Sweet and Bitter Irony: Music From A Closed School

http://www.knightarts.org/community/akron/jazz-for-the-eyes

That could be the name of a song, or did someone already copyright that? Sweet and Bitter Irony: Music From A Closed School

Earlier today, and clearly in my summer "chill mode", I was enjoying a cup of coffee, resting under the foliage of a small tree, in my car when...a sound....a sweet sound....a soothing sound.....a saxophone sound!!

It didn't take long to realize that there was someone playing their sax somewhere near the shuttered George Pepper Middle School out in Southwest Philly.

The music was....mellow....soft....nice!
And in front of a school that likely did not have a vibrant music program in the years just preceding its closing. Unfortunately it's vibrant music and other arts programs that the majority of our schools wrongly settle without.

As a classroom teacher, I do appreciate music and the visual arts and do my best to incorporate them both into the 207 experience. But I have no issue with admitting that I don't have the extensive creative background or experience to make the most of integrating such media into the teaching and learning event.

Yes, Sweet and Bitter Irony indeed!! That such beautiful music now IS and, then too, from the outside of the school!



Pictures of Pepper - http://www.schoolclosingcollective.com/?q=node/12
One account of Pepper's history - http://hiddencityphila.org/2013/04/final-bell-nears-at-brutalist-southwest-philly-middle-school/

Better prepared...

In Philadelphia, we are quite used to "wintry" winters. Living in a temperate zone, we are not strangers to blizzards, snow storms, and various weather extremes from heat to cold.

This latest snow storm is at least the 6th or 7th of the season for us here in Philly. Though we know how to prep roads and preempt school closings---oh wait---school closings?? I digress...

It does seem that we are better prepared this time. Philadelphia's public schools announced a closing hours before the first flakes fell. Something that we are not used to. During at least two of the storms this season schools were open with half empty buildings, forcing emergency closings and four and five hour commutes back home.

This time SEPTA, our mass transit agency, detoured routes ahead of the flakes to avoid going into typical problems areas and to get commuters used to the new temporary routes. This "just in"....all bus routes will be suspended beginning at 10am this morning because of deteriorating roads!

This time teachers prepared students for the possibility of a 5-day weekend with Presidents Day being this weekend. My team and countless other teachers sent home enough work to last the equivalent an entire school week. I'm sure parents will appreciate their children having enough to do and not having to deal with "Bored Child Syndrome"

This time even Atlanta learned from the previous storm that embarrassed the city and kept people on roads for an entire day. Those who chose not to spend the night on the interstate abandoned their cars to walk miles to homes or hotels and return to their cars later. Children spent the night at school under the care of the same teachers who care for them during the day and who also get harassed by politicians and cooperate America.

What a winter! I don't like to complain, because I am not a heat person by no stretch of the imagination! 90+ degrees? No thanks!

"Steve, what can I do?"

This morning as I was driving my baby sister to work, we passed by a nice, brand new Discovery Charter School building. As we passed that new building, I readily pointed out the school directly across the street, Leidy Elementary School. This school should sound familiar. It has closed for good as of June 30th!

Not 60 seconds later as we turned onto Girard Ave, I eagerly pointed out the recently erected Global Leadership Academy Charter School. A quick look to the left, Blankenburg Elementary School, a real public school that does not admit students via lottery along with huge media coverage.

After this brief rant, she turned to me and asked me, "Steve, what can I do?"

I answered, with no shortage of all the possibilities!