Many of the moms are clinically depressed. They sleep a lot, leaving their children unsupervised, and when the kids come home from school it is to a dark apartment, with blinds drawn to shut out the light. That s why the school doesn t take any new students after the 5th or 6th grade. The classrooms are small but vibrant with student art. Slit open tennis balls grip the bottom of the chair legs, acting as mufflers to deaden the sound of chairs scraping on the floor.
Teachers come from a variety of backgrounds.
One taught in Africa last year. Others have been at the school for years. They show a combination of idealism and realism when they talk about the kids. Carol Herring, who recently succeeded Mrs. Walt as president of the school, may be typical of the teachers who stay. She came to the Neighborhood School three years ago after teaching in another Memphis-area Christian school for two years.