A Tale of Two Meetings

I had a dilemma on Monday. Either attend a magnet meeting with John Deasy, or sit in on the interviews for one of the academies at the new high school in San Fernando. I had a gut feeling about how the magnet meeting would go based on years of experience with LAUSD, so I went to the job placement fair at Monroe High School with the principal and academy teachers and hoped for the best.

After nearly five hours of interviews, all I can say is there is a renaissance coming to education in the form of pilot schools. Passionate teachers ready to do more than the requirements. Ready to work together–with parents, with students, and with the community–looking for teachers who want the same. High expectations for students. An interesting curriculum. Small school size. And a say in the direction of the school.

There’s enough bad news coming out of LAUSD, and certainly enough inequities to make any parent feel jaded. I’m committed to seeing a great school come to my city. Or four schools. But from what I witnessed, it’s on its way.