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Showing posts from March, 2009

Leaving Finland

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Lake Jyvasjarvi I have never lived anywhere for 5 months other than Jyvaskyla, Finland. As my Fulbright journey concludes, there is so much to still digest. It will take months, if not years, to truly assimilate all the learning. Before I left Southern California, I wrote about the what I would miss the most from home and what I  looked forward to experiencing in Finland. It is safe to say I met my goals. Top 7 Goals 1. Discussing Education Helsinki Workshop Through professional development programs, Fulbright Finland connected teachers with scholars and researchers, for the purpose of putting inquisitive minds together. The Making Democracies Resilient to Modern Threats seminar provided participants with fascinating research and presentations. 2. Nordic Model Bus station in Espoo What does an efficient and earnest country look like?  It looks like Finland. Yes, people pay higher taxes, but get so much in return. I for one appreciated the well-maintained ro

United States Congress Writes Letter About California Stimulus Funds

Twenty-six members of Congress have written to Governor Schwarzenegger and Superintendent O'Connell urging released stimulus funds to be used to SAVE JOBS and REDUCE EDUCATION CUTS, the purpose for which they were intended. It's not too late to call you Board Members and urge them to vote no on item 2 tomorrow and use more of the stimulus to preserve the gains we have all worked so hard to make. Read the letter by clicking on the link below. http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/capitolalertlatest/govletter.pdf

A Message From a Teacher in South Central

Dear Superintendent Cortines and LAUSD Board Members, In the next week, you will be voting on important budget decisions that I am sure have taken their toll on your personal and professional lives. I have no doubt as to the integrity and thoroughness of your decision making process, but as leaders, I'm sure you will agree that the best decisions are made when the greatest amount of data are available to help you decide the most viable course of action. As CCSS California Teacher of the Year 2009, I wish to share the data from my school, Los Angeles Academy Middle School, located in South Central Los Angeles. Three years ago, the Jefferson family of schools was plagued by race-riots, student walkouts, and disturbingly low academic performance. Our school experienced the impact of the turmoil in the local high school, but made significant efforts to distinguish ourselves as academic leaders in our community. We targeted the issue of teacher turnover that peaked at a high of 35 te

Join South Central Teachers In Preserving Our Educational Community

As you may know, South Central schools have been hit hardest with the proposed LAUSD layoffs. If you are here, its because you are interested in making your voice heard against the devastating proposals to carry out 40% of all Reductions in Force in South L.A. schools. If you want to help: Leafleting L.A. Academy conducted educational leafleting to parents on Friday morning, March 27th, from 6:45 am to 7:30 am. We plan to continue leafleting every Friday until further notice . Please consider doing the same at your school. Links to flyers you can download and share are posted to this blog. One Day Strike The UTLA House of Representatives will be voting on whether to proceed with a one day strike in May. Encourage all UTLA members at your school to support this strike vote, and to participate in the strike. Phone Calls Call the school board, call your legislators and tell them to use more of the federal stimulus funds to avert layoffs. Contact the Media The public is NOT AWARE about th