On Wednesday, November 18, we made our voices heard at the Community Education Committee (CEC) meeting. Here are some speeches from Shuang Wen Parents.
From Susie Kong | President of PS184M, Shuang Wen School’s Parent Association
My name is Susie Kong, President of PS184M, Shuang Wen School’s Parent Association and want to express my thanks for giving me the opportunity to speak tonight. I am here tonight representing our parent body of over 600 families strong. Though many of us should be at home helping our children with homework, we are here tonight to tell you that we oppose the DOE plan that will hurt the children and families of our school.
Shuang Wen School is the first public school on the East Coast dedicated to fostering fluency and literacy in both English and Mandarin Chinese. It is an exemplary model. Chancellor Klein has repeatedly praised Shuang Wen School for its academic excellence.Last year, our school was one of a few to receive a Blue Ribbon Award. Much of our success is due to the dedication of the staff, teachers, parents and of course for our hardworking students. We are one of the largest programs in District 1. This year alone, we added a kindergarten class, a preK class and a Collaborative Team Teaching classroom. Shuang Wen’s enrollment has grown tremendously over the last five years and we are still expanding. The DOE should provide support and resources to us to meet
the needs of students in District 1. Instead, your proposal threatens to take away the few resources that we already have. Many of these resources were paid for with donations from parents and supporters from Shuang Wen. You can imagine that this was not easy, since 70% of our families are Title 1, low-income families.Science, Technology and Arts are essential to every child’s education. These are the very resources that will face elimination under the proposed DOE option 1. The PA Board and the parents of Shuang Wen urge you to remove our school from consideration.
The Shuang Wen families are ready to fight for our children’s future and for a sensible plan to accommodate the students of District 1. I hope you will listen to the voices of our parents, teachers and supporters tonight.
Thank you.
From Jeanie Tung | second grader parent
Good evening, my name is Jeanie Tung and my daughter, Raina, is a second grader in Public School 184 M, at 327 Cherry Street. Public School 184 M was our first choice of all the schools in the city for my daughter to attend for her first ten years of education not only for the unique curriculum but for its ranking among the other schools in New York.
On our acceptance I agreed to the commitment requested by the principal to be active both in my daughter’s education at home and in supporting the school. In the three plus years we have been in this school I have seen my daughter and her classmates blossom as well as new offerings like a language laboratory and music laboratory become available because of the efforts of parents unwilling to accept anything short of the best education for all the children in this school.
P.S. 184 M’s reputation as an outstanding school has made it the number one choice for a growing number of families every year. And following a request by the Department of Education to take in more students, the school’s population is growing annually. It is counter to any logic for the Department of Education to undermine a school like this by grabbing twenty-five percent of the building for another school, and in the process, imposing overcrowding in our classes along with dismantling a dance studio, music laboratory and language laboratory that are so very valuable, enriching and even critical to development of the present students on their path of continuing excellence.
There has to be a more appropriate way to help one school grow beyond its present scope than to literally dismantle an existing school that has already proven its success and continues to strive for excellence while growing in size.
I am urging that you, members of the Community Education Council, elected officials join the parents of Public School 184 M and all other schools at risk of destructive interference from the Department of Education in telling the Department of Education that their actions are unacceptable and they must stop.
From Deborah Ribeiro | third grader and first grader parent
My name is Deborah Ribeiro, a proud mother of two Shuang Wen students, a third grader and first grader, so this is our 5th year at the school.
These are among the reasons why we protest against the proposed plan that may dismantle our art room, music room, dance studio, computer language lab and science lab which are in constant use. The dance studio also supplements physical education since the school does not even have a gym.
Art, music and dance have a powerful impact on academic achievement and educational performance. They give our kids the chance to express their creativity and think outside the box. For example, kids have the freedom to design things and motivate themselves to use their creativity. It helps their reading concentration skills because they really learn to focus.
The computer/language lab is also crucial to help the kids develop technological and language skills. Needless to say, we live in a highly advanced technology age and it is extremely important that our kids get the necessary training. Also, they are learning Mandarin, a foreign language, which will definitely be beneficial to them in the highly competitive world we live in.
The types of skills we want to maintain here will help our kids be better positioned to deal with some important issues faced by our society today. For instance, an increasing number of kids don’t know how to socialize because they spend too much time playing computer games and watching television which limits their physical activity. Many parents are often too busy to spend the proper quality time with their children. On the other hand, a right balance, by continuing to offer our kids an opportunity to use the art room, music room, dance studio, computer language lab and science lab will definitely help develop their self-esteem as they see something they create turn into their very own masterpiece or invention.
They will also understand how to adapt, to respect other ways of thinking and doing things, developing creative problem-solving skills and communicating ideas and thoughts more effectively. In essence, our kids will be well rounded and better prepared to compete, when the time comes for them to further their education and enter the working world.
My understanding is that the best high schools and colleges look beyond grades and focus on the value in students who know how to play an instrument, sing, dance or paint which is quite different from taking a multiple choice test. The arts require creative action to choose a tempo and phrasing when performing music and to picture what to draw as well as draw it. Art promotes the kinds of thinking, enthusiasm and discipline they need.
It is not just about learning how to recognize a famous painter like Leonardo Da Vinci. It is about preparing our children’s minds for the future. All the facilities that are in jeopardy of being taken away from us are powerful tools to motivate students to aid in developing thinking skills that require performance arts, computer lab and science lab facilities. As parents, we all want our kids to succeed in life.
