[I. Welcome and Opening Remarks]
[00:00:07]
INSTRUCTION COMMITTEE OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
MY NAME IS CARLA GRIEGO AND I AM YOUR BOARD DISTRICT FIVE REPRESENTATIVE.
I'M ALSO THE CHAIRPERSON OF THIS COMMITTEE, THE CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION COMMITTEE.
UH, WE ALSO HAVE BOARD MEMBERS SHERETTE HANDY, NEW BILL, WHO WILL NOT BE WITH US TODAY, BUT SHE IS A MEMBER OF THIS COMMITTEE.
AND WE ALSO HAVE DR. FRANCIS BIAS, WHO IS CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER.
UM, I JUST WANNA SHARE WITH YOU ALL THAT COMING TOGETHER IN THIS COMMITTEE, WE ARE TRYING TO DO SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY.
SO WE ASKED FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY, BROAD COMMUNITY OF L-A-U-S-D TO SUBMIT A, AN INTEREST FORM, UH, IF THEY WANTED TO BE PART OF THIS COMMITTEE.
WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD A VERY WELL REPRESENT REPRESENTATION OF OUR WHOLE SCHOOL DISTRICT, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, EDUCATORS.
WE WISH WE HAD STUDENTS AND WE WANTED STUDENTS TO APPLY, BUT WE DIDN'T GET ANY STUDENTS TO APPLY.
BUT WE ARE HOPEFUL THAT IN THE NEXT YEAR WE WILL, UM, PARENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
AND SO WE PUT THAT OUT THERE AND WE RECEIVED SOME APPLICATIONS AND WE REVIEWED THEM.
AND HERE WE HAVE OUR COMMITTEE OF CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION.
IT'S A BEAUTIFUL MIX OF EDUCATORS, OF PARENTS, OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS, PEOPLE WHO HAVE AN INTEREST IN CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION AND HOW THAT IMPACTS OUR STUDENTS AND, UH, CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION THAT CENTERS OUR WHOLE STUDENTS.
SO, UM, I JUST WANT TO, UH, LET YOU KNOW THAT BEFORE WE MET, WE HAD A PRE-MEETING WITH ALL OF OUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND I WAS TRULY IMPRESSED WITH THEIR BREADTH OF EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE.
AND I'M SO LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH ALL OF YOU HERE TODAY.
UM, I ALSO WANNA PREFACE THIS MEETING TODAY, ACKNOWLEDGING WHAT WE ARE ALL EXPERIENCING AND FEELING RIGHT NOW.
A SENSE OF OVERWHELM, A FEELING OF WORRY AND UNCERTAINTY.
AND, UH, BEYOND THE SITUATION WITH ICE, THERE'S ALSO ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY.
AND YET WE ALL WANT TO FEEL SAFE AND WE WANT TO FEEL AT EASE AND WE WANT TO FEEL JOY.
BUT IT MAY FEEL VERY HARD TO ACCESS RIGHT NOW FOR US AND ESPECIALLY FOR OUR STUDENTS.
BUT THE PLA THE CLASSROOM IS THE PLACE WHERE KIDS MAY BE ABLE TO ACCESS THAT.
IT IS THE PLACE WHERE THEY SPEND THE MAJORITY OF THEIR DAY.
AND IT IS A PLACE THAT CAN PLANT THE SEEDS OF JOY AND WELLNESS AS WELL AS CHALLENGE.
SO, UM, WE HAVE FOUND THAT THE KEY TO THE KIND OF CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION THAT CAN HELP A CHILD FIND JOY AND POSITIVE CHALLENGE IS A CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION WHERE THEY CAN SEE THEMSELVES IN THE MATERIAL, WHERE THEY CAN SEE THE CLASSROOM AS PART OF THEIR COMMUNITY AND THEIR REALITIES ARE REFLECTED.
THIS CAN HELP THEM GET THE GROUND THEY NEED TO NOT JUST LEARN ABOUT THE WORLD, BUT FIGURE OUT WHAT ROLE THEY WANT TO PLAY IN IMPROVING IT.
AND THAT IS WHAT WE WILL BE DISCUSSING TODAY.
YOUR QUESTIONS AND INPUT WILL BE PART OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE WILL TAKE TO THE DISTRICT AND THE DIVISION OF INSTRUCTION.
SO I'M VERY THRILLED TO HAVE PRESENTERS TODAY.
IT'S A GREAT MIX OF PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING THE WORK ON THE GROUND, PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING THE WORK IN THIS BUILDING.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE ARE GOING TO HEAR FROM OUR VERY OWN STUDENTS.
WE HAVE THE PRIVILEGE TO HAVE OUR STUDENTS HERE TODAY TO BE PART OF THIS PRESENTATION.
I'M VERY GRATEFUL AND I'M HONORED AND SUPER THRILLED FOR THIS.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO OPEN THE FLOOR NOW FOR OUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES AND ALSO SHARE WITH US ABOUT A SCHOOL EXPERIENCE YOU HAD WHERE YOU AND YOUR ID, YOUR IDENTITIES WERE RECOGNIZED AND CELEBRATED, OR MAYBE THE OPPOSITE WHERE YOU WERE NOT RECOGNIZED OR CELEBRATED.
MY NAME AGAIN IS CARLA GRIEGO, AND I WAS BORN IN EL SALVADOR AND I CAME HERE IN THE SEVENTIES.
UM, NOT TOO MANY FOLKS WERE COMING FROM MY COUNTRY AT THAT TIME, AND SO THERE WEREN'T MANY OF US HERE.
AND I ALWAYS FELT LIKE I HAD TO EXPLAIN MYSELF ALL THE TIME AND DESCRIBE WHERE I CAME FROM.
AND BECAUSE PEOPLE STILL DID NOT, EVEN AFTER ALL OF THOSE EXPLANATIONS, JUST KEPT FORGETTING WHERE I WAS FROM.
IT ALWAYS GAVE ME A SENSE OF, UH, EVEN AS A LITTLE GIRL, AS A FIVE-YEAR-OLD KID IN KINDERGARTEN, IT REALLY MADE ME FEEL LIKE I DIDN'T QUITE BELONG.
LIKE, OOH, THEY STILL DON'T KNOW WHO I AM.
[00:05:01]
AND SO, BUT WHEN I WAS IN COLLEGE AND I WENT BACK TO MY COUNTRY, I WAS SHARING WITH THE STUDENTS, I COULD NOT BELIEVE HOW IT FELT LIKE HOME, PEOPLE SPEAKING THE SAME WAY MY PARENTS SPOKE, PEOPLE USING THE SAME SLANG, THE SAME, VERY DIFFERENT WORDS THAT SALVADORIANS USE.NOBODY ELSE USES THOSE WORDS, BUT WE DO.
AND I HEARD THEM AND IT MADE ME FEEL SO CONNECTED.
SO I DIDN'T FEEL IT IN THE CLASSROOM, BUT THANKFULLY I WAS ABLE TO FIND IT AT ONE POINT IN COLLEGE.
AND I'M HOPING THAT NOW WE HAVE COME SUCH A LONG WAY THROUGH COURSES LIKE ETHNIC STUDIES, THAT OUR STUDENTS DON'T FEEL THAT WAY, THAT DON'T HAVE TO EXPLAIN THEMSELVES SO MUCH OR FEEL LIKE THEY DON'T BELONG, BUT RATHER THE OPPOSITE.
I CAN GO TO THE MY LEFT RIGHT NOW AND HAND IT OFF TO DR.
IF YOU CAN INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND SHARE A MOMENT WHERE YOU FELT RECOGNIZED, CELEBRATED OR NOT.
I'M MS. FRANCIS BIAS, CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER IN LA UNIFIED AND SEP, UH, SEPTEMBER 11TH.
MARKS, UH, THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY THAT I'VE BEEN IN L-A-U-S-D.
I STEPPED FOOT IN MY FIRST CLASSROOM 30 YEARS AGO TODAY.
UH, AND I HAVE A WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL MEMORIES OF STUDENTS AND COLLEAGUES AND SOME THAT I SEE IN THE AUDIENCE THAT I WAS A TEACHER WITH TOGETHER, OR, UM, BEEN VERY HAPPY TO CO-LEAD WITH EVERYONE.
UH, A RECOLLECTION THAT I HAVE IS, UM, BEING IN A LATIN AMERICAN HISTORY CLASS THAT UCLA, UNFORTUNATELY, I DID TAKE ALL OF MY ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH SCHOOL YEARS THAT I DID NOT FEEL THE, THE CONNECTION I DID THEN WHEN I TOOK THE LATIN AMERICAN HISTORY CLASSES AT UCLA AND ALSO SPANISH LITERATURE CLASSES.
AND THAT'S WHERE I FELT LIKE I BELONGED BECAUSE I COULD CONNECT WITH MY FAMILY AND WITH MY PARENTS AS I SHARED THE POETRY AND THE LITERATURE THAT I WAS READING IN SCHOOL.
AND SO I'M PROUD IN THE PAST 30 YEARS I CAN LOOK BACK JUST LIKE YOU SAID, BOARD MEMBER GRIEGO AND SAY, WOW, LOOK AT HOW MUCH WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED FOR OUR STUDENTS AND THE DIVERSITY AND THE TAPESTRY IN OUR SCHOOLS AND WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO FOR THEM TO CONNECT THEM AND MAKE THEM FEEL LIKE A SENSE OF BELONG BUT BELONGING.
THIS IS MY FIRST TIME, SO BEAR WITH ME.
MY NAME IS AMANA COUTURE RE AND I HAVE TWO CHILDREN ATTENDING L-A-U-S-D.
AND I REALLY WANNA THANK CARLA AND THE REST OF THE BOARD AND DR.
BAEZ FOR ALLOWING US PARENTS TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS REALLY, UM, IMPORTANT INITIATIVE IN TERMS OF ALLOWING MORE REPRESENTATION FOR OUR KIDS.
UM, I AM ACTUALLY ALSO A PRODUCT OF L-A-U-S-D, BORN AND RAISED IN THE VALLEY, AND I'M ALSO A MEMBER OF THE MUSLIM PARENTS ASSOCIATION.
AND, UM, YOU REFERENCED OUR EXPERIENCE, UM, JUST GROWING UP, BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE.
I'VE HAD WONDERFUL EXPERIENCES BEING PART OF L-A-U-S-D.
I WAS ACTUALLY THE REALLY INVOLVED IN, UH, RECEDA HIGH SCHOOL.
I WAS VOTED REGION OF THE YEAR, SO YAY TO RECEDA.
BUT, UM, WITH THAT SAID, I THINK GROWING UP AS A MUSLIM, UH, TO BE HONEST, THERE WAS A LOT OF STIGMA, ESPECIALLY AFTER NINE 11, UM, AND KIND OF EMBARRASSMENT AND SHAME THAT CAME WITH MY IDENTITY.
'CAUSE MY MOTHER WORE A HIJAB GROWING UP AND I WAS ALWAYS EMBARRASSED THAT I DIDN'T WANT MY FRIENDS TO SEE, YOU KNOW, HER WITH THE HIJAB OR DURING FASTING THAT I DIDN'T WANNA TELL THE TEACHERS THAT I WAS FASTING OR THAT I DIDN'T EAT PORK.
AND SO A LOT OF THE TIMES WE HID OUR IDENTITY AND THE TEACHERS DIDN'T KNOW, OR EVEN KIDS DIDN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, CERTAIN CULTURAL THINGS THAT WE HAD GROWN UP WITH.
AND I THINK FOR ME, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT I DON'T WANT MY KIDS TO HAVE TO EXPERIENCE THAT.
I WANT THEM TO FEEL THAT THEY ARE PART OF THIS COMMUNITY, THEY'RE PART OF L-A-U-S-D, AND THEY ARE REPRESENTED AND THEY'RE MADE TO FEEL THAT THEY ARE ACCEPTED.
AND SO I REALLY DO WANNA THANK THE BOARD FOR WILLING TO TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION.
HE, HIM, I AM ON THE COMMITTEE AS A COMMUNITY MEMBER.
PROFESSIONALLY, I AM THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION AT ONE INSTITUTE IN LGBTQ PLUS, UH, HISTORY ORGANIZATION WHERE I RUN PROGRAMS FOR YOUTH AND K 12 EDUCATORS.
UH, I AM ORIGINALLY FROM, UH, RURAL SOUTH MISSISSIPPI FROM A VERY, UH, CONSERVATIVE, UH, SMALL TOWN, UH, WHERE I WENT TO A PUBLIC COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL.
UM, AND IN MY SCHOOL WE DID NOT, UH, LEARN, UH, LGBTQ PLUS HISTORY OR PERSPECTIVES.
UH, BUT MY 11TH GRADE ENGLISH TEACHER, MS. BAILEY, ALWAYS PROVIDED ME OPPORTUNITIES
[00:10:01]
TO WRITE ABOUT MY OWN EXPERIENCES AS A QUEER PERSON AND TO, UH, STUDY TOPICS THAT I WAS INTERESTED IN, UM, INCLUDING, UH, A RESEARCH PAPER ON THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT THAT I WROTE IN, UH, MY SENIOR YEAR ACTUALLY IN HER, IN HER CLASS.AND, UM, THAT WAS JUST EXTREMELY FORMATIVE FOR ME TO HAVE THAT SPACE AND THAT FREEDOM TO EXPLORE IDEAS THAT WEREN'T EXTREMELY POPULAR IN MY SCHOOL.
UM, AND SHE WAS SOMEONE THAT REALLY JUST EMPOWERED ME AS, AS A QUEER, YOUNG PERSON IN A VERY, UH, CONSERVATIVE, RURAL, UH, PLACE.
UH, AND I'M VERY EXCITED TO BE HERE.
UM, VERY EXCITED TO BE HERE AS WELL.
I FEEL KIND OF BLINDSIDED WITH THIS
UH, UM, I'M A, I'M A MOTHER OF FIVE BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN.
AND, UM, I THINK THE BIGGEST THING ABOUT BEING ON THIS COMMITTEE THIS YEAR IS MAKING SURE THAT MY CHILDREN FEEL SEEN AND THEY FEEL HEARD AND THEY FEEL UNDERSTOOD.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS I'M EXCITED ABOUT WITH THE BSAT PROGRAM, WHICH IS THE BLACK STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT PLAN, IS THAT THERE ARE THINGS IN PLACE NOW TO ALLOW OUR CHILDREN TO BE SEEN AND TO BE HEARD AND TO BE UNDERSTOOD.
UM, AS A CHILD GROWING UP, I GREW UP IN ARIZONA AND THERE WAS NOT A LOT OF CHILDREN THAT LOOKED LIKE ME WHEN I WENT TO SCHOOL.
AND, UH, IT ALMOST CREATED A SENSE OF SELF ERASURE FOR ME.
AND I WILL NOT ALLOW MY CHILDREN TO GROW UP THAT WAY.
AND SO I AM EXTREMELY GRATEFUL TO BE ON THIS COMMITTEE THIS YEAR.
'CAUSE I REALLY BELIEVE WE'RE GONNA MAKE SOME FABULOUS CHANGES FOR OUR KIDS.
AND, UM, THAT'S WHAT MAKES ME EXCITED.
SO THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO BE A PART OF THIS TEAM.
MY NAME IS KATE GARCIA BODE, AND I'M A PARENT OF AN L-A-U-S-D STUDENT.
I'M ALSO A, UM, AN EDUCATOR IN L-A-U-S-D, AND I'VE TAUGHT WITH L-A-U-S-D SINCE THE NINETIES.
AND, UM, TO YOUR QUESTION ABOUT BELONGING, I'LL SAY THAT I HAVE REALLY BEEN PASSIONATE ABOUT SOCIAL JUSTICE SINCE I WAS A TEENAGER AND, UM, KIND OF FELT LIKE A WEIRDO.
I WAS THE ONLY
AND, UM, I ONLY REALLY FELT TRULY SEEN BY MY TEACHERS WHO LOVED THAT I WAS A TEACHER'S PET.
AND, UM, THEN WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A TEACHER, UM, I, I SLOWLY STARTED UNDERSTANDING TEACHING, FOR ME, TEACHING FOR JUSTICE, KIND OF FALLING INTO THREE SORT OF BUCKETS.
THOSE BEING, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE TEACH.
SO THE CONTENT, HOW WE TEACH OUR, OUR METHODS AND HOW WE, UM, SPEND KIDS' DAYS AND ALSO HOW WE, UM, BUILD COMMUNITY AND A SENSE OF BELONGING IN OUR, IN OUR CLASSROOMS. AND IT REALLY WASN'T UNTIL I STARTED COMMUNITY ORGANIZING WITH COALITION FOR EDUCATIONAL JUSTICE A LONG TIME AGO, WHERE I MET OTHER EDUCATORS WHO, WHO GOT IT
AND THAT CHILDREN SHOULD HAVE A SENSE OF BELONGING, LIKE WHAT YOU WERE SAYING, THAT THEY SHOULD BE SEEN AND UNDERSTOOD, AND THAT THEY SHOULD BE, UH, CO-CREATORS OF THEIR, OF KNOWLEDGE.
UM, AND, AND SO THAT'S WHERE I FELT A SENSE OF BELONGING WAS WITH OTHER EDUCATORS AND, AND, UM, PARENTS IN COALITION FOR EDUCATIONAL JUSTICE.
I'M REALLY EXCITED TO BE HERE ON THIS COMMITTEE AND, AND TO GET TO MEET ALL OF YOU.
I'VE BEEN WITH L-A-U-S-D FOR 20 YEARS.
I'M NOT REALLY WELL SPOKEN LIKE THESE OTHER PEOPLE,
AND
WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY WITH THIS IS THAT SINCE I, I DIDN'T GROW UP ALL THE WAY IN EL SALVADOR.
I CAME TO UNITED STATES AND THEN I LIVED IN MEXICO FOR A WHILE.
[00:15:01]
I WAS NOT A PRODUCT OF LUSD, I WENT TO DOWNEY HIGH SCHOOL, DOWNEY.AND ANYWAY, I JUST GOT THE WESTERN PERSPECTIVE OF, YOU KNOW, THE CURRICULUM THAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO ALL KNOW, I GUESS, LIKE, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW, THIS IS EDUCATION AND THIS IS WHAT YOU GET.
I DID NOT THINK THAT I DIDN'T BELONG.
BUT ONCE NOW, STEPPING BACK AND BEING AN EDUCATOR, I DON'T WANT CERTAIN STORIES TO BE LEFT OUT.
AND THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR ME.
SO I KNOW THAT I JUST, YOU KNOW, LIKE TRADITIONALLY WHAT'S THE PERSPECTIVE IS OUT THERE FOR US TO LIKE LEARN AND WE KIND OF THINK THAT THAT IS THE NORM.
AND SO FOR OUR CHILDREN, I WANT A FLEXIBLE CURRICULUM WHERE THEY HAVE, UH, OPPORTUNITY TO SHINE AND I WANT IT NOT, AND I WANT IT TO BE LIKE PEOPLE THAT ARE, UH, THE OUTCOME WOULD BE AS STUDENTS THAT ARE WELL-ROUNDED AND NO MULTI, UH, AS BEING LIKE L-G-B-T-Q AND JUST DIFFERENT CULTURES FROM DIFFERENT, UM, UH, COUNTRIES AND FOOD AND ART AND NOT JUST LIKE A LIMITED SENSE OF CULTURE.
UM, THAT'S WHAT I WANT BECAUSE WHAT I WANT FOR THE STUDENTS TO BE WELL-GROUNDED INDIVIDUALS WHEN THEY GROW UP.
HI, MY NAME IS LAURA VASQUEZ WEBER.
I WAS BORN IN LOS ANGELES AND BOTH OF MY PARENTS WERE BORN IN LOS ANGELES, WHICH GROWING UP I FOUND OUT WAS PRETTY UNUSUAL.
UM, MY MOM'S PARENTS WERE FROM MEXICO AND MY DAD'S GRANDPARENTS WERE FROM IRELAND.
UM, I WAS VERY FORTUNATE TO GROW UP IN A HOUSEHOLD WHERE BOTH CULTURES WERE CELEBRATED VIGOROUSLY.
AND WHERE I WAS INFORMED ABOUT THE HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA, THE UNITED STATES, EAST COAST, WEST COAST, I I HAD A VERY STRONG SENSE OF SELF IN THAT WAY, AND I'M VERY GRATEFUL FOR THAT.
UM, WHEN I STARTED TEACHING, I WAS JUST OVERJOYED BY THE FACT THAT EVERY YEAR I TEACH, I'VE TAUGHT FOR 26 YEARS IN EAST AND, UH, SAME SCHOOL, TWO LOCATIONS.
UM, I WAS OVERJOYED BY THE FACT THAT WE CELEBRATED CINCO DE MAYO PROUDLY.
UM, I WOULD, I LOVED SEEING THE PARENTS, YOU KNOW, SINGING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM WITH THEIR HANDS OVER THEIR CHESTS.
