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Ms. McCusker's Classroom Edit display name

  • Mastery Charter School - Smedley
  • Philadelphia, PA
  • More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

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My students attend an elementary school in Philadelphia, PA. We are a very structured school, but are unfortunately located in a low-income area, and are known for being in one of the most dangerous parts of the city. Our school was even donned the nickname "Deadly Smedley," before Mastery took over. Even with those surroundings, our students still come to school every day with smiles on their faces because they know that they are one step closer to going to college. Many of our students have lost parents and siblings due to the crime in the neighborhood, and many have witnessed those happenings themselves. This does not hold our students down. They are always striving to be on the next reading level, or to get a 100% on their Benchmarks. Having Spanish allows our students to "leave" their daily life, and travel to different Spanish-speaking countries to immerse themselves in the language and culture of the people who live in those countries.

About my class

My students attend an elementary school in Philadelphia, PA. We are a very structured school, but are unfortunately located in a low-income area, and are known for being in one of the most dangerous parts of the city. Our school was even donned the nickname "Deadly Smedley," before Mastery took over. Even with those surroundings, our students still come to school every day with smiles on their faces because they know that they are one step closer to going to college. Many of our students have lost parents and siblings due to the crime in the neighborhood, and many have witnessed those happenings themselves. This does not hold our students down. They are always striving to be on the next reading level, or to get a 100% on their Benchmarks. Having Spanish allows our students to "leave" their daily life, and travel to different Spanish-speaking countries to immerse themselves in the language and culture of the people who live in those countries.

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About my class

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