Teacher reflects on seniors’ presentations

Antero Garcia, an English teacher at Manual Arts High, writes:

Last week, while Manual Arts’ ninth, 10th and 11th graders spent their morning taking the California Standards Tests, the nearly 50 seniors in my Small Learning Community, the School of Communication and Global Awareness, presented their senior presentations, which have become an annual tradition. Each senior presented to an audience of teachers, peers, and invited guests a 30-minute overview of personal challenges and achievements throughout their high school careers.

As the principal English teacher for these students, I can attest that these culminating presentations are an annual source of anxiety and trepidation for many of the students. However, as the presentations rolled out in three different on-campus locations, I was overwhelmed with appreciation and wonder at the struggles my students have overcome throughout their four years at Manual Arts.

Many of these students discussed the importance of being the first in their family to graduate. Many discussed the struggles of learning English and coming to America as young teenagers. Nearly all of them discussed the struggles that overwhelmed many of their friends: ditching, drugs, gangs. These were reminders for students about the kinds of amazing effort students have put in simply to confront the standard academic challenges of the school.

Many of these seniors have volunteered to present their 30-minute overview to their younger community members. Over the next few weeks, many of the ninth- and 10th-graders from our small learning community will be engaged in listening to and asking questions about presentations they will be asked to create in the coming years.

This process of fostering academic rigor and celebrating our community members’ achievements has been integral to the success of our seniors. It’s a process that continues to thrill me daily.