Recently, I attended a happy hour for the teachers of Uncommon Schools, the umbrella non-profit organization for 16 charter schools serving across New York City, including our partner, Williamsburg Collegiate Charter School. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I agreed to go. The principal, Julie asked us to be there to encourage her teachers to find love on GiveAndDate. She might just be our #1 fan, even though she’s married. Julie believes that if her teachers find love in New York City, they’ll settle down here and more importantly, stay working within the schools. The happy hour turned into more of a pep rally for the Uncommon School teachers, who were about to kick off the school year the following Monday. Each school did a cheer that typically ended up bragging about why their school was better than the others. Williamsburg Collegiate made me proud, incorporating the urgency for a score of four on the state education exams…to the tune of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)”. Only instead of “you better put a ring on it” they all chanted “you better get a four on it”. Brilliant.

It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm from a room of about 100 school teachers, all before the start of a new semester. Each group of teachers gave it their best, maybe with some happy hour help. But regardless, I was struck by their energy and excitement and pride in their work, their students, and their schools. These are the teachers that will prepare low-income students for college – but more, the teachers show their students to aim higher, learn more, and maximize their potential when the odds are often against them. -Katherine Bilby