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I work at Maritime Academy Charter High School, or MACHS, which is a Title I school, where most of my students come from low-income neighborhoods of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Because this school is charter school, these students are coming to escape from their neighborhood school, which usually does not provide the best education due to the environment. In turn, students are often extremely weak in all content areas across the board.
This past school year, the School District of Philadelphia closed many of its schools due to budget cuts and poor performance on state assessments. MACHS was fortunate enough to purchase one of these schools. Prior to the buying the old Stephen A. Douglass School, three hundred students were wedged into old barracks, with small hallways and classrooms. The building did not offer many of the amenities that most schools do. This past year, our students were able to have a gym, cafeteria and even a stage in the new building. Being in a brand new space, I was able to create a warm, inviting classroom for all my students. With all the upgrades, MACHS also spent a good portion of its allotted spending on technology. Each teacher has a ENO SmartBoard in their room, as well as access to 16 school iPads and 30 iMacs. However, one downside is that students only have access to these technologies at school, not at home. |