Vibrant schools and learning communities

I remember how bitterly disappointed I was when the Boston Public School lottery mistakenly kicked our son Alex out of the chance to go to Mission Hill. And I remember the long letter the principal wrote in response to the pleading letter that I sent to her. She wrote that no matter how good a school is, what happens at home matters more, and that she was certain that my deep care for our son would help him to succeed no matter what school he attended.

I was still disappointed that Alex did not have the chance to go to Mission Hill. But the principal’s advice made sense to me, and the fact that she took the time to respond so directly to my concerns left a deep impression. I stumbled across this video today, telling part of the story of Mission Hill, and it reminded me of that time. I’m glad that Mission Hill has retained so much of what was good about it back then! I’m also glad to share their story here — and to note that we have an elementary school like this right here in our own public system: Harambee (the school Nate attended for his elementary years).

Given how much bad news is always being shared about public schools, I believe we need to tell these good news stories all the more!