Good morning, CharterFolk.
A couple weeks ago, Ahmad Dennis, a second grade student …
… and Regina Laurie, a second grade teacher …
… at Deep Roots Charter School in Philadelphia …
… released a Tik Tok video …
… that’s gone viral.
Literally tens of millions of views.
My favorite part?
When the local television station went to cover the phenomenon …
… they discovered that such postings are not an isolated occurrence, but are something that Jigcara Grant, the Deep Roots Dean of Students …
… posts every day.
Deep Roots, it turns out, is deeply rooted in the joyous activities seen on the video.
The school got started by people with deep community roots …
… who found a way to push through resistance to become the first new operator to open a charter school in Philadelphia in a decade.
It can sometimes be so dispiriting …
… to see the morass of adult politics …
… that gets in the way of more schools like Deep Roots from taking root.
But as PhillyFolk know …
… times are changing.
And sometimes a burst of energy …
… is so infectious it reveals a simple truth allowing all to see:
I’m telling you, it is like a real life Abbott Elementary. To watch them lift up and raise up our kids? I mean these are the jewels in our crown.
Real life dream schools like Deep Roots are within our reach.
We just have to let them grow!