My WO Story

How it all started

We moved to California in 2004 and when we became pregnant in 2006 I honestly assumed that (1) parents have the sole discretion as to where their children go to school and (2) it’s Silicon Valley, so every school is spectacular and fully funded – certainly more so than in our prior home Florida (especially where I lived in South Miami) that struggled to keep up with the student population and clearly had limited resources.

Then I stared to actually learn the reality. I heard from a work colleague that they had actually moved in order to access the best option for their child – and this entailed leaving (!) the Cupertino district (with its stellar reputation notwithstanding). I learned that parents, at best, have somewhat nominal input into their schooling options with everything from school capacity to home location being far more relevant. As our first student approached enrollment we decided to visit as many school tours as we could separately and then review our observations. To be perfectly blunt we reviewed the feedback on Washington Open and all but dismissed the “hippie” school – it was nothing like what either of us had grown up with. The touchy-feely description sounded nice but the academic focus of a Miliken sounded far more familiar. But we decided to include it, if anything because it was so different and yet yielded excellent results in state metrics that clearly something must be working.

I remember only a few details from my tour, but they stick out and changed my mind completely about WO. One in particular impressed me profoundly. There I stood in a group of at least ten other prospective parents waiting for our tour guide (Anna Welsh, as it turned out) when a student walked into our group and asked Mary or Judy about something. It blew my mind that the child was completely at ease surrounded by adults and that she’s used a first name to address the office staff. When I asked Anna about it she noted that the dynamic they tried to establish was more collaborative than authoritative. It wasn’t Teacher above Student, it was more of a partnership in education (paraphrasing) and that using first names helped establish that relationship. More notably was the fact that because the students are used to being around adults they’re not intimidated when they interact with them. It was neither precocious or disrespectful behavior from that child, it was confident – and I was deeply impressed by it. She was able to articulate what she needed, in a room of adults and it was completely natural to her. Hmmm…

When we convened to review our school visits, Mabel and I both agreed that something had clicked with WO. We strongly considered other options, but when we were told that the lottery system pretty much only considered your first selection (and were informed other schools were over-populated from local students alone) we put our eggs in the WO basket. We also realized that we would be out of town when the acceptance calls might come in and made a point of ensuring we wouldn’t miss it. When we found out we’d gotten in it was a celebration – we wanted our son to develop that confidence I’d seen and we wanted him to be a kid – to enjoy his first years of education (and for us to play a part in it) and were both excited and perhaps more than a little intimidated to take on the work.

Oh how little we really knew about what we were signing up for! When we went to our first school meeting one of the first things we saw was quite literally an Elvis impersonator. Our reaction was “yep, this is the right fit for us” as it was clear that there was no lack of humor here – the Las Vegas themed auction being our first of many fun times with the community. But when the reality of the class volunteering, classroom jobs and other commitments became clear it was undeniably intimidating…but also incredibly educational for both our student and for us. I remember my first center in kindergarten and not having a clue how to manage 5 little girls (both of our kids are boys). I sat with them in a circle with a ball trying to show them how to interact and cooperate in a simple game. Little did I know that even 5-6 year olds can establish (and instantly change) cliques and friendships. My head was spinning seeing one child excluded…then included for some arbitrary reason known only to them. I was there to guide them, but I was also going to learn a lot from them. I also recall seeing a kid clearly upset as they were struggling to keep up and doing my best to console and encourage them and realizing that it’s not always easy and while I don’t pretend to be a teacher just hearing a kid out can help them feel better.

I’m rambling on because frankly I can’t count how many little moments we’ve gone through in our eight years as WO parents – so many wonderful happy ones, but also tough ones. Belly-aching laughs along with tears (sometimes held back, sometimes not). We’re currently living through the third week of COVID-19 quarantine and only recently did we learn that our last year of WO is, in essence, already over. I had been dreading the final weeks since the year began, knowing this arc was coming to an end and then it was taken from us abruptly. This is why I decided to put (proverbial) pen to paper and get out some thoughts about so many people in this little world that have impacted our family and will forever be etched in my mind. In no particular order and with the fear that I’ll almost certainly miss some people, here are some thoughts that I’ve long meant to share:

