Capital Education

     It’s no secret that the D.C. public school system is not the best in the country.  Funding and interest in the schools are low compared to other states, which is somewhat disappointing seeing as we are the nation’s capital.

     Mayor Adrian Fenty appointed Michelle Rhee chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools in 2007.  Since her appointment, progress has been made in closing the gaps in reading and math proficiency between white and African American students.  But, test scores from the D.C. Comprehensive Assessment System show the progress slowed and, in some cases, stopped completely this past school year.

     Some Washingtonians are concerned about this sudden lack of progress and some view it as a setback for Rhee.  I think we should give her more time.

     Now I can’t speak from personal experience since I go to a D.C. private school, but you don’t need to attend one of the schools to know they need help.  Old buildings in downtown neighborhoods are the norm for D.C. public high schools.  Part of the problem is the large amount of poverty in Washington, as well as a previous lack of attention to the schools.

     Major improvements, even in education, don’t happen instantly.  It is clear there is a problem in the D.C. public school system, but in order to provide a permanent fix, more time and money are needed.  One year of slow progress is not an excuse to give up on the current methods and try something else.  Consistency and resolve are the necessary tools for the school system’s improvements.

    With a new mayoral election around the corner, the welfare of public schools has been brought to attention.  Gray and Fenty signs are posted up and down the streets of D.C. and voters are deciding who would do the best job as mayor and lead the school improvements.  As I said before, no strong proof has been shown that the improvements right now are not working, and it wouldn’t be so terrible to stay on this track a little longer.

Some Girls DO Know How to Throw a Ball....and Coach Football Too

     As I write my first official DC post after spending three weeks in Buffalo, I’ve decided to start with a story of something that happened to me a few days before I left.  I was at the Erie County Fair with my cousin and a few of her guy friends.  They heard I was from DC and one turned and asked me a question.

     “Are the Washington Redskins from the city or the state?”

     I thought he was joking at first but then the others started asking too.  Now I’m not a football expert but I do try to follow the unlucky Redskins during the fall and go to FedEx Field occasionally.  So my cousin and I both said pretty assuredly that the team was the Washington, DC Redskins.  They didn’t believe us and had to google it to check which amazed me further.  Being from DC I always thought everyone knew who the Redskins were, and I thought Buffalo Bills fans should too seeing as we had just beaten them the night before in a preseason game.

    Anyways, though this post isn’t about the Redskins, it is about football in DC and I figured that would be an interesting way to start.

    One of my older sister’s dreams is to be the head coach of an NFL team.  My mom even bought her a video game called NFL Head Coach so she could practice.  Her dream always seemed impossible, but now steps are being taken in that direction right down the street. 

     Natalie Randolph was announced the new Head Coach of the Calvin Coolidge High School football team on March 12.  She has spent all summer training the team and is preparing for her first fall season.  I can’t wait for her to start.

     Randolph’s style may be quieter and less up front than the average large male coach, but I think it will have the same if not greater effect on her players.  Coaching the game from a different perspective can help not only Coolidge but other teams as well.  Even if Randolph does not have a successful season this fall I think her work as a coach will inspire other schools to hire female football coaches, making the game more accessible to women.

     There is a women’s professional league that women can play and coach in, but it doesn’t compare to the men’s game in style or popularity.  Though women don’t play on the same scale as men they can still participate in the coach’s box, and with the help of Randolph, that’s becoming a greater possibility.

    So, unfortunately for my sister the glass ceiling of the NFL has not been broken yet, but Natalie Randolph and Coolidge High School have made a few small cracks.

Michelle and Sasha's Excellent Adventure

     People ask me, and every other DC kid, the same question every time I say where I go to school or where I’m from: Are you friends with the Obama girls?

     I’m always sorry to disappoint with my answer, but unfortunately I don’t usually hang out with 12- year-old girls in my spare time.  I also do not babysit for them or see Barack and Michelle on a regular basis.  So, although I am not close with the Obama family or hang out at the White House, they are the subject of my next post, more specifically Michelle and Sasha.

