HOUSTON, Texas – Parents gathered to meet their students’ new teachers ahead of the school year at Fleming Middle School, with KPRC 2 cameras capturing the event.
If you didn’t know, KPRC 2′s Candance Burns spent last school year documenting how teachers, students and staff members at Fleming Middle School migrated to the new NES system. Our goal was to show you what the New Education System looked like so you could determine whether it’s beneficial for HISD and your students.
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As the school year begins and students enter their second year under NES, we continue our journey with Fleming Middle School, exploring the new system through their experiences.
At the Meet the Teacher event, we spoke with a concerned north Houston parent weighing whether to enroll her daughter, Paris, at Fleming for seventh grade or start homeschooling her for the first time. Paris attended a charter school last year.
Sheretta Miles, whose family originally hails from the Houston area but recently returned from Kansas City, Missouri, explained that her daughter, Paris, wants to attend public school. This led her to visit Fleming Middle School, though she is still grappling with the decision.
Miles said she’s drawn to Fleming because it’s where she went to middle school, heard of the recent changes, and wanted to check them out herself.
“I am looking forward to building on the success of last year. I just, I love the kids. I love the staff and the majority. I mean, I only hired two new teachers, like all of my staff came back, and so I don’t have to start at ground zero. The staff knows the expectations. They love the kids. They love the work, they love the community. And so really it is just about making sure that we are building up the kids and just pushing them to success,” principal Devin Adams said.
Miles’ primary concern is the potential for violence and bullying in schools, which has made her hesitant to commit to traditional schooling. However, after a reassuring conversation with Principal Adams, some of her fears have been alleviated.
“He made me feel very comfortable. He said that, you know, I come to realize Fleming is a model school. He said that kids are going to be kids, and they are not going to say that there’s no fight. However, they do get a hold of it, they do take care of it, and they do make sure that, you know, it’s not going to be any issues like that. And they do reach out to the parents and so forth and so on, and if there are any further issues, then they will be excluded from the school,” Miles said.
Despite being impressed by the school’s efforts to maintain a safe environment, the mother has decided to continue with her homeschooling plans for her daughter for now but is still considering options for the spring and next year.
Miles said homeschooling is more convenient for her, especially since she runs an in-home daycare, which allows her to be present for her daughter’s education and to support other parents with childcare needs.
She said her childcare service “Mama D’s Munchkin,” was inspired by her grandmother, who was a beloved caregiver in the neighborhood.