Ann Dyer

Both our boys were lucky enough to be assigned to be Room 6 Superstars and I cannot express enough how much that impacted our family. Ann is an exceptional educator. As I’ve told her and others many times, I never SAW teaching (as I knew it) happening in her class. In fact I wondered if the socialization that I did see her instilling in the students, while important, was going to potentially delay them academically. Except, despite the complete lack of read / repeat / copy / repeat that was the hallmark of MY elementary education, our son was reading. He was doing math. He was learning…and I never saw the desks-in-rows-blackboard that was, to me, how learning happened. Beyond that I saw middle school kids stopping by to say hello – former students now years removed…still wanting to talk to their kindergarten teacher. Huh? Now I get it…Ann exudes a calmness and deep respect for kids. In retrospect it’s the Mister Rogers kind of feeling – she connects and validates children and they love her for it. Years later our younger son played out a perfect Ann moment when a far bigger and older kid jumped the queue at a park slide. Our son calmly explained that it was his turn, he has been waiting and that the bigger kid needed to wait his turn. It was stated so matter of factly and with clarity that he simply apologized and went to the back of the line. That’s a heck of a lot more relevant than memorizing a times table. But even after our kids had left her class, Ann welcomed them back as reading buddies and even gave our son Daniel a ‘Harry Potter’ day with him dressed as a wizard to run centers and she’s spent time outside of school hours with Nicholas just to catch up. What a gift she, her sister and her daughters have been. What a sign of how beloved she is that her students (some adults by now) are still coming back to catch up with her.

Anna Welsh

She was my tour guide, so our WO life certainly started with her as one of the first people we knew, but it grew for me when in my first play experience. I will forever regret not really “getting” it and skipping the adult cast that year – I honestly had no inkling of the scale of the WO play and since we had a kindergartner we only participated in the pre-show. So when it came time for the real deal my first actual show was the Kid’s cast opening night and I was helping backstage (with Anna) Stage Right. I was hooked. I worked every single show (but didn’t see the adult one at all!) and was stunned by how amazing it was. Anna helped me learn the ropes and since then has never once failed to be positive and kind. She’s great reading kids stories in the library and somehow still seems to think I (and others) should be able to do her wild headstands. I hope she pursues public office again – I know it was a disappointment when she didn’t win – but that was Santa Clara’s loss, not hers. She’s just one of those people you can’t help but like and respect.

Mary Erickson

In one of those “small world” moments, a dear friend from my motorcycling world asked me one day how I knew Mary. Little did I know that her daughter had been a Washington Open student years ago and Mary (at that time) was a fellow parent. Mary is invariably smiling and welcoming, unfazed by skinned knees or even something like the current COVID-19 madness – always with a welcoming smile and a warm greeting. How she juggles the million office things I’ll never know. How she does it while never, ever failing to engage with kids that come by (all the time) and parents and phone calls and and and … she blows my mind. She’s a joy to be around.

Judy Kusa

The bedrock, the backbone, the whatever cliche you want to use to express the glue that holds things together. Judy works SO hard to keep the school on track – but it’s not that alone. It’s the hours and days and nights and just heroic amount of things she does in big and small ways to support the school is astonishing…and it’s always with a smile on her face. She’s another former parent and remains so – both kids and parents rely on her knowledge, her patience (her endless patience!) and her support. I can’t fathom WO without her.

Kusa and Erickson Families

The daughters (Katie and Liz) and husbands (Lee and Dave) contribute so much to this community that it’s amazing. Certainly in the play where the guys are Men with Tools for some 20+ years now, working weekends and quite literally weeks at the theater to make the show happen. Without them it would almost certainly NOT happen. Dave’s booming voice, Lee’s wood working knowledge, rock ethos and all of their deep Broadway knowledge…man I look forward to hanging out with them come late Fall. Both daughters are now teaching themselves (you can imagine how good they are it) and as a parent I can see how much their parents must treasure that they still share a love of theater and a passion for working together. They are great people and whatever banter may bounce around I love them all and appreciate them more than I might let on.

Bill Melo

Almost every morning I’m on campus I’m greeted by his smiling face and some joke or reference that half the time I have to look up because it’s so obscure (but always funny and on target). Bill spreads laughs and smiles – the kids all love him but I’m sure they know how much he cares too. He comes in early to make sure the play areas are safe and it’s out of his love for the kids…he’s wonderfully creative and witty and has such a sharp sense of humor that I strive to keep up. He’s a riot!

Arturo Velazquez

‘T’ is, and I mean this is absolute best of ways, such a great kid. I’ve been lucky enough to have some great conversations with him and he has such a passion for his culture and focus on his education; it’s inspiring and humbling. I know his path will ultimately lead away from WO and that will be a tremendous loss for the community…but I also know he will become a talented educator in his own right and impact Latino kids in ways that will resonate throughout their lives positively. He’s a smart, funny and passionate guy and it was always great to cross paths with him on campus.

Chris Atchison

The story that always comes to mind precedes our being in her classroom. While I missed Seussical in 2012, I jumped at the chance to participate in the Adult cast the next year when we did Peter Pan. This meant I got to know “Play Chris” before I met “Teacher Chris” and they’re not the same person. Play Chris is goofy and funny and talented – she’s a blast to be around and I was accustomed to joking around with her…so on the first day of second grade I burst into her room to wish Nicholas well. Classroom Chris is a consummate professional and runs things smoothly and meticulously – she was kind enough to tolerate my disruption and very politely made it clear that it was ok…THIS time. 😉 We were so lucky to have her with Nicholas in both 2nd and 3rd grade then again for Daniel in 3rd…we were bummed when those years ended because she’s such a focused and effective teacher and she is so good to the kids with her dance parties, carpet time and all those field trips.