UM, WE MADE SURE THAT WE INCLUDED THE STORIES OF STUDENTS WHO WERE FROM CENTRAL AMERICA OR SOUTH AMERICA OR OTHER PLACES.
NOW WE ARE EXPANDING IT AT OUR SCHOOL TO BE, UM, MORE, UH, OF AN INTERNATIONAL DANCE DAY SO THAT WE CAN BE MORE INCLUSIVE.
AND, UM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I, I AM CONCERNED ABOUT BECAUSE AGAIN, WHEN I STARTED TEACHING THE LANGUAGE ARTS CURRICULUM, I'M A, I'VE TAUGHT FOURTH, FIFTH, AND SIXTH GRADE.
UM, THE LANGUAGE ARTS CURRICULUM WAS VERY DIVERSE.
IT WAS VERY CLEAR THAT IT WAS INTENTIONALLY DIVERSE.
YOU HAD REPRESENTATION OF ASIAN CULTURES, LATIN AMERICAN CULTURES, AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURES, INDIGENOUS CULTURES.
IT, IT, IT WASN'T PERFECT, BUT IT WAS DIVERSE.
AND I'VE NOTICED THAT SINCE COMMON CORE, THE TWO CURRICULUMS WE'VE ADOPTED SINCE THEN.
I HAD, I EXPERIENCED THREE BEFORE THEN AND TWO SINCE COMMON CORE.
IT'S LIKE WE'VE GONE BACKWARDS.
UM, ALL THE DIVERSITY I JUST MENTIONED, IT'S, IT'S NOT THERE, UH, AS MUCH.
AND, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF, UM, MEDIEVAL STUFF, A LOT OF, UM, POETRY FROM THE 17 HUNDREDS.
UM, AND IT'S NOT, IT DOESN'T HAVE THE SAME JOY THAT IT DID, UH, BEFORE.
AND SO I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, YOU KNOW, I'VE GOTTA DO SOMETHING
I I'VE GOTTA HAVE AN INFLUENCE THE NEXT TIME WE ADOPT A CURRICULUM.
AND SO I STARTED A CURRICULUM COMMITTEE THROUGH OUR UNION, THROUGH UTLA AND THAT LED ME HERE.
AND I'M, I'M VERY GLAD TO BE HERE.
I HAVE, UH, TWO STUDENTS IN L-A-U-S-D SCHOOLS.
I HAVE A MIDDLE SCHOOLER, OH, ACTUALLY SHE'S A HIGH SCHOOL NOW, AND AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENT.
I'M ALSO AN EDUCATOR IN EAST FOR ABOUT 20 YEARS MOSTLY.
UM, AND I THINK TO THE QUESTION OF BELONGING, I THINK ABOUT, I GREW UP IN A CITY PRETTY CLOSE BY WHERE MOST OF THE STUDENTS LOOKED LIKE ME, BUT I NEVER LEARNED ANYTHING ABOUT MY OWN CULTURE.
SO I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S, I, I REALLY THINK ABOUT, LIKE, THINKING ABOUT THIS IDEA OF, UM, ERASURE AND LIKE, EVEN THOUGH EVERYBODY AROUND ME LOOKED LIKE ME, WE NEVER LEARNED A SINGLE THING ABOUT MY OWN HISTORY, PARTICULARLY AROUND ASIAN AMERICAN HISTORY, WITHIN AMERICAN CONTEXT.
UM, BUT ONE JOYFUL THING IS THAT I WAS ABLE TO PUT MY DAUGHTER IN DUAL LANGUAGE PROGRAM, AND I THINK THAT'S IN MANDARIN DUAL LANGUAGE.
AND I THINK THAT PIECE REALLY, IT'S LIKE, LIKE A LOVE SONG TO MY PARENTS, RIGHT?
[00:20:01]
MM-HMM.SO, UM, SO I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING I WISH MOST STUDENTS CAN HAVE IN ANY LANGUAGE THEY THEY WANNA DO.
UM, I WANNA SEE HOW WE CAN REALLY TAKE THIS TO BE MORE THAN JUST PIECEMEAL AND REALLY INTEGRATE IT INTO OUR SCHOOLS.
AND WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO THE BACK.
I AM THRILLED TO BE HERE AGAIN ON THE CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION COMMITTEE.
UM, ONE IS AT IRVING MIDDLE SCHOOL AND THE OTHER AT THE GIRLS ACADEMIC LANGUAGE, UM, LEADERSHIP ACADEMY.
UM, I WAS A WHITE GIRL WITH GLASSES, SO EVERYTHING WAS VERY CENTERED
AND I SAW MYSELF IN JUDY PLUME AND BEVERLY CLEARY.
AND I'VE GIVEN A SHOUT OUT HERE TO MY SIXTH GRADE TEACHERS WHO, YOU KNOW, ARRANGED THIS AMAZING FIELD TRIP WHERE WE WERE PEN PALS WITH KIDS THAT WE DIDN'T KNOW.
AND THEN THEY BROUGHT US FOR A THREE DAY OVERNIGHT, LIKE THIS BIG GRADUATION EXPERIENCE.
AND AGAIN, EVERYBODY'S JAWS DROPPED 'CAUSE ON ONE BUS, IT WAS FROM A PREDOMINANTLY BLACK SCHOOL.
AND OUR SCHOOL WAS PREDOMINANTLY WHITE BECAUSE THEY KNEW YOU JUST HAVE TO BRING HUMANS TOGETHER.
AND, UM, I NOW WORK FOR THE CENTER FOR TEACHER, UH, INNOVATION.
AND THAT'S ALWAYS MY FIRST QUESTION FOR EVERY NEW TEACHER IS JUST WHO'S IN THE ROOM? YOU KNOW, YOU JUST START WITH THAT.
UM, AND MY LAST POINT IS JUST TO CARLA'S POINT ABOUT LANGUAGE.
THAT'S WHY I FEEL LIKE DUAL LANGUAGE IS SHOULD GROW TO EVERY SCHOOL, BECAUSE THAT'S HOW YOUR BRAIN GROWS.
LIKE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU TALK ABOUT
I AM A PRODUCT OF VALLEY USD, PROUD IMMIGRANT MOTHER OF FOUR, UM, STUDENTS.
I STILL HAVE TWO, ONE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, ONE IN ELEMENTARY, SORRY, HIGH SCHOOL.
UM, I THINK WHEN YOU ASKED THAT, AND I WANNA SAY IN OUR LAST MEETING WE KIND OF HAD SOMETHING SIMILAR, BUT I WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
SO WHAT CAME TO MIND WAS AS AN IMMIGRANT STUDENT IN L-A-U-S-D, UM, MY SENIOR YEAR I WAS UNDOCUMENTED AND IT WAS IN THE TIME OF, UM, PROPOSITION 180 7 WHERE THEY WANTED TO ELIMINATE RIGHT, UH, EDUCATION OR ANYTHING FOR UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS.
AND OUR TEACHERS AT FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL WERE SO AMAZING THAT THEY TAUGHT US HOW TO BE ACTIVISTS.
AND I REMEMBER THE RALLIES, I REMEMBER EVERYTHING AT THAT TIME.
AND, AND THAT'S WHAT INSTILLED IN ME IN, IN THE BIRTH OF, UM, BEING AN ACTIVIST.
AND, AND TO THIS DAY, I HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH MY TEACHER FROM BACK THEN, YOU KNOW, EVERY MONTH, EVERY SO OFTEN.
SO I'M VERY GRATEFUL FOR THAT EXPERIENCE, VERY GRATEFUL.
AND I'M ALSO GRATEFUL FOR BEING HERE AGAIN FOR A THIRD YEAR.
AND IT LOOKS VERY DIFFERENT AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO HEAR EVERYTHING THAT I'M HEARING.
UM, THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE, BECAUSE I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA ACCOMPLISH.
SO AS FAR AS WHO I AM, UH, I'M A SON OF IMMIGRANT PARENTS FROM DURANGO, MEXICO.
MY PARENTS CAME OUT HERE TO, UH, THE US SEEKING A BETTER LIFE AS MIGRANT WORKERS THROUGH THE BRACERO PROGRAM BACK IN THE SIXTIES.
SO I AM AN ENGLISH LEARNER, INTERNATIONAL STUDENT NEWCOMER AND MIGRANT ED STUDENT ALL IN ONE.
UH, AS A STUDENT, I WOULD SAY THAT, UH, WE, WE MOVED AROUND QUITE A BIT BECAUSE OF MY FATHER'S SITUATION AS FAR AS WORK.
SO I'VE BEEN RAISED IN MULTIPLE CITIES AND WENT TO AT LEAST 15 SCHOOLS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
BUT I THINK THERE WAS A COMMON PATTERN, AND THAT WAS THAT I DON'T THINK THAT TEACHERS WERE EITHER EQUIPPED AND OR ALLOWED TO MAYBE TEACH US ABOUT OUR CULTURE.
IT SEEMED TO BE, UH, MAYBE SORT OF A, I DUNNO, SECRET OR SOMETHING.
AND, AND I FELT IT AS A STUDENT BECAUSE I NEVER HEARD ABOUT PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF.
WHAT WAS ALSO DIFFICULT FOR ME, OR INTERESTING AT LEAST, UH, MY FRIENDS THOUGHT I WAS WHITE BECAUSE I LOOK, SO WE, RIGHT.
MY DAD IS WE FROM DURANGO, AND THAT'S JUST THE WAY IT IS.
BUT IT WAS CONFUSING BECAUSE I WAS LIKE, WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE YOU MEXICANO, CHICANO, LATINO POCHO? LIKE, WHAT ARE YOU, DUDE? RIGHT,
SO IT WAS REALLY INTERESTING GOING THROUGH THAT LENS AS A STUDENT.
BIAS MENTIONED, ALSO, UH, IN COLLEGE, I TOOK A COURSE FOR SPANISH, FOR SPANISH SPEAKERS.
AND THE PROFESSOR INTRODUCED ME TO NEW TEXTBOOKS THAT I HAD NEVER EVEN HEARD OF, LET ALONE READ.
AND I THINK THAT EXPOSURE REALLY HELPED ME INTERNALIZE WHAT MY CULTURE WAS ABOUT AT A DEEPER LEVEL.
AND THAT WAS VERY HELPFUL AND INSPIRATIONAL.
I BECAME AN ACTIVIST ON CAMPUS AT UC, SANTA CRUZ AND IN WATSONVILLE FOR MANY YEARS.
SO THAT WAS VERY HELPFUL TO ME.
I WAS A DUAL LANGUAGE STUDENT.
I CAME TO LA UNIFIED AND I BEGAN MY CAREER 30 YEARS AGO AS A DUAL LANGUAGE TEACHER IN EAST LA TAUGHT AT GARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL FOR ADULTS.
AND THEN I BECAME, UH, A ADMINISTRATOR.
I'M CURRENTLY PROFESSIONALLY A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL AND A DUAL LANGUAGE PROGRAM SCHOOL AS WELL.
SO MY GOAL IS TO BE SUPPORTIVE AND TO LEND A HELPFUL EAR
[00:25:01]
AND TO BE HELPFUL IN TERMS OF SHARING INPUT AS TO HOW THE APPLICATION OF THE PROGRAM SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS AT THE SCHOOL SITE LEVEL.THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR STORIES.
I AM REALLY MOVED JUST BY YOUR DESIRE TO BE HERE.
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU, WHAT INSPIRES YOU, AND JUST YOUR, YOUR STORY IN GENERAL.
UM, SO THANK YOU FOR, FOR ALLOWING US TO HEAR THAT.
UM, SO NOW, UM, BEFORE WE GO ON, I WANNA REMIND FOLKS THAT WE DO HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT AT THE END OF THE MEETING.
SO WE WILL HEAR FROM FOLKS WHO WANT TO SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS ON THEIR OPINIONS, THEIR IDEAS AT THE END.
[II.1. Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Spaces for Latinx and Indigenous Mesoamerican Students]
WE'RE GONNA HAVE A PRESENTATION FROM THE MULTILINGUAL MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION DIVISION AND FROM TWO EDUCATORS.AND WE'RE ALSO GOING TO HEAR FROM STUDENTS AND, UH, TO OUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
IF YOU LOOK AT YOUR PRESENTATION ON SLIDE 22, YOU WILL SEE WHAT THE BIG QUESTION IS, KIND OF LIKE IF YOU'RE AN EDUCATOR, THE BIG IDEA, RIGHT? SO THE QUESTION IS, HOW CAN WE SUPPORT SCHOOLS AND EDUCATORS IN EVERY CLASSROOM TO ENGAGE REAL WORLD THEMES AND REALITIES? SO WE WANNA THINK OF THIS QUESTION AS WE'RE LISTENING TO ALL OF THE PRESENTERS TODAY.
AND THEN AT THE END OF THE PRESENTATION, AFTER EVERYBODY HAS PRESENTED, WE WILL HAVE Q AND A AND THEN WE WILL HAVE, UH, SOME MORE DISCUSSION.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE END OF THE DOCUMENT, YOU WILL SEE THE TWO DISCUSSION QUESTIONS.
UM, WHICH TOWARD THE END OF THE DOCUMENT, AFTER STUDENT VOICES THE QUESTION, HOW CAN THE IDEAS WE HEARD TODAY REINFORCE CULTURALLY LINGUISTIC RESPONSIVE PEDAGOGY, CLASSROOM PRACTICE IN OTHER SPACES AS IN SCHOOLS OR GRADE LEVELS OR DEPARTMENTS? AND THEN HOW CAN WE SUPPORT ALL EDUCATORS, INSTRUCTORS, AND SCHOOL COMMUNITIES TO ENGAGE IN SIMILAR CLRP STRATEGIES AND MATERIALS.
AND AS I SHARED WITH YOU ALL WHEN WE FIRST MET, THE GOAL OF THIS COMMITTEE IS TO GET ALL THESE IDEAS FROM YOU, FROM OUR PRESENTERS, FROM OUR AUDIENCE, AND THAT WE CAN USE THIS INFORMATION TO AFFECT CHANGE IN A POSITIVE WAY FOR OUR STUDENTS, RIGHT? BECAUSE THOUGH WE MAY BE DOING WONDERFUL THINGS IN L-A-U-S-D, THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT.
AND WHAT BETTER PLACE TO GET THOSE IDEAS THAN FROM A COMMITTEE THAT IS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PEOPLE THAT WE SERVE AND THE PEOPLE WHO WORK WITH US.
SO, UM, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT CONVERSATION LATER ON TODAY.
SO I'M GONNA, I WANNA THANK THE DIVISION OF INSTRUCTION, DR. FRANCIS BAEZ, AND ALSO MED, THE MULTICULTURAL, UH, MULTILINGUAL, UH, EDUCATION, DIVID DIVISION FOR, UH, ORGANIZING THIS PRESENTATION, DOING ALL THE WORK THAT IT TOOK.
I'M VERY GRATEFUL TO YOU AND OF COURSE TO OUR EDUCATORS AND TO OUR STUDENTS AND PARENTS WHO ARE HERE, WHO ARE SUPPORTING YOUR STUDENTS HERE.
THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING YOUR, YOUR CHILDREN TO BE HERE AND PARTICIPATE IN THIS.
UM, SO NOW I'D LIKE TO INVITE TODAY'S PRESENTERS TO GET US STARTED ON THE PRESENTATION.
WE'RE GOING TO HEAR FROM, UH, LYDIA COSTA STEVENS, WHO'S THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF MED JOSEFINA PADILLA, WHO'S A FIRST GRADE TEACHER AT HOOPER AVENUE AND MARELA LOPEZ SAMOA, WHO IS A SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER AT KING DREW MEDICAL MAGNET.
BIAS TO JUST SHARE A LITTLE BIT BEFORE.
UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, BOARD MEMBER.
SO TODAY'S TOPIC IS TIMELY AS IT HIGHLIGHTS THE CULTURAL CAPITAL OF LATINX AND INDIGENOUS MESO AMERICAN STUDENTS.
PRESENT DAY LATINOS STAND AS LIVING PROOF OF THE GENETIC VIBRANCY AND RESILIENCE OF CULTURAL FUSION.
LATINOS INTEGRATE BLACK, INDIGENOUS, ASIAN, AND EUROPEAN ANCESTRY IN L-A-U-S-D.
WE VALUE THE RICH CULTURES OF OUR STUDENTS, AND OUR GOAL IS TO ENGAGE THEM IN CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY RESPONSIVE AND SUSTAINING LEARNING.
TODAY WE'LL HEAR FROM DISTRICT LEADERS, EDUCATORS, AND SCHOOL COMMUNITIES.
AND SO I WELCOME LYDIA COSTA STEVENS.
UH, THANK YOU FOR CREATING THIS RESPONSIVE SPACE.
WHAT WE JUST DID HERE, SHARING OUR IDENTITIES, WHO WE ARE AND OUR STORIES IS WHAT WE WOULD HOPE HAPPENS IN EVERY SPACE THAT OUR STUDENTS, OUR EDUCATORS, AND EVERY EMPLOYEE CAN LIVE IN CONNECTIONS.
I APPRECIATE HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT WITH WHO YOU ARE.
THIS IS ME, I'M A PARENT OF A THEY THEM KIDDO, L-A-U-S-D LIFER, THE JOY, THE TRAUMA FIVE YEAR OLDS TO PRESENT ENTIRE CAREER SPECIAL ED ASSISTANT, UM, TEACHER MODIFIED BILINGUAL, WHAT WE USED TO CALL THINGS PRINCIPALS, COORDINATOR.
AND I'M PROUD TO BE HERE AND I'M PROUD TO PARTNER WITH MY DEAR FRIEND DR.
[00:30:01]
BAAS BECAUSE IT IS ABOUT FRIENDSHIP AND RELATIONSHIPS.I DO WANNA SHARE JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME.
UM, I FOUND THAT IN EVERYTHING YOU SHARED ABOUT YOUR IDENTITY, THE WHY CAME OUT.
MY WHY HAS TO DO WITH MARIA MAGDALENA, A 14-YEAR-OLD AT NIGHTINGALE HIGH SCHOOL, EXCUSE ME, MIDDLE SCHOOL PREGNANT WITH M AT 14, WITH MY BIO DAD FROM EL SALVADOR, WHO WAS 24, LONG STORIES, LOTS OF JOURNEYS.
AND MY STEPBROTHER WHO CAME FROM EL SALVADOR IN 1983.
IF YOU GUYS REMEMBER WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE EIGHTIES AND ALL OF THAT, YOU CAN SEE TRAUMA.
BUT I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF BEAUTY AND JOY AND A LOT OF DICHOS.
SO I, SO WHO YOU SHARED AND WHO WE ARE AND WHO OUR CHILDREN ARE, AND THEIR PARENTS AND THE COMMUNITY THAT WE HAVE HERE, BECAUSE WE HAVE SOME AMAZING PARTNERS JOINING US HERE TOO.
OUR PURPOSE, JUST TO DEEPEN OUR UNDERSTANDING AND STAY CONNECTED, WHAT IS CLRP? WHAT IS IT REALLY? IT'S REALLY HUMANITY RESPONSIVE SPACES LIKE WHAT WAS CREATED THIS MORNING AT THIS MEETING, CONNECTING TO THE LIVED EXPERIENCES, ESPECIALLY ON THIS MONTH OF OUR LATINX AND INDIGENOUS EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS REFLECTING CONTINUOUSLY.
'CAUSE IT'S ALWAYS CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT.
AND HOW DO WE SUPPORT OUR SCHOOLS AND HONOR THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY'S RESILIENCE, YES, THE IDENTITY, BUT SCHOOLS HAVE IDENTITIES AS WELL.
WE HOPE THAT WE CAN DEFINE THESE SPHERES OF EXISTENCE OF THE LATINX COMMUNITY.
NOTHING IS A MONOLITHIC GROUP.
DEEPEN OUR CRITICAL LEARNING AND UNDERSTANDING OF CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY RESPONSIVE PEDAGOGY, WHICH IS PART OF OUR TEACHING AND LEARNING FRAMEWORK, AND HAS BEEN FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
THIS IS LIKE THE OG OF EQUITY WORK.
I LIKE TO SAY DEEPEN THAT UNDERSTANDING CENTER ALWAYS ARE EDUCATORS AND OUR STUDENTS, AND REALLY TAKE A LOOK AT HOW CAN WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT AS A SYSTEM IN THE STRUCTURES OF THE RESILIENCE OF EVERYONE IN THE SYSTEM, IN THE STRUCTURE, IN THE COMMUNITIES, OUR FAMILIES AND OUR STUDENTS.
HOW DO WE TO CONTINUE TO EMPOWER THEM AND HONOR EVERY INTERSECTIONAL IDENTITY? NO ONE LIVES IN A BOX WITH THAT.
WE'RE VERY HAPPY THAT, UM, WE'RE GOING TO BE HAVING OUR 2025 MULTILINGUAL MULTICULTURAL MASTER PLAN.
THANK YOU MS. GREGO, FOR BRINGING ALL OF THAT AND ALL YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS AND OUR CORE COMMITMENTS.
