Ward 7

My family is no stranger to the impact mental health issues have on a home.  Ten years ago, my husband gained full custody of his nine-year-old son. Though my husband’s relationship with his ex-wife felt unsalvageable, his son maintained a relationship with his mom.  However, between the custody battle and the constant bi-weekly move from […]

Ward 7

As quiet as it’s kept, I hate public speaking.  Well, it is not really kept quiet, I tell people all the time. Some people are blessed with the gift of gab but not me. I’ve been an education advocate for about 20 years and if I had my way, I would always lead from behind.  […]

Ward 7

I am a parent of three DC public school graduates, a grandmother of five current DC public school and public charter school scholars – two of whom have graduated. I’ve always been involved with the Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) and Parent-Teacher Organizations (PTOs) my children attended.   As the PTA President of SEED Public Charter School of […]

Ward 7

Sometimes sharing my story feels like stumbling down a flight of stairs.  I start at the top, sharing all the good parts – like my spiritual growth and relationship with God, building my interests in the pre-med and public health field, and my deep family ties that have strengthened over time.  But then I share […]

Ward 7

What should a parent do when school opening may be around the corner and your child is doing better with remote learning?  That’s where I find myself with my 1st grader. Even before the pandemic, my daughter did not like going to school. She has never been a fan of classrooms or school, and while […]

Ward 7

For two years, I worked with youth exiting DC’s child welfare system. Reliable information on the child welfare system is purposely made scarce by DC leaders in an effort to avoid accountability, but in my experience, most young people left care without safe or stable housing, many had at least one child, and nearly all […]

Ward 7

For my five children, my husband and I made the decision to homeschool. We had considered homeschooling before the pandemic, and with the onset of the pandemic, virtual learning in my house meant constant calls from five teachers, managing five children’s differing schedules, and too much learning on a screen. We decided it was time […]

Ward 7

My son is thriving academically by learning from home. But he and I are not thriving when it comes to our social-emotional and mental health.  For my son, learning from home and being away from his teachers and friends has led to meltdowns outside of learning time. My son now talks about never wanting to […]

Ward 7

During the regular school year in pre-pandemic times, my daughter thrived from a good daily structure: A clear schedule that students and teachers followed and clear spaces where my daughter could do her school work. Now that we are learning from home, my daughter is struggling. Her schedule is different everyday and the distractions are […]

Ward 7