Creators vs. Consumers

In five days Theo will go to orientation for his first day of kindergarten and Larchmont Charter, West Hollywood. That this school is opening is a feat of will, hard work and perseverance. Last fall Marya Francis and Jay dreamed of starting a school in their neighborhood that would be as amazing as the Larchmont Charter School. They approached Larchmont, and its founders, and asked for help. Less than a year later, they pulled it off. Through the amazing help of the Larchmont board, Lindsay Sturman, and a handful of educational visionaries, they managed to write a charter, shepherd it through the endless bureaucratic maze of LAUSD and flex some political muscle, get major grant money, hire an amazing principle, and find a place to put this baby school. Best of all, this charter school, like its parent school, has a real sense of social mission. In an era where test scores count above all, and teachers curriculums seem to be overseen practically to the minute and semi colon, Larchmont is trying to show that they can come up with a more free and creative curriculum that will raise test scores for children of EVERY socio-economic group. It is a bold mission. I went to public school, and I believe so deeply in public schools. I believe that they can work. I also believe that good public schools are the foundation of a democracy. They make children with more money and education at their disposal meet children with less, and it teaches them compassion, and how to move freely with all people of the world. For children with less, it gives them higher goals, more opportunities, and makes sure everyone has a shot at greatness. It insures that money, or a lack thereof, is not a barrier to or guarantor of success. For the people who are founding this school (me being one of them) this school is nothing less than the next civil rights movement.
So it is interesting to watch it move from dream to reality. Parents have been amazing. They are pitching in money, time and effort. They are attending meetings and have agreed to do carpools. They are asked to do so much more than at a regular public school. And there are no guarantees. There are no guarantees this will work, this will last, or it will succeed. There is just a dream, and a LOT of energy, passion and good will.

Some parents are turned on by this. But there is another breed of parent. They approach their children's education like consumers, not creators. They want to critique, but not participate. They are nervous. Scared. Demanding. Quick to sense things going wrong, and to demand extra care for their children. None of us except the principal really knows what we are doing. We are not a private school promising entree into great colleges, or really anything. If we want it to work, all of us, every single parent, has to jump in and believe and do our best. We cannot attack the principle or interrogate the teachers. We need to just come, and give what we have to offer. At the very least our children will see us trying to make the world a better place.