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Community Comments
October 6, 2008
If you were in the market to purchase an automobile and a manufacturer called "Los Angeles Undermined Superior Deals" had a history of assembling only 30 percent safe cars to drive -- would you consider LAUSD (sic) for your money?
With LAUSD's graduation record of only 30 percent of its student body, it appears that our governor has made some choices that warrant his consideration of appropriation of funds to viable contributors to the future of California.
I applaud your most recent televised efforts to improve the educational system by implementing a plan allowing self-rating of teachers' ability to inspire students to learn by instituting a grading system that purportedly helps the lower ranking teachers to improve their teaching skills or make room for new teachers who may make a significant improvement.
Although, I do not approve of your "wolf watching my chickens", at least, the first stage of LAUSD's psychological improvement is to have recognized a problem does exist, and a change needs to be adopted.
I am pro-school and pro-education, even though I am a product of LAUSD, too. My problems began at birth, born into a family of multiple fathers, poor single parent on welfare and few toys at Christmas. When I first attended classrooms over 51 years ago, the classrooms, water fountains and bathrooms were in better condition than today's. I loved going to school, because it was a place of peace, organization, soft voices teaching me things I had never heard of before. Before long, my older brother's friends were telling him to watch out, (the author) is demonstrating great ideas and talents.
I give great credit to Mr. Arthor my 6-th grade teacher at Murchison Street School in east Los Angeles. He was first to present me [the class] with a cigar box full of batteries, DC motors, light bulbs, wires and static electricity materials to play with, especially if I completed written tests early, to keep me quiet and engaged.
This experience transcended to a 4-year scholarship by the Sloan Foundation in 1970 to major in Electronics at Northrop University, formerly Northrop Institute of Technology, Inglewood.
My anger with LAUSD began when I was graduating from Manual Arts High School and realized that I may never understand algebra or trigonometry, especially after my Electronics Teacher Mr. DeRocher explained that algebra is an integral part of electronics. Where were the school counselors when I was making the Honor Role in junior high school and again when admitted to high school?
(I asked, and it was approved, after graduation, that I could return to take Algebra with Mr. Weinwright. I had already won the City of Commerce Merit Award, but, I knew nothing of the Sloan Foundation Scholarship at that time.)
My experience taking electives in wood shop, working with plastics, bending metal, spot-welder and helping other students repair all types of electronic devices such as toasters, irons, lamps, vacuum cleaner motors, radios, tape player/recorders, televisions, electronic organs, record players using sound generators, Techtronic scope, oscilloscope, multi-meter, isolation transformers and components such as resistors, capacitors, coils, solder and soldering gun.
Mr. DeRocher and Mr. Alcutt were the best teachers of their day to me in high school. I learned more than electronics, but how to treat people when adversity struck. If I ever had a hero to look up to, I was the luckiest student in my lifetime, I had two!
My suggestions are as follows:
These types of electives need to return to the school grounds, along with music and art. These creative course help shape a student’s mind in character and moral values. One learns it is far more difficult to create something “good” than to take a cleaver or hammer to destroy a thing of beauty.
Mandating the return of these types of courses will, of course, be more difficult, because it means creating a school system that inspires students rather than tearing them down by passive issuance of grades because the students are getting too tall and heavy.
Insurance issues can be handled by lobbying to have the school system, a federally mandated operation, exist as a government agency, which cannot be sued. Hence, there will no longer be a requirement for insurance premiums and any budget allocation for same. This means an increase of funds already. Of course, there exists risk to do anything in America. Forming America was risky business, too. People died to create a country as the one we enjoy today. But, no one sued the government. Education must become one of the requirements, as liberty does, that cannot be substituted into a corporate affair between other entities who sue each other for errors, omissions and accidents. But, at the mercy of the government, allow some restitution to help those students who are harmed in the pursuit of education. This effort can also be supported by nonprofit organizations to help these unfortunate individuals.
Just like the polio vaccination decision, 2 percent of the American population who would be injected with the vaccination to prevent polio, would get polio and otherwise, would never have been struck with the disease. As was done then, our president had to face the statistics of having 98 percent of Americans contracting polio, or saving 98 percent of the population. This was a difficult decision, but you and I are here today, because of that great decision.
When we train our youth for military battle, it is a dangerous proposition. Some die on the training ground, after all, accidents will happen when working with explosives, guns, rifles, jets, tanks and radio active materials. It is time to look to the higher ground of what is better for our nation to protect our LAUSD by creating a better educational system and reducing liability in its effort to disseminate information in an inspirational manner. There will be casualties, but not 70 percent.
It is my hope, that you will take this reading and view it as constructive criticism and more than that, take the courage to adopt laws that truly make education a No. 2 priority behind national security. After all, education increases national security, national economy, superiority in our position as a world leader and provider to countries in need.
We are America, and we can do better than 30 percent graduates, of which only 3 percent are prepared for college.