AND WE HAVE A CHAPTER ON AMERICAN INDIAN AND INDIGENOUS STUDENTS FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME IN THIS DISTRICT, I AM NOT AWARE, AND I'VE BEEN LOOKING IN OTHER DISTRICTS IN CALIFORNIA'S, WHETHER THEY HAVE THAT, I HAVEN'T FOUND ONE YET, BUT IF SOMEONE HAS IT, SEND IT TO ME.
WHAT ARE OUR CORE COMMITMENTS IN THE MASTER PLAN CONNECTED TO OUR PILLARS? EVERYTHING YOU WERE SAYING, HONOR WHO THE WHOLE CHILD IS, SEE THE ASSETS AND BUILD UPON THEM.
CELEBRATE MULTILINGUALISM MULTICULTURALISM, ENSURE HIGH QUALITY, RIGOROUS INSTRUCTION.
ALWAYS PARTNER WITH FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES AND CREATE THOSE SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT AND ALL OF OUR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE PILLARS.
ENGAGEMENT, COLLABORATION, AND OPERATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS.
THE YELLOW'S THE MOST IMPORTANT.
IF WE CAN'T FIND JOY, THIS WILL BE CHALLENGING.
SO THE DIFFERENT SPHERES OF EXISTENCE AS I BRING UP JAVIER, HE IS OUR COORDINATOR AND M-M-E-D-A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE, A WELL-RESPECTED EDUCATOR, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING AN OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR HIM AND THE ADDITIONAL VOICES THAT WILL COME UP HERE.
GOTTA MOVE THIS MIC UP A LITTLE BIT.
UM, I AM VERY HAPPY TO BE HERE AND, UH, TO BE PRESENTING, UH, TO YOU ALL.
UH, MY NAME'S JAVIER SANDMAN AND I WORK FOR, UH, MMAD.
AND WITHOUT ANY FURTHER ADO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND GET INTO, UH, WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE IN TERMS OF DIFFERENT, UH, SPHERES OF EXISTENCE.
UM, WE JUST WANT TO TAKE A FEW MO UH, JUST A FEW MINUTES JUST TO COVER SOME THINGS THAT I ALREADY HEARD THAT MANY OF YOU UNDERSTAND VERY WELL, RIGHT? AND SO THAT IS THAT, UM, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT
[00:35:01]
WHATEVER THE LABEL MAY BE, RIGHT,WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT AS WE LOOK AT, UM, AT, AT OUR COMMUNITY, IT IS A MOSAIC.
YOU'LL NEVER UNDERSTAND REALLY ANY COMMUNITY IF YOU TRY TO LOOK AT IT AS, AS A MONOLITHIC THING, RIGHT? UM, AND, AND, AND THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE AS CULT, WHEN YOU'RE, UM, WHEN YOU DO THIS WORK AS A CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE EDUCATOR, UM, YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND NUANCE, RIGHT? JUST AS WE HEARD AND, AND ALL OF YOUR WONDERFUL, UH, STORIES, UH, THERE WAS SO MUCH NUANCE THERE, RIGHT? UM, AND SO WE KNOW THAT EACH STUDENT IS UNIQUE, UM, AND THEY CARRY THEIR OWN HISTORY, LANGUAGE PERSPECTIVE, AND WAY OF BEING.
UM, AND THOSE THAT ARE COMMITTED TO THIS WORK, UM, HAVE TO VIEW OUR STUDENTS IN, IN THAT WAY.
AND SO ULTIMATELY, UM, THE FIRST STEP OF THE CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHER IS TO BECOME A STUDENT AGAIN, TO BECOME A STUDENT OF YOUR STUDENTS.
AND THAT'S WHEN YOU'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO, UH, MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS TO THEM.
AND I'M JUST GOING BACK, UH, JUST A LITTLE BIT, AND THIS ARE BEAUTIFUL PICTURES FROM OUR ARTS FEST, UM, UH, LA LAST YEAR, UM, LAST SCHOOL YEAR,
BUT, UM, IF YOU JUST TAKE A MOMENT TO LOOK AT THAT BEAUTIFUL MOSAIC THAT IS THERE AND THAT BEAUTIFUL HUMANITY THAT IS REPRESENTED IN THAT PICTURE.
UM, AND WE ALSO HAVE A QUOTE FROM GLORIA A**L, AND SHE ALSO TALKED ABOUT THAT ASPECT OF, UM, THAT LAYERED RIGHT EXISTENCE AND THOSE THRESHOLD REGIONS THAT WE OFTEN FIND OURSELVES IN AS MULTILINGUAL, MULTICULTURAL PEOPLE GOING ALL THE WAY BACK TO, UM, DOUBLE CONSCIOUSNESS, RIGHT? IS, IS LIKE SOMETHING, UM, THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE WAS EXPLORED IN THE WORKS OF RICHARD WRIGHT, UM, AND WEB DU BOIS, RIGHT? AND SO, UM, WE ALSO WANT TO APPLY THAT AS WE, UH, UNDERSTAND OUR DIVERSE INDIGENOUS MESO AMERICAN COMMUNITIES.
AND SO, UH, WE KNOW THAT DIVERSE INDIGENOUS MASS AMERICAN COMMUNITIES ARE THRIVING ACROSS MEXICO, CENTRAL AMERICA, SOUTH AMERICA, UM, ALSO KNOWN AS, UM, ABALA TURTLE ISLAND, UH, GROUPS SUCH AS MAYA SAPO, UH, EK NAWA CHICHI, UH, AND GUATEMALA AND TANO FROM PUERTO RICO.
AND, UH, THEY CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN, UH, RICH ANCESTRAL KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICES, UH, DESPITE CENTURIES OF COLONIALISM AND MARGINALIZATION.
SO WE LOOK AT THEM AS A MOSAIC AS WELL THAT'S INTERTWINED, UH, WITH ALL OF US.
AND WITHIN THIS BEAUTIFUL MOSAIC THAT WE HAVE HERE.
UM, IT IS A COMPLEX COLLECTION OF THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF THE LATINX, UH, COMMUNITY AND INDIGENOUS MESO AMERICAN COMMUNITY THAT DISRUPTS, RIGHT? UM, THIS KIND OF MONOLITHIC VIEW OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS LATINO OR WHAT IS HISPANIC? UM, OR SPANISH SOMETIMES THEY SAY THAT ON THE EAST COAST, RIGHT? UM, AND THE FIRST TIME I HEARD THAT I WAS VERY CONFUSED.
SO, UH, WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO AS CLASSROOM PRACTITIONERS? UM, ASIDE FROM HAVING THAT, UH, ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE OF LOOKING AT THIS BEAUTIFUL MOSAIC OF, OF HUMANITY IN FRONT OF YOU, THAT YOU HAVE THE PRIVILEGE TO SERVE, UM, WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND CONCEPTS OF CULTURE, RIGHT? UH, FROM A TEACHER'S PERSPECTIVE, FROM AN EDUCATOR'S PERSPECTIVE.
AND SO THIS IS A GRAPHIC THAT WE CALL THE RINGS OF CULTURE.
UM, IT IS FROM THE WORK OF DR.
SHIRAKI HOLLY, CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING, WHICH IS VERY MUCH BASED IN CLASSROOM PRACTICE OF CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING, OBVIOUSLY.
UM, AND THERE WE HAVE ETHNICITY AT THE CENTER, BUT WE HAVE THIS INTERSECTIONALITY OF, UH, RINGS OF, UH, CULTURE AND IDENTITY.
SO AGE, ORIENTATION, NATIONALITY, GENDER, RELIGION, SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS.
ALL OF THESE, UM, ARE CONCEPTS BECAUSE THE RINGS OF CULTURE ALLOW US AS EDUCATORS TO LOOK BROADLY AT BEHAVIORS AND SEE STUDENTS IN THIS MULTIDIMENSIONAL WAY AND AVOID PIGEONHOLING THEM, RIGHT? BECAUSE YOU CAN'T BE LY RESPONSIVE IF YOU PIGEONHOLE STUDENTS.
SO, UM, WE KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU MIGHT BE, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, MEXICAN AMERICAN OR CHICANO IF THEY'RE STILL USING THAT TERM
[00:40:01]
BUT IF YOU'RE 16 YEARS OLD, THERE'S THINGS THAT YOU SHARE IN COMMON WITH OTHER 16 YEAR OLDS, RIGHT? AND WE ALL EXPERIENCE THIS IN HIGH SCHOOL.UH, AGE CULTURE IS A THING, RIGHT? AND SO WHEN YOU GET TO HIGH SCHOOL IN MY TIME, 'CAUSE WE'RE GETTING A LITTLE BIT OLDER NOW, UM, SUBGROUPS AND CLIQUES WERE MUCH MORE PRONOUNCED THAN THEY ARE NOW.
I THINK OUR, OUR, OUR KIDDOS ARE DOING A MUCH BETTER JOB NOW OF BEING INCLUSIVE OF EVERYONE.
BUT THEY WERE THE JOCKS, THEY WERE THE MOTORHEADS, THEY WERE THE ROCKERS, YOU KNOW, WE, UM, AND THEY WERE ALL, WE'RE ALL THE SAME AGE AND WE ALL WERE IN THE SAME YOUTH CULTURE.
BUT EVEN WITHIN EACH RING THAT YOU SEE THERE, THERE ARE A MULTIPLICITY OF RINGS WITHIN RINGS.
AND SO WE KNOW THAT CULTURE IS A VERY COMPLEX THING, BUT IF WE'RE DEDICATED AS TEACHERS TO BE STUDENTS OF OUR STUDENTS, WE DISCOVER THESE THINGS BY TALKING, RIGHT? BY CREATING RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR STUDENTS.
UM, AND THEN THE PROCESS OF IMPLEMENTING, UH, THE METHODS, THE METHODOLOGY, THE PEDAGOGY OF CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY RESPONSIVE, UH, TEACHING AND LEARNING CAN OCCUR.
SO, UM, WE JUST WANTED TO COVER SOME OF THOSE CONCEPTS, IS THAT CULTURE IS A VERY MULTIFACETED THING.
AND IF YOU WANT TO BE A CULTURALLY LINGUISTICALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHER, YOU MUST BE A STUDENT OF YOUR STUDENTS FIRST.
UM, AND I'LL BRING, UH, LYDIA BACK UP.
SHE'S GOING TO INTRODUCE ANOTHER PRESENTER.
I LOVE THAT YOU GET TO HEAR THE BRILLIANCE OF THE COMMUNITY OF L-A-U-S-D.
JAVIER ELIA IS, UM, A BRILLIANT EDUCATOR, UM, HAS GROWN THIS WORK IN A SUCH A BEAUTIFUL WAY WITH MANY PARTNERS, AND SHE ALSO HAS A HUGE BACKGROUND.
WE STOLE HER, SORRY, FROM THE SPECIAL ED DIVISION, BUT IT'S OKAY.
HERE SHE IS AND I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO, UM, ENJOY HER PRESENTATION AS WELL.
ALL YOURS, ELIA NAMA, UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
UH, I AM INDIGENOUS MASO AMERICAN.
MORE SPECIFICALLY, I AM MIXED DEKO FROM LANA IN PUEBLA.
SO I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE INDIGENOUS MESO AMERICAN POPULATIONS.
AND WHEN I'M SPECIFICALLY TALKING AND REFERRING TO INDIGENOUS MESO AMERICANS, I AM, UH, DISCUSSING COMMUNITIES THAT ARE NATIVE TO THE AMERICAS, WHO HAVE MAINTAINED HISTORICAL AND TERRITORIAL CONTINUITY WITH CIVILIZATIONS THAT EXISTED BEFORE EUROPEAN INVASION AND COLONIZATION.
THEY PRIMARILY IDENTIFY WITH THEIR LANGUAGE OR LAND THEY SPEAK, OR ONE SPOKEN INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE.
AND ABOVE ALL, ARE NOT THE PRESENTLY DOMINANT SOCIETAL GROUP IN THEIR HOME COUNTRIES.
ACROSS SCHOOL DISTRICTS, INDIGENOUS MASS AMERICAN STUDENTS LIVE IN MULTIPLE SPACES.
THEY MAY BE CONSIDERED PART OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER POPULATION, INTERNATIONAL NEWCOMERS, OR RECENTLY RECLASSIFIED STUDENTS.
THE INDIGENOUS FAMILY QUESTIONNAIRE IS A FORMED, UH, THAT WAS DEVELOPED TO BETTER IDENTIFY STUDENTS WITH INDIGENOUS HERITAGE FROM THE AMERICAS AND BEYOND, INCLUDING THOSE FROM SPANISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES WHOSE HOME LANGUAGE MAY NOT BE SPANISH.
ALL NEW AND RETURNING STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO COMPLETE THE FORM TO ENSURE THAT WE BETTER IDENTIFY INDIGENOUS STUDENTS ATTENDING L-A-U-S-D SCHOOLS.
THIS FORM IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH.
THE AMERICAN INDIAN AND INDIGENOUS EDUCATION PROGRAM IS COLLABORATING WITH INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES TO MAKE IT ACCESSIBLE IN INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES.
SOME OF THE PRELIMINARY INFORMATION THAT HAS BEEN GENERATED FROM FAMILIES COMPLETING THIS FORM IS HERE ON THIS SLIDE.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GATHER INFORMATION OF THE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES OR TRIBE STUDENTS ATTENDING L-A-U-S-D MAY BE PART OF THE INFORMATION ON THIS SLIDE INDICATES THE DIVERSE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES AND TRIBE STUDENTS BELONG TO.
SO GO AHEAD AND TAKE ABOUT 30 SECONDS TO LOOK THROUGH.
AND OF COURSE, THIS IS A LIVING FAMILY QUESTIONNAIRE THAT WE WILL CONTINUE ADDING INFORMATION AS FAMILIES CONTINUE TO COMPLETE IT.
AND WITH THAT, I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND PASS IT BACK TO LYDIA.
YOU JUST GOT A TINY LITTLE GLIMPSE OF HER BRILLIANCE.
THE NEXT BRILLIANT AND AMAZING EDUCATOR IS ROXANNA SOSA, A COORDINATOR IN MMED.
COME ON UP, ROXANNA, YOU'LL GET A LITTLE GLIMPSE FROM HER.
WE'RE THE PRE-SHOW BEFORE THE CONCERT CONCERT'S GONNA START CONCERT'S RIGHT HERE.
[00:45:01]
WHEN I STARES? GOOD AFTERNOON.I AM A FORMER PROUD DUAL LANGUAGE EDUCATION TEACHER, SO HAPPY TO SEE THE DLE FAMILY IN THE ROOM.
UM, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY TODAY I AM THE PROUD DAUGHTER OF SALVADORIAN IMMIGRANTS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CREATING A SPACE WHERE I CAN SAY THAT, UM, AND FEEL SEEN AND VISUALIZED.
SO FOR THIS PART OF THE PRESENTATION, BEFORE WE ACTUALLY SEE CLRP COME TO LIFE THROUGH TEACHERS AND STUDENT VOICES, WE'RE GONNA GROUND OUR LEARNING A LITTLE BIT MORE AND HOW WE'RE DEFINING CLRP.
AND WE'RE GONNA TAKE A DEEP DIVE INTO THAT L IN CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY RESPONSIVE PEDAGOGY, THE LANGUAGE, THE LINGUISTIC ASPECT OF, UM, HAVING AN ASSETS-BASED PEDAGOGY IN THE CLASSROOM.
SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED.
SO WHEN WE THINK OF CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY RESPONSIVE PEDAGOGY, WE USE THE WORK AS MENTIONED BY JAVIER, UM, PREVIOUSLY THE WORK OF DR.
SHIRAKI HOLLY, WHERE HE DEFINES FOR A-C-L-R-P AS THE VALIDATION AND AFFIRMATION OF THE HOME CULTURE AND HOME LANGUAGE FOR THE PURPOSES OF BUILDING AND BRIDGING THE STUDENTS TO SUCCESS IN THE CULTURE OF ACADEMIA AND MAINSTREAM SOCIETY.
WHAT IS IMPORTANT ABOUT THIS DEFINITION IS THAT WE HAVE TO VALIDATE AND AFFIRM, AND THAT IS WHAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT SINCE THIS MEETING STARTED.
THAT FEELING OF BELONGING, OF BEING SEEN, OF GETTING TO KNOW WHO OUR STUDENTS ARE, THEIR STORIES, RIGHT? THEIR FAMILIES, THEIR DREAMS, THEIR JOURNEYS, RIGHT? THEIR FEARS, THEIR FUNDS OF KNOWLEDGE, RIGHT? WHERE THEY COME FROM.
IT'S IMPORTANT LIKE, UH, JAVIER ALSO SAID THAT WE MUST BE STUDENTS OF OUR STUDENTS.
ONLY THEN CAN WE USE THAT IN THE CLASSROOM, RIGHT? CAN WE BUILD AND BRIDGE AND BRING THIS TO LIFE IN THE CLASSROOM AS WE ARE SUPPORTING OUR STUDENTS IN STRENGTHENING ALL OF THEIR SKILLS AND THEIR KNOWLEDGE.
SO AS MENTIONED, LET'S TAKE A LITTLE DEEPER DIVE INTO THE L IN CLRP BECAUSE LANGUAGE IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF WHO OUR STUDENTS ARE.
SO TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WE MEAN BY BEING LINGUISTICALLY RESPONSIVE IN A CLASSROOM FILLED WITH CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY DIVERSE STUDENTS IS WE CAN USE THE CONCEPT OF TRANSLANGUAGING.
AND I ALWAYS GET SO EXCITED TALKING ABOUT THIS.
THIS IS THE SECOND TIME, AND I MISS CECILY.
I REMEMBER, UM, HAVING THIS CONVERSATION AND SEEING YOUR BEAMING FACE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE SMILES.
UM, TRANSLANGUAGING, IT'S, IT'S A THEORY THAT REALLY HELPS US DEFINE HOW MULTILINGUAL PEOPLE COMMUNICATE FLUIDLY.
THAT THERE IS NO SEPARATION COGNITIVELY, UM, TO HOW WE'RE SPEAKING.
LIKE YOU'RE NOT ONE LANGUAGE BRAIN AND A SEPARATE LANGUAGE BRAIN, RIGHT? WE'RE ONE HOLISTIC LINGUISTIC TOOLKIT OF, OF LINGUISTIC POWER AND COGNITIVE GENIUS.
TRANSLANGUAGING IS INCREDIBLY RESPONSIVE, RIGHT? BECAUSE ONCE WE BELIEVE IT, THEN IN THE CLASSROOM WE CAN LEVERAGE THE GENIUS OF THE MULTILINGUAL BRAIN OF OUR STUDENTS FOR THEIR LEARNING.
AND SO WHEN WE THINK OF CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY RESPONSIVE PEDAGOGY, WE HAVE TO BRING TRANSLANGUAGING TO THE DISCUSSION, TO THE TABLE, TO THE PLANNING OF TEACHERS.
SO WE CAN SEE THAT THE DEFINITION OF TRANSLANGUAGING IS WHEN A MULTILINGUAL PERSON'S FULL LINGUISTIC REPERTOIRE IS USED AND HONORED INSTEAD OF PRIVILEGING A SINGLE LANGUAGE.
SO THAT MOSAIC THAT WAS MENTIONED EARLIER, IT ALSO APPLIES TO LANGUAGE, RIGHT? OUR LANGUAGE IS A MOSAIC, RIGHT, OF WHO WE ARE, OF WHO OUR FAMILY IS, OF HOW WE LEARN, HOW WE GROW.
AND SO THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR ALL OF US TO TRULY, UM, UNDERSTAND SO THAT WE CAN BE EVEN MORE RESPONSIVE, RIGHT? AND STRENGTHEN THE WORK AT OUR SCHOOLS.
THIS IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE LANGUAGE IS MORE THAN JUST LANGUAGE.
IT'S OUR ANCESTORS, THE LAND THAT WE ARE TIED TO, OUR IDENTITY, OUR FAMILY ROOTS.
PLEASE TAKE THIS MOMENT AS WE THINK ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE RESPONSIVE EDUCATORS.
WHAT DOES LANGUAGE MEAN TO YOU? TAKE 30 SECONDS.
[00:50:07]
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THINKING ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE AS PART OF OUR IDENTITY AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO RECOGNIZE THE FLUIDITY OF LANGUAGE OF MULTILINGUAL STUDENTS, UM, IN THIS PROCESS OF VISUALIZING THEM AND ENSURING THAT THEY ARE SEEN AND THAT THERE IS A SENSE OF BELONGING IN EVERY EDUCATIONAL SPACE THAT THEY ENTER IN OUR LEARNING.THIS YEAR WE HAVE HAD THE AMAZING OPPORTUNITY TO BRING CLRP AND TRANSLANGUAGING TOGETHER.
THESE CONCEPTS REALLY SUPPORT HOW RESPONSIVE WE ARE ABLE TO BE FOR STUDENTS AND FOR FAMILIES.
