Thursday, June 22, 2006
Day 18!
Continuing with the theme of poverty and teachers, we traveled to Lanier High School today, thanks to Mel, one of our fabulous students. Her father, Orlando Lizcano, has taught at Lanier, a high school deep in the West Side of San Antonio, for 19 years. He is the chair of Career Technology Instruction, which includes automotive, building trades, criminal justice, and 12 other programs.
Imagine our delight when we walked into a classroom spread with tacos and juice and coffee and chocolate treats! I was also impressed that a sign over the chalkboard read, "Let the choices you make today be choices you can live with tomorrow." Ain't it the truth, though! That's why I love the Harry Potter series of books. Harry is constantly faced with tough choices, yet he always chooses the right path. As a parent, I think it's important for kids to understand that you've got to think things through, and you've got to be serene (at peace) with the choices you make.
Mr. Lizcano is a graduate of Burbank High School. He said that he grew up in a poor family, and he was 17 before he learned that beans were beans. (He ate them regularly, but in various disguises.) The students of Lanier also come from lower socio-economic levels. Almost 99 percent are Hispanic, disadvantaged and at-risk. Five federally funded housing properties surround the school.
Mr. Lizcano said that for the 15 programs he is in charge of, he receives only $11,000 to run them from the local school district and $5,000 to run them from a federal grant. In other words, $16,000 for 15 programs. Not enough. Plus, the money is restricted. He can't buy what he needs for the programs to thrive. (To his credit, he started an automotive "booster club" to help meet his program's needs. If band can, why can't automotive?! Power to him.)
Part of the problem, Mr. Lizcano believes, is that career technology instruction has always taken a backseat to academic instruction, which doesn't really make sense because students learn a trade they can fall back on if the academic route doesn't work out. Plus, they will earn them more than minimum wage.
Mr. Lizcano also said that money is wasted at the district-level on frivilous things that have nothing to do with education, like staff development, rather than things you need to be successful in the classroom, like software, furniture, equipment, creating a pleasant learning environment.
Besides economic problems affecting the students, Mr. Lizcano said that many students have emotional problems. "It's a rollover situation. Problems my kids are having in their families they bring to school. They care, and they worry." (I like that Mr. Lizcano called them "my kids". You could tell that he treated his students like family.)
Tamara Ford, a criminal justice teacher at Burbank and former police officer, said that there are a lot more social and psychological issues at Lanier than you'd see at a school with a higher socio-economic class. "Our kids come with a lot of baggage," she said. Many of the students have one or more parents in prison. Ms. Ford works with the students to teach them how to set goals. She said that she sets high expectations and makes high demands of her students. It sounds like they rise to the expectation.
Mike Lizcano, building trade teacher, is a 1992 graduate of Lanier. He is now in charge of the program he came through. He said that you have to get to know each student. One exercise he does at the beginning of the school year is for the students to think back to their earliest memories, both positive and negative, and to write them down. He also encourages round table discussions to help the students work through their problems. One of the major issues that comes up is molestation, and there is a social worker on campus who's able to work with the students.
Mike talked about how caring the students are. Some of his students found out that one of their own was living in the SAMM Shelter for homeless individuals and families. The students brought in clothes and food to help out. (This reminded me of the story of the widow who gave more than she could afford.)
All in all, our visit to Sidney Lanier High School was enlightening. Mr. Lizcano said that even though things at Lanier aren't great for his teachers, he knows that they are a lot better than they are down in Oaxaca. The Lanier students are fortunate to have such caring, tell-it-like-it-is individuals in their lives, and I very much appreciate that they shared their experiences with us.
From Lanier, we walked over to the American Indians in Texas-Spanish Colonial Missions headquarters on El Paso street, down from Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. The AIT-SCM provide a wealth of programs for at-risk youth between the ages of 12 and 21. They work in the schools (SAISD now and they'll pick up Harlandale next year), and in various centers, like the Good Samaritan Center, and in after-school programs. Their curriculum includes:
*Rites of Passage (youth character development through a series of 10 sessions)
*Fatherhood Campaign (early parenthood concerns)
*Cara y Corazon (assists young fathers and adult men to develop positive relationship skills with their children and families)
*Healing the Wounded Spirit (mental health counseling and support groups for victims of violence)
Diana Morales shared their programs with us, and she told us about one of their graduates who at 13 was into drugs and running the streets. He recently graduated from high school and got a Ford Foundation scholarship to attend San Antonio College.
Ms. Morales said that she saw a great need for better education. Without an education, kids turn to crime to earn a living. The AIT-SCM programs give kids a window to a better life. Thank goodness these programs exist.
