Notes from Underdog.

What you can do to help education in California (from a teacher)

I'm posting this on behalf of my sister, a high school teacher here in the Bay Area, who participated in the rallies for education today.

"If you cut teachers, you cut education"

"Save our schools; stop cuts to education"

"Take action: call your elected officials today"

Just a handful of slogans and messages spotted on handmade banners this morning, along with a little over 100 of us, braving the cold morning in front of our school.

Most of you probably know, but...

Today throughout the state of California, students, parents and teachers are Standing Up For Schools and California's Future...by sending a message to lawmakers.  It's a big day for us!

At 7:45 this morning,  we gathered, and at 10:00 we took more direct action.  Our students wrote postcards, we called our politicians, and we, as teachers, spoke to our students about the implications of the impending cuts.

For those of you "on the outside", in other states or abroad, the future looks bleak.

The cuts mean:

• more class size increases,
• Art classes reduced or eliminated ( we have a phenomenal art gallery which may very well not be open next year because, with the dept reduced, it will be impossible for 1 teacher to direct it),
• Music (award-winning band and orchestra) reduced or eliminated,
• PE reduced,
• ROP reduced or eliminated,
• Adult Education reduced or eliminated,
• Electives reduced or eliminated,
• other programs which make a huge difference on academic achievement like AVID and PUENTE to be cut,
• Summer School reduced or eliminated, and:
• After school programs, reductions in staff ( 1/3 of my dept, hard-working NON-tenured young teachers receiving pink slips this month), Leadership programs, yearbook classes, less counselors...

So what can YOU do to make a difference?

CALL, WRITE, and E-MAIL (California) elected officials; we did, today-- even my students called-- and we were pleasantly surprised to talk directly with a human being!!

Here's the basic 'gist' /speech to follow ( many of you are far more articulate and have concrete percentages/research and other substantial info to add on, so you can disregard and just do your own thing) and below are the numbers. Please, make the time to voice your concerns.

"Hello, I'm calling/writing to say that I am concerned about the threatened cuts to education.  Our public shcools are important for the future of California and its workforce. Please protect public education funding." 

(916) 445-2841 for our Governor's office.

(510) 577-2310 for Senator Ellen Corbett

Assembly Member Mary Hayashi is at (510) 538-8818. (For east bay residents.)

Thank you for taking the time. Sorry for those of you who hate these sort of messages, but thanks for taking these concerns seriously in any concrete "ACTION" way possible.  

Future screenwriters, at 826 Valencia.

Starting tomorrow, I'll be co-teaching a 4 class workshop with my friend David Ewald, at 826 Valencia. The class: Screenwriting, you know, for kids. The students: middle schoolers. The goal: to help create future screenwriters and eventually save the world from more bad screenplays. Or at least, to have fun.  The final projects will be their short film scripts (or scenes for what could be a longer script), and to read/act out each other's work.

Wish us luck!

Family on the web: On Education, On Art

Two family related pieces to plug:

My Dad wrote a piece for the Marin Independent Journal on the obstacle that standardized testing has become in American education.  I'm bias, but I do think it's pretty darned spot-on. I only wish the people who control how education is funded and mapped in the US would read and be changed by it.

"An obstacle, not a solution" >>

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Meanwhile, my sister has a new web site to help promote her art. I'm helping her lay it out and get it going, and we still have to update the prices and add a few more pieces.

Check it out:

Tracy Phillips on Artspan >>

Educating in a climate of fear.

My dad wrote this fine piece in the Marin Independent Journal about "Educating in a climate of fear." I'm a little biased, but it really is pretty on target.

Concerns about violence, sexual abuse or harassment are legitimate, as are the concerns of school administrators about legal challenges. But the way of responding to these concerns is frequently irrational and out of proportion to the true nature and extent of the problems. Decision-making based on fear rather than what's best for students is educationally destructive, diminishing the quality of the school environment, lowering teacher morale, indirectly effecting student performance and providing poor modeling behavior for our students.

Workshop at 826 Valencia

I'll be co-teaching a workshop for 12-15 year old chilluns at 826 Valencia in San Francisco in February. My friend Walt Opie and I will teach them the fine art of film reviewing, with an emphasis on teen films.

The workshop is: "Five Star Reviews: Teens Writing About Teen Flicks"

Limited to 12 students, ages 12-15
February 2, 11, 18, 25
Saturdays, 1-3 pm

We’re guessing you like movies. And we’re guessing that you talk about movies with your friends. Wouldn’t it be cool to blow them out of the water with your knowledge of cinematography and sway their opinions of what’s hot and what’s not? Maybe someday you'll even be paid to write about movies or make them yourself!

In this workshop, we’ll learn what to look for when sizing up a film (editing, directing, dialogue, acting, cinematography). We’ll read examples of expert movie critiques, write our own critiques, and, of course, watch plenty of teen movies.

If you're a teen in the Bay Area, or the parent of one, sign up and join us. Should be a lot of fun!