Letters to the Editor

What You Say

Mommy Dearest

In her debut article, Amy Quinn has raised an important issue for all Philadelphians [News, Citizen Mom, "Back to School ... in the Suburbs," Sept. 4, 2008]. People leave Philadelphia because of their perception that the schools are a mess. I get it. But it is a little hard to read that in spite of what she knows about her former neighborhood's (successful) school, she never considers it as an option because it is part of a larger unsuccessful system. I guess we do have a problem. If living next to a school that seems to be working well doesn't change that perception, then what will?

Through my work at Public Citizen for Children and Youth, I have had the privilege of visiting a number of public schools in high-poverty areas that are remarkably successful and are providing a quality education that most parents would be pleased with. When I tell people about these visits, they are taken by surprise since the concept of a successful school in Philadelphia is out of their frame of reference. It is not true in these schools that students are "succeeding despite their schools." The schools are nurturing their academic success with good teaching, innovative practices and multicultural experiences. And they deserve much more attention and credit by the press, our communities and parents.

Parents should make choices they think are best for their kids, but let's figure out how we can both help make sure those choices are informed choices and ones which help our successful schools be replicated across the city. Everyone benefits from supporting the positives in our communities. We should all be part of the solution in some way.

Dennis Barnebey
Education specialist
Public Citizens for Children and Youth
Via e-mail

Blah blah blah, snore. Your point of view is typical of a frightened suburbanite who has never lived in the city. The view is different from here, honey. You haven't spent much time in Northern Liberties or you would have noticed hordes of school-age kids: at the park, at the community center day camp, at the swimming pool, in each others' backyards. In my large group of friends who are parents of school-age children in the city, there are families who choose the neighborhood public schools, the charter schools, the private schools or even homeschooling. The choice is not as predictable as you think: Some well-off families choose the local public school, some less well-off choose private with the help of family and aid. My philosophy is that every family has to make the choices that work for them. There is a lot of tolerance between my friends for each other's choices. We very rarely talk about moving out of the city. The close-knit community; the access to museums, parks, restaurants; the ability to get around without a car; the comparatively low property taxes; the historic homes; the relatively diverse neighborhood are all factors. When the rare family does move out, we mostly feel sorry for them, knowing that they will be missing a lot.

NoLibs Mom
Via citypaper.net

Responding to NoLibs Mom on citypaper.net:

She said she grew up in the city and lived there for 22 years, so she does have a perspective. What's yours? You probably grew up in some suburb and now think you're cool because you live in Northern Liberties.

Ero
Via citypaper.net

From the looks of things, Mayor Nutter is not panning out to be the "by the people, for the people" go-getter he purported himself to be in his election campaign for mayor [News, "They Said, He Said," Andrew Thompson, Sept. 4, 2008, online only]. In fact, over the past eight months, he's been more of a social butterfly than an impetus for change. I feel this article taps into the Mayor Nutter behind all the social grace and savior faire, while displaying how City Hall's fecklessness has yet to be remedied. This article definitely needs a follow-up; no question about it.

Aaron Stella
Via citypaper.net