WHEN WE BRING THEM TOGETHER, WE SEE THE INTERSECTIONALITY OF THE WORK.
AND FOR EDUCATORS IT'S ALL COMING TOGETHER.
SO CLRP AND TRANSLANGUAGING, THEY BOTH PERSONALIZE LEARNING TO RX TO STUDENT EXPERIENCES.
THEY SUPPORT CROSS LANGUAGE LEARNING, SEEING CONNECTIONS ACROSS LANGUAGE, RIGHT? THEY BOTH RESIST DOMINANT MONOLINGUAL ASSIMILATIONIST MODELS.
THEY BOTH USE CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE OF OUR FAMILIES, OF OUR STUDENTS IN TEACHING.
THEY BOTH VALIDATE HOW WE HAVE AN EXPRESSION THAT LIVES ACROSS LANGUAGES AND THEY BOTH AFFIRM CULTURAL AND LINGUISTIC IDENTITY.
THIS IS WHY THIS, THE WORK IS SO IMPORTANT TO BRING BOTH OF THESE TOGETHER.
SO IN SUPPORTING OUR SCHOOLS, WE HAVE SOME TOOLS THAT ARE STRATEGIC TO SUPPORT ALL OF THIS WORK.
WE HAVE THE CLRP SIX KEY INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES TRIFOLD, SO THAT AS TEACHERS ARE PLANNING, THEY'RE THINKING OF THE KEY ACCESS STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT STUDENTS.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE HAVE THE TRANSLANGUAGING TRIFOLD TO SUPPORT TEACHERS IN UNDERSTANDING WHAT TRANSLANGUAGING IS AND HOW IT SUPPORTS BUILDING RESPONSIVE CLASSROOMS. AND THIS YEAR THERE IS A MANDATED PD MODULE THAT BRINGS CLR AND TRANSLANGUAGING TOGETHER.
VERY EXCITING WORK THAT WE ARE TYING DIRECTLY TO THE CLASSROOM AND BRINGING FOR STUDENTS FOR TEACHERS AT THE SCHOOL SITE.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, TO SPEAK TO WHAT DR.
MAHONEY SPOKE ABOUT, THE THE TITLE SIX AMERICAN INDIAN AND INDIGENOUS EDUCATION PROGRAM HAS DEVELOPED THIS INTERACTIVE SLIDE DECK WITH RESOURCES TO SUPPORT INDIGENOUS MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS, INCLUDING STRENGTHENING INDIGENOUS CULTURAL IDENTITY IN THE CLASSROOM, BUILDING TRUST AND MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT WITH INDIGENOUS FAMILIES AND INDIGENOUS INTERNATIONAL NEWCOMER RESOURCES.
UM, THERE ARE ALSO RESOURCES TO SUPPORT UNDERSTANDING SAPO CHE.
AND THIS RESOURCE IS CONTINUOUSLY UPDATED.
AND WE ARE SO EXCITED NOW TO BRING CLR TO LIFE, CLRP, TO LIFE THROUGH THE VOICES OF TEACHERS, UM, AND STUDENTS.
BRILLIANCE, JUST TO TELL YOU SOMETHING ABOUT THESE RESOURCES.
IT'S NOT US IN OUR OFFICE PUTTING THESE THINGS TOGETHER.
THIS IS ALWAYS WITH TEACHERS, THEM TELLING US, THIS WORKS, THIS DOESN'T WORK.
LET ME TRY THIS, LET ME DO THIS.
SO EVERYTHING WE BUILD IN MMED ARE PLANNING, IDEAS, TOOLS, AND LESSONS THAT TEACHERS CAN LEVERAGE NOW TO THE BEAUTIFUL AND WONDERFUL QUESTION THAT OUR BOARD MEMBER BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION.
JUST READ IT FOR YOURSELF FOR A MINUTE.
HERE'S THE KEY QUESTION AND HERE'S THE CONCERT.
AS WE CENTER EDUCATORS AND STUDENT VOICES, I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE DR. LINDSEY.
AND SHE IS GOING TO INTRODUCE, UH, I MEAN EVERY TEACHER'S A ROCK STAR, BUT IN THIS MOMENT, THIS TEACHER'S GONNA BE THE ROCK STAR.
YOU WERE ONE OF THE FIRST SCHOOLS I VISITED, RIGHT? THAT'S RIGHT.
ESTEEMED MEMBERS OF THE L-A-U-S-D CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION COMMITTEE.
MY NAME IS LINDSEY BURT AND I HAVE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING THE SOUTH LOS ANGELES AREA FOR OVER 17 YEARS, THE PAST EIGHT, AS THE PRINCIPAL AT HOOPER AVENUE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND DUAL LANGUAGE SCHOOL IN
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REGION EAST HISTORIC CENTRAL AVENUE NETWORK.DURING MY TENURE AT HOOPER, I HAVE WITNESSED THE DEDICATED AND PASSIONATE WORK OF MISS JOSEFINA PADILLA MARTINEZ, WHO HAS SERVED THE HOOPER COMMUNITY WITH DISTINCTION FOR 32 YEARS.
SHE IS A STEADFAST ADVOCATE FOR THE RIGHTS OF STUDENTS, FAMILY, AND SCHOOL PERSONNEL.
SHE WAS ALSO INSTRUMENTAL IN BRINGING BILINGUAL EDUCATION TO THE SCHOOL.
SHE'S DEEPLY COMMITTED TO CREATING CULTURALLY RELEVANT AND INCLUSIVE SPACES WHERE EVERY STUDENT AND STAFF AND FAMILY MEMBER FEELS VALUED, HEARD, AND SEEN.
IT IS MY HONOR TO INTRODUCE MS. JOSEFINA PADILLA MARTINEZ, WHO WILL BE SHARING HER DECADES OF WORK ON CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY RESPONSIVE PEDAGOGY AS WE APPROACH THE CELEBRATION OF LATINX HERITAGE MONTH.
HELLO TO ALL THE SCHOOL MEMBERS.
UM, AGAIN, GREETINGS TO ALL THE SCHOOL MEMBERS AND COMMITTEE, UH, PRESENT TODAY.
AND I'D LIKE TO ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE TVA PEOPLE WHOSE LAND WE STAND ON, UM, AND THE ANCESTORS.
UM, MY NAME IS JOSEFINA PADILLA MARTINEZ.
I HAVE BEEN TEACHING IN LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT L-A-U-S-D FOR 32 YEARS.
I HAVE TAUGHT AT HOOPER AVENUE ELEMENTARY SINCE 1993.
I AM CURRENTLY A FIRST GRADE DUAL LANGUAGE TEACHER, AND I HAVE SUCCESSFULLY ENGAGED AND CONNECTED WITH THE STUDENTS IN ENGLISH ONLY AND BILINGUAL PROGRAMS. BEFORE JOINING L-A-U-S-D, I TAUGHT ADULT EDUCATION AND NON-PRO, UH, NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS FOCUSING ON HISTORY, CIVICS, AND ENGLISH.
MY COMMITMENT IS TO MAKE A MEANINGFUL IMPACT IN MY STUDENTS' LIVES.
TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT MYSELF, I AM THE DAUGHTER OF JUANITA MARTINEZ CAMACHO AND JOSE PADILLA, BOTH MEXICAN AND IMMIGRANTS.
MY MATERNAL ROOTS ARE IN THE STATE OF PUEBLA, MEXICO, WHERE THE ARE VERY PRESENT IN THE DAYNESS OF EVERYONE, IN PARTICULARLY IN THE RURAL AREAS OF PUEBLA.
AND ALSO MY ROOTS ARE FROM MY PATERNAL LINEAGE, WHICH COMES FROM JALISCO.
I WAS BORN IN LOS ANGELES AND RAISED IN A STRATA COURTS ES A SECTION EIGHT HOUSING COMMUNITY IN BOYLE HEIGHTS, WHERE MY MOTHER'S ALSO INDIGENOUS.
CULTURAL BACKGROUND AND SPIRITUAL PRACTICES SHAPED MY UPBRINGING SINCE CHILDHOOD.
MY MOTHER WOULD ALSO TAKE ME TO HAVE THAT CONNECTION WITH FAMILY TO PUEBLA SINCE VERY YOUNG.
AND THERE I WOULD GO TO A GRANDE MAN AND ULA TO VISIT FAMILY.
THOSE VISITS SIGNIFICANTLY INFLUENCED MY IDENTITY AS A TEENAGER.
MY HOMESCHOOL WAS A PLACE I HOLD DEAR.
FULL MEMORIES I STILL CHERISH.
HOWEVER, THERE IS ONE EXPERIENCE THAT HAS STAYED WITH ME, SHAPING MY PASSION FOR TEACHING THROUGH CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY RESPONSIVE THROUGH EVERY, UM, CULTURALLY AND RESPONSIVE LENS.
ONE DAY IN HIGH SCHOOL, I WAS SHARING THE STORY OF LOS ES BECAUSE I COME FROM A FAMILY, AND PARTICULARLY MY MOM WAS A STORYTELLER.
UM, VERY MUCH PRESENT AS SHE WAS EVIDENT AND A WITNESS TO SOME OF HER STORIES, STORY OF THE ES, WHICH, UM, A FRIEND, UM, I SHARED THESE STORIES WITH.
AND IN CLASS, DURING MATH CLASS, I DID NOT REALIZE THAT THE TEACHER WAS OVERHEARING MY STORY UNTIL I WAS CALLED TO THE DESK WITH A SUBTLE RIDICULE.
AT THE TIME, THE TEACHER ASKED ME IF I ACTUALLY BELIEVED THE STORIES THAT I SHARED TO BE TRUE.
I REPLIED, REASSURINGLY, YES, OF COURSE.
MY MOTHER IS A WITNESS AND HAS ALWAYS SHARED HER EXPERIENCE WITH US AS WELL AS OTHER ELDERS.
SINCE VERY YOUNG, I LIKED LISTENING TO THE ELDERS STORIES.
AND THE TEACHER LOOKED AT ME, ASKED MY AGE, AND THEN TOLD ME TO GO HOME AND ASKED MY MOTHER, YOU KNOW, IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO BE TOLD THE TRUTH.
AS I MENTIONED, THE TEACHER INSISTED THAT THOSE STORIES WERE NOT TRUE AND THAT I WAS OLD, OLD ENOUGH TO HEAR THE TRUTH.
WHEN I WENT BACK HOME, I SHARED WHAT THE TEACHER HAD MENTIONED TO ME AND MY MOTHER BECAME FURIOUS UPON HEARING WHAT THE TEACHER HAD TOLD ME.
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SHE POINTED OUT THAT THE TEACHER HAD NO RIGHT TO QUESTION OR INVALIDATE OUR FAMILY EXPERIENCE AND TRADITION STORE AND TRADITIONAL STORIES, BECAUSE MANY PEOPLE GENERALLY DO NOT KNOW THE REALITY FOUND IN NATURE.AND WITH ALL OUR RELATIONS, THERE'S UNDERSTANDINGS WITH NATURE THAT TO THIS DAY, PERHAPS THEY'RE NOT SEEN AS REAL OR VALIDATED OR TRUTH, BUT IT'S VERY PRESENT.
AND SO SOMEDAY THAT WILL AND QUANTUM PHYSICS IS GIVING LEGITIMACY TO A LOT OF THESE ANCIENT UNDERSTANDINGS.
SO IT BECOMES REALLY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THIS EXPERIENCE PROFOUNDLY IMPACTED MY MIND AND SOUL.
TEACHING ME THAT PEOPLE HAVE DIVERSE EXPERIENCES AND SHAPED THEIR SCHEMA AND REALITIES, AND THEY DESERVE TO BE VALIDATED AND RESPECTED.
IN THIS MOMENT, IN MY PERSONA, WERE EXAMPLES OF THE MANY INDIGENOUS VOICES THAT HISTORICALLY HAVE BEEN AND CONTINUE TO BE RIDICULED, SUPPRESSED, AND INVALIDATED.
SO I SEE THAT PRESENCE VERY IMPORTANT 'CAUSE I SAW HOW MY MOM'S VOICE AND ALSO MY, UM, MATERNAL LINEAGE.
ALL THOSE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, SILENCED OVER TIME AND HISTORICALLY AND BECOME VERY IMPORTANT TO BE VOICED AND ACKNOWLEDGED.
OVER TIME, I HAVE LEARNED HOW IMPORTANT, OKAY, THESE STORIES BECOME AND THESE SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDINGS ARE AND HAVE ALSO, UM, REALIZED.
AND THEY'VE COME TO HELP ME REALIZE THAT IT'S ALSO VERY, UM, IMPORTANT AND ALLOWS YOU TO BOND WITH OTHER INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES HERE ALSO IN THE UNITED STATES.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE UNCLE EVERETT, DENE PB, UM, AND ALSO JOHN MAKER AND OTHER INDIGENOUS, UH, REPRESENTATIVES AS WELL, UH, WHO HAVE ALSO BEEN VERY INFLUENTIAL AND ALSO EMBRACED JUST THE PRESENCE OF ALSO THE INDIGENEITY AMONG MANY PEOPLE'S MISSO AMERICAN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY.
AS A DUAL LANGUAGE TEACHER AND CULTURAL AGENT, I HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO OFFER MY STUDENTS IN POSITIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT IN TWO LANGUAGES WHERE THEIR DIVERSE MULTICULTURAL BACKGROUNDS ARE VALIDATED AND AFFIRMED.
I AIM FOR THEIR EXPERIENCE, UM, IN MY CLASSROOM TO BE POSITIVE AND IN CONTRAST COM TO COM.
CONTRAST TO MY OWN EXPERIENCE IN GRADE SCHOOL.
WELL, I ALSO EMPHASIZE RESPECT FOR DIFFERENCES AND THE IMPORTANCE OF VALUING THE INDIGENOUS POPULA GLOBALLY.
AS WE KNOW, INDIGENEITY IS ALSO THAT CONNECTION AND THAT, UM, BOND IS THAT MANY, EVEN IN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES IN EUROPE, AS WELL AS INDIGENEITY IN AFRICA, AS WELL AS IN ASIA.
AND HERE IN NAK TURTLE ISLAND, ALSO KNOWN AS THE AMERICAS, IS SOMETHING THAT IS VERY, UM, PRESENT AND BONDS US TOGETHER IN THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY.
SO, UM, HERE IS A LITTLE JUST VIDEOS ABOUT SLIDES ON, UH, THE ES.
OKAY, AND THIS IS GETTING TO KNOW MY STUDENTS.
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, I COLLABORATE WITH ADMINISTRATION TO WE WELCOME PARENTS AND STUDENTS THE DAY BEFORE THE DAY OF CLASS, A FIRST DAY OF CLASS.
I ALSO SENT HOME AN INFORMATIONAL FORM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MY STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES.
IN THIS FORM, I ASK IF THERE'S ANY SPECIFIC INFORMATION I SHOULD BE AWARE OF AND INQUIRE ABOUT THE LANGUAGES SPOKEN AT HOME SO THAT IT CAN PROVIDE THE BEST SUPPORT POSSIBLE.
I MAKE IT A PRIORITY TO PROTECT ALL STUDENT AND FAMILY INFORMATION IS DILIGENTLY TREATING IT WITH THE UTMOST CONFIDENTIALITY.
THE INFORMATION GATHERED IS USED SOLELY TO FOLLOW UP WITH THE APPROPRIATE SUPPORT SERVICES AVAILABLE AT THE SCHOOL SITE, ENSURING THAT THE STUDENTS AND FAMILIES ARE CONNECTED WITH RESOURCES THAT MEET THE ACADEMIC, LINGUISTIC AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL NEEDS, SUPPORTING INDIGENOUS STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES.
AS AN INDIGENOUS CULTURAL AGENT IN EDUCATION, I STRIVE TO CREATE MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS BETWEEN MY STUDENTS AND THE MATERIALS WE USE.
FOR INSTANCE, I INCORPORATE THE TEXT, THE LEGEND OF THE RA, UM, ALSO KNOWN AS OR LABU, ALONG WITH THE SOCIAL STUDIES UNIT, THE PEOPLE OF AMERICA, WHICH INCLUDES VALUABLE LESSONS ABOUT THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS OF NORTH AMERICA.
I ALSO MAKE A POINT TO INTEGRATE INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES WITH WHEN DISCUSSING THE PRESENCE OF THE ORIGINAL FIRST PEOPLE, ENHANCING STUDENTS' UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR RICH HERITAGE.
IN ADDITION, I CREATE A CLASSROOM SPACE FOR A CULTURAL CENTER WHERE STUDENTS CAN EXPLORE AND APPRECIATE CULTURAL ARTIFACTS.
THIS SPACE INVITES COLLABORATION FROM STUDENTS, PARENTS, AND TEACHERS AS WE EXPLORE THE RICHNESS OF CULTURES IN THE UNITED STATES AND ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT.
FOR EXAMPLE, DIA DURING DIA DE LOS MUTOS, WE ENCOURAGE STUDENTS AND PARENTS TO SHARE THEIR PHOTOGRAPHS OF THEIR DECEASED LOVED ONES OR CULTURAL ARTIFACTS THAT REFLECT THE BY HERITAGE OF THE SOUTHERN MEXICO.
THIS PRACTICE NOT ONLY HONORS THE MEMORY OF OUR LOVED ONES, BUT ALSO FOSTERS DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE BEHIND THE SPIRITUAL TRA TRADITION, HONORING OUR ANCESTORS AND THE SPIRITUAL WELL
[01:05:04]
IN CLOSING, SUPPORTING INDIGENOUS STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES.THROUGHOUT MY 30 YEARS OF TEACHING IN L-A-U-S-D, I HAVE BUILT STRONG BONDS AND FOSTERED TRUST WITHIN THE COMMUNITY I SERVE.
SPEAKING OUR NATIVE AND HERITAGE LANGUAGES OFFERS DIFFERENT WINDOWS TO SAVOR AND FEEL NATURE.
AND ALL RELATIONS, AS IT WAS MENTIONED BY MS. SOA LANGUAGE IS ANOTHER WINDOW TO FEEL AND SAVOR LIFE.
THERE'S CERTAIN THINGS THAT CANNOT BE FELT OR EXPERIENCE THE SAME WAY WITHIN A CERTAIN LANGUAGE.
SO AMONG THE INDIGENOUS, IT'S ALSO A FRAME THAT ALLOWS US TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, AND EXPERIENCE LIFE IN ITSELF.
AND IT CAN CHANGE FROM ONE LANGUAGE TO ANOTHER.
SO BY SPEAKING OUR NATIVE LANGUAGE, LIKE I SAID, IT OFFERS THAT, UH, RICHNESS AS WELL AS IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT, UM, TO OFFER THESE OPPORTUNITIES AND BOND WITH PARENTS BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT.
UM, AND CONFERENCES AND OPEN HOUSE.
I ALSO STRIVE TO INSPIRE AND UPLIFT THOSE AROUND ME WHEN I SPEAK TO THEM AND SHARE THEM THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO EMBRACE THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES.
'CAUSE WE HAVE STUDENTS AND PARENTS IN OUR, UM, SCHOOL SITE THAT SPEAK ANOTHER LANGUAGE, NOT ONLY SPANISH OR, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S ALSO ONE OF THE INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES FOR, WE HAVE, FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE, UM, AL THOSE ARE AMONG THE INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES.
AND SO TO REALLY EMBRACE THAT, BECAUSE IN MY UPBRINGING IT WAS, UH, SOMETHING THAT'S VERY MUCH RIDICULED AMONG THE PEOPLES THAT, YOU KNOW, SPOKE INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES.
AND SO IT BECOMES REALLY IMPORTANT, I THINK, AS AN EDUCATOR TO REALLY BOND AND CONNECT THAT WAY.
AND THAT'S ONE WAY THAT I WILL USE IT.
AND I WILL SPEAK DURING THAT TIME TO TEACH THAT TO THEIR CHILD.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, I WAS, THERE WAS GONNA BE A PARENT PRESENT HERE AND WITH THEIR CHILD WHO ALSO IS A SAPO PROTECT SPEAKER, BUT DUE TO BABYSITTING, SHE TOOK THE DAY OFF, BUT THEN SHE WASN'T ABLE TO FIND BABYSITTING.
SO, UM, SHE WAS NOT ABLE TO BE HERE, BUT SHE, UM, SAYS, YOU KNOW, SHE GREETS EVERYONE.
AND AGAIN, SORRY, SHE WASN'T ABLE TO MAKE IT.
UM, SO ALSO, MOREOVER, I'D JUST LIKE TO GO BACK TO THE QUESTION THAT WAS ADDRESSED BY MS. GRIEGO, UM, TO ANSWER, HOW CAN WE SUPPORT SCHOOLS AND EDUCATORS IN EVERY CLASSROOM TO ENGAGE IN REAL WORLD THEMES AND REALITIES? WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY GRACIA FOR MAKING AND CREATING THIS OPPORTUNITY, BECAUSE BELIEVE IT OR NOT, IT'S VERY HEALING.
