Chalkbeat Detroit

Nov 6, 2023 | detroit.chalkbeat.org | Torrance Johnson

First Person is where Chalkbeat features personal essays by educators, students, parents, and others thinking and writing about public education. As I sit in front of a 50-foot tree covered in rows of glow sticks — with one slot still empty — I think of the friends and loved ones I’ve lost throughout my life. The memories are like raindrops as they become a puddle. From my hand dangles the missing glow stick, uncracked.

Oct 31, 2023 | detroit.chalkbeat.org | Ethan Bakuli

Proposed legislation would require Michigan charter schools to tell the public how much they pay their teachers and support staff. Rep. Matt Koleszar, the chair of the House Education Committee who introduced the legislation, described the bill as a tool to help new teachers make career decisions. “This just helps them be better informed as to what they might make if they choose to teach at a charter school,” said Koleszar, a Democrat from Plymouth, during a committee meeting Tuesday.

Oct 31, 2023 | detroit.chalkbeat.org | Ethan Bakuli

For four years, Jamarria Hall rode the city bus 13 miles from his home on the west side of Detroit to Osborn High School on the east side, a nearly two-hour trip along Seven Mile Road. He spent the time looking out the window and meditating on the state of his hometown, as the bus passed block after block of dilapidated houses and shuttered buildings.

Oct 19, 2023 | detroit.chalkbeat.org | Ethan Bakuli

Detroit school district officials are proposing to standardize the transfer process for students and families looking to switch between district schools during the school year. Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of the Detroit Public Schools Community District, said the new policy guidance would help address possible disruptions to classroom learning if students consider leaving a school in the middle of the year, either because they are moving or dissatisfied with their current school.

Oct 16, 2023 | detroit.chalkbeat.org | Ethan Bakuli

As dozens of koi swam around a pond, a group of Detroit elementary and middle school students let out a chorus of oohs and aahs. Up close, the carp were dazzling — some with orange and white patterns, others painted yellow and with black spots. Peeking over the metal railing along the koi pond, the students peppered their instructor with questions. “What do they eat?”“How long do they live for?” “How do fish get pregnant?”Kids can get awfully curious in the presence of nature.