Students' voices heard on Fraser Elementary
College of Charleston junior focuses project on kids' opinion of closing
By Diette Courrégé
The Post and Courier
Students leave the Fraser Elementary campus after school Wednesday.
For the Charleston County School Board, the decision to close Fraser Elementary and four other schools was about saving money and improving student achievement.
For the students who attend Fraser Elementary School, the decision has meant anxiety about bullies, excitement about bigger playgrounds and sadness about leaving best friends and favorite teachers, according to a College of Charleston student's project.
They may just be kids, but they have strong feelings on their school closing this year — even if they haven't been heard.
It's been an intense and painful time for many downtown parents and residents who have fought unsuccessfully to keep the school open. College of Charleston junior Tristan Evans didn't know much about why the school was closing, but she knew that students' voices often are lost.
The Post and Courier
Fraser students write their thoughts and feelings on the school closing.
She set out to give students a chance to speak and have their say, and she found an array of emotions and worries that only children can have.
"But all I know is that I will miss this school. It's the best school I ever had. I also want a locker," one student wrote.
"I'm feeling a little nervous about Fraser closing at the end of the school year. The reason I'm nervous is I'll be making new friends. Even though I'm scared, making new friends is a good thing," another student wrote.
"The new school will have a different principal, new teachers, and different rules. This makes me feel anxious but I will be okay."
Evans, an education major, asked Fraser Elementary students to write their thoughts and feelings on the school closing. She chose the project as a way to focus on education during a social awareness week hosted in part by the Bonner Leaders Program. Evans is a part of that program, which provides a means for civic-minded students to build relationships between the college and community.
The Post and Courier
For a class project, College of Charleston junior Tristan Evans, an education major, asked Fraser students to write their thoughts and feelings on the school closing.
Fraser Elementary School Principal Perren Peterson thought Evans' project sounded like a positive way for students to be heard, good practice for the writing portion of the state's standardized exam and a potentially therapeutic activity.
Evans collected more than 50 samples of second- through fifth-graders' writing, and she could see how keenly they were aware of the situation.
She presented some of their work at a public event last week that included a talk by the school's principal and a teacher, and she's met with state Rep. Wendell Gilliard, D-Charleston, about taking the presentation to the Fraser community with the hope of giving parents and residents more closure. Students will be split among remaining downtown schools.
"I was hoping that people would see that the kids were really thinking about it," she said. "They had formed opinions on this. Even if no one ever asked them, they had thought about it."
WHAT THEY SAID
Here's a sample of what some Fraser Elementary students wrote about their school closing:
• "I love Fraser school and think it should stay open forever. I want President Obama to keep this school open. I have been in this school for five years."
• "My school is closing and I am wondering what school I am going to go to. ... I will be nervous at first making new friends because they might not want to be friends. I will try hard to get them to like me."
• "I'm surprised, I'm sad, I'm depressed. Fraser has a great staff like in the after school program. They are really generous and let things slide. They even give help for your family. When they go I will probably be depressed. I hope to see them next year."
Reach Diette Courrégé at 937-5546 or dcourrege@postandcourier.com.
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missyk843 (anonymous) says...
"For the Charleston County School Board, the decision to close Fraser Elementary and four other schools was about saving money and improving student achievement."
Ok, let's think about this. Is this the only way they could possibly save money? I think not. Let's try closing that fancy building down on Calhoun Street, or maybe the county should re-think all the building of the NICE FANCY schools in Mt Pleasant.Oh, then there's the School of the Arts building, how long has this been in its "building process?" I'm pretty sure many of the schools in North Charleston are in worst shape than any of the so call old school buildings in Mt Pleasant. "Close several home schools and one magnet school, then just pile all these kids in where they fit in." Huh, what did Charleston County do to deserve this School Board? Oh, then there's the Constituent School Boards, "why are you all there anyway, hadn't really quite figured that one out yet." What a waste! Can't wait to see all this "improvement in student achievement."
April 2, 2009 at 7:38 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
TinaR (anonymous) says...
Seems like the time for this particular project would have been months ago, so that the feelings of those most affected THE CHILDREN could be heard by those making the decision. Great idea, but a little too late.
April 2, 2009 at 8:10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
youngatheart (anonymous) says...
The money for rebuilding schools was set aside many years ago and can't be touched except to build and improve schools. The school board can't use that money for anything else. The school is closing and the children will be fine at other schools. It is no different when students have to move from an elem. school to a middle school, or middle to high. The students have the same feelings when that process happens too. I do agree with missyk843 about the Constituent School Boards. What a waste.