     Taxpayers across the country were frazzled earlier this week over Michelle and Sasha Obama’s trip to Spain.  The mother and daughter spent five days in Spain, touring the sites and having lunch with King Juan Carlos, but had no apparent political or diplomatic motivation.

     So they took a vacation, what’s all the fuss about?  Although Michelle paid for the meals and rooms during their visit, they travelled on the Air Force plane which is government funded, thus taxpayer funded.

     Our economy is not so great right now and people don’t like to hear their hard-earned money is being spent on European vacations, but I say more power to Michelle.  Anyone who has spent a day in DC this summer can attest to the extreme heat and apocalyptic weather.  Congress recesses in August so activity on the Hill slows down.  If you have the resources to take your daughter to Europe and can take advantage of the diplomatic relations you have there, I say why not.

    I understand that a large amount of money was spent to fly them overseas, but how else would they get there?  Though security has tightened on commercial flights, I don’t think it would be possible for the First Lady to hop on a Spanair flight….especially since air travel has been so pleasant recently.

     I don’t pay taxes yet, so I don’t really have a leg to stand on in this argument.  But from my point of view, I don’t see anything wrong with Michelle and Sasha’s Euro trip and I hope others will not lose respect or change their opinions of the First Lady from the vacation.

     

Immigration, Drunk Driving and Tragedy

     Before I start my first post (which is unfortunately pretty somber) I would like to admit that although the point of this blog is that I live in DC while the news goes on, my first two posts will be written from Buffalo, New York.  I promise to try to keep my DC state of mind as much as possible.

     Illegal immigration dominated the news this week with Congressional talk of changing the 14^th amendment and further debate on the Arizona immigration bill and other such legislation. 

    The issue really hit home when a Bolivian man in the country illegally hit another car in a drunk driving accident, killing one nun and injuring two others in a Virginia suburb.  Not only was the issue of drunk driving in play, but the timing could not have been more perfect for the immigration issue, making the story national news.

     But what do illegal immigration and drunk driving have to do with Washington teenagers?  Well, I’m happy to say I haven’t had any direct involvement with either issue, but the accident brought to mind some interesting thoughts.

     I want to first look at the victims of the tragic accident: three nuns from the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia.  I went to Catholic school from preschool to eighth grade, and belong to Blessed Sacrament Church in the archdiocese of Washington.  I’ve volunteered with my mom at Little Sisters of the Poor, an order of nuns who run an assisted living home in Northeast DC.  From these experienced I learned that the Catholic faith network is strong in the DC, Maryland and Virginia area, and a tragic accident for a few is felt by all in the region.

     I would like to offer my sympathy to the Benedictine Sisters for their loss and urge everyone to pray, in any form at all, for Sister Denise Mosier, Sister Charlotte Lange and Connie Ruth Lupton.

     Now the man in custody: Carlos Martinelly Montano of Bolivia.  I said before that I have no direct relation with illegal immigration, but I do think I can talk about the drunk driving aspect.  The accident made national news because the man is an illegal alien, but the fact of the matter is that the same accident could have happened, with the exact same outcome, with a drunk Virginia or DC or Maryland resident behind the wheel.  As a high school student I have heard horror stories of teenage drunk driving and unfortunately, bragging stories as well.

     Although such stories, when turn to tragedy, don’t make national headlines, are just as serious.  Aliens and anchor babies aside, drunk driving is a serious issue and should be examined just as much as the legitimacy of citizenship in these situations.

     Before my post turns too preachy, I would just like to end by offering my final view on the Virginia accident.  Three major factors came into play in one car crash: illegal immigration, the Catholic Church and drunk driving.  The combination of these factors and their nationwide importance is what made the accident so newsworthy, but I would like to keep in mind that it was still a horrible car accident, killing one and critically injuring two.