Monday, August 25, 2008

In Session

Takoma Education Center : Piney Branch Road and Aspen Street NW

School starts today in the District of Columbia and the State of Maryland. Universities and colleges, high schools and middle schools, and elementary and pre-K all go back to shiny classrooms. It's time for new pencils and crayons, books and paper, glue and tape, clothes, shoes, and backpacks--all the stuff that makes returning to the halls of education exciting for about five minutes!

L: Calvin Coolidge High School at 5th and Tuckerman Streets NW
R: Paul Junior High Charter School at 8th and Oglethorpe Streets NW


These are pictures of four of the schools in my neighborhood. I wanted to take snaps of kids and parents arriving, but given how weirded out people get by strangers with cameras around kids and sans children of their own, I decided to skip that.

Brightwood Elementary School : 13th and Nicholson Streets NW

To everyone returning to school, have fun! To those of you driving on the roads of Maryland and the District, please drive carefully. And to the kids in the Commonwealth of Virginia, enjoy your last week off!

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 08/08

7 comments:

Virginia said...

Love your "Ode to School" collection today. I am especially drawn to the more classical style buildings. Don't make em like that anymore!

 gmirage said...

We'd be starting next week! My daughter would be in erste klasse because she did vorschule first, she was ok for grade 1 but I thought she'd be too small for class since she was born in July =)

Those buildings are so exquisite! I would love going to school if my school was like that!!!

Janet Kincaid said...

Virginia: I figured as a former teacher you'd enjoy that!


Mirage: Yeah for your daughter! I loved first grade. D.C. public school buildings are rather inspiring intellectually, but I can't say the quality of education is all that great. Fortunately, we have a new school chancellor and she's really whipping the system into shape.

Maya said...

all the stuff that makes returning to the halls of education exciting for about five minutes.
Hah! That brought it all back for me... I agree that some shots with the kiddies would have been nice, but we are glad you didn't risk getting hauled off to jail for lurking about with a camera!

NG said...

Wow. You've got some pretty snazzy school buildings in your neighborhood. Ours looks like a run-down homeless shelter.

Jane Hards Photography said...

I am ultra vary of photographing kids. You'd think woman would be seen a non threatening but oh no. Graet arhcitecture for schoold. How they differ from the UK.

Janet Kincaid said...

Maya: I think what I should have done is asked one of the parents with kids in the neighborhood if I could have accompanied them to school that day for pictures. Alas...


NG: They look snazzy on the outside, but the quality of education on the inside leaves a bit to be desired. Hopefully, Chancellor Rhee hard-hitting policies are changing that, though.


Babooshka: D.C. seems to have this standard architecture model where almost all the school are red brick with cupolas. In Virginia and Maryland, the architecture is spread out more. One of these days I'll have to post photos of the high schools my sister and brother attended in the Commonwealth.