April 2, 2009 at 8:54 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mb300sl (anonymous) says...
Schools are not for the convenience of students and parents...they are for education.
April 2, 2009 at 12:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
wjhamilton3 (anonymous) says...
"Schools are not for the convenience of students and parents...they are for education."
No, schools are an integral part of a community where education of the young takes place. They aren't factories for turning out workers. The values of a school are not the same as the values of a prison system. Schools exist for students, who are also part of the community. Students are human beings, not potential cogs for the economy. Their happiness matters since they will grow up to be citizens in a free society which can only be as meaningful and rewarding as the people who compose it. Their thoughts and emotions and the manner in which they are capable of expressing and sharing them are a part of their education. The neighborhood school is the cornerstone of a free and rewarding society and cultivates the love of community necessary to preserve that society from the corrosive forces which will attack it from within and without.
That's why they say the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of the day. The time could be used to memorize material for the next standardized test instead, but we're making Americans at our schools.
South Carolina's increasingly larger and more distant schools may be cheaper, but we're eroding the connection between community and school which makes real education, supported by the community possible.
April 2, 2009 at 12:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mb300sl (anonymous) says...
wjhamilton3: I think that's what I said...
April 2, 2009 at 2 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
shoelaces (anonymous) says...
Missy....If you had attended ANY of the community "forum" meetings you would know that building funds are for just that, buildings. Those funds can't be shuffled around to pay for teachers, buses, books, supplies, technology....and so on.
April 2, 2009 at 2:50 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
missyk843 (anonymous) says...
shoelaces- I did not imply that the money for those buildings should be taken to pay for teachers, buses, books, supplies, technology...and so on. As I understand it, the many taxes myself and other working taxpayers shell out should at least cover most of that. Just stated a fact of what continues to go on in Charleston County with their schools. I am VERY AWARE of how "so call building funds" are set aside. Bottom line certain areas in the county take precident over others. It is what it is. Charleston County "stinks" from the TOP to the BOTTOM and the out comes are poor school buildings, outdated school books, no supplies, terrible technology, and so on.
April 2, 2009 at 3:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
missyk843 (anonymous) says...
sholaces: Here's one more for you. Lets give ALL the children in Charleston County schools the same buildings, books, supplies, technology and so on and lets see what happens. Huh, those poor performing children in those poor performing schools just might "SUCCEED", and YOU would be AFRAID of that.
April 2, 2009 at 4:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
shoelaces (anonymous) says...
missy......I am not afraid of anything with this debate.
I teach in a building that had several buckets and trash cans catching water dripping from leaky ceilings today. It didn't stop me from teaching and didn't stop my kids from learning.
I have taught in trailers, dumpy old classrooms with strange odors, rooms with leaky ceilings, rooms with "critters" roaming around..you name it. I have also taught in very new modern buildings with many advances.
I have to say that the BUILDING does not make the school, the PEOPLE in the building make the school.
And I prefer the older facilities to the newer ones I have taught in...and I have taught in at least 10 buildings throughout Berkeley and Charleston Counties (including student teaching and substitute work).
A school gets what its tax base can feed into it. Simply put, a school in a lower socio-economic area will receive fewer tax dollars while a school with a higher socio-economic base will receive more money.
April 2, 2009 at 4:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
shoelaces (anonymous) says...
Who has "outdated school books"? Anywhere I have taught I always had the same textbooks and materials everyone else had. The district adopts new books every 6-7 years. If a school does not have supplies it is the fault of someone in the school who is not on top of things and inventoring supplies and ordering when needed.
April 2, 2009 at 4:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
missyk843 (anonymous) says...
shoelaces: My fight is not with how well you teach or have taught, I think that's "GREAT". You've been successful in reaching children. My best role models were teachers I had throughout my 12 years in Charleston County schools. I appreciate each and everyone of them for what they gave me education wise. I suceeded in all "home schools" and my parents never once had to consider sending me miles away to other schools in other areas of the county to ensure this happened. My Parents, community, teachers, etc.had a vested interest in my schools, and most importantly me. Our children today don't have the same vested interested applied toward them or their schools. Charleston County School Board is making ALL the decisions and they're the WRONG ones.Oh, and as far as the outdated school books, they're out there, I've seen them.(ie-Glencoe Math course 3)
April 2, 2009 at 5:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
newbattleaxe (anonymous) says...
wjhamilton3, I don't know where you've been for the last 40-45 years, but we haven't had REAL community schools to speak of since school busing got going. Oh, maybe a few elementary schools have been able to stay "community schools," but I have seen TOO MANY small children getting picked up by busses an hour before school starts. Please don't tell me they are being delivered to school in time for breakfast!
