Thrive Superstar Awards

It’s teacher appreciation month and in lieu of trying to figure out who likes what to make a gift basket that a teacher would hopefully like, I decided to try to perform my duties as an appreciative parent while also continuing the fight for Thrive and its teachers by providing a platform that could shed some light on what’s going on, show the world who it’s affecting and how people can help.

{Also, for those who think my opinions might be biased or that I have incredibly low standards due to me "doing my time" in the NYC school system...}

The fact of the matter is, the level of commitment that I’ve personally seen from Thrive far exceeds ANYTHING I have ever seen in other schools both in NYC where I grew up and even out here in California. Yes, including private, stuffy schools for $40,000 a year in tuition. Teachers from other classrooms know other children's names even if they have no instructional contact with the student, teachers share school responsibilities like helping children open difficult lunch packages and so much more. This is in stark contrast to the experiences I had when I was a child where teachers in your own classroom didn't know your name but to even think of someone taking the time to console a child or to sit with them when they're having a difficult day is unheard of.

Thrive is a school that is comprised of some of the best teachers that California has to offer under one roof and after my skepticism was shattered after two years of quiet observation in stunned disbelief that one person could care so much about someone else, I decided something needed to be done to make sure their efforts didn't go "quietly into the night". To be quite honest, it really bothers me that so many of them continue to smile despite the news and the lack of intervention from California Governor Gavin Newsom and even the SDUSD board because if they knew what was happening on the front lines, I'm sure they would look at this as a chance to make a true difference.

So, to show everyone who has no idea what Thrive is, what it means to the students and what they would be losing if Thrive closed down, I decided to interview some of the teachers that my own kids have had interactions with when they attended Thrive as well as some other staff that were so influential with those around them that there was a clear difference being made in those children's lives. I asked teachers and other Thrive staff questions about their teaching history, current impressions, their goals and more. Their answers were beyond what I expected going into this...

Stay tuned to this blog for upcoming entries.

#kidsshouldthrive #keepthrivealive #sd #sdusd #community