Demographics
This year I will remain at Johnson Middle School (JMS) as the 8th grade Math/Algebra I Teacher. With a current population of just under 300 scholars, 100% of the school population is eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch (FARMS) and live in crime infested neighborhoods. Johnson is located in Ward 8 of the southeast quadrant of the Nation’s Capital, Washington, D.C. The school is located in a community that is ridden by violence, an overwhelmingly amount of poverty, and students who experience daily traumas. Of the rising 8th grade class of 105 scholars, 25 of them have Individualized Educational Plans (IEP) and specific academic accommodations outlined in each. We have a truancy rate of barely under 50%, and 45% of students are classified as chronically absent. Our scholars carry a backpack of trauma and often times are depleted upon arriving to school. Recently, there have been tremendous shifts in the academic culture at JMS, and despite all of these obstacles, scholars have continuously risen to the occasion, with increasing the academic gains each year. With various incentives and an administrative team that has made student achievement its number one priority, JMS has continued to strive.
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