It was fun. Very warm, and I think the kids all felt very welcome and they all felt that they belonged. Mr. Bracy was the principal, and he knew more about one of my students than I did. Information that couldn’t be found in her file. He just really cared about the kids and he was a wonderful principal to work with. It was a very safe environment too. Warm, safe, and friendly. I enjoyed the staff, it was a great staff. Very child centered.It made me expect more of my future colleagues because of the quality of the people I worked with at Coolidge, and that’s not exclusive to the teachers. I meant everyone, secretaries, custodial staff, the people in the lunchroom, everyone.There were so many [memories].One of them would be field day with the kids at the end of the year. Everyone was out there just having fun.I didn't enjoy the leaky roof, and there weren’t enough bathrooms for the kids and that could become a but frustrating. In the grand scheme of things, that’s the least important. [When Coolidge shut donw] I tried to make it an adventure, something looks forward to in experiencing a new place. I think that’s [Coolidge Park Apartments] fantastic! I hope it’s a wonderful thing for that community. That neighborhood needs to be revitalized and I hope that helps. |