Tomorrow, our students are to spend time immersion reporting. Granted, a day isn't a lot of time to delve into a subject, but it's a start. On Monday, students are to bring in a print out of their 750-word draft. We'll exchange papers and offer constructive feedback. We hope to have their stories posted on the Internet by the end of the week. Stay tuned!
Imagine our delight when we walked into a classroom spread with tacos and juice and coffee and chocolate treats! I was also impressed that a sign over the chalkboard read, "Let the choices you make today be choices you can live with tomorrow." Ain't it the truth, though! That's why I love the Harry Potter series of books. Harry is constantly faced with tough choices, yet he always chooses the right path. As a parent, I think it's important for kids to understand that you've got to think things through, and you've got to be serene (at peace) with the choices you make.
Mr. Lizcano is a graduate of Burbank High School. He said that he grew up in a poor family, and he was 17 before he learned that beans were beans. (He ate them regularly, but in various disguises.) The students of Lanier also come from lower socio-economic levels. Almost 99 percent are Hispanic, disadvantaged and at-risk. Five federally funded housing properties surround the school.
Mr. Lizcano said that for the 15 programs he is in charge of, he receives only $11,000 to run them from the local school district and $5,000 to run them from a federal grant. In other words, $16,000 for 15 programs. Not enough. Plus, the money is restricted. He can't buy what he needs for the programs to thrive. (To his credit, he started an automotive "booster club" to help meet his program's needs. If band can, why can't automotive?! Power to him.)
Part of the problem, Mr. Lizcano believes, is that career technology instruction has always taken a backseat to academic instruction, which doesn't really make sense because students learn a trade they can fall back on if the academic route doesn't work out. Plus, they will earn them more than minimum wage.
Mr. Lizcano also said that money is wasted at the district-level on frivilous things that have nothing to do with education, like staff development, rather than things you need to be successful in the classroom, like software, furniture, equipment, creating a pleasant learning environment.
Besides economic problems affecting the students, Mr. Lizcano said that many students have emotional problems. "It's a rollover situation. Problems my kids are having in their families they bring to school. They care, and they worry." (I like that Mr. Lizcano called them "my kids". You could tell that he treated his students like family.)
Tamara Ford, a criminal justice teacher at Burbank and former police officer, said that there are a lot more social and psychological issues at Lanier than you'd see at a school with a higher socio-economic class. "Our kids come with a lot of baggage," she said. Many of the students have one or more parents in prison. Ms. Ford works with the students to teach them how to set goals. She said that she sets high expectations and makes high demands of her students. It sounds like they rise to the expectation.
Mike Lizcano, building trade teacher, is a 1992 graduate of Lanier. He is now in charge of the program he came through. He said that you have to get to know each student. One exercise he does at the beginning of the school year is for the students to think back to their earliest memories, both positive and negative, and to write them down. He also encourages round table discussions to help the students work through their problems. One of the major issues that comes up is molestation, and there is a social worker on campus who's able to work with the students.
Mike talked about how caring the students are. Some of his students found out that one of their own was living in the SAMM Shelter for homeless individuals and families. The students brought in clothes and food to help out. (This reminded me of the story of the widow who gave more than she could afford.)
All in all, our visit to Sidney Lanier High School was enlightening. Mr. Lizcano said that even though things at Lanier aren't great for his teachers, he knows that they are a lot better than they are down in Oaxaca. The Lanier students are fortunate to have such caring, tell-it-like-it-is individuals in their lives, and I very much appreciate that they shared their experiences with us.
From Lanier, we walked over to the American Indians in Texas-Spanish Colonial Missions headquarters on El Paso street, down from Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. The AIT-SCM provide a wealth of programs for at-risk youth between the ages of 12 and 21. They work in the schools (SAISD now and they'll pick up Harlandale next year), and in various centers, like the Good Samaritan Center, and in after-school programs. Their curriculum includes:
*Rites of Passage (youth character development through a series of 10 sessions)
*Fatherhood Campaign (early parenthood concerns)
*Cara y Corazon (assists young fathers and adult men to develop positive relationship skills with their children and families)
*Healing the Wounded Spirit (mental health counseling and support groups for victims of violence)
Diana Morales shared their programs with us, and she told us about one of their graduates who at 13 was into drugs and running the streets. He recently graduated from high school and got a Ford Foundation scholarship to attend San Antonio College.
Ms. Morales said that she saw a great need for better education. Without an education, kids turn to crime to earn a living. The AIT-SCM programs give kids a window to a better life. Thank goodness these programs exist.
Tomorrow, our students are to spend time immersion reporting. Granted, a day isn't a lot of time to delve into a subject, but it's a start. On Monday, students are to bring in a print out of their 750-word draft. We'll exchange papers and offer constructive feedback. We hope to have their stories posted on the Internet by the end of the week. Stay tuned!
