I began my Falls Church City Public Schools career in July 2016 as a bright-eyed newlywed from a large school district in Maryland, where I served as a Mathematics Specialist. I knew there would be adjustments transitioning from a large school district to a very small one, but I wasn’t expecting it to feel like I was a member of a close-knit family. My name is Jen Fessenden, the proud PK-12 Mathematics Coordinator and parent of an FCCPS student, and I would like to share my thoughts on what makes Falls Church City Schools so incredibly special.
One of the things that I quickly realized when coming to FCCPS, and one of the things that makes the school system truly special, is the “all hands on deck” approach. While we each have defined roles and descriptions, there isn’t a single person in our district who is not willing to step in and support our students in ways that go beyond their usual responsibilities. Instructional specialists volunteer to teach when additional class sections need to be added or when students need academic intervention, support staff jumps in to cover classes without hesitation, specialists and coordinators support across content areas, central office staff lend a hand with testing, and the list is almost endless. Here at FCCPS, we all wear many “hats,” which is not the case in other districts. To current FCCPS employees, it is just part of who we are. Those of us who have worked in other districts and positions know that this level of collaboration and flexibility is not the norm. The spirit of teamwork and flexibility is woven into the fabric of our culture.
In my second year working in FCCPS, I became pregnant with my daughter. The more time I spent in schools with teachers, the more I knew I wanted her to attend school here. My husband and I debated moving to the Little City, but I didn’t want to move again after moving to Virginia just a few years earlier. Just as we were looking into all of our options for Kindergarten, FCCPS wrote a Regulation allowing a tuition reduction for the children of employees.
What makes FCCPS stand out among other districts? The leaders of the district not only make decisions that are in the best interest of students but also accommodate the needs of its employees, and always have been. We are a top-ranking workplace, the first district to offer paid paternity leave, the first to offer vaccinations to all employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the list goes on. And those are the big ticket items that everyone sees. People don’t see that those large things can happen because this school system is built on relationships.
One may not know that our superintendent, Dr. Peter Noonan, knows every single employee and something personal about them; our food services team ensures that no child ever goes hungry, employees graciously donate hours and hours of sick leave to those in need or that the community is incredibly generous to our school system. The lesser-known acts of kindness and human connection contribute to the uniqueness of FCCPS.
Personally, having connections with others is of high importance and something that I truly treasure. One of my favorite things about being a teacher was teaching multiple children from the same family and building a deep connection with those family units. I am still in contact with a few of those families ten years later. I’ve always worried that connecting with families and school-based staff would be lost when I left the classroom for a curriculum and instruction position. And often, in larger districts, it is lost. That is not the case in FCCPS. Instead of having these connections within one school, as I did before, I can now build them within five schools and the larger community.
Working with families has been such a pleasure to find the right mathematics pathways for many of their children. Being in the school buildings regularly has also enabled me to build connections with so many staff members and students.
Without a doubt, my husband and I knew sending Ava to FCCPS was the right choice for our family. I tell everyone who will listen; as an employee, I know almost everything there is to know about Falls Church City Public Schools, live in a neighboring district with incredible schools, and choose to pay to send my child to FCCPS. The best feeling for a mom is knowing, with endless confidence, that your child is loved and cared for by the adults they are with daily. Being an FCCPS parent, I feel I have come full circle. In addition to being an employee, having a parent’s view on all of the decisions I make on behalf of the students and staff is invaluable.
I asked my daughter, who attends the FCCPS K-2 elementary school, what makes FCCPS so great, and without thinking, she said, “Because every teacher is so kind, even the teachers who are strict are so kind. The schools are trustworthy. When I am at school, I feel safe and happy.” Our school settings are so inclusive and accepting of everyone. Everyone knows they are welcome and belong here. So, in reflection of all of my intertwined experiences, the people make Falls Church City Schools stand out among the rest. It’s the people in the school buildings, the central office, and the community. Our incredible students are some of the best humans I have ever met. It’s the deep relationships that we all have with each other. It’s the feeling of knowing that we are all interconnected and that we all show up every day to give our best to our children and students and each other.
About Jen Fessenden: With more than 17 years of experience in education, Jen’s roles have included serving as a teacher, a mathematics specialist, a division-wide professional learning facilitator, and a curriculum writer. She is the PreK-12 Mathematics Coordinator for Falls Church City Public Schools, an International Baccalaureate Continuum Division. Jen is involved in the mathematics community at the local, state, and national levels.