WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.500
[Kamani:] Welcome to Discovery Charter School!

00:00:02.500 --> 00:00:05.000
[Ms. Hall:] When you walk in the door, you see that

00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:07.500
something different is happening here.

00:00:07.500 --> 00:00:10.000
[Ms. Williams:] Poetry by Amiri Baraka, someone who 

00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:12.500
was highly respected in the city of Newark -

00:00:12.500 --> 00:00:15.000
We designed baseballs...we’re learning about Black history in New Jersey.

00:00:15.000 --> 00:00:17.500
[Mr. Pierantoni]: Before any learning can take place,

00:00:17.500 --> 00:00:20.000
it has to be safe.

00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:22.500
So we create a very safe, welcoming environment.

00:00:22.500 --> 00:00:25.000
The colors and the design of it look

00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:27.500
very inviting for students.

00:00:27.500 --> 00:00:30.000
[Ms. Hall:] It is an open-room schoolhouse concept.

00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:32.500
[Noweara:] A class here, a class there, a class everywhere.

00:00:32.500 --> 00:00:35.000
[Kamani:] At Discovery, it goes 4th to 8th grade.

00:00:35.000 --> 00:00:37.500
[Noweara:] Everyone's going to be in kind of mixed group;

00:00:37.500 --> 00:00:40.000
you can teach younger students and you can also

00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:42.500
learn from older students. [Kamani: ] This is Ms. Rogers’ classroom,

00:00:42.500 --> 00:00:45.000
English Language Arts.

00:00:45.000 --> 00:00:47.500
[Ms. Rogers:] The older students model for the younger students

00:00:47.500 --> 00:00:50.000
what hard work looks like,

00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:52.500
what struggle looks like, what success

00:00:52.500 --> 00:00:55.000
looks like. [Mr. Cretinon:] We’re not here to feed the kids

00:00:55.000 --> 00:00:57.500
knowledge with a teaspoon.

00:00:57.500 --> 00:01:00.000
We want them to uncover things.

00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:02.500
[Mr. Kabbani:] Students learn more and they retain more

00:01:02.500 --> 00:01:05.000
when they are doing more of the work.

00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:07.500
[Kamani:] This is a Social Studies class. That’s Mr. Pierantoni.

00:01:07.500 --> 00:01:10.000
Mr. Pierantoni is the Social Studies teacher.

00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:12.500
[Mr. Pierantoni:] I welcome the contributions by the different grade levels

00:01:12.500 --> 00:01:15.000
because they just see things differently

00:01:15.000 --> 00:01:17.500
based on the age that they're at and their development

00:01:17.500 --> 00:01:20.000
from 4th to 8th grade.

00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:22.500
[Mr. Cretinon:] We have two rules: don’t speak at the same time as someone else

00:01:22.500 --> 00:01:25.000
and don’t just get up out of a seat and go anywhere without asking us.

00:01:25.000 --> 00:01:27.500
[Ms. Hall:] When you put in those kind of common sense manners

00:01:27.500 --> 00:01:30.000
it automatically sets up 

00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:32.500
a respectful space.

00:01:32.500 --> 00:01:35.000
[Mr. Cretinon:] It’s pleasant to have manners, that’s all.

00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:37.500
[Joanne:] So you always hear « Thank you » and they make sure 

00:01:37.500 --> 00:01:40.000
to let you know you have to say that, because -

00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:42.500
- it’s nice.

00:01:42.500 --> 00:01:45.000
[Kamani:] This is Mr. Kruvant.

00:01:45.000 --> 00:01:47.500
Mr. Kruvant’s the writing teacher

00:01:47.500 --> 00:01:50.000
So he’ll teach us how to write poems 

00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:52.500
and stories and essays. [Ms. Rogers:] It’s a school that 

00:01:52.500 --> 00:01:55.000
allows a lot of faculty autonomy, 

00:01:55.000 --> 00:01:57.500
in terms of curriculum.

00:01:57.500 --> 00:02:00.000
I get to go home and think about,

00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:02.500
« How do I want to approach this? »

00:02:02.500 --> 00:02:05.000
[Noweara:] Teachers can kind of pick the way they want to teach the class,

00:02:05.000 --> 00:02:07.500
the way they know best will help the kid learn.

00:02:07.500 --> 00:02:10.000
[Kamani:] This is the science area.

00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:12.500
Ms. Heucke’s the Science teacher, and 

00:02:12.500 --> 00:02:15.000
she’s also my homeroom teacher. 

00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:17.500
This is the Math room. Mister Kabbani and Ms. Brachfeld

00:02:17.500 --> 00:02:20.000
will teach the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders in this classroom.

00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:22.500
[Mr. Kabbani]: Math really builds off of

00:02:22.500 --> 00:02:25.000
what you need to to learn from 4th grade in order

00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:27.500
to do something in 5th grade, and what you learn in 5th grade

00:02:27.500 --> 00:02:30.000
you need to apply in 6th grade, and so on.

