interviews with teachers on 7/27/15 and 8/5/15
What is it like to teach at ICS?
Teacher 1: “ICS really does want to celebrate the teacher...know that we are qualified and know what we’re doing and want to keep that sense of ‘we trust that you know the best practices and we don’t want to tell you how to do it.’ ...It’s something that’s very unique in today’s teaching environment to have that freedom and flexibility and also the trust of your school in you as a professional that you do know what you’re doing.”
Teacher 2: "It's been a really really wonderful place to grow as an educator... I've never worked in a school that was so reflective and so supportive of teachers."
Because the school is a charter and has freedom to choose the curriculum, "a lot of really cool teaching is happening."
Who are the students? What do they want from their schooling?
Teacher 1: "Given the right environment, all kids want to learn... So I think what’s really fortunate about ICS is that we do get kids from kindergarten, so they’re in our culture, they’re in our school environment, they understand the expectations of them - they love school.
It’s a very positive place to be. And I think a lot of that comes from that...we have high expectations for them, and because we have this common dialogue and responsive classroom and things like that - it sets high expectations for the kids. That allows for kids who generally love to come to school.
Overall, kids love it here. They love school. And it’s really centered on the kids. We always try to bring it back to ‘what’s best for the kids?’ Not necessarily what’s best for us, sometimes, but what’s best for them. And maintaining a positive, safe environment for them."
Teacher 2: ICS has a very diverse student body, which is somewhat atypical of Philadelphia schools. The student population benefits from this as a whole. Students "are good at talking about diversity and celebrating difference," which is partly a reflection of the Global Citizenship program.
What is the parents' relationship with the school?
Teacher 1: "Even though we are a charter school and you have to apply and we are open to everyone, you kind of self-select for a population of families who value education. They had to go out of their way, even though the application is just your name and where you live, you had to physically come here to the school, turn in your application - so we already kind of self-select for a population of motivated families."
Teacher 2: Involvement looks different for different families, but there is a staff position devoted to parent/family relationships.
Are there resources in the community that you utilize for your students' education?
Teacher 1: “I take my kids once a month to the Free Library. A lot of them go to the library on their own with their parents, but it was a really fun experience because we got to walk through our Center City community here, go to the library and check out books. So that was one resource.”
"For Field Day, we go to one of the local rec centers. So we have relationships with different places in the city."
Teacher 2: Students in the International Business program at Wharton come in to talk to the students as part of the Global Citizenship program, and sometimes we take trips to the Penn Museum. We probably "don't use community resources as much as we could." There are also a number of after school programs in the community where many students spend time.
What is the interaction between the school and the community?
Teacher 1: "It's a well-regarded school," but because ICS is a charter school and students come from all over, the students and school are not as tied to the surrounding community. "Everyone is very vested in the school, maybe not so much the outside neighborhood. We are also in a very nice part of the city, good stuff is happening. We're in Center City Philadelphia - this is where the wealth is, this is where streets are clean, things are relatively safe." As part of the Global Citizenship program, we teach the kids to respect the space and represent ICS well.
Teacher 1: “ICS really does want to celebrate the teacher...know that we are qualified and know what we’re doing and want to keep that sense of ‘we trust that you know the best practices and we don’t want to tell you how to do it.’ ...It’s something that’s very unique in today’s teaching environment to have that freedom and flexibility and also the trust of your school in you as a professional that you do know what you’re doing.”
Teacher 2: "It's been a really really wonderful place to grow as an educator... I've never worked in a school that was so reflective and so supportive of teachers."
Because the school is a charter and has freedom to choose the curriculum, "a lot of really cool teaching is happening."
Who are the students? What do they want from their schooling?
Teacher 1: "Given the right environment, all kids want to learn... So I think what’s really fortunate about ICS is that we do get kids from kindergarten, so they’re in our culture, they’re in our school environment, they understand the expectations of them - they love school.
It’s a very positive place to be. And I think a lot of that comes from that...we have high expectations for them, and because we have this common dialogue and responsive classroom and things like that - it sets high expectations for the kids. That allows for kids who generally love to come to school.
Overall, kids love it here. They love school. And it’s really centered on the kids. We always try to bring it back to ‘what’s best for the kids?’ Not necessarily what’s best for us, sometimes, but what’s best for them. And maintaining a positive, safe environment for them."
Teacher 2: ICS has a very diverse student body, which is somewhat atypical of Philadelphia schools. The student population benefits from this as a whole. Students "are good at talking about diversity and celebrating difference," which is partly a reflection of the Global Citizenship program.
What is the parents' relationship with the school?
Teacher 1: "Even though we are a charter school and you have to apply and we are open to everyone, you kind of self-select for a population of families who value education. They had to go out of their way, even though the application is just your name and where you live, you had to physically come here to the school, turn in your application - so we already kind of self-select for a population of motivated families."
Teacher 2: Involvement looks different for different families, but there is a staff position devoted to parent/family relationships.
Are there resources in the community that you utilize for your students' education?
Teacher 1: “I take my kids once a month to the Free Library. A lot of them go to the library on their own with their parents, but it was a really fun experience because we got to walk through our Center City community here, go to the library and check out books. So that was one resource.”
"For Field Day, we go to one of the local rec centers. So we have relationships with different places in the city."
Teacher 2: Students in the International Business program at Wharton come in to talk to the students as part of the Global Citizenship program, and sometimes we take trips to the Penn Museum. We probably "don't use community resources as much as we could." There are also a number of after school programs in the community where many students spend time.
What is the interaction between the school and the community?
Teacher 1: "It's a well-regarded school," but because ICS is a charter school and students come from all over, the students and school are not as tied to the surrounding community. "Everyone is very vested in the school, maybe not so much the outside neighborhood. We are also in a very nice part of the city, good stuff is happening. We're in Center City Philadelphia - this is where the wealth is, this is where streets are clean, things are relatively safe." As part of the Global Citizenship program, we teach the kids to respect the space and represent ICS well.