A week of work is nearing the end

Here it is Friday morning and I am just posting for the week. We arrived safely and as others have posted, we met a team of construction workers Monday morning still finishing up at the old Guste Building, the new KIPP Central City Academy school. We walked around construction debris, cables, windows and doors yet to be installed, boxed desks, chairs, shelving, tables, books, etc. The grass had just been laid in the multipurpose courtyard and there was mud everywhere.

The team did there best to clean up the classrooms the first day of all this dust. We were not feeling very useful as it was difficult for the new teachers as well to get to their classrooms. Boxes of school supplies and materials were being delivered the middle of the week. We stayed til 2 pm and found our way back to the Bienville House where we are always welcomed by the staff, curious about our work and how the school is shaping up.

Tuesday was a bit more productive. Half our team traveled to our new partnership school, Royal Castle Kids Preschool, located on Eagle Way near the Mississippi bridge to the Algiers parish. Preschool director, Perlie Harris, welcomed the team's expertise in the infant, toddler and preschool classrooms so she could meet with her staff as they prepare for NAEYC accreditation. Kristin Lems brought her guitar and sang with the children. Perlie was grateful for the opportunity to have this time with her staff as the need for quality preschool teachers (subs and full time) is great in NOLA. The rest of the NLU service team continue to sort, unpack and become more acclimated with the very large school building.

Wednesday's early morning storm highlighted the leaks in the schools flat ceiling. Many of the boxes containing the newly purchased K-8 grade level books were heavily saturated with water. Our first task was to inventory and assess damage to these library books. We did the same with the boxes of school supplies and documents moved from the temporary school site. We are getting to know the teachers and 2 Principals better. The school will have a lower grades principal and a middle school principal sharing space in the building. The original charter called for a middle school but KIPP is expanding their contract with the RSD to include PreK - 4th. The 2 story building will eventually hold the Pre-K thru 4th grades on the first floor and 5th- 8th on the second. Due to timing and budgeting, Kindergarten, 5th and 6th grades will occupy the first floor this school year until final construction is completed

Beginning the work of the library and the classrooms is rewarding for the highly qualified NLU team of in-service and pre-service teachers, who are are early childhood, 5th grade special ed and reading specialist teachers. We spent the rest of Wednesday leveling and shelving the library books and preparing furniture for the 12 classrooms.

Thursday found us working side-by-side the Kindergarten teachers. Each classroom is staffed with 2 teacher, one veteran and one recently completing TFA (Teach for American)training and certification. Observing the progress of their work preparing the classroom, and how well the KIPP staff is working with our team of teachers, is a testament to their individual experiences. Some of the classrooms are coming together successfully, others are moving slowly. We do our best to listen to their needs and frustrations, carefully introducing ideas and recommendations. Though we have the talent, expertise and knowledge, we are cognizant that we will be leaving these dedicated teachers in 24 hours time. Each of the KIPP staff members have stories of uprooting and moving from other places in the US to teach for KIPP New Orleans. Most are renting, sharing apartments, just recently moved to this new adventure. They are young, full of energy, ideas, anxieties, curiosities and visions for the children and the school.

Thursday also found some of our team visiting and engaging in the work at Happy Times Preschool, a relationship/partnership begun last summer. There the work is continuing the clean-up of classrooms, still unfinished from wreckage of Katrina, spending time with the teachers and children who have so many emotional and social needs, and giving Director, Rocky, opportunity to connect with early childhood professionals. The children and teachers of Happy Times will always be a part of NLU.

This morning I took some time to catch up with this blog. We have been so exhausted at the end of each day. We drag ourselves back to our hotel. Occasionally we will get a ride back but more often the teachers are working late and we walk the mile to our St. Charles streetcar (do not call it a trolley), pay our $1.25 and fall back on the 1914 wooden seats for the 20 min ride to Canal Street. Another 20 min gets us to our hotel, begging for a shower and some down time. We have all enjoyed the food and evening in NOLA as we have been blessed with wonderful weather.