UM, IT'S A HEALING SPACE THAT'S BEING, UH, NOW BIRTH IN THE INSTITUTION THAT WE SERVE.
AND BY DOING SO, THEY'RE CREATING, YOU KNOW, WE WERE CREATING SPACES LITTLE BY LITTLE IN MY 32 YEARS.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, I SAW MMED AGAIN, THE IMPORTANCE OF BILINGUALISM AND, UM, VOICING AND BEING AN ADVOCATE FOR IT SINCE VERY, YOU KNOW, EARLY ON IN MY CAREER.
BUT ALSO I SAW THAT THE INDIGENOUS PRESENCE, YOU KNOW, BE IT THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES THAT TRIBALIZED FROM HERE, FROM THE UNITED STATES AS WELL, THE OF THE DE TRIBALIZED TRIBES FROM HERE, AND EVEN FROM MISS AMERICA IN GENERAL, WE'RE NOT PRESENT.
YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE SPANISH, YOU HAVE ALL THE OTHER, UM, LANGUAGES BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, THAT ARE BIRTHED FROM, YOU KNOW, THE MOTHER COUNTRY IN EUROPE FOR MANY, YOU KNOW.
AND SO THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT IS HERE AND IT'S FLOURISHING.
AND IT WAS, YOU KNOW, MO UM, JUST AGAIN MOTIVATED TO, TO MANIFEST.
BUT WHERE ARE THE INDIGENOUS VOICES? SO OVER TIME IN MY CAREER, ESPECIALLY LAST YEAR, BECAUSE I'VE BEEN ATTENDING, UM, THE DIFFERENT WORKSHOPS, I SAW DR.
MAHONEY, UM, BEING PRESENT AND SPEAKING ON THE INDIGENEITY WITHIN OUR CULTURE.
AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT IT'S LIKE, YEAH, I WAS VERY PRESENT AND I, I, I SHARED THAT I WAS VERY, YOU KNOW, GLAD.
AND ALSO WITH THE, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH MMAD MEMBERS, BECAUSE IT'S SOMETHING THAT WAS, I FEEL MISSING AND HAD IS NOW IT'S LITTLE BY LITTLE.
IT'S BLOSSOMING AND THAT SEED, YOU KNOW, IT'S THERE AND IT'S LITTLE BY LITTLE.
'CAUSE YOU HAVE THE INDIGENEITY OF PEOPLES GLOBALLY THAT ARE STARTING TO BE EMBRACED AND UNDERSTOOD 'CAUSE THEY'RE CONNECTED TO THE LAND, TO MOTHER EARTH AND WITH ALL OUR RELATIONS IN NATURE.
AND I THINK THAT BECOMES REALLY IMPORTANT.
SO AGAIN, I WANNA SAY THANK YOU.
AND ONE WAY IS TO CONTINUE ON HAVING THESE MEETINGS, UM, TO ASSIST EDUCATORS TO BE PRESENT, UM, IN THIS WAY, TO CONNECT TO OUR, WITH OUR PARENTS, CREATING THESE KIND OF SPACES, UH, THAT ARE VERY IMPORTANT.
AND WHERE CRITICAL THINKING AND CRITICAL PEDAGOGY BECOME VERY CRUCIAL, UM, AS WELL.
AND TO GIVE ALSO VALIDATION, YOU KNOW, THAT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE LAND OF WHERE WE'RE AT IN
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THE MEETINGS, IN THE CLASSROOMS WHEN WE'RE SPEAKING, YOU KNOW, AND GIVING VALIDATION TO THOSE INDIGENOUS VOICES, YOU KNOW, RECOGNIZING AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, YOU KNOW, SO LIKE I, LASTLY, I'D JUST LIKE TO CLOSE WITH MY MOTHER'S WORDS, WHO WAS VERY, VERY PRESENT AND VERY STRONG.SHE WOULD SAY, MY LITTLE ONE OUT OF ENDEARMENT, YOU KNOW, GIVE IT YOUR BEST, THAT GRIT AND DON'T LET OR ALLOW ANYONE PUT YOU DOWN.
YOU COME FROM VERY GROUNDED ROOTS WITH MOTHER EARTH.
SO AGAIN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND ANA, ALL OF US TOGETHER, SO WE CAN ALSO GIVE THAT VOICE OF REPRESENTATION TO THE MOSAIC, UM, YOU KNOW, PRESENCE IN OUR CULTURE, IN OUR SOCIETY.
ESP PADIA, THIS IS VERY SPECIAL.
SO THE WHY, HOW CAN WE NOT INVEST AND GIVE OUR TEACHERS WHAT THEY NEED AS THEY INVEST IN OUR CHILDREN? THANK YOU.
THANK YOU HOOPER ELEMENT THREE.
SO THE CONCERT CONTINUES BECAUSE WE HAVE AMAZING PEOPLE HERE WITH SO MUCH TALENT.
I WOULD LIKE TO CALL UP OUR WONDERFUL PRINCIPAL BROOKINS TO INTRODUCE OUR MOST WONDERFUL TEACHER FROM KING DREW MEDICAL MAGNET.
UH, MY NAME IS REGINALD BROOKINS.
I'M THE PROUD PRINCIPAL OF KING DREW MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL.
IT'S MY 32ND YEAR IN L-A-U-S-D.
UM, I'M A, A STUDENT OF THE LIVING LEGEND, DR. GEORGE MCKENNA, WHO'S MY PRINCIPAL IN HIGH SCHOOL.
UM, YEAH, CLAPS WITH GEORGE MCKENNA.
AND SO, AS I WAS LISTENING TO THE, THE PANEL TALK ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE, ALTHOUGH I WENT TO A HIGH SCHOOL WITH PLENTY OF STUDENTS THAT LOOKED LIKE ME, I WASN'T REPRESENTED IN THE CURRICULUM.
I DIDN'T LEARN ABOUT MYSELF UNTIL I WENT HOME TO MY MOTHER, WHO WAS A RETIRED 39 YEAR L-A-U-S-D TEACHER WHO MIGRATED FROM THE JIM CROW SOUTH, WHO PARTICIPATED IN SIT-INS WHEN SHE WAS IN COLLEGE TO, TO GET EQUALITY WHERE SHE WAS.
AND SO I LEARNED ABOUT US FROM THEM.
AND SO NOW I'M PROUD TO WALK THE HALLS OF KENDRICK MAGGIN HIGH SCHOOL THAT TO ME EPITOMIZES WHAT CULTURALLY LINGUISTIC AND RESPONSIVE PEDAGOGY LOOKS LIKE.
AND SO I GET TO WALK THE HALLS AND WATCH OUR FABULOUS TEACHERS AND GET THE, SUPPORT THEM THROUGH THE PROCESS OF MAKING SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE SEEN IN A CURRICULUM.
AND SO I'M PROUD TO INTRODUCE ONE OF THOSE FANTASTIC TEACHERS WHO EPITOMIZES THAT INSTRUCTION.
THANK YOU, UH, TO THE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, CARLA GRIEGO AND SCHOOL BOARD COMMITTEE.
UH, I'M INVITING YOU ALL TO TAKE A DEEP BREATH WITH ME.
THERE'S A LOT OF GREAT INFORMATION COMING TO US AT US, AND I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE HAVE, LIKE, YOU KNOW, THAT OXYGEN COMING INTO OUR BRAIN AS WE SHARE.
USUALLY I EXPECT A GREET BACK FROM MY STUDENTS.
I'M A HIGH SCHOOL ETHICS STUDIES AND HISTORY TEACHER AT KING DREW MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL.
I'M ALSO A PROUD GRADUATE OF L-U-S-D-I.
ONCE UPON A TIME I TELL MY STUDENTS A HUNDRED YEARS AGO, WALKED THE HALLS OF KING DREW.
I WALKED THE HALLS OF GARDENA HIGH SCHOOL AND ALSO WASHINGTON PREP HIGH SCHOOL.
UM, AND I'M GLAD TO BE HERE TODAY.
I INVITE US TO WONDER ABOUT HOW HOPE AND JOY CAN GROW IN A CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE AND COMMUNITY CENTERED EDUCATION.
AND HOPE AND JOY IS JUST SO IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW AT THIS MOMENT.
FIRST, I WANT YOU TO PICTURE THIS.
SO IF YOU WERE OR ARE A HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER, PICTURE A BUSY HALL AND THE BELL RINGS, IT'S THE END OF THIRD PERIOD.
WE'RE WRAPPING UP OUR DAY'S LESSON.
STUDENTS ARE PACKING UP THEIR BACKPACKS, THE BELL RINGS, AND MY NINTH GRADE STUDENT L APPROACHES ME.
SHE LEANS IN AND SHE WHISPERS SHYLY.
AND WITH A LITTLE BIT OF VULNERABILITY IN HER VOICE, YOU KNOW, I'M INDIGENOUS MAYA TOO.
IN THAT MOMENT I BEAM WITH PRIDE, NOT JUST BECAUSE OF WHAT SHE SHARED, BUT BECAUSE OF WHY SHE FELT SAFE TO SHARE IT.
YOU SEE, THAT DAY WE HAD STUDIED MIGRANT EXPERIENCES AND ONE OF THOSE WAS INDIGENOUS GUATEMALANS.
AND IN LEARNING THAT HER TEACHER, ME IS ALSO
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MAYA MOM FROM GUATEMALA, LU FOUND THE COURAGE TO CLAIM HER OWN IDENTITY.AND THAT'S WHAT CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE EDUCATION LOOKS LIKE IN PRACTICE.
IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT CURRICULUM, IT'S ABOUT RECOGNITION, CONNECTION, AND BELONGING.
WHEN STUDENTS SEE THEMSELVES REFLECTED IN THEIR EDUCATION, WHEN THEY DISCOVER THAT THEIR TEACHERS SHARE THEIR HERITAGE OR THAT THEIR TEACHERS UNDERSTAND THEIR JOURNEY, SOMETHING MAGICAL HAPPENS.
THEY MOVE FROM HIDING WHO THEY ARE TO CELEBRATING IT.
AS YOU THINK ABOUT THIS, THINK ABOUT THE POLITICAL STATE OF OUR CITY AND THIS COUNTRY.
I'D LIKE US TO BRAINSTORM A QUESTION THAT I POSE TO MY STUDENTS ON THE FIRST WEEK OF NINTH GRADE ETHNIC STUDIES.
THAT QUESTION, UH, IS WHAT ARE MY IDENTITIES AND HOW DOES LEARNING ABOUT MY IDENTITIES EMPOWER ME AS AN AGENT OF CHANGE? BUT LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THIS AMAZING PLACE WHERE THIS MOMENT HAPPENED, KING DREW ITSELF, AND HOW I GUIDE THESE QUESTIONS IN THREE TO FOUR YEARS WITH MY SOCIAL STUDIES CLASSES.
KING DREW IS A BEAUTIFULLY UNIQUE SCHOOL BORN FROM THE ASHES IN REBELLION OF RESISTANCE OF OUR BLACK COMMUNITY.
FOLLOWING THE LA HISTORIC REBELLIONS TODAY, KING DREW STANDS AS A BEACON OF HOPE IN SOUTH CENTRAL SERVING STUDENTS FROM COMPTON TO THE SOUTH BAY, BLACK, INDIGENOUS, MIGRANT, QUEER, AND STUDENTS OF COLOR WHO CARRY WITH THEM EXTRAORDINARY STORIES OF RESILIENCE.
AND YOU COULD SEE ALL THE AMAZING SMILEY FACES UP THERE.
WE SERVE STUDENTS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD.
FROM MY, FROM FAMILIES WHO MIGRATED FROM CENTRAL AMERICA, SOUTH AMERICA, AND WEST AFRICA, AS WELL AS BLACK AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS WHO LINEAGES TRACE BACK TO THE GREAT MIGRATION OF THE SIXTIES AND SEVENTIES FROM PLACES LIKE ALABAMA, GEORGIA, AND NORTH CAROLINA IN THE HALLWAYS OF KING DREW.
AS YOU'RE WALKING BY, YOU'LL HEAR STUDENTS MIXING SPANISH WITH ENGLISH.
YOU'LL SEE MULTICULTURAL CELEBRATIONS, AND YOU WITNESS YOUNG PEOPLE NAVIGATING BETWEEN THE CULTURES OF THEIR ANCESTORS AND THE DREAMS OF THEIR FUTURE.
THIS IS NOT JUST THIS IDEA OF DIVERSITY, RIGHT? THIS IS LIVING HISTORY.
EVERY STUDENT WHO WALKS THROUGH OUR DOORS CARRIES GENERATIONS OF STRUGGLE, SURVIVAL, AND HOPE.
WHEN WE EMBRACE CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE EDUCATION, WE'RE NOT JUST TEACHING SUBJECTS LIKE MATH, ENGLISH HISTORY.
WE'RE HONORING THESE JOURNEYS AND HELPING OUR STUDENTS UNDERSTAND THAT THEIR STORIES MATTER, THEIR CULTURES HAVE VALUE, AND THAT THEIR VOICES DESERVE TO BE HEARD.
AND HERE'S WHAT OUR ETHNIC STUDIES CURRICULUM TEACHES US.
UNLESS WE ARE NATIVE AMERICAN INDIGENOUS TO THIS VERY LAND, WE ALL COME FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE.
OUR LINEAGES TRACE BACK TO DIFFERENT CORNERS OF THE WORLD.
WE'RE ALL INDIGENOUS TO DIFFERENT PLACES, WHICH MEANS WE ALL CARRY UNIQUE YET AKIN STORIES OF MIGRATION.
SO WHETHER OUR FAMILIES COME HERE FLEEING VIOLENCE SEEKING OPPORTUNITY, OR BROUGHT HERE AGAINST THEIR WILL, WE SHARE THE FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN EXPERIENCE OF MOVEMENT, ADAPTATION, AND THE SEARCH FOR BELONGING.
IN OUR NINTH GRADE ETHNIC STUDIES CLASS, WE BEGIN WITH WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT UNIT OF IDENTITY WHERE STUDENTS ENGAGE IN THIS ESSENTIAL QUESTION.
AND YES, I'M GONNA DO A LITTLE SHARE OUT.
SO YOU ALL ARE GONNA GET TO TALK AND SHARE WITH EACH OTHER.
I WANNA TAKE A MINUTE FOR YOU TO LOOK AT YOUR ELBOW PARTNER, YOUR NEIGHBOR.
AND I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT THIS QUESTION.
WHAT ARE YOUR IDENTITIES? AND HOW DOES LEARNING ABOUT YOUR IDENTITIES, HOW DOES THAT EMPOWER YOU AS AN AGENT OF CHANGE? SO I'M GONNA PAUSE FOR A MINUTE HERE AND I'M GONNA WAIT FOR YOU TO TALK TO YOUR ELBOW PARTNER.
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OKAY? I DON'T WANT TO INTERRUPT SUCH A FRUITFUL CONVERSATION, BUT FOR TIME'S SAKE, I HOPE IT BROUGHT YOU A LITTLE MOMENT OF REFLECTION.I HAVE SOMETHING THAT I CALL MY STUDENTS.
I TELL MY STUDENTS I HAVE TEACHER EARS.
SO I HEARD A LOT OF GREAT CONVERSATIONS.
I HAD A LOT OF GREAT THINGS, AND I REALLY WISH I HAD THE TIME TO DO A WHOLE CLASSROOM BOARDROOM SHARE OUT AND HAVE A DIALOGUE.
BUT I DO HOPE IT WAS A GOOD MOMENT OF REFLECTION.
SO NOW IN MY CLASSES, WE NAVIGATE THROUGH THREE TENETS OF THINKING THAT ARE DEVELOPED, UM, INTO INDEPENDENT UNITS.
I'D LIKE YOU TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT THESE TENANTS ALSO EVOLVE WITH STUDENTS AND WHAT THEY LEARN AND CREATE FROM NINTH GRADE ETHNIC STUDIES ALL THE WAY TO THEIR 11TH GRADE US HISTORY FINAL RESEARCH PROJECT.
THAT'S THE VIDEO YOU'RE SEEING PLAYING UP THERE.
OUR TENANTS ARE TENANT ONE, I KNOW ME, TENANT TWO, I KNOW YOU AND TENANT THREE, I KNOW US.
MY SOCIAL STUDIES CLASSES NAVIGATES THROUGH THESE THREE TENANTS VIA THE FOLLOWING UNITS.
TENANT ONE, I KNOW ME, IS OUR IDENTITY UNIT THAT IS FORMATTED DIFFERENTLY FOR EACH GRADE LEVEL.
IT IS OUR INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL STUDIES AND CRITICAL THINKING ABOUT SELF.
TEN TWO IS I KNOW YOU, OUR STUDENTS GET TO LEARN ABOUT THE ACKNOWLEDGED ROOTS OF WHERE WE ARE AND THE TRUE INDIGENEITY OF THIS CITY AND THIS NATION.
THEY BEGIN TO INQUIRE DEEPLY WHY ARE WE WHERE WE ARE? WHAT FORCES, WHAT HISTORY, WHAT DECISIONS BROUGHT US ALL TO THIS MOMENT, TO THIS PLACE.
AND THESE AREN'T ABSTRACT QUESTIONS.
WHEN STUDENTS UNDERSTAND THE INDIGENEITY OF THE LAND THEY WALK ON EVERY DAY, WHEN THEY GRAPPLE WITH THE COMPLEX HISTORY THAT SHAPED MIGRATION PATTERNS FOR ALL OF US, THEY BEGIN TO SEE HOW THEIR OWN FAMILY STORIES FIT INTO THIS LARGER HISTORICAL CURRENT TENANT.
THIS TENANT INCLUDES BLACK, AFRICAN AMERICAN EXPERIENCES, MIGRANT EXPERIENCES, AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, OVERALL INTERSECTIONAL EXPERIENCES OF RACE, ETHNICITY, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY.
AN EXAMPLE OF THIS THREAD IS PRESENT IN OUR CHARACTER INQUIRY AND ANALYSIS.
IN OUR MIGRANT EXPERIENCES, UNIT STUDENTS EXPLORE THE ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS OF WHY DO PEOPLE MOVE AND MIGRATE? AND WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF MOVING FOR INDIVIDUALS IN OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH THE RESEARCH AND GUIDANCE FROM CENTRAL AMERICAN SCHOLARS.
THESE ARE GREAT NAMES TO WRITE DOWN.
FLORID ALMA BO LOPEZ FROM THE TEACHING CENTRAL AMERICA PROJECT, AND OF COURSE, DRAWING FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCES AS A DAUGHTER OF CENTRAL AMERICAN REFUGEES, I CO-DESIGNED HISTORICAL CHARACTER PROFILES THAT BRING THESE CONNECTIONS TO LIFE.
AND IN PREPARATION FOR THIS CHARACTER ANALYSIS IN MY CLASS, MY STUDENTS DO AN ACADEMIC DIVE INTO A DIFFERENT MIRROR BY RONALD TAKAKI, THE HARVEST OF EMPIRE.
THEY EVEN RESEARCH INTO THE CIA WORLD FACT BOOK AND CLIMATE REFUGEES PUBLICATIONS BY UC, BERKELEY.
AFTER MULTIPLE LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND THIS OVERARCHING INFORMATION, STUDENTS SELF-SELECT THEIR OWN CHARACTER PROFILES.
AND OUR GOAL HERE IS THAT OUR STUDENTS INVESTIGATE AND BECOME EXPERTS IN THESE FIGURES, LIFE EXPERIENCES AND LIFE IMPACTS.
AND THAT'S WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS.
STUDENTS CHOOSE CHARACTERS FROM EL SALVADOR TO SOMALIA, FROM GUATEMALA TO PUERTO RICO.
THEY SEE THEMSELVES AND SEE OTHERS.
THE BEAUTY OF THEIR ARTWORK AND THE THOUGHTFUL RE REASONING BEHIND THEIR SELECTION REVEALS STUDENTS CONNECTING WITH FIGURES FROM COUNTRIES THEY MAY FIND SOME SORT OF REFLECTION WIDTH.
TO CONCLUDE THIS UNIT, STUDENTS WRITE A CIRC PARAGRAPH, CLAIM, EVIDENCE, REASONING, AND CONCLUSION, WHICH IS A SCHOLARLY WRITING FRAMEWORK THAT WE DEVELOPED IN OUR HISTORY DEPARTMENT.
SHOUT OUT TO THE KING DREW HISTORY DEPARTMENT.
THEY RESPOND TO THE UNIT'S ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS, PROVIDING INCITING EVIDENCE FROM EVERYTHING THEY LEARN.
BUT I MUST ACKNOWLEDGE SOMETHING CRUCIAL.
THIS SUCCESS EXISTS BECAUSE OF COMMUNITY.
AS A SOUTH CENTRAL, INDIGENOUS QUEER, L-A-U-S-D GRADUATE, MY TEACHING THRIVES BECAUSE OF MENTORSHIP.