Students say the Pledge of Allegiance every morning. Do they understand what they are saying? I have asked middle school students. Most of them haven't a clue. Not even most of the high school students I've asked understand what they are saying.
Shoelaces, as far as textbooks, yes, we do have outdated textbooks. Worse, we have books with serious errors. The eigth grade South Carolina History book,"The History of South Carolina in the Building of the Nation" by Archie Vernon Huff, Jr., has at least 40 factual errors in the first 80 pages.
The state Dept. of Education picked this book because it was less expensive than another book that was available in 2006. They then refused to buy an updated, CORRECTED VERSION of this book in early 2008.
Too many of our 8th grade Social Studies teachers have not themselves taken SC History. They don't know the facts, so they are teaching our children and grandchildren incorrect information.
Other SC textbooks are also full of errors, I'm sure. Science textbooks, especially biology textbooks, are outdated in less than 5 years. Science books, such as the new McDougal-Littell series for 6-8th grade, that give only SI measurements, do our students no favors. No one teaches our students how to "eyeball" conversions from SI to common measures anymore.
Can you "eyeball" 5ml, Shoelaces, Missy, or Hamilton? How many ounces or teaspoons or tablespoons is that? How many inches in a cm? How many mi/km? kg/lb?
How many of your students can do basic math without a calculator?
Yes, I'm a teacher, too. I end up spending my own money on supplies for my students. No, shoelaces, it's not an inventorying and ordering problem at my school. It's financial and other problems at my students' homes.
Yes, I'm ranting. Y'all just put a serious burr under my saddle. Have y'all toured ALL the Mt. Pleasant schools? Missy, have you looked at the graduation rates for the School of the Arts and where these students go to college and how much they earn in scholarships and what their SAT, ACT and HS Exit Exam scores are? Did you ever look at their old building?
April 2, 2009 at 7:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
AAE (anonymous) says...
Mt Pleasant barely got touched with new construction until LONG after N Charleston had its way. Birney, Stall, N Charleston ES (the most beautiful school in the county), Goodwin, Hunley Park... I could go on. Not only them, but Blaney, Baptist Hill.... ALL of these were either extensively renovated or built before school one in Mt Pleasant. Wando opened in 2004. AFTER these schools! Only now, AFTER these schools, are the 50+ yo asbestos-laden schools in Mt Pleasant being re-built. Same goes for James Island and West Ashley. You want to see schools in need of repair... go there. N Charleston elementaries are stunning in comparison to most. And how is their student achievement again???
April 2, 2009 at 8:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
missyk843 (anonymous) says...
.
2007 score2008 score
Berkeley County
Berkeley 1,393 1,401
Cross 1,251 1,244
Goose Creek 1,477 1,476
Hanahan 1,494 1,589
Stratford 1,502 1,521
Timberland 1,282 1,283
Charleston County
Academic Magnet 1,800 1,855
Baptist Hill 1,186 1,161
Burke 1,126 1,132
School of the Arts 1,623 1,608
Charlestowne Academy 1,271 1,275
Garrett 1,226 1,191
James Island 1,504 1,513
Lincoln 1,197 1,159
Military Magnet 1,229 1,119
North Charleston 1,199 1,141
Stall 1,113 1,197
St. John's 1,191 1,202
Clark Academy 1,060 1,007
Wando 1,537 1,569
West Ashley 1,400 1,355
Dorchester 2
Fort Dorchester 1,490 1,499
Summerville 1,502 1,475
Dorchester 4
Woodland 1,357 1,265
newbattle: Ok, here are all the scores for the area schools, now we all can see them. These scores simply prove that some children test better than others. As far as the old SOA building, I've been there and done that. They got their building before other schools that were in greater need LONG before they became a school. This is a school for the arts, a specialized school for those that qualify. Great for those that do. That would be roughly 1200 students. Where do the rest go? THEY GET IN WHERE THEY FIT IN. What about all the other chidren who fall into our typical public schools, do we pretend they just don't have as much of a need for the same "state of the art" facilities,or resources? As far as the SS teachers who are not capable or qualified to teach SC history correctly to our children, I say thank your incompetent School Board and Administrators for that. Bottom line I am a parent of 2 children in Charleston County schools. I have always appreciated all of what each of their teachers bring to their class rooms, however I've also always been involved in their learning process. So, all that being said not all children are as blessed to have it all, but they ALL deserve better than what Charleston County is passing off at this moment.So saddle up again newbattle the ride is just going to get longer and alot rougher!
