But I see other things happening in this school that weren't included in the article, and unless you step foot in the building, you might miss them.

I see an overwhelmingly involved parent-teacher association that raises huge sums to support the school and it's neediest families in particular. It supplies teachers with a team of volunteers to handle copying work throughout the year. It sponsors parties and field days. It pays for bus service for families who don't have transportation to PTA activities.

I also see teachers who care about the success of their students and give them ample opportunities to get and retain a solid elementary education. It's up to my kids (and their parents) to take those opportunities and make the most of them.

I see a Spanish immersion program that has imparted an impressive amount of language and culture to my kids in just these first initial years of schooling.

I see an administration that takes care of discipline problems promptly and thoroughly.

I see specialized music and art instruction that I could never offer my kids on my own.

In short, I guess I don't believe this is the wrong school. At least, not right now.

This year seems like a probation period for our school in the eyes of the larger community -- like we're all just waiting to see if the new staff and other changes will work to bring up its reputation and hopefully those test scores.

The timing of the Post article was rotten. It ran on the eve of the first day of school, sending an unsettled vibe through our community, during a time when we should be getting excited for the prospect of a new year of learning and fun for our children.

Instead, this is the scene my kids and I first encountered upon our early arrival at school this morning:

My first-grader's teacher had stepped away from the classroom for a minute, so we sat at a table and some chairs, waiting to meet her. I noticed an older gentleman waiting there, too, with a little girl who had the look of this being her first day at school, which is to say she looked apprehensive.

"Hi! Do you have Mrs. S. this year?" I asked, trying to seem welcoming. The PTA had asked for volunteers to linger around the school on the first day to smile and greet newcomers to the school. Here was a chance to reach out.

The little girl nodded without smiling, her pigtails swinging forward.

"Oh, so does Calvin!" I said, gesturing to my first-grader, who smiled shyly. "This is Calvin!"

The gentleman, who appeared to be the girl's grandfather, spoke up then. 

"Are you new to the school?" he asked me with the same solemness the little girl had shown.

"No, this is our second year," I replied.

"Well, I read a very disturbing article about this school in the paper over the weekend," he grumbled.

Oh, dear, I thought. Here I was, faced with being this family's first actual impression of our school.

I mustered as many positive thoughts as I could about our school and what I'd come to know of it and looked the man straight in the eye.

"I read that article, too," I said. "And do you know what? I thought it was unfair. We really like this school. My kids have had great teachers, and while every school has it's problems, we're happy to be here."

"Well," he replied. "I'm going to reserve judgement till I see for myself."

"I think that's what we've all got to do," I said.

And at last he smiled, then together we walked our children in to meet their new teacher.