IT THRIVES BECAUSE OF GUIDANCE AND SOLIDARITY OF FELLOW EDUCATORS LIKE MS. CAMPOS, MS. GILES, MS. MORALES, MR. PARRA, MS. JIMENEZ, MS. WATSON, AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FROM SPACES LIKE TITLE SIX, THE AMERICAN INDIAN IN EDUCATION PROGRAM.
THIS LEGACY IS HOW CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE, COMMUNITY-CENTERED EDUCATION CREATES HOPE AND JOY.
THIS IS WHY IT IS CRUCIAL THAT WE GIVE EDUCATORS TIME AND SPACE FOR THIS KIND OF COLLABORATION.
[01:25:01]
THAT WE SUPPORT BLACK INDIGENOUS TEACHERS OF COLOR AS AN L-A-U-S-D GRADUATE, AND AS A FORMER STUDENT OF KING DREW, AND AS A CHILD OF REFUGEES, THIS MATTER IS URGENT.I CAN EVEN ARGUE THAT LOOKING AT OUR POLITICAL STATE, WE'RE BEHIND SCHEDULE.
IF OUR CURRENT POLITICAL STATE OF AFFAIRS TEACHES US ANYTHING IS THAT WE MUST ADDRESS IGNORANCE AND INDIFFERENCE TOWARDS OTHERS FIRST, FIRST AND FOREMOST WITH CARE, AND THEN WITH CURIOSITY, THAT STARTS WITH CURIOSITY ABOUT OURSELVES, ABOUT OUR IDENTITIES, AND HOW WE BECOME AGENTS OF CHANGE.
I OFTEN ASK MY STUDENTS, HOW WILL YOU BECOME A POSITIVE AGENT OF CHANGE IN OUR WORLD? AND TODAY, EVERY DAY, I REFLECT ON THIS QUESTION AND I INVITE EVERYONE WHO, EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE TITLE OF TEACHER, YOU ARE ALL NOW IN SO MANY WAYS, AN INFLUENCE OF LOS ANGELES EDUCATION TO TAKE A MINUTE IN YOUR DAY TO DAY AND WONDER, HOW AM I A POSITIVE AGENT OF CHANGE? ESPECIALLY FOR THE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO RIGHT NOW ARE MOST TARGETED, WHO ARE MOST AFRAID, AND WHO ARE MOST FORGOTTEN.
AS WE APPROACH THIS QUESTION, I REMIND US THAT THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO BE APATHETIC OR DETACHED FROM THE CRUELTIES HAPPENING AROUND US, BUT RATHER IT'S TIME TO BE DELIBERATE.
IT'S TIME TO BE PURPOSEFUL AND INTENTIONAL ABOUT HOW WE CREATE A SAFE CLASSROOM.
HOW WE CREATE A SAFE SCHOOL AND A SAFE SCHOOL, SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS.
AND AS MARCUS GARVEY SAID, A PEOPLE WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR PAST HISTORY, ORIGIN, AND CULTURE IS LIKE A TREE WITHOUT ROOTS.
SO LET US LEARN ABOUT OUR HISTORY.
LET US LEARN ABOUT OUR ORIGINS, LET US LEARN ABOUT OUR CULTURE SO THAT WE CAN HAVE SOME STRONG, POWERFUL ROOTS IN L-A-U-S-D.
NOW, I DO WANNA INVITE MY STUDENTS, ISABELLA WESLEY AND ACHI, WHO I WANNA SAY I'M SO PROUD OF Y'ALL, COME ON UP.
I'M SO, YOU HAVEN'T EVEN SHARED YET, AND I'M ALREADY PROUD OF WHO YOU'VE BECOME.
THEY'RE GONNA SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHERE THEY ARE FROM.
GOOD AFTERNOON, BOARD MEMBERS AND COMMITTEE.
I AM ISABELLA BLANCO, AND I AM A 12TH GRADE, AND I AM A 12TH GRADER.
I AM ONE OF TEACHER LOPEZ'S STUDENTS, AND I'M HONORED TO SHARE MY POEM WITH YOU TODAY.
I AM FROM GENTLE BROWN HANDS, FROM LIP LINER AND LIP GLOSS, FROM ENTHUSIASM AND ACCEPT ACCEPTANCE, HARD WORK, AMBITION, AND MY PARENTS LEAVING HOME AS TEENAGERS TO CHASE THEIR DREAMS. I'M FROM THE ANCIENT ROOTS OF LAN AND MARRY GOLDS EVERY NOVEMBER.
I'M FROM TREATING EVERYONE I LOVE, LIKE BLOOD, AND BEING TOLD YOU CAN BE WHATEVER YOU WANT.
I AM FROM MARIA BLANCO AND GUADALUPE BLANCO.
I'M FROM THE PASSION AND DILIGENCE OF MY MOTHER.
FROM THE SACRIFICES AND EXPERIENCES OF MY FATHER.
I AM PART OF THE COMMUNITY THAT VALUES EDUCATION, PEACE, LOVE, AND SUPPORTING ONE ANOTHER, THE COMMUNITY THAT STRUGGLES TO SUCCEED AND BREAK BARRIERS, BUT NEVER FAILS TO DO SO.
NOW I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME ACHI.
GOOD AFTERNOON BOARD MEMBERS AND COMMITTEE.
MY NAME IS ACHI KUMA, AND I'M CURRENTLY IN THE 10TH GRADE.
I'M ONE OF TEACHER LOPEZ'S MANY GREAT STUDENTS.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE MY POEM WHERE I'M FROM, GRACE, DIGNITY, AND GLORY.
I AM FROM AN OPEN TEAPOT, FROM HONEY AND FRESHLY SQUEEZED LEMONS.
I AM FROM THE PILLOWS ALL OVER THE LIVING ROOM, COUCH, COMFY, SOFT, AND DENTED WITH RELAXATION.
I AM FROM THE RAIN THAT FALLS FROM THE SKY AND THE WATER THAT RISES FROM THE GROUND.
I AM FROM SINGING AND DANCING WITH JOY FILLED DIMPLES.
I AM FROM EMMANUEL, KUMA AND KUMA.
I AM FROM THE HELPFULNESS TO ONE ANOTHER.
AND THE OPEN MINDS FROM STAY ON TOP OF YOUR WORK AND PUSH YOURSELF.
I'M FROM THE PLACE THAT WHEN THE GAY IS OPEN, IT POURS OUT BOUNTIFUL LOVE.
I AM FROM A PLACE CALLED NIGERIA, A GOY SOUP AND AFF RICE FROM MY DAD WHO KEEPS ME IN CHECK, AND MY MOM WHO KEEPS THE WHOLE HOUSE IN ORDER FROM THE BIG BROWN BOX WITH MANY HEARTFELT MEMORIES TO NEVER FORGET ALL THE SPECIAL MOMENTS WE HAVE TOGETHER AND TO OVERFILL IT WITH MANY MORE.
AND NOW I'LL BE INTRODUCING WESLEY.
GOOD AFTERNOON, BOARD MEMBERS AND COMMITTEE.
MY NAME IS WESLEY SORE, AND I'M CURRENTLY IN THE 10TH GRADE.
I'M FROM THROWING BALLS AND HITTING BALLS FROM ES.
I'M FROM A HOME FILLED WITH SUGAR, FLOUR, AND SWEETS.
[01:30:01]
LAUGHTER, THE SWEET SMELL OF QUESADILLA.THE FRUIT I ALWAYS EAT AT HOME DESPITE ITS THORNS, IT STILL REMINDS ME OF HOME.
I'M FROM FRIDAY NIGHTS EATING PIZZA AND CURLY HAIR FROM MARIELLA, SOLAS AND DOUGLAS SOLAS.
FROM THE UPS AND DOWNS AND ALWAYS BEING THERE FOR EACH OTHER FROM TO BE BRAVE AND TO NOT CRY.
I'M FROM A COMMUNITY OF RUIN THAT STILL PERSISTS.
I'M FROM LOSAN, LAS LOS ANGELES AND THE COAST OF GUATEMALA.
IAN AND FRENCH TOAST FROM MY MOM RAISING THREE KIDS AFTER MY DAD DIED.
THE GRANDFATHER TENDING TO CATTLE.
WE MAY NOT HAVE THE PICTURES, BUT THE MEMORIES STAYING IN OUR HEART.
THE MEMORY OF MY FATHER PUSHING US FORWARD TO SUCCEED IN LIFE.
THESE WERE WHERE I'M FROM, POEMS, THESE AMAZING EDUCATORS.
I'M, I'M SORRY, I I ACTUALLY FEEL YOU SHOULD STAND UP AND GIVE THEM A HUGE ROUND OF APPLAUSE.
TESTING, TESTING, TESTING, TEST.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, OUR BEAUTIFUL PARENTS RIGHT THERE.
UM, SO STUDENT VOICES, UH, WELL BREATHE AND, UM, I'LL JUST SO OUR DISCUSSION IN ANY WAY YOU WANNA LEAD US, MS. GREGO, HOW DO THESE IDEAS WE HEARD TODAY REINFORCE PRACTICES IN OUR CLASSROOMS, IN OUR SCHOOLS, IN OUR DEPARTMENTS, OUR SCHOOL COMMU? I'M SORRY.
IT'S JUST SO EMOTIONAL WHEN THE KIDS TELL US IT'S ALL YOURS.
SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING RESOURCES.
YES, WE HAVE OUR WONDERFUL DOI PEOPLE HERE AS WELL AND OUR BEAUTIFUL JUSTIN BECAUSE OF EVERYTHING OUR COMMUNITIES MAY BE FACING, LED BY DR.
AND, UM, I WANNA JUST KEEP GOING.
UM, I'M SORRY I GOT EMOTIONAL ABOUT THIS.
THERE IS NO NEED TO APOLOGIZE FOR GETTING EMOTIONAL.
IT BRINGS UP SO MUCH FOR SO MANY OF IT'S, THAT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE POEMS BECAUSE IT JUST, IT JUST REALLY MAKES YOU CONNECT WITH WHERE YOU COME FROM.
AND SO THANK YOU, THANK YOU EDUCATORS FOR SHARING YOUR STORIES, FOR INSPIRING US, INSPIRING ME WITH, UM, ALL THAT YOU DO IN THE CLASSROOM, AND THEN THIS BEAUTIFUL, UH, WORK OF ART THAT YOU, UH, BRING TO US, THE STUDENTS AND YOUR BEAUTIFUL POEMS AND FOR BEING VULNERABLE, UH, TO SHARING, UH, ALL THAT YOU ARE.
AND THEN CONGRATULATIONS TO MOM AND SISTER, UM, FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL CHILD THAT YOU HAVE HERE WHO CAN SHARE.
SO, UM, THROUGH HER, HER WORDS, HER LANGUAGE, HER MEMORIES, THE STORY OF YOUR FAMILY.
UM, WE ARE SUPPOSED TO, IF I CAN KEEP YOU FOR 30 SECONDS BECAUSE WE NEED TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT THIS, RIGHT? WE HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS THAT WE NEED TO DISCUSS.
SO CAN YOU KEEP YOUR
THIS IS WHAT IT MEANS TO ME AND, AND GIVES ME ENERGY EVERY SINGLE DAY.
WE HAVE A LOT OF, UH, RESOURCES THAT WE'VE PUT TOGETHER.
BAAS HAS, UH, HAS SUPPORTED, SEL IS BRANCHING OUT ALL OVER THE DISTRICT.
WE WANT EVERYONE ON SCHOOL CAMPUSES THAT ARE DOING THIS WORK, NOT JUST OUR TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM.
WE WANT EVERYBODY SUPPORTING IT.
SO THESE RESOURCES ARE FOR ALL OUR STAKEHOLDERS.
AND I WILL JUST WRAP IT WITH THAT.
SO NOW I WANNA GIVE SPACE FOR OUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS TO THINK AS WE HEARD A LOT TODAY, RIGHT? WE HEARD FROM THE MED, WE ALSO HEARD FROM TWO EDUCATORS, AND WE HEARD GREAT THINGS.
AND WE ALSO HEARD A CALL OUT FOR WHAT IT IS THAT WE NEED.
UH, ONE OF OUR PRESENTERS ALREADY STARTED ANSWERING THE QUESTION, RIGHT? HOW, UM, HOW DO WE REINFORCE THIS IN THE CLASSROOM, NOT JUST IN THE SOCIAL STUDIES AND IN THE MAYBE ENGLISH CLASSES, BECAUSE USUALLY AT THE SECONDARY
[01:35:01]
LEVEL, THAT'S WHERE IT STOPS, RIGHT? THAT'S WHERE IT BEGINS AND IT ENDS IN THOSE SUBJECTS.BUT WHAT ABOUT ALL THE OTHER SUBJECTS THAT WE HAVE, RIGHT? AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL? HOW DO WE BRING THIS TO EVERY SINGLE SPACE SO THAT IT'S NOT JUST AN AMAZING TEACHER, LIKE THE ONES WE HEARD TODAY WHO ARE SO, UH, ENERGIZED AND MOTIVATED TO TEACH THIS, BUT THAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE ACCESS TO THIS EVERYWHERE FROM ALL OF OUR EDUCATORS.
SO HOW DO WE MAKE THAT HAPPEN? I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR IDEAS ON THAT, BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE, THESE ARE THE, THE, THE SPACES AND THE TIME WHERE WE WANT TO BRAINSTORM THIS SO THAT WE CAN PRESENT IT TO OTHER BOARD MEMBERS.
WE WANNA PRESENT ALL OF THESE THINGS TO THE REST OF THE BOARD SO THAT THEY CAN HEAR ABOUT THIS.
AND, UM, SO, AND THEN AGAIN, HOW DO WE ENGAGE, HOW DO WE ALLOW OUR EDUCATORS AND INSTRUCTORS AND SCHOOL COMMUNITIES TO ENGAGE IN SIMILAR STRATEGIES AND MATERIALS? UM, I AM PROUD TO SAY THAT MY DAUGHTER TOOK, UM, ETHNIC STUDIES AND SHE WAS SO INSPIRED THAT SHE DECIDED TO BE AN ETHNIC STUDIES MAJOR IN COLLEGE HER FIRST YEAR.
AND SHE CALLS ME AND TELLS ME, MOM, I LOVE ALL MY PROFESSORS, I LOVE ALL MY CLASSES.
SHE'S CHALLENGED, CHALLENGED, AND JUST GROWING IN HER LEARNING.
SO, UM, I WANT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS TO HAVE THAT INSPIRATION AND MOTIVATION TO, TO GO ON AND KEEP LEARNING ABOUT, UM, ETHNIC STUDIES.
NOT JUST ABOUT THEMSELVES, BUT ABOUT EVERYONE ELSE.
WE ALSO, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT CULTURE, BUT IT'S ALSO ABOUT IDENTITY.
SO I WANT US TO ALWAYS KEEP THAT IN MIND, THAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ALWAYS THINK ABOUT, UH, SEXUAL IDENTITY, GENDER IDENTITY.
AND BECAUSE THAT TOO NEEDS TO BE PRESENT, RIGHT? AND SO HOW DO WE MAKE THAT HAPPEN? HOW DO WE BRING THAT TO THE FOREFRONT? SO I'M GONNA OPEN IT UP TO OUR COMMITTEE.
I INVITE YOU TO PLEASE HAVE SOME QUESTIONS OR SOME, YEAH, SOME QUESTIONS OF OUR STUDENTS.
FIRST, I WOULD LIKE TO CENTER OUR STUDENTS FIRST.
AND SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OF OUR STUDENTS, I INVITE YOU TO START THERE.
WELL, I DON'T REALLY KNOW IF THIS IS DIRECTLY TO THE STUDENTS, BUT IT'S RELATED TO THE STUDENTS.
BUT I WAS ENVISIONING WHEN THEY WERE SAYING ALL THIS, I WAS TAKING ALL KINDS OF NOTES.
AND MY VISION IS I, I SEE THE FREEDOM THAT, UM, UH, THE SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER HAS AND, AND HER STUDENTS.
AND SHE DID A GREAT, MS. MS. LOPEZ WAS VERY INSPIRATIONAL.
AND I THINK THAT THAT'S WHAT WE NEED IN ALL THE CLASSROOMS. AND I THINK WE NEED TO TRANSLATE THAT INTO OUR CURRICULUM.
SHE HAD THE SOCIAL STUDIES, THE WRITING, THE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL ART.
SO I, AS A ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER, WOULD LIKE THAT TO BE TRANSLATED INTO THE CURRICULUM THAT I TEACH.
AND I FEEL THAT, HOW CAN THAT BE ACCESSIBLE TO ME? SO WHAT I HOPE THAT L-A-U-S-D COULD ADOPT SOMETHING FOR US THAT WE CAN FOLLOW.
BECAUSE AS A TEACHER, I FEEL LIKE I HAVE LIMITED, LIMITED THINGS.
YOU KNOW, LIKE I FEEL THEY, I WE HAVE MANDATES.
LIKE, HERE'S YOUR CURRICULUM, THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO FOLLOW.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE COME WATCH US AND
I DON'T THINK IT'S THE INTEGRATED VISION THAT I HAVE.
LIKE I WANT THAT IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
AND SO I GUESS MY QUESTION FOR THE STUDENTS WOULD BE LIKE, BECAUSE I KNOW LIKE, LOOK, LOOK WHAT THERE NOW, RIGHT? SO I MEAN, AND THEY, IN, IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, THEY PROBABLY HAD A VERY RIGID CURRICULUM.
SO I GUESS MY QUESTION TO YOU GUYS WOULD BE LIKE, HOW DO YOU FEEL, I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS EVEN REMEMBER
DO YOU FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, IT WAS RESTRICTED OR LIKE ALLOWED YOU TO BE YOURSELF? I GUESS THAT'S, I DON'T REALLY REMEMBER LIKE MY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DAYS, BUT JUST YESTERDAY I HAD AN EXPERIENCE WHERE MY BROTHER WAS DOING HIS HOMEWORK.
HE'S, HE'S IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND HE HAD, LIKE, IT HAD, HE HAD TO FIND LIKE, WHICH, WHICH WORD HAD THE LONG EYE SOUND AND THE SHORT EYE SOUND.
AND IT WAS A PICTURE OF A NATIVE AMERICAN, AND I GUESS THEY WERE REFERRING TO THAT AS INDIAN INSTEAD OF NATIVE AMERICAN.
AND I THINK THAT'S JUST AN EXAMPLE OF
[01:40:01]
HOW OUR SCHOOLS ARE.LIKE, THEY STILL NEED TO INTEGRATE THAT ETHNIC STUDIES EVEN WITH LITTLE CHILDREN, BECAUSE FROM A YOUNG AGE THEY'RE BEING TAUGHT THESE INCORRECT THINGS.
THANK YOU STUDENTS FOR SUCH A BEAUTIFUL AND POWERFUL, YOU KNOW, POEM THAT YOU ALL, UH, SHARED WITH US.
MY QUESTION TO YOU IS, YOU KNOW, AS A PARENT OF TWO BOYS, I STRUGGLE PERSONALLY WITH THEM COMING TO EMBRACE THEIR IDENTITY IN SOME WAYS.
'CAUSE I'M FROM, WE'RE FROM AFGHANISTAN AND WE HAVE DEEP ROOTS THERE AND A LOT OF TRAUMA THAT'S HAPPENED BOTH IN THE PAST AND RECENTLY.
AND I GUESS MY QUESTION TO YOU STUDENTS IS WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO EMBRACE YOUR IDENTITY? WAS IT A CATALYST MOMENT? WAS IT JUST SEEING YOUR PARENTS? AND HOW DO YOU THINK OTHER STUDENTS CAN ALSO BE MOTIVATED TO EMBRACE THEIR IDENTITY AND BE PROUD OF IT? WHAT REALLY INSPIRED ME TO EMBRACE MY IDENTITY IS WHEN I WAS IN CLASS AND MS. LOPEZ HAD LIKE THE FIRST INTRODUCTION UNIT WHERE WE WERE LEARNING ABOUT OUR IDENTITY.
AND I KNOW THAT I'M NIGERIAN, I KNOW THAT I'M FROM THE EVIL TRIBE, BUT I REALLY DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING MORE THAT I COULD TELL.
SO THAT MADE ME QUESTION AND GO HOME AND ASK MY PARENTS LIKE WHERE REALLY THAT I'M FROM.
AND THEN THAT MADE ME WANT TO EMBRACE MORE OF MY CULTURE INSTEAD OF BEING ASHAMED AND EMBARRASSED ABOUT IT.
SO NOW THAT MADE ME HAPPIER AS A PERSON OVERALL.
I HEARD TEACHER LOPEZ, YOU TALK ABOUT COMMUNITY, I LOVE THAT YOU GAVE SHOUT OUTS TO YOUR DEPARTMENT AND ALL THE PEOPLE WHO KIND OF LIKE RAISED YOU UP.
AND TO STUDENTS TOO, RIGHT? TEACHERS ARE HUMANS AND EVERYBODY WANTS TO GET BETTER.
I MEAN, I REALLY DO BELIEVE THAT EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE AN EFFECTIVE TEACHER.
