Capital Hill Education

Today I visited two elementary schools on Capital Hill. As part of a wider project, another Rotarian and I delivered dictionaries to each third grade student at the two schools.

The first school was simply depressing. No one was excited to see us, and few people really seemed to know what was going on. We had a hard time finding who to speak to. While the buildings are old, they were clean and freshly painted. However, it was still a tired, depressing place. Old tattered textbooks were stacked in the halls. It was unclear if any student would use them, or if there were enough of them. (DC Public Schools have a terrible history of having textbooks available when classes start.)

We had each of the students come up to get their dictionary. While most mumbled thanks, they seemed about as excited as if we were handing out pencils before a No Child Left Behind mandated test. Sadly, it was obvious that these children were likely to be left behind - by a number of factors.

At the second school, we went to the classroom to deliver our dictionaries. The second teacher was much more engaged, and excited that we were there. She got it - she knew we were there to ultimately play a part in the success of these children, however small providing a dictionary may be. However, there was something about her - some spark that gave the room an energy that is hard to describe - that made me smile. She cared. And the children knew it. Perhaps the only shame is that this petite gray haired teacher had obviously been around the block a few times, and seemed to me that she had considered quitting at many points along the way. However, she was there, doing her best to lead these young children, and despite the many difficulties that face these children, was still trying.

The problems in DC's schools are notorious, and I feel privileged to have had the opportunity simply to enter the schools and read the air myself. I felt despair and exhaustion, but I also sensed a spark of hope. Now, the question is, how can we keep that ember alive, foster it, and allow it to spread like wildfire? What, besides providing dictionaries, can we do to help these children who live in the shadow of the Capital Dome of the most powerful country in the world?