an e-mail to 4LAKids from “colonel cobalt”
Wed, Feb 1, 2012 2:16 pm
Hi,
I am a 7th grader at Ralph Waldo Emerson middle school in Los Angeles. I found your blog and wanted to share the petition I recently started due to the unfair actions the district places on the students.
"First, let me explain that as a student I am offended that the district thinks it is fine to change the school start dates without considering the impact on us, the students. The change affects the summer break of the students and the teachers. The summer gives the students a chance to explore and learn about the world outside the classroom. For all the work teachers do everyday, they deserve the break. In many countries the teacher is the most respected role in society.
These are our charges against your tyrannical district:
- For unfairly cutting our summer break short
- For serving food that is only increasing American child obesity
- For breaking Federal and FDA regulation by not providing nutritional information with meals
- For paying teachers and staff way less then they should be paid
Due to these wrong doings, we petition the LAUSD to change its actions to better the community.
Please help me spread the word about this. Abruptly changing the start date is costing LAUSD more money and debt. here is the link to the online petition:
http://www.change.org/petitions/recall-the-decision-to-cut-summer-break-in-half | http://chn.ge/xVQzhO
Thank you,
Colonel Cobalt
smf replies:
Dear Colonel:
Thank you for your passion and activism.
I suggest you amend the addresses in your petition to include ALL the members of the Board of Education, as follows:
And Superintendent Deasy: john.deasy@lausd.net
These are, I assure you, a bunch of well meaning adults who are nevertheless wrong. Mark Twain said: “First God created idiots – that was for practice. Then He invented School Boards. “ They can't help it - cluelessness and erroneous thinking comes with geezerhood.
I can tell you that you are on the right track, Not only does the PTA agree with you about the Early Start Calendar ...but so does the Teachers Union and the Principal's Union. Maybe not officially for the reasons stated in your petition - but really for the EXACT SAME REASON:
- Nobody asked Parents if this is what they want.
- Nobody asked Teachers.
- Nobody asked Principals.
- And nobody asked Students.
Which raises the question: Whose idea is this?.... and did anyone ask anyone else if it was OK with them?
I know why this calendar change might be a good idea - for very adult reasons having to do with testing schedules and the vagaries of the school calendar - which is based on nineteenth century concepts of agriculture and planting and harvest. Somebody planted this calendar back in the 1840's and it took root and grew into something like Main Street in Disneyland. Old and comfortable in its anachronism. It's not bad …but it's not exactly the coolest ride in the park!
Cobalt, I went to middle school back when it was junior high. It sucked even then when dinosaurs ruled the earth - "sucks' being the great and enduring American early adolescent definition of injustice, unfairness and adult indifference to what being a teenager is. I sent my daughter to middle school and was very apologetically aware of the continued and continuing and perpetual suckiness of it all - and believe me, it's not the kid's fault!
Please, please keep pointing out to adults how much better things could be.
Onward!
- smf
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