SO TO CARLA'S QUESTION ABOUT KIND OF HOW DO WE HELP MORE PEOPLE DO IT AND HOW DO WE SCALE IT UP? YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR SCHEDULE AND ALL YOUR OTHER TEACHERS, UM, I'M SORT OF WONDERING, UH, MS. LO LOPEZ ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE AND SORT OF WHAT PROCEDURES YOU PUT IN PLACE, RIGHT? WHAT SYSTEMS YOU PUT IN PLACE TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE WHO MIGHT REALLY WANT TO DO IT.
BUT I DON'T KNOW, ARE THEY SHY? ARE THEY UNCOMFORTABLE? DO THEY NOT HAVE THE RESOURCES? WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? AND, AND YOU'RE ASKING ABOUT PROCEDURES FOR TEACHERS OR STUDENTS IN MY CLASSROOM PROCEDURE, I'M THINKING FOR, FOR YOUR COLLEAGUES, FOR TEACHERS.
THAT'S, THAT'S, UM, I I I THINK THAT GOES IN WITH THE VULNERABILITY.
YOU KNOW, CARLA OR YOU, YOU THANKED RIGHT? FOR THE VULNERABILITY PART.
I CAN'T ASK A COLLEAGUE TO BE VULNERABLE AND SHARE IF I DON'T DO THE SAME MYSELF, RIGHT? I CAN'T, UH, SAY I LOVE WHAT I THINK AVIRA SAID, WE'RE WE ARE, WE HAVE TO BE STUDENTS FIRST.
AND THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT ENCOURAGING A COWORKER WHERE I'M LIKE, YOU'RE A SECOND YEAR TEACHER, BUT I HAVE SO MUCH TO LEARN FROM YOU.
LIKE, CAN I GO TO YOUR CLASS FOR 10 MINUTES? JUST BECAUSE I WANNA SEE HOW, HOW DO YOU DO THE DO NOW? OH, THAT'S AWESOME.
RIGHT? AND LIKE, THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT ME PUTTING MYSELF IN A PLACE OF LEARNING FIRST BEFORE I CAN ASK ANY COWORKER TO LEARN OR LEARN FROM, FROM ME NOW BECAUSE I WANNA LEARN FROM YOU.
SO I THINK THAT'S WHERE THE DIALOGUE STARTS.
ESPECIALLY, YOU KNOW, LAUZ IS AN ENORMOUS BUILDING, RIGHT? WE CAN SAY, HEY, I NEED YOU TO DO THIS PD, BUT WE NEED TO DO THE PD, WE NEED TO, SO THAT'S THE KNOW, I KNOW US OF THESE THREE TENANTS, RIGHT? I CAN'T TELL YOU TO KNOW, YOU KNOW ME.
IT, WE NEED TO KNOW OURSELVES AND THEN WE NEED TO DO THIS TOGETHER.
IT'S NOT, YOU TAKE THAT PD, WE ARE GONNA DO THIS PD TOGETHER.
SO THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THAT, THAT'S WHERE PEOPLE KIND OF CONNECT TO.
MS. PADILLA, WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESPOND AS WELL FROM THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PERSPECTIVE? YES.
I'D LIKE TO, UM, INTERJECT HERE, UH, WITH MS. LOPEZ AND, UH, CONTINUE SAYING AND SUPPORTING THAT, YES, WE HAVE TO WORK AS A TEAM BECOMES REALLY IMPORTANT.
UM, IN THE ELEMENTARY I'VE BEEN THERE, LIKE I'VE MENTIONED, UM, PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION FOR AN EDUCATOR BECOMES REALLY ESSENTIAL.
WHAT'S YOUR PHILOSOPHY? WHAT IS YOUR FOUNDATION AND WHERE YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, IN THIS POSITION? AND I FOUND THAT TO BE A REALLY CRUCIAL, UM, QUESTION BECAUSE AGAIN, AS A CRITICAL PEDAGOGUE, I COME FROM A VERY CONSTRUCTIVE, YOU KNOW, UM, PERSPECTIVE AND PEDAGOGY, UM, THAT ALLOWS ME, AND I EMBRACED IT VERY MUCH BECAUSE IT ASSISTED ME IN UNDERSTANDING MY UPBRINGING BEING BROUGHT UP IN THE PROJECTS THEN AT A VERY YOUNG AGE.
YOU KNOW, BEING TAKEN TO MEXICO AND SLEEPING IN, ATE AND EXPERIENCING NO, YOU KNOW, HOT WATERS, NO TOILETS.
AND TO EXPERIENCING THAT LIFE, YOU KNOW, UM, THE OUTHOUSES AND, YOU KNOW, BATHING OUT IN THE RIVER AND
[01:45:01]
SO FORTH IS VERY DIFFERENT.AND THEN AT THE SAME TIME, MY MOM, FOR EXAMPLE, WORKING OVER THERE AND CLEANING HOUSES FOR THE WEALTHY IN BEVERLY HILLS AND SPENDING SUMMER SOMETIMES THERE, YOU KNOW, SEEING THE WHOLE DYNAMIC AND UNDERSTANDING, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST LIFE IN GENERAL.
BUT THE, AGAIN, THE PHILOSOPHERS.
AND WITHIN THAT, YOU KNOW, IN MY FIELD, I FOUND THAT EDUCATION, YOU KNOW, WAS A WAY WHERE I'M ABLE TO GO AND ASSIST MY COMMUNITY IN WAYS, YOU KNOW, THAT BECOME REALLY CRUCIAL AND IN EMBRACING SO WE WON'T FEEL SUPPRESSED OR RIDICULED IN THAT
'CAUSE I'VE BEEN ALWAYS, UH, VERY MAGNETIZED TO THE STORIES OF THE ELDERS.
AND, UM, AND TO THIS DAY I FOUND THEM VERY RICH.
SO GOING BACK TO THE CLASSROOM, IT BECOMES REALLY IMPORTANT TO HAVE THAT PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION.
WHAT IS YOUR PHILOSOPHY? AND WITHIN THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU END UP CONNECTING AND DOING AND HAVING THE ENERGY AND THE DRIVE TO BE PRESENT IN DIFFERENT WAYS AND ALLOWING PEOPLE TO FEEL WELCOME, ESPECIALLY THOSE VOICES HAVE HISTORICALLY BEEN SILENCED IN THE MAKING OF SOCIETY BECAUSE WE ARE IN LANDS THAT HAVE AND ARE INHABITED BY INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES WHO HAVE HISTORICALLY BEEN SUPPRESSED, OPPRESSED, AND SILENCED.
SO I THINK THAT DECOLONIZING PHILOSOPHY AS WELL AS, YOU KNOW, PEDAGOGY OR HISTORY OR HOWEVER YOU WANT TO, YOU KNOW, EMBRACE THAT BECOMES VERY CRUCIAL.
BE IT IN THE ELEMENTARY LEVELS, BE IT IN MIDDLE SCHOOLS, BE IT IN HIGH SCHOOLS AT THE UNIVERSITY.
WE ARE IN A VERY, VERY URGENT, UM, PLACE RIGHT NOW IN TIME.
WE ALWAYS HAVE BEEN SINCE COLONIZING TIMES.
BUT AGAIN, IT'S EX, YOU KNOW, ACCENTUATED AT THIS TIME, UM, WITH THE CURRENT DYNAMICS, UM, AT THE MACRO SPACE IN SOCIETY.
SO AGAIN, UM, AS AN EDUCATOR, I THINK THAT IT BECOMES REALLY IMPORTANT TO, AGAIN, THE EDUCATOR BOND, YOU KNOW, WITH THE COMMUNITY, UM, AND RESPECT ALL DIFFERENCES.
AND WITH THOSE THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY RELATE TO AND IDENTIFY, FOR EXAMPLE, AN INDIGENOUS, UH, VOICE SPEAK OUT AND YOU KNOW, AND SAY YOU'RE WELCOME AND, AND LOWER THE EFFECTIVE FILTER, YOU KNOW, FOR OUR PARENTS BECAUSE THEY DO GET, YOU KNOW, VERY EMBARRASSED OR THEY GET, YOU KNOW, SILENCED IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.
THEY DON'T FEEL, YOU KNOW, WELCOME.
AND SO YOU, WHEN YOU DO THAT, IT OPENS A DIFFERENT, UM, SPACE AND CONNECTION AND SO THEY BLOSSOM.
SO AGAIN, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANTED TO SPEAK WITH, YOU KNOW, ABOUT THAT.
I JUST WANNA REMIND FOLKS, UM, OUR MEETING GOES TILL FIVE 30, SO I WANNA HONOR YOUR TIME.
WE ARE AT 5 22 AND WE DO HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT.
SO, UM, AS MUCH, LET ME KNOW WHO WANTS TO SPEAK.
LEMME SEE WHO WANTS TO SPEAK STILL.
ALRIGHT, ANYBODY ELSE? LAST CALL IF THERE'S SPACE, IF THERE'S SPACE
OKAY, SO IF, IS EVERYBODY OKAY IF WE GO A LITTLE BIT BEYOND? YES.
OKAY, GO AHEAD KATE AND THEN GER JEREMY.
SO TO THIS QUESTION ABOUT, UM, HOW CAN WE TAKE WHAT WE HEARD THIS AFTERNOON AND, UM, REINFORCE CLRP IN THE CLASSROOMS? I THINK FOR ME THERE'S A COUPLE OF IDEAS THAT WE'RE INSPIRED BY AND I THINK AFFIRMED BY THE EDUCATORS AND KIDS WHO'VE SHARED.
UM, THE FIRST IS, UM, I, I THINK L-A-U-S-D HAS BEEN DOING A GREAT JOB WITH REGARD TO THE CONTENT OF A LOT OF THE MODULES.
AND I THINK THOUGH THAT MANY OF THEM FOLLOW THE BANKING MODEL OF EDUCATION THAT PAULO FRERE TALKED ABOUT, AND THAT MS. PADILLA, YOU ARE AS A CRITICAL PEDAGOGUE THAT YOU PROBABLY KNOW BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS.
AND I THINK THAT IF WE'RE THINKING NOT JUST ABOUT CONTENT, ABOUT WHAT WE'RE, UM, EXPOSING TEACHERS TO, BUT ALSO HOW WE'RE, UM, TRAINING TEACHERS THAT IF IT FEELS MORE, UM, UH, AND THIS IS KIND OF LIKE WHAT BOTH OF YOU SPOKE TO, RIGHT? THAT, THAT IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT WHAT IT'S ABOUT HOW, AND IF TEACHERS ARE GIVEN OPPORTUNITIES TO CO-CREATE UNDERSTANDINGS ABOUT THIS CONTENT AND GIVEN MORE AGENCY AND HOW THEY'RE IMPLEMENTING IT, I THINK IT WOULD LAND MORE.
SO IF, IF THE MODULES FEEL LIKE A CHECKLIST, LIKE WE'RE JUST TRYING TO GET IT OUT TO PEOPLE AND THAT THEY'RE NOT REALLY BEING ASKED TO INTEGRATE THAT INFORMATION, THEN ALL OF THAT GREAT PD, IT STAYS IN THAT TRAINING ROOM.
IT DOESN'T MAKE ITS WAY INTO CLASSROOMS. AND SO I THINK THAT LIKE REALLY UNDERSTANDING THAT TEACHERS CAN AND DO CO-CREATE THEIR OWN KNOWLEDGE IN COLLABORATION.
SO IF TEACHERS ARE ALLOWED TO ENGAGE IN LESSON LABS WHERE THEY ARE PLANNING LESSONS TOGETHER AND THEY ARE FIGURING OUT
[01:50:01]
WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE IN CLASSROOMS TOGETHER AND THEY'RE TRYING THINGS OUT TOGETHER, I THINK THAT THEY CAN TAKE A PIECE OF INFORMATION AND THEN BRING IT TO LIFE TOGETHER.UM, AND THEN I THINK ALSO TEACHERS COULD BENEFIT FROM EXPLICIT PD IN ANTI-RACISM AND REALLY CALLING THIS OUT THAT THE PRACTICES, THE CONTENT, BUT THE METHODOLOGIES THAT SOMETIMES WE'RE USING, ESPECIALLY THE WAY THAT WE'RE TREATING KIDS, IT IS GROUNDED IN RACIST PRACTICES.
AND I THINK CALLING THAT OUT AND TEACHING PEOPLE A DIFFERENT WAY OF, OF APPROACHING THEIR, THEIR, UM, THEIR METHODOLOGIES ESPECIALLY, I THINK CAN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE.
AND THEN I ALSO WANT TO, UM, JUST AGREE WITH WHAT YOU SPOKE TO DEL ME ABOUT, UH, THE CURRICULUM, THE CURRENT CURRICULUM IN EL IN ELEMENTARY, CKLA, UM, IS NOT CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE.
SO THIS WHOLE PRESENTATION IS ABOUT THIS AND, AND THE WORK MS. LOPEZ THAT YOU'RE DOING IN MS. BADILLA, THAT IS LIKE, NOT WHAT'S REALLY HAPPENING IN ELEMENTARY AND PRIMARILY BECAUSE TEACHERS ARE TIED TO A CURRICULUM THAT FE IT'S A VERY ETHNOCENTRIC, VERY ANGLOCENTRIC CURRICULUM.
THE STORIES IN IT ARE NOT REFLECTIVE THAT BY AND LARGE OF THE STUDENTS THAT WE'RE SERVING.
AND AS YOU MENTIONED, MANY, MANY OLD STORIES, THERE IS SOME, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT WE CAN CREATE A NEW CANON AND TEACH, UM, ACCORDING TO THE, THE IDENTITIES THAT ARE REPRESENTED IN OUR CLASSROOMS. AND, UM, AND I THINK THAT LIKE REALLY COMING UP WITH, UH, ALTERNATIVE WAYS OF, OF THINKING ABOUT THE, ESPECIALLY THE LITERACY CURRICULUM.
UH, UM, THAT WAS GENIUS WHAT YOU JUST SAID.
I JUST, UM, I'M THINKING ABOUT THE TERM COLORISM
AND EVEN WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DIFFERENT ETHNICITIES AND BACKGROUNDS, THERE IS STILL ELEMENTS THAT ARE MISSING.
UH, LIKE EVEN IN THE IMAGES, LIKE WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT, UM, MEXICAN-AMERICAN, UM, EL SALVADOR, UM, AFGHANISTAN, THERE'S, THERE'S A BLACK DIASPORA THAT IS NOT BEING REPRESENTED IN THOSE AREAS EITHER.
SO IT LEADS TO EVEN MORE RACISM BECAUSE WE'RE NOT SEEING OURSELVES IN EVERY CULTURE IN EVERY COUNTRY BECAUSE WE'RE ALL THERE.
SO IN EVERY SHADE, YOU KNOW? SO I FEEL LIKE EVEN THE IMAGES NEED TO BE MORE ACCEPTING OF WHAT ACTUALLY IS, BECAUSE THAT'S JUST THE, THE TRUTH, YOU KNOW? SO THANK YOU SO MUCH.
OH, THERE WAS SOMEBODY, UH, YOU WANNA RESPOND? YEAH.
BI JUST WANTED TO COMPLIMENT THE, UH, SPEAKERS AND THE STUDENTS AS A LISTENER OF YOUR, UH, POEMS. UH, IT, I FELT, UM, AN AMAZING ENERGY JUST LISTENING TO YOU SPEAK ABOUT YOURSELVES AND KNOWING THAT AT THIS AGE YOU HAVE THIS STRONG IDENTITY AND THAT YOU'RE USING YOUR SKILLS TO, TO PUT THAT OUT THERE IN PUBLIC.
I THINK IT'S AMAZING WHEN I THINK OF THE QUESTIONS ON THE SCREEN AS FAR AS DISCUSSION, HOW WE CAN BE HELPFUL.
I THINK THE TEACHERS AND THE SITE PEOPLE AND THE, UH, CENTRAL OFFICE TEAM MEMBERS, I KNOW THAT WE'RE TRYING OUR BEST TO HELP OUR TEACHERS GROW IN THEIR ABILITIES TO INTEGRATE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE INTO THE CURRICULUM AS BEST AS WE CAN.
AND THINGS ARE OUT THERE THAT I THINK ARE HELPING TEACHERS DO THAT MORE EFFECTIVELY NOW THAN IN PREVIOUS YEARS.
SO I THINK THAT BY USING EXAMPLES LIKE WE SAW TODAY, I CAN SEE WHERE TEACHERS CAN BENEFIT FROM ONGOING SHARED, UM, PLANNING, FOR EXAMPLE, SHARING, UH, EXAMPLES OF STORIES.
I THINK MATA TALKED ABOUT VISITING EACH OTHER, EVEN A NEW TEACHER FOR 10 MINUTES, JUST TO KIND OF SHARE BEST PRACTICES.
I THINK THAT THAT LEVEL OF WORK, UH, GOES A LONG WAY IN TERMS OF HELPING OTHERS SEE SIMILAR STRENGTHS IN THE WAY WE DO THE WORK.
UM, YOU, I HAVE, WHY DON'T YOU SPEAK, IF WE CAN KEEP IT LEAN.
THIS IS, WE'RE LEAN AND, AND RJ AND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE, SO KEEP IT LEAN.
UM, I WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO THE STUDENTS FOR YOUR, UH, JUST AMAZING ARTISTRY IN SHARING, UM, YOUR EMOTIONS, YOUR TRUTH, YOUR CULTURE.
AND I, I JUST WANNA SAY I WAS BLOWN AWAY.
UM, I WANNA MENTION AGAIN THAT I HAD BROUGHT UP THE THING THAT WAS, AGAIN, DISCUSSED ABOUT INTEGRATING, UM, DIFFERENT CULTURES INTO THE CURRICULUM.
AND THAT WOULD NOT JUST BE LANGUAGE ARTS OR SOCIAL STUDIES, BUT ALSO SCIENCES, THE ARTS.
THERE ARE GREAT, UM, PEOPLE FROM ALL DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS WHO SHOULD, SHOULD BE INCLUDED.
[01:55:01]
BUT I, I WANNA GIVE A LITTLE, I GUESS SHOUT OUT TO THE FACT THAT COMING UP SOON IN OCTOBER IS INDIGENOUS PEOPLE'S DAY.AND FOR WHATEVER REASON IT'S CELEBRATED IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, BUT IT IS NOT OBSERVED IN L-A-U-S-D.
AND IT'S BEEN AROUND FOR ABOUT FIVE YEARS.
UM, IT'S A, IT'S A, A STATE OBSERVED HOLIDAY.
UM, THEN WE HAVE LOS ANGELES CITY AND COUNTY OFFICES ARE CLOSED.
UM, EVEN THE COURTS CLOSE ON NATIVE AMERICAN DAY, WHICH IS SEPTEMBER SE 22ND.
SO IF WE'RE NOT, UM, OBSERVING THE HOLIDAY, THEN A VERY, UH, BANDAID IDEA WOULD BE THAT WE, UM, CELEBRATE IT IN SCHOOL.
AND THAT JUST LIKE IN THE PAST IN ELEMENTARY, SOMETIMES WE GET, UM, THESE HANDOUTS FOR CONSTITUTION DAY AND WE HAVE TO TEACH THIS SPECIAL LESSON FOR CONSTITUTION DAY.
AND IT SORT OF COMES AND GOES EVERY FIVE YEARS.
AND, UM, I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD, YOU KNOW, SLAP DAB SOMETHING TOGETHER, BUT IT WOULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO USE THAT DAY TO CELEBRATE AND ED EDUCATE OURSELVES, UH, ABOUT INDIGENOUS PEOPLES MORE.
SO I JUST WANTED TO TOUCH ON, UM, THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND ETHNIC STUDIES.
UM, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE BEGAN YEARS AGO, AND I'M REALLY GLAD TO SEE THAT TEACHERS IN L-A-U-S-D ARE THE ONES WHO ARE GUIDING OUR DIVISION IN PREPARING THESE LESSONS, UM, IN, UH, IN ETHNIC STUDIES.
AND THESE POEMS ARE ACTUALLY ALSO WRITTEN IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
I'VE WALKED INTO CLASSROOMS WHERE THEY'VE WRITTEN FROM THE SAME TEMPLATE AND THEY'VE BEEN SO BEAUTIFUL.
UM, WE PROMOTE CULTURALLY RELEVANT AND SUSTAINING EDUCATION.
UH, WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF ANTI-BIAS, ANTI-RACIST EDUCATION THAT THAT OCCURS WHERE WE PROMOTE, UM, THE CLASSROOMS AND TEACHERS TO CREATE MIRRORS AND WINDOWS FOR STUDENTS THROUGH THE LITERATURE WHERE THEY CLASS, THEY CHANGE THE CLASSROOM ECOLOGY, WHERE WE SHOW MODELS OF CLASSROOMS THAT ARE, UM, MIRRORS AND WINDOWS TO STUDENTS AND THEIR MODELS.
AND, UM, SO THERE'S JUST LOTS OF GREAT OPPORTUNITIES IN OUR SYSTEM THAT NEEDS TO BE SCALED UP WITH RESPECT TO CKLA.
