Annette John-Hall: Masterman was the right choice

Wait a minute. I thought we were supposed to be proud that President Obama chose Philadelphia to deliver his annual back-to-school address Tuesday.

I know I was. As was his Philadelphia posse: Gov. Rendell, Mayor Nutter, and U.S. Reps. Chaka Fattah and Allyson Schwartz, all beaming from their reserved seats in the front rows. And how about Superintendent Arlene Ackerman, who got a shout-out from the president?

I swear I thought I saw her blushing.

And who wouldn't? Talk about a highlight for your resume.

Yet, ever since Obama chose prestigious Masterman School for his nationally telecast speech, all I've been hearing from are whiners.

No, I'm not talking haters. You know, the ones who last year accused the president of indoctrinating schoolchildren with some sort of socialist, revolutionary nonsense by challenging them to - gasp! - study hard and get good grades.

Interestingly enough, it's Obama's supporters who are grousing over his choice of Masterman, the top-performing public school in Philadelphia, which last week was named a 2010 National Blue Ribbon School.

They argue that struggling schools would have been best served by the president's presence and message, that telling Masterman students "absolutely nothing is beyond your reach so long as you're willing to dream big" is like preaching to the choir.

Masterman students "already are destined to succeed without the president's visit," the West Philadelphia High School Alumni Association wrote in a letter to The Inquirer this week. "Imagine if the president had not only acknowledged West's existence, but honored it? The impact would be immeasurable."

Can't deny that a presidential visit would be an enormous morale boost for a school like West, which consistently ranks near the bottom academically among public schools and just last year was removed from the state's list of "persistently dangerous" schools.

But it works the opposite way, too.

Obama's choice of Masterman was not a dismissal of West's existence. It was an affirmation for Masterman students that, yes, it is cool to go to school, do your homework, pay attention in class, stay out of trouble, and remember that nothing is beyond their reach.

And isn't that the message we want to reinforce in our children, whether they get a visit from the president or not?

Besides, why can't the narrative of urban education be one of achievement instead of struggle?

Especially at Masterman, a magnet middle and high school that draws from all neighborhoods in the city. Its 1,150-member student body is a model of diversity: 44 percent white, 28 percent African American, 18 percent Asian American, and 6 percent Latino. More than 40 percent of the students qualify for reduced or free lunch.

Still, Masterman students are proof that economic disadvantage does not mean failure.

"What we have more than anything are families with the drive to succeed," social studies teacher Amy Cohen says. "We've got fifth graders coming from Southwest Philly figuring out how to get here on SEPTA. That's what makes them stand out."

Sure, Masterman gets its share of recognition. But at the same time, students get overlooked precisely because they're labeled as exceptional. (Heck, Tuesday was the first time Ackerman had ever visited the gem in her crown, and she works two blocks away.)

Masterman staff complain repeatedly about the school's being overcrowded. Cohen walked me to the tiny library, where an eighth- and a 10th-grade English class were going on simultaneously.

Along with the rest of her sophomore class, Olivia Nutter, the mayor's daughter, sat in the afterglow of Obama's visit. Her teacher David Neale offered some advice.

"Some people have been saying it's not fair that the president came to Masterman," Neale said. "If people are mad and say it's because you're smart, just bask in it."