April 2, 2009 at 9:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
shoelaces (anonymous) says...
Sorry BATTLEAXE....money is not really a problem where I teach. Maybe it's because I am in a Title I school, but we have more resources than we can use in most cases.
Teachers know textbooks don't cover all the standards. The coherent curriculum documents help but we still have to do a little homework. That's just the nature of the job. It isn't scripted for us.
BATTLE, I am with you on the SOTA, AMHS, others with old buildings....it doesn't matter. However, the students who go to these schools have parent that care about their kids' educations!! BIG DIFFERENCE!!
***I m not griping with you...spring break and all...
April 2, 2009 at 9:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
shoelaces (anonymous) says...
AAE...
I worked at Goodwin....the last principal (Reynolds) brought the school up when her predecessor (Conroy) didn't/couldn't. When Conroy was removed and given a teaching position, she appealed the district's decision. The district caved and gave her the principal's position at Hersey....follow that school's progress.
All I am saying is the teachers are not always the blame, it could lie with the front office when a school drops or fails to rise in the ranks.
April 2, 2009 at 9:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
missyk843 (anonymous) says...
AAE: MT Pleasant schools were in just as bad of shape as many of the other CC schools until the area became occupied by the "elite" citizens of Charleston, after they found out about the prime re estate the area offered.
April 2, 2009 at 9:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
shoelaces (anonymous) says...
Missy.....
"My Parents, community, teachers, etc.had a vested interest in my schools, and most importantly me. Our children today don't have the same vested interested applied toward them or their schools."
Your own quote hits the nail on the head. Unfortunately, some of my students' parents do NOT take that same interest our parents took in the schools today.
I don't need STUFF to teach my kids. I don't need gimmicks, more manipulatives, more computers, more money....I need MORE PARENTS to teach my kids.
I am sorry, but I am MY kids first teacher. That burden and responsibility lies with US!!! Yes, an actual two parent family!! If my child screws up, it's OUR fault at this stage of the game.
For now, she is blossoming and achieving GREATNESS in a school slated for demolition in a year.
So what if it's an old building? So what if the books are a little beat up? Big deal.
April 2, 2009 at 9:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
shoelaces (anonymous) says...
I used a manual typewriter at Wando as a student :)
Great technology...but I can type today!!!
***My bottom line is that after teaching in "top" and "bottom" schools it isn't really the physical atmosphere that makes the school, it is the attitude and atmosphere created by the administration, faculty, and staff that has the greatest impact on the children.
April 2, 2009 at 9:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
missyk843 (anonymous) says...
sholaces: "I think we all understand that it isn't really the physical atmosphere that makes the school, it is the attitude and atmosphere created by the administration, faculty, and staff that has the greatest impact on the children."
*I feel you with this one,it definitely isn't but it sure does hurt when we can have both! Maybe one day SOON CC will figure this all out until then continue to press on!
April 2, 2009 at 10:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
shoelaces (anonymous) says...
We can't have our cake and eat it too, can we????
Not always, anyway.
Happy spring break!!
I am going to try not to stress about school "stuff" over the next week. It is unproductive as it keeps me at the computer posting and NOT being a good mommy :)
April 2, 2009 at 10:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
newbattleaxe (anonymous) says...
Missy, you gripe about CC's SOA. Check out Dorchester District 2's Rollings Middle School of the Arts sometime. It is in the old (circa 1928) Summerville High School building and about 8 trailer classrooms. The students don't have lockers. There is a mold problem in several classrooms.
Yet, every year, students from all over the district (just like Charleston County students and SOA) audition for Rollings. And, just like CC's SOA, RMSA considers not just artistic talent but also grades and behavior. The "entire student" is considered for admission.
Almost every magnet school becomes a tightly-knit "community school", usually with good parent/guardian involvement and a very active PTSA. You see the results in their graduation rates and test scores. You hear it in the students' voices. They are better-spoken than their peers. They stand a little straighter. They are proud young adults!
These are the people who get the better jobs, the better scholarships to the better colleges, and who generally do better in life. They tend to not sit around and whine about missed opportunities. They know how to study and how to work. They MAKE opportunities.
April 3, 2009 at 9:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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