THE KNOWLEDGE SECTION PROVIDES, UM, UH, STORIES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH NATIVE AMERICANS IN THEIR REGIONS, THEIR CULTURES, UM, IMMIGRATION, HEALTH SCIENCE, IF THIS IS, UH, CONTENT OR IF THIS IS, UM, LITERATURE THAT'S NOT MATCHING WHAT YOUR STUDENTS NEEDS, YOU ARE THE TEACHER.
CHANGE IT UP SO THAT OUR STUDENT STUDENTS ARE ENGAGED.
THIS IS REALLY ABOUT CONNECTING WITH THE STUDENTS AND TEACHING TO THE STANDARDS AND USING THE CURRICULUM AS A TOOL TO REACH THE STUDENTS.
UH, EVERY SINGLE MINUTE COUNTS IN THE CLASSROOM.
SO IT HAS TO BE CONNECTED TO STUDENTS.
YOU ARE THE DIRECTOR, YOU'RE THE DESIGNER.
YOU ARE THE ONE WHO CREATING THE, THE WONDERFUL EXPERIENCES IN THE CLASSROOMS FOR YOUR STUDENTS.
YOU HEARD IT FROM THE CHIEF OF ACADEMIC INSTRUCTION, RIGHT? IS THAT ACADEMIC? OH, CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER, APOLOGIES.
UM, SO YES, BRING IN WHAT YOU THINK OUR STUDENTS NEED, RIGHT? WE'RE TEACHING TO THE STANDARDS.
WE KNOW WHAT SKILLS NEED, UH, THE STUDENTS NEED THE CONTENT.
LET'S BRING IN WHAT WHAT WE KNOW WILL INSPIRE.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE HEARD HERE TODAY FROM OUR EDUCATORS WHO SPOKE HOW THEY CREATE THEIR, THEIR, UH, CURRICULUM, AND THEY ARE, UM, ALSO LEARNING FROM ONE ANOTHER.
AND IT WAS JUST BEAUTIFUL TO HEAR HOW, UM, IN THIS COLLABORATION, WHICH I THINK ALL EDUCATORS AND ESPECIALLY THOSE OF US HERE, WE KNOW THE POWER OF BEING ABLE TO WORK TOGETHER, LEARN FROM ONE, ONE ANOTHER, AND HOW MUCH TEACHERS REALLY WANT THAT TIME TO BE ABLE TO CO-CREATE, LIKE KATE SAID, TO BE ABLE TO COLLABORATE AND THEN PUT IT INTO PRACTICE GIVEN THAT OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO PUT IT INTO PRACTICE.
UH, MS. KOA, YOU HAVE LAST THING.
UM, WE HAVE RESOURCES THAT ELLIOT HAS CO-CREATED WITH TEACHERS ON THE AMERICAN INDIAN INDIGENOUS WEBSITE THROUGH MMAD, AND WE HAVE RESOURCES FOR EXACTLY WHAT YOU JUST MENTIONED.
AND I, I WILL SAY THE MED WEBSITE IS A GREAT WEBSITE.
SO IS, SO IS THE HRDE WEBSITE, THE HUMAN RIGHTS, UH, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION.
INCLUSION, UM,
UH, THERE'S, THE MED OFFICE ALSO SENDS OUT A LOT OF BOOKS.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE RECEIVED THEM AT YOUR SCHOOL SITE, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF BEAUTIFUL NOVELS THAT, UH,
[02:00:01]
MED OFFICE SENDS OUT TO SCHOOLS.SO, UM, SO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT.
AND SO NOW I'M GONNA GO AHEAD.
[IV. Public Comment]
OH, THE CONFLICT COMMENT, PUBLIC COMMENT.UH, PUBLIC COMMENT IS HEARD AT THE END OF THE MEETING AND WE HAVE TWO MINUTES SET ASIDE FOR EACH PERSON WHO SIGNED UP.
I'M GONNA CALL ON THE FOLKS WHO ARE HERE, LISTED THEMSELVES AS BEING IN PERSON, AND THEN WE'LL TRANSITION TO FOLKS WHO LISTED THEMSELVES AS BEING REMOTE.
SO THE FIRST PERSON IS MARCOS AGUILAR.
AND THEN, UH, AFTER MR. AGUILAR IS, UM, VICTORINO TORRES NAVA AND VICTORINO TORRES NAVA.
AND THEN, UH, JAMIE ROCHA OR JAIME ROCHA.
SO PLEASE COME ON UP, UH, MR. AGUILAR, AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN, SIR.
UH, WELL FIRST, BEFORE MY TIME STARTS, WANNA CELEBRATE THEM PLEASE AND JUST ACKNOWLEDGE THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE BY IMPORTANT EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS, UH, THAT HAS TO BE SAID.
UM, NAME, GOOD AFTERNOON, BOARD MEMBERS AND SCHOOL LEADERS.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THE BOARD COMMITTEE ON THE TOPIC OF LA UT'S TREATMENT OF INDIGENOUS STUDENTS IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
MY NAME IS MARCO AGUIRE, SERVE AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND A CO-FOUNDER OF ANAK.
THE CITY OF AND COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES IS ONLY INDIGENOUS PEOPLE'S RESURGENCE SCHOOL DESIGNED TO MEET THE NEEDS, THE UNIQUE NEEDS AND TALENTS OF URBAN AMERICAN INDIAN, AND INDIGENOUS STUDENTS AND FAMILIES.
WE HAVE ALSO CREATED COUNTYWIDE STATEWIDE AND INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS, MOBILIZING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TOWARDS AUTHENTIC INDIGENOUS RESURGENCE, EDUCATION AND LANGUAGE POLICIES, SERVING STUDENTS FROM OVER 120 TRIBAL NATIONS, UH, ORIGINS HERE IN LA COUNTY.
OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY HAS LED BY EXAMPLE FOR OVER TWO DECADES TEACHING NAWAT.
K 12 IS ONE OF THE ONLY EIGHT LANGUAGE COMMUNITIES THAT OFFER A THROUGH G APPROVED INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE COLLEGE PREPARATORY CURRICULUM IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.
AND TODAY, I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT OUR EXAMPLE IN LAND REPATRIATION AS EDUCATION.
I COULD TELL YOU MORE, BUT YOU KNOW, WE'RE SHORT ON TIME TODAY.
IN 2019, WE LED THE CALL FOR L-A-U-S-D TO HONOR ITS OBLIGATIONS TO FORMAL TRIBAL CONSULTATION ON ALL MATTERS.
AND THANKS TO OUR COMMUNITY'S ADVOCACY, THE SO-CALLED NATIVE AMERICAN AND INDIGENOUS STUDENT INITIATIVE WAS FUNDED AND FUMBLED BY A DISTRICT STAFF IN, IN FACT, I'M HONORED TO SEE ANCO NATIVE ALUMNI INCLUDED IN THE MMED, UH, SLIDE DECK A MINUTE AGO, YOUTH WHO ARE TODAY ON THEIR WAY TO A PHD IN INDIGENOUS STUDIES.
TODAY WE LOOK FORWARD TO OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEANINGFUL COLLABORATION WITH THE ALI USD IN ADVANCING OUR RIGHTS TO TEACH AND LEARN IN OUR INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES, TO STRENGTHEN OUR CHILDREN'S RELATIONS WITH ANCESTRAL LANDS AND TO LEAD THE WAY WE PRACTICE EDUCATION IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND TRIBES.
THIS CAN BEGIN WITH FULL TRANSPARENCY OVER THE REPORTEDLY $30 MILLION IN MULTI-YEAR ALLOCATIONS FOR THE NATIVE AMERICAN AND INDIGENOUS STUDENT INITIATIVE, WHICH WE SUCCESSFULLY ADVOCATED FOR WITH OUR PARTNERS.
NOW WE CALL AN L-A-U-S-D TO FULLY IMPLEMENT THE 2025 NATIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE AMERICAN INDIAN LANGUAGE REVITALIZATION, INCLUSIVE OF MEXICAN AND CENTRAL AMERICAN ORIGIN, INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE COMMUNITIES, WHICH CALLS FOR FULL INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE IMMERSION SCHOOLS, CENTERS, AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS.
AND THAT THE DISTRICT COULD BEGIN WITH BY DEDICATING THE EMPTY AND ABANDONED MI CAMPUS DOWN THE STREET TO ESTABLISH A REAL SPACE WITH THE DISTRICT FOR INDIGENOUS RESURGENCE, EDUCATION UNDER INDIGENOUS AND TRIBAL GOVERNANCE.
AND I'D LIKE TO LEAVE WITH YOU.
I SPOKE THIS MORNING AT THE NATIONAL, UM, ED, UH, BOARD MEETING OF, UH, NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF, OF, UH, BOARDS OF EDUCATION.
YOUR BOARD PRESIDENT WAS THERE AS WELL.
AND THE VERY FIRST POINT ON MULTILINGUAL CURRICULUM ADOPTION TOOLKIT RECOMMENDED FOR SCHOOL BOARDS.
VERY FIRST QUESTION IS, IS THE BUDGET FOR THE ADOPTION SUFFICIENT? SO TRANSPARENCY ON THAT $30 MILLION.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND ON HOW TO TRULY SUPPORT INDIGENOUS STUDENTS.
I'LL LEAVE THIS HANDOUT WITH YOU.
ARE YOU HERE? MR. NAVA? THERE YOU'RE, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN.
I AM, I AM A SPEAKER, COMMUNITY MEXICO.
I CURRENTLY LIVE HERE IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.
AND I AM THE TEACHER ON ONE WAY IN WHICH ONE OF THE WAYS IN WHICH WE HAVE USED THAT WE HAVE COMMITTED HOMICIDE TO LINGUISTIC IS TO NEGATE THE EXISTENCE OF
[02:05:01]
THESE.IT IS THE NEGATION OF THE RIGHT THAT A SPEAKER GROWS IN THEIR OWN MATERNAL LANGUAGE.
THIS IS ONE OF THE WAYS, THE CRUELEST WAYS TO TAKE AWAY A RIGHT TO HAVE A STUDENT LIVE IN THEIR OWN WORLD.
THE WORLD IS NOT BLACK AND WHITE.
THE WORLD IS MULTICOLOR JUST LIKE LANGUAGES.
THERE ARE NOT ONLY ACCUSTOMED STUDENTS THAT THE, THAT THE WORLD IS DUAL, BUT THAT IT IS MULTILINGUAL AND THAT DIVERSITY ITSELF HAS BUILT AND HAS TAKEN CARE OF THE WORLD TO TEACH.
NOW WHAT IN LOS ANGELES IS NOT JUST ABOUT A LINGUISTIC, RIGHT, HISTORICAL, LINGUISTIC, RIGHT? BUT IT IS A RIGHT THAT EVERY, ANY HUMAN BEING HAS WITHIN THEMSELF THE LANGUAGE OF THEIR, UH, WHERE THEIR, THEIR HERITAGE, THE LANGUAGE OF THEIR HEART, WITHOUT HAVING TO ALWAYS ASSIMILATE TO THE COLONIZING LANGUAGE.
AK IS THE ONLY GENUINE INDIGENOUS SCHOOL THAT IS CONSTRUCTING A PEDAGOGY, UH, ON THE REAL, UH, EXPERIENCE OF THE COMMUNITIES, WHICH IS OUR AWA.
ANA IS NOT JUST A, UH, INDIGENOUS SCHOOL.
IT'S ALSO A SPACE, A SHELTER OF LANGUAGES, UH, LIKE
WHAT, EVEN THOUGH WE ARE, UH, NEGATIVE, IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY ARE, COME TO
AND NOW THAT WANT TO BEAUTIFY BECAUSE WE ARE HERE, THANK, UH, JAMIE ROCHA OR JAIME ROCHA.
YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN PATIENTS OF TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR.
UH, COORDINATOR FOR THE WAI TO COLLEGE PROJECT, AS WELL AS THE PROJECT DIRECTOR FOR THE AKA MECCA AMERICAN INDIAN TEACHER FELLOWSHIP, WHICH HAS HELPED EDUCATOR FELLOWS FROM FIVE CALIFORNIA NATIVE NATIONS TO WORK TOWARDS A TEACHING CREDENTIAL TO BE ABLE TO TEACH THE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE INSIDE CALIFORNIA CLASSROOMS. THROUGH THE C-D-C-L-U-S-D HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME A LEADER IN INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE EDUCATION, FACILITATING A MINI, A MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THEM AND INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES.
HERE LA IS HOME TO THE BIGGEST ACCUMULATION OF URBAN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES AND, AND, AND NATIVE AMERICAN POPULATIONS IN THE US IF NOT NORTH AMERICA.
I CALL ON THE U US, UH, L-A-U-S-D TO DO WHAT YOUR INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN SEEKING FOR COMPREHENSIVE IMMERSIVE LANGUAGE EDUCATION.
EDUCATION THAT IS COMMUNITY CENTERED AND DRIVEN, SEEKING TO ACCOMPLISH THE MINIMUM SHOULD AND MEET THE END GOAL.
ACKNOWLEDGING INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES THROUGH LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS SHOULD NOT BE LEFT TO SUPERFICIAL AND SYMBOLIC PIECEMEAL PROGRAMS. IT MUST BE GO, IT MUST BE GO BEYOND A POLICY OF NICENESS AND PRETTY PURCHASE OF OCCLUSION.
THERE MUST BE AN INVESTMENT OF RESOURCES GOVERNED BY INDIGENOUS PEOPLES TO UPLIFT AND P AND THE POWER, THE POWER OF SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION, UH, THROUGH NATIVE WAYS TO COLLEGE.
WE PROVIDE YEAR-ROUND COLLEGE PREPARATION AND CULTURAL ENRICHMENT PROGRAMMING FOR LA COUNTY NATIVE OF AMERICAN STUDENTS, WHICH CURRENTLY FROM 118 NATIONS AND WE HAVE 49 ENROLLED LA USD STUDENTS EACH REPRESENTING A POTENTIAL NEED OF LANGUAGE STUDENT.
THROUGH OUR RESEARCH AND FAMILY LISTENING SESSIONS, WE HAVE REPEATEDLY HEARD THE DISCONNECT BETWEEN OUR STUDENTS AND THIS DISTRICT'S FAILED PROGRAMS. UH, TO ADDRESS THIS, DUSD EXISTED TO IMPOSE UPON HUNDREDS OF NATIVE AMERICAN INDIGENOUS TRIBAL COMMUNITIES THAT COULD PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE LANGUAGE EDUCATION, BUT MUST GO BEYOND TRAINING EXISTING NON-CREDENTIALED, NON-NATIVE STUDENT TEACHERS BY INCLUDING AMERICAN INDIAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE CREDENTIAL HOLDERS.
WE CALL ON THE L-A-U-S-D TO HIRE CREDENTIALED NATIVE AMERICAN EDUCATORS AND MEXICAN INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE EDUCATOR TEACHERS TO THE BINATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM THAT COULD FULLY TEACH THEIR LANGUAGES INSIDE THEIR CLASSROOMS. WE HAVE EIGHT PASSIONATE EXPERIENCES TEACHERS FOR YOU, UH, RIGHT NOW.
UH, WAAC CARDENAS, PLEASE COME ON UP.
APOLOGIES FOR THE MISPRONUNCIATION.
OKAY, LET'S TRY, UH, CARLOS LAN.
YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN, CARLOS.
IS THERE, IS CARLOS COMING? NO.
UH, HOW ABOUT DAVID TOSKI? I DO BELIEVE I SAW MR. TOSKI OUT THERE.
YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO DAVID KOSKI, FORMER SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER 12
[02:10:01]
YEARS REPRESENTING BOARD SEAT FIVE.AND IT'S ALSO A MEMBER OF THE CALIFORNIA SCHOOL BOARD.
SO AS YOU SIT AND TALK TODAY, UM, THE, UH, DIVISION IS BEING ASKED TO CUT 40% OF ITS BUDGET AND PREPARE 30% AND 20% CUTS.
IT'S GONNA BE A SIGNIFICANT CUT INTO THE MULTILINGUAL PROGRAM.
IN FACT, THERE'S EVEN DISCUSSIONS THAT THAT PIECE WILL BE CLOSED AND MELTED INTO OTHERS.
MEANWHILE, THERE'S $500 MILLION EVERY YEAR TO LA UNIFIED IN THE EXTENDED LEARNING OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM.
$500 BILLION COMES TO THE DISTRICT TO DO THINGS WITH IT.
WHICH COULD BE VERY RICH WITH LANGUAGES ON SATURDAYS AND IN SCHOOLS.
THIS WEEK IS ALSO THE LAST WEEK IN THE LEGISLATURE IN SACRAMENTO.
WHAT IS THE LEGISLATIVE AGENDA OF THE BOARD WITH RESPECT TO BILLS THAT WILL HELP AND FURTHER THE DISCUSSIONS YOU'VE HAD TODAY? MEANWHILE, AT BROADWAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, WHICH IS A MANDARIN DUAL LANGUAGE PROGRAM WHERE FAMILIES COME IN FROM SANTA MONICA UNIFIED AND CULVER CITY UNIFIED, AND IT'S GROWN FROM A SCHOOL OF 140 KIDS TO NOW A CAMPUS WITH OVER A THOUSAND KIDS.
THERE'S NOT A SIGNIFICANT SUPPORT GOING ON FEDERAL MONEY.
THERE WAS THREATS THAT THERE WAS GONNA BE MONEY CUT, BUT THE IMPOUND ACT OF 1974 THAT RICHARD NIXON SIGNED MEANT THAT THE MONEY WOULD COME BACK.
UCLA HAS SUPPORT FOR INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES AND OTHERS.
STILL, THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA CALLS SPANISH OR FOREIGN LANGUAGE.
THIS BOARD SHOULD TAKE A POSITION THAT'S SPANISH IS NOT A FOREIGN LANGUAGE.
IT COULD BE A REQUIREMENT STARTING AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, MIDDLE SCHOOL.
WHEN I WAS IN LA UNIFIED, WE STARTED LANGUAGE AND WE HAVE SUMMER SCHOOL, WINTER SESSION.
THESE ARE PLACES WHICH ALL OF WHAT YOU DISCUSSED CAN BE ENRICHED AND GROWN WITH THAT 500 MILLION AND OTHER MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN THIS $20 BILLION ORGANIZATION.
SO THE IDEAS THAT YOU BROUGHT OUT TODAY SHOULD BE FERTILIZED WITH THE REVENUE, NOT CUT AND CONTROLLED AND SHRUNK.
SEE, WE'RE GONNA GO TO THE FOLKS WHO LISTED THEMSELVES AS CALLING IN REMOTELY.
WE HAVE THE FIRST CALLER IS CONCERNED PARENT.
PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN.
GOOD AFTERNOON COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
THANK YOU FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
ONCE AGAIN, THE PRESENTATION FAILS TO OUTLINE AND ADDRESS HOW THESE PRACTICES WILL BE IMPLEMENTED, AND SADLY, IT FEELS VERY OPTIONAL, BUT WHAT I WANT TO CAUTION AND REMIND THE DISTRICT IS THAT TEACHERS ARE NOT MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS.
SO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THESE PRACTICES SHOULD BE TREATED WITH LOTS OF SENSITIVITY AND A LOT OF TRAINING BECAUSE A LOT OF IMMIGRANT STORIES COME WITH A LOT OF TRAUMA AND MANY TIMES TEACHERS ARE NOT EQUIPPED TO SUPPORT STUDENTS.
ALSO, WHILE YOU SERVE STUDENTS, PARENTS ARE PA PARENTS AND FAMILIES ARE A BIG PART OF THE PUZZLE.
SINCE THE PANDEMIC, IT FEELS THAT THE DISTRICT HAS BECOME ANTI PARENTS AND PARENTS ARE VERY MUCH EXCLUDED FROM MANY OF THE DECISIONS THAT THIS DISTRICT MAKES.
MANY TIMES COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES IS VERY LIMITED.
SO I HOPE THAT YOU GENUINELY WANT TO PARTNER WITH PARENTS AND FAMILIES BECAUSE CURRENTLY IT'S NOT HAPPENING ACROSS THE ENTIRE DISTRICT.
THE NEXT CALLER IS MATT RELEY.
PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN.
MATT RELEY, I SEE YOU'RE ON THE LINE WITH US, MR. RELEY, AND THAT YOU'VE UNMUTED YOURSELF.
I SEE YOU'VE PUT YOUR HAND UP.
HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, NOW I CAN HEAR YOU.
UH, MATT RALEY, A PARENT OF A BROADWAY STUDENT, AND, UH, TALKING TODAY, FIRST OF ALL, JUST WANTED TO COMPLIMENT ALL THE WONDERFUL SPEAKERS TODAY WHO DID A LOVELY JOB OF TELLING ABOUT INDIGENOUS CULTURES AND ABOUT ALL THE THE DIFFERENT WONDERFUL PROGRAMS AROUND THAT.
I DO WANNA POINT OUT THOUGH THAT THE MMED IS FAILING IN ITS, UH