A budget-cut teach-in
Antero Garcia, an English teacher at Manual Arts High, writes:
Last Thursday, several hundred students at Manual Arts filed into our general assembly room and sat down ready to engage in our school’s Education Budget Cuts Teach-In.
Over the course of 90 minutes, the members of the school’s Human Rights Club and the School of Communication and Global Awareness Coalition presented facts about the education budget cuts, built connections between the budget cuts and the current war, and explained specific implications these cuts could have on a student at Manual Arts. The students noted that while there was still an increase in spending for prisons, per-student spending is decreasing. Loss of teacher preparation time (“Buy Back Days”) and possibly losing or lowering the pay of our school’s business manager were examples students pointed to that could lead to higher dropout rates at our school.
As a school that is approximately 80% Latino and 20% black, the students looked at various aspects of the budget cuts and claimed that the cuts most severely affect working-class Latino and African American youth.
After presenting their information, the students masterfully guided their peers into a town hall discussion about what steps students can take to protest the cuts. They handed out sample e-mails and letters as well as the contact information to for local legislators. At one point, a Human Rights Club member captured the feeling in the room:
"If we all unite, we have power!" A wave of applause followed.
What was most impressive about this event was that it was organized, researched and presented entirely by students. After a brief announcement from one of the Human Rights Club sponsors, the teachers stepped away from the microphone and the computer equipment, and students assumed control of their teach-in.
The next day, my class was enthusiastic about what they learned. As a group, we discussed the political roots of the teach-in as well as what kinds of next steps students could be a part of to create change.
How have we come to this? In what used to be the most advanced country in the world, our investment in education seems to be in constant decline. When will the administration wake up and see that the only way to have any hope of maintaining a vibrant economy is to invest in education. Penny wise, pound foolish.
Martin Walker
www.mindevolvesoftware.com
Posted by: SAT Test Prep Budget | July 24, 2008 at 05:58 AM