San Diego Unified Parent- Life At School

I volunteer a lot- it’s an illness. 

If I had to choose a single volunteer event from last year as my favorite, it would be serving on a panel at the Patrick Henry High School Senior Exhibitions.

Many parents and educators hate the exhibitions because they have been a requirement for graduation.  Awful! Torture! Unfair!  And maybe they’re correct. I’m not an educator, and am not qualified to make that decision.  But I do believe the process is extremely valuable, both for students and volunteer panelists. Perhaps it shouldn’t be a requirement- I’ll allow that. But it still deserves our support and the students deserve our encouragement.  So- Sally Smith, don’t fire up the computer ;  ) 

I received the email from Yvonne Walden, Employer Outreach Specialist at Patrick Henry yesterday and have already scheduled the day.  Here’s what Walden says:

Dear Friend of San Diego City Schools,

We value your commitment to education, our community, and our students.  We desperately need your help! We are asking for a few hours of your time to assist on a Patrick Henry High School Patriot Exhibition Panel. 

The Senior Exhibition became a graduation requirement for all seniors in San Diego City Schools in 1998. The Patriot Exhibition is a presentation by the student of his/her educational accomplishments, community experiences, college or work plans, and examples of choice works.  The exhibition gives each senior an opportunity to present before a panel of community/business persons, parents and teachers.  Panelists listen to 4-6 student presentations; ask questions if necessary for clarification, and then evaluate the student’s presentation using a score sheet.

On Thursday, April 23, 2009 from 12:00 noon to approximately 3:30 p.m. more than 400 PHHS seniors will be presenting their exhibitions.  We need your participation to make this a successful experience for our seniors. Please encourage co-workers and friends to volunteer as panel members as well.  We can place you on the same panel.

If you elect to participate, please plan to wear business attire during the Exhibition.  The students will be dressed professionally as well.  We will provide light snacks and water for our panelists.

You may have questions about being a panel member.  The information enclosed with this letter may be of help. If you have additional questions please call me at 619-286-7700 x 2233.  There is also additional information on the Henry website at www.henry.sandi.net . Click on “Students” on the top of the page and then look for a section marked “Senior Exhibitions”.  We look forward to your participation and thank you for supporting the students of Patrick Henry High School.  

Please return the enclosed confirmation form by mail, or fax or e-mail.

Sincerely,

Yvonne Walden, GCDF
Employer Outreach Specialist
PATRICK HENRY HIGH SCHOOL
6702 Wandermere Drive, Room #11, Main Office
San Diego, CA 92120
(619) 286-7700 x 2233
(619) 229-0370 (Fax number)
ywalden@sandi.net <mailto:ywalden@sandi.net> 

and here are the attachments: Fact Sheet   Panelist Form

I cannot recommend the experience enough. Maybe those of you who have high-school age children are tired of it, but for us newbie primary-school parents, it’s a glimpse of what’s in our futures.  And in our pasts.

I’ve already set the day aside, and I hope you will as well.  

Full disclosure: we are an advertising family- I’m a commercial/advertising photographer, and my wife is the COO of an agency here in San Diego.  We make our living in photography, video, advertising, public relations, social media and all that goes with it.

That typed, I stumbled across an interesting website that I believe should be on all parent’s radar screens:

Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.

There are LOTS of ways advertising messages are infiltrating our schools, some more visible than others.  I’m a big free-speech guy, so I’m reticent to create legislation to limit that right.  But I do believe schools deserve special consideration- they should be as advertising-free as possible.  

I also recognize and respect the argument that trying to protect our kids from advertising messages is a bit like trying to stop rain, and it may be wiser to teach our children about the pervasive nature of advertising. If only the district would provide as much media awarness as advertising possibilities, I might be satisfied.

Regardless of which position you take for your family, the above site is an excellent resource to support you.  It monitors many of the ways advertisers are out to reach your children.  One which I found amazing, is “BusRadio” where school busses are equipped with sound systems to provide ad messages to that captive (really!) audience.

Have a look, the site is amazing and valuable. 

Here’s another great resource for kids from PBS:

Don’t Buy It

This site has the single best insightful look at advertising photography- they do a “cover shoot” where before, after and during images are shown to demonstrate how the process really works.  They do a similar treatment for food photography.  Both of these venues are well within my professional purview, and they are accurate.  This site is created for kids- very valuable.

Sally Smith is a very active and erudite parent with much experience in San Diego Unified School Dictrict.  Her point of view is a bit different from mine- our son is only 8- I’m SUCH a n00b.  Here’s a blogpost from Sally:

Which science courses should your  kindergartener take in high school?  It’s not too early to effect a change that will benefit your child in the future.  The  2006 Science Program approved by the San Diego Unified School  trustees in May 2006 focuses on the interests and strengths of students by providing choices. It’s been 3 years. The 2006 Science Program has not been implemented in all high schools.

