The Answer - A blog about Education, Preparation, and Commitment.

Ten Things I Loved about my visit to YES Prep

January 21, 2011 by Jeremy Jones

Each spring we host Campus Insider Events for prospective teachers to gain a deep insight into how we are closing the academic achievment gap and increasing the number of low-income students from Houston that will finish a four-year college.  At a recent event at our North Central campus, we had over 60 visitors for our largest event yet!  One visitor was so inspired that he was compelled to write down a few thoughts.  We thought they were great and wanted to share them.

10 Things I Loved at YES Prep North Central (in no particular order)

1. The awesome school spirit, including:

• The “better” t-shirts with three icons of school priorities on the back
• “Live the Blue Orange” slogan
• “Success is not measured by wealth but by happiness.” (one of the inspirational quotes posted that has stuck with me)

2. Casual College Fridays when teachers and students wear college t-shirts and jeans.  Students have to earn it, teachers have already earn it!

3. Leslie Rodriguez, the school ambassador that led my group on the campus tour. She is amazing. A few moments that stood out:

• - I asked what DAP stood for. She said that she didn’t know the answer but she would be happy to find it and get back to me.
• - She apologized for the lousy weather multiple times and let us know that if she planned the weather for the day she would have made sure it was nicer.
• - After a question about the student lockers, she told us that she didn’t have a lock on her locker because she trusted her classmates, even if she had something valuable in her locker.

4. “Minute to Win It” during school assemblies

5. Teaching the arts – video production, photography – I loved the student photography exhibit!

6. Not one, but two Mac labs

7. The outdoor classroom

8. Traditions, including

• Giving new parents blue and orange nails for students hanging up their high school diploma and college degree someday.
• Rubbing the Y for good luck
• The bell that seniors ring when they receive a college acceptance letter

9. The library chandelier – very dramatic and very “Phantom”

10. The reply from a new teacher at YES Prep about the difference between teaching at YES Prep and other schools – “The biggest difference at YES Prep is the positive, supportive, collaborative environment.”
 

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