00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:32.500
Because of that, we do have 

00:02:32.500 --> 00:02:35.000
students mostly within their same

00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:37.500
age groups. [Ms. Brachfeld:] If you plan it right,

00:02:37.500 --> 00:02:40.000
then while one grade is working on

00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:42.500
an exploration, you can go to

00:02:42.500 --> 00:02:45.000
the other grade and work with them

00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:47.500
and launch them into an exploration of their own.

00:02:47.500 --> 00:02:50.000
[Mr. Pierantoni:] We let the students take the teachers in

00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:52.500
directions that best fit their needs 

00:02:52.500 --> 00:02:55.000
and their backgrounds and their life experiences.

00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:57.500
Because in the end, we want the students

00:02:57.500 --> 00:03:00.000
to own what they learn, and 

00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:02.500
the best way to own what you learn 

00:03:02.500 --> 00:03:05.000
is to actually participate in what you’re learning about.

00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:07.500
[Kamani:] This is only for the 5th graders, Ms. Myles

00:03:07.500 --> 00:03:10.000
she teaches the 5th graders math.

00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:12.500
[Ms. Myles:] If you aren’t feeling well one day, or if something’s happening at home, 

00:03:12.500 --> 00:03:15.000
you’re not going to be receptive to the learning, and that becomes our problem.

00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:17.500
We’re with these children for eight to nine hours a day. They become family to us.

00:03:17.500 --> 00:03:20.000
[Aude:] I do feel like it’s a family here.

00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:22.500
It’s a place where you could tell people your ideas

00:03:22.500 --> 00:03:25.000
without having to worry about them laughing at you.

00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:27.500
[Mr. Pierantoni:] Getting the students to understand why they need to

00:03:27.500 --> 00:03:30.000
not snicker at somebody else, not laugh at

00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:32.500
another student’s answer, and respecting each other -

00:03:32.500 --> 00:03:35.000
it’s not about the rules, it’s about the relationships.

00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:37.500
[Ms. Myles:] There’s always this open-door policy at Discovery. 

00:03:37.500 --> 00:03:40.000
If something’s troubling you, we tell our students, « Feel free to come to us. »

00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:42.500
[Moustapha:] When there’s stuff happening at home

00:03:42.500 --> 00:03:45.000
they actually care. [Ms. Williams:] It’s about understanding their culture

00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:47.500
and helping them to grow, right, 

00:03:47.500 --> 00:03:50.000
to thrive. 

00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:52.500
[Ms. Hanson:] Being here with the kids, you get to see their gifts,

00:03:52.500 --> 00:03:55.000
and there’s room for that. [Mr. Cretinon:] We care for each other

00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:57.500
in more ways than just teaching classes.

00:03:57.500 --> 00:04:00.000
[Mr. Kabbani:] You can see this school 

00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:02.500
 as a community,

00:04:02.500 --> 00:04:05.000
And you can see the school as

00:04:05.000 --> 00:04:07.500
a learning institution,

00:04:07.500 --> 00:04:10.000
and the two are not mutually exclusive.

00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:12.500
[Ms. Johnson:] What I admire about here is that they will text you

00:04:12.500 --> 00:04:15.000
if he's not doing the homework, or

00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:17.500
didn't turn the homework in, or not doing the classwork.

00:04:17.500 --> 00:04:20.000
So, great communication.

00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:22.500
[Ms. Manning:] Discovery has been rewarding for my children

00:04:22.500 --> 00:04:25.000
and it helps them 

00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:27.500
to advance in society

00:04:27.500 --> 00:04:30.000
as well as academically.

00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:32.500
[Ms.  Hanson:] The kids are the focus; every part of them is being nurtured,

00:04:32.500 --> 00:04:35.000
not just their academics, but their whole well-being.

00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:37.500
[Ms. Hall:] This little society is something that

00:04:37.500 --> 00:04:40.000
kids need to learn how to be in.

00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:42.500
Everything is with an eye toward helping them succeed

00:04:42.500 --> 00:04:45.000
once they walk out the door.

00:04:45.000 --> 00:04:47.500
[Kamani:] This is Ms. Hanson. Ms. Hanson helps Ms. Grier.

00:04:47.500 --> 00:04:50.000
[Ms. Grier:] I’m nervous! I’m the « mom » of the school,

00:04:50.000 --> 00:04:52.500
so the children are comfortable with coming to me

00:04:52.500 --> 00:04:55.000
to talk about a lot of things,

00:04:55.000 --> 00:04:57.500
things that’s bothering them, or

00:04:57.500 --> 00:05:00.000
if they just want someone to listen.

00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:02.500
[Osasenaga:] They know you as if they know their own relatives.

00:05:02.500 --> 00:05:05.000
[Ms. Grier:] It’s a lot to discover,

00:05:05.000 --> 00:05:07.500
at Discovery Charter School. Yeah.

00:05:07.500 --> 00:05:10.000


00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:12.500