Education in Los Angeles 2.0- How to pik a gud skool! (Sacramento: public schools, university)

[fastfilm]

Thinking outside my own personal box, I post the following link for families in Los Angeles (I couldn't find the original thread.) Its author is famed humorist Sandra Tsing Loh, so it will impart as much entertainment value as school information. It's her take on how to find a decent public school in Los Angeles without living in the highest priced areas. I guess it takes someone this smart (she's a Caltech grad with a BA in Physics as well as our beloved local humorist) to have figured this one out.

I genuinely hope families here benefit.
Sandra Tsing Loh Website (http://www.sandratsingloh.com/index.php?pr=Scandalously_Informal - broken link)

[fastfilm]

P.S., it's not a humor piece, it's a how-to piece on getting your children into the better public schools that are indeed out there in L.A. when you don't necessarily live in that district. But written humorously.

[justducky2]

fastfilm, thanks!!! That made me grin! I used to be a LAUSD teacher in a po' part of the Valley, teachin' that stinkin' no brainer Open Court (the teachers have to read from the teachers manual), while living in Simi Valley (very near Thousand Oaks, dontcha know!).

That gave me a smile and reminds me of why I don't teach anymore (actually, it was the very very scary school in the Meadowview part of Sacramento that was REALLY bad, like the bad acting you see on tv, with kids throwing things in the classroom, beating each other up, and telling me, "you can't touch me, you can't do nuthin to me, and the principal won't do nuthin to me neither"). My little old school in the Valley had very polite kids and parents, they didn't speak English, but they treated Senora Maestra with respect!!!!

Yep, I'm happy to be a scientist....

[the one]

that was garbage!

[fastfilm]

Thanks for bringing up the heinous LAUSD Open Court, justducky. It is causing more teacher burnout than any other factor, according to teacher husband. A new low in education in an area that can least afford it (44% graduation rate for public high schools here in L.A.)

What's riling the teachers is that they are forced to forego their expertise, forced NOT to help children who aren't cookie-cutter assemblyline units, and forced to do wrong by their kids, else be fired. Open Court's salespeople monitor teachers like Gestapo, and can have them fired as well. It really hurts teachers to be so shackled, as personnel who got into this lowly paid field specifically to help, and it really, really hurts kids. What idiots thought that ESL kids in Arleta should test identically to those in Palos Verdes?

[justducky2]

fastfilm, my empathy to your teacher-husband. I did Open Court for two years before I moved to the Sacramento area and got out of teaching. I was a LAUSD District Intern, but went through the "classes" before Open Court became mandated. I can only imagine the DIs now, they are not learning true pedagogical methods, they are learning to read out of a manual (and they told us our credential is the same thing as going to a university - what bs...).

I found it ridiculous that I was doing "activities" with kinders who were ESL, and didn't know what the heck I was talking about anyways. I had better success with them on my own...and the ridiculous units in there..."shadows"! Try to teach that without interpreting! Why couldn't they at least tie it in to the science standards! The kids did love Boomer the dog, though. I was sick of him, to say the least.

To the critic who thought the humorous article about LA schools was garbage...are you a teacher? An insider? Just curious about why you thought it was garbage...as a former teacher, I found it funny, because it was pretty spot-on!

[DawnW]

That was comical.

I worked in LAUSD for 16 years and would return if I could get my DH to agree to move back to LA. And yes, I worked in East LA at a high school.

Dawn

[Lanatlve]

i went to LA public schools there not horrible. It really depends on where in the city of angels u reside i have freinds in east LA at garfield who love it they are hispanic though. Im just a white kid from westchester by the airport who loves LA if u need opinion on La schools write me about where in Los angeles ur tryn to live

[susie4]

Here is a link that you can check out schools with reviews anywhere in the country.


Greatschools.net

[katenik]

Originally Posted by Lanatlve

i went to LA public schools there not horrible. It really depends on where in the city of angels u reside i have freinds in east LA at garfield who love it they are hispanic though. Im just a white kid from westchester by the airport who loves LA if u need opinion on La schools write me about where in Los angeles ur tryn to live

ahhhhhh...i love the smell of irony in the morning!