The battles going on (unions vs. charters, budget cuts vs. taxes, seniority vs. new, etc.) have no resolution in sight. I think that someone determined to make these “divide and conquer” issues, and we have been caught in the headlights. They are the ones to blame, not each other, but, blaming doesn’t really help.

I’ve worked in schools long enough to see that there is enough money for classroom supplies, to hold meetings and assemblies, have sports competitions, use existing equipment for social networking. But, we are prevented from doing so!

Here is a vision: students come to school and meet in the gym. Whoever does not want to participate can remain in the gym and do normal academic day studies. Areas are labeled: community work (including physically getting out into the community and working – mainly manually, to improve parks, litter patrols, etc.), fixing up the school (so that two janitors are not left to it) academics, phys ed., yoga/meditation/civics, communication (learning non-violent techniques), tech (including taking classes online together – there are zillions of them out there). Students go to one of those areas, based on a yearly plan – maybe they do two per year/five per year, whatever the overall plan is to make the student a functioning and productive member of society upon graduating. Teachers lead groups with project-based learning and work collaboratively to make it happen.

After (or during) lunch, students return to the gym. The morning is reviewed – in videos taken by students who captured their experience on flip cameras, by teachers, and in a recap by the principal. They have a pep-rally about their great work and then go to an afternoon area, which may be different from or a supplement to their morning work.

At the end of the day, teams reassemble and discuss plans for the afternoon and evening. Students connect on social networking after school and find out that an elderly neighbor, Ms. G needs groceries, and they go help her. Or math students meet to finish measuring their playground so they get ahead before school the next day (like I used to work after work in the corporate world to keep up. By the way, in the corporate world, I was paid well, but was not squelched by outmoded rules and regulations about doing things. I just talked to my project manager about my ideas and usually got the go-ahead!)

I’m finishing reading “Three Cups of Tea,” and connected with the Central Asia Institute to see whether their schools have the internet. Some do. Imagine working at a school there in those conditions. Let’s try to maintain perspective. The economy is bad all around and we are going to have to learn to rely on each other rather than fighting.

Thank you for letting me unleash some of my ideas. Yes, I’m a dreamer. Sorry to say that I have met teachers who are so bitter and hateful, they will never change. I hope to see many creative school reformers around the neighborhood.

I suppose the People of California did it to themselves although there was a lot of help from the National Democratic Party and the Irish Collectivists who dominated it in the Mid-20th Century.

What we are facing is something like post Katrina New Orleans. Or worse. Don’t think the baby-boomers are going to hang around California in their retirement.

Too bad. It was once a really nice place.

You can only run a welfare state for so long before you lose your nice place. I remember the history classes and reading about the baloney that the Soviet Union put out to themselves about how wonderful Socialism was going to be for everybody. The Israeli’s have always believed the same garbage since the formation of their nation (of course they don’t have the “diversity” we do – so the decadence takes longer).

My advice for people just edging into this is to study the fall of the Soviet Union – and what happened after the fall. That’s what’s coming here but with a Katrina flavor.

This is an education blog – I post these comments because education is the leading edge of this disaster and maybe a way to slow it down. The pink slips and the furloughs are really a precursor and a warning for the smarter workers to plan accordingly and maybe change occupations – if they want to live well.

Brave New World.

http://www.archive.org/details/Californ1958

We just got a site rep this past month at my school site and I have never received a single e-mail from OEA about meetings, etc. When young teachers have a million things to focus on and there is not readily available information about OEA, I don’t blame us for not reaching out.

I guess I am also just sick of this young vs. old debate in Oakland. We all teach for the same reasons-to impact student achievement for the youth in Oakland. I know I haven’t been here as long as a lot of others, but that doesn’t mean my priorities are different when it comes to our youth.

If you want to go back to school and get a math, science, pe or special ed credential, the district would gladly put you there. But if you don’t have that credential, then it’s simple, you can’t teach in that position.