Here it is(to earn a high school diploma) in a nutshell: all students must take biology, students may choose between physics or chemistry (math-based) or can choose to take both, and students must take a third year of science – their choice – in any order.  

High schools that implemented  the 2006 Science Program  increased achievement in the sciences. It’s proven to be effective. And it did not cost the district one penny to develop. Three dedicated SDUSD science teachers developed the program on their own time supported by parents.

So back to the kindergarten parents and all of the parents whose children will attend SDUSD high schools. Join the parents’  letter-writing campaign and ask the trustees to have the superintendent implement the program.  It works!  How does this affect your child? When he or she is a teenager, there will be choices. For example, if your child is concerned about global warming then the science choices may be environmental science or earth science plus biology and a choice of physics or chemistry. If your child wants to be a doctor, then the choice may be chemistry, physiology plus biology. If your child loves the ocean, there is marine biology , etc.

 SDUSD requires 3 years of science. Most school districts require 2 years. If your child chooses what interests him or her the chances of success are higher.  Got five minutes to help make this happen?  Email the Board of Education and state that you support the 2006 Science Program and want to see it implemented in all high schools.  

The trustees are:

John Lee Evans johnleeevans@sandi.net

Katherine Nakamura knakamura@sandi.net

Shelia Jackson sjackson@sandi.net

Richard Barrera rbarrera1@sandi.net

John DeBeck  jdebeck1@san.rr.com

 

The Union-Tribune article can be viewed at this link: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/education/20060524-9999-7m24science.html

Submitted by parent Sally Smith

Thanks, Sally!

Blogs are a new twist on learning.  A blog should never be confused with journalism- as a blogger, I have no journalistic standards (if there is one anymore), no style books (so I don’t hafta use gud gramma or speling) and no effort whatsoever to reporting in a neutral manner.  I can also blog about people I know and even people I like.  Thus, todays blog entry.

I like David Rolland, editor of San Diego CITYBEAT.  He’s been to our home, and made effusive comments about my cooking. Usually that’s enough to gain my favor, but David has well-reasoned arguments for political and social positions fiercely divergent to my own.  That, faithful blog reader(s), really earns my respect and admiration.

David’s editorial regarding the project labor agreement (PLA or “sweet inside deal” or “the fix is in”) being escorted through the San Diego Unified School District is one of those divergent positions.  Here, read about it from the directly from the publication’s website:

Link to hopelessly misguided editorial in CITYBEAT

Oh, David Rolland, where do I begin? 

How about the presumption that by voting for union-backed candidates, voters are encouraging the Board of Education to be a tool (yes tool!) of the union, and make decisions in the interest of the union.  Huh?  Officials are elected to make decisions and lead with integrity in their position of public service.  In the case of the BOE, the board members are supposed to act in the best interest of the schools and the children that need an education.

Schools exist for students. 

If, as Rolland suggests, elected officials are “ideologically aligned” (that’s euphemojournalist for “stooge”) with unions, they have taken their position under false pretenses.  I believe elected officials should be “ideologically aligned” with their job and the position to which they were elected and entrusted: to act in the best interest of students.

Rolland believes that it should not be a surprise Richard Barrera (who’s unearned seat was handed to him due to a fumble by Luis Acle –fumble the limit of my sports metaphors) proposed the PLA between the school district and small number of contractors who are union-bound to the teacher’s union who paid for the campaigns of the Union Three: Jackson, Barrera and Evans.

Proposition S was a wobbler.  There’s no doubt the schools need the repairs and improvement, and I supported the proposition.  But it was terribly flawed- the payback was postponed until the backs of our children were strong enough to yoke them with the burden.  The financial position of the district and the state needs repair, and borrowing more money only postpones the pending disaster. As a taxpayer, Prop S was yet another fiasco in borrowing.

The surprise?  A PLA should have been part of the proposition from the start.  It is material to the merit of the bond, and, frankly, I believe had Prop S included an intent to discriminate in the hiring practices of contractors, it wouldn’t and shouldn’t have passed.  The surprise is that the board can fundamentally change the nature of the bond after the voters have spoken.

I like Quentin Tarantino films, and will twist one of my favorite lines:

David- when you drove up to the Board of Education, did you notice a sign on the building that said Works Project Administration? Do you know why you didn’t see the sign? Because it isn’t there, because Work Projects Administration is not their &%^#$ business!

The school board should not be a “role model of sorts” for anything except excellence in education.  And us “fiscal hawks” have a long-term view.  We’ll pass on the short-term gratification of giving a union handout.  We value the long-term health and welfare of our community by providing the maximum value for the taxes we pay: providing an education to a child.  A child with an education will not only have a better chance of having a job of their own, but a better chance at being an employer as well.

Honestly, David Rolland, I don’t care that PLA’s are “used all over the place”.  Being “used all over the place” is not my standard of value.  I value a high return on our borrowed money, the highest quality in workmanship, and the best education we can create from our limited resources.