City of Angels 2019-20

My mother has worked for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) for the past 22 years. She has shared countless stories from her experiences as an Elementary Teacher, Trainer, Assistant Principal, and Principal in the LAUSD. I have always found these conversations interesting yet deeply concerning. Although these stories often cause me to recognize the disparities between many public schools in impoverished areas and a school like Poly, I often find myself engrossed in exploring the ways we could provide an acceptable learning environment for all of the children in Los Angles. Last January, teachers from the LAUSD went on strike for the first time in thirty years. From January 14th to 22nd, more than 30,000 teachers came together in protest of pay, large class sizes, an increase of charter schools, and inadequate staff of nurses and librarians. Although a six percent wage increase was at the top of their agenda, their dissatisfaction with the state of the learning condition...

A few weeks ago, I moved houses for the first time. I didn’t think the move would affect me, but I was really struck by it. I spent a lot of time reflecting on my time on Waverly Drive and comparing it to my new Church Street dwelling. After some time, it became clear to me that it wasn’t the change of homes that had such an impact on me-- it was the change of scenery. Silverlake, although not in the heart of Los Angeles, is a somewhat urban town. There are lots of shops and restaurants that attract a great deal of foot traffic and give the place a very active feel. On the other hand, the San Rafael Hills/Garvanza (I still don’t totally know where I live) is quite the opposite. As I’ve walked my dogs around the neighborhood for the first few times, the lack of noise and consistent presence of relatively similar houses is something that threw me off at first. The change from a semi-urban to suburban setting is certainly something that will take time to get used to. As we ...