Joye Wegener

Of course I have to mention her and Christina Campisi and their amazing Open Sing talent – more than once (understatement of the year) they’ve brought tears to my eyes with their singing and the sentiment of the songs they clearly choose carefully and sing with so much love, to say I’ll miss that falls so short of how we treasure that tradition. Beyond that, Joye helped Nicholas navigate some rough waters – and this while she herself was experiencing profound personal loss. Words fall short to express how loving and kind she truly is, she exudes warmth and dignity and is an absolute gem of a person.

Barbara Berman

At the end of our first year the principal left Washington. I was worried that given the unique nature of the school leadership was critical to maintain the culture and a new principal might mean changes…maybe unwelcome ones. Thankfully Barbara has embraced and if anything expanded the undefinable qualities that make WO what it is. She a boisterous presence that is entirely in her element leading the parent trainings and onstage – but also an advocate for kids and stern when she has to be, then off in some amazing adventure with whales or on a safari or somewhere else taking amazing photos and telling us all about it. She’s a passionate animal parent and treats her pets with tremendous love. She’s a good egg and a sweetheart that always gives a warm welcome.

The more I write the more I realize how many people I want to mention – so I’m going to try to be a bit more succinct:

• Davina Racinez: So creative and friendly – her family’s support for Pioneer Days is WO legend – what an amazing gift to give kids the experience of the Oregon Trail!
• Tammy Schultheis: She likes things her way and has no compunctions about letting you know…but she’s also tremendously loving and adores her kids. It was a pleasure doing the Ship Trip with her, she’s a great Tall Sailor!
• Andrea Borrows: While I did one Balclutha trip with her, I missed out on Gold Country which is a shame. She’s a creative and talented cook – we share a joy of making bread – and she’s such a kind and caring educator. Her biking on our crazy street takes guts and bravery which she has a ton of.
• Kristina Santos: Way more than just my 7-11 buddy, she’s become a fixture at the school, doing everything from watching the kids on the blacktop to even assembling furniture at all hours – she’s so friendly and kind and ready with a joke. She’s awesome!
• Janine Barraclough: That big smile was never warmer than when she talks about her big league son and the rest of her family…what a friendly and welcoming personality and so great with the kids. Seems like just, what, last year we were in first?
• Jennifer Jenkins: The last teacher in our WO journey – what a creative and passionate educator – but also a damn strong person that dealt with a million things this year (way before the closure she’d already faced a mountain or three) and yet never stopped greeting the kids with a radiant smile and optimism. I know it’s been a tough time – thank you for doing so much for our class!
• Jen Johnson: I hope you know how much your bottomless creativity and passion for art came across in your classroom. You worked so hard to instill a joy for it in the kids and it was so evident in their creations. I’m so glad we still hang out to play music!
• Keyla Zorzella: You are such a natural teacher – your Cornerstone lessons were so genuine and filled with optimism and kindness – it was inspiring to see you truly express yourself to the kids, I know they benefitted tremendously from it.
• Wendy Guttman: If Men with Tools build the play, Wendy builds everything else. She’s does so much to support the play and people likely just remember her as the “exits are at the rear and sides of the theater” lady. Oh man, she does SO much more!
• Carrie Marie: A total crack up, unceasingly funny…but also busts her Texas butt to design and create the play sets.
• Celia, Amy and Donna: How they retain their sanity, let alone the ability to smile during endless rehearsals and those darn parents blabbing and joking and screwing up…I’ll never know, but I appreciate it deeply.

I know there are many others to mention, Tanja stepping in at a moment’s notice in room 16, Londa’s irrepressible enthusiasm for the book club stories, invariably saying how the LOVES that book!, Ann and before her Judianne working so hard to ensure all the different gizmos work on campus – never once complaining no matter how frustrating that can be, Khan somehow keeping his sanity while dealing with all the “can’t go outside” days, Jen Peak always kidding around and still too cool to ride her bike with me :), Maureen so patiently trying to teach me how to hit the right notes at the right time…all of you, ALL of you have made a positive difference in my life.

I’m a better parent than I ever would have been without this community, I’m a better person from learning from each and all of you in some way. You have made moments that I will treasure – the plays, the classrooms, the chats on campus, the events off-campus, the field trips…all of it priceless moments that made eight years pass in a flash. I so dearly intend and hope that we remain friends, even as we return to normal and the path of our lives cross less frequently.

This is a special place that we’ve been honored to be a part of. I hope each and every one of you know how much you matter, how much you’re appreciated and how much I treasure your part in our lives. Thank you so very much for being the people you are – you rock!

I’d love to hear YOUR comments on WO memories – feel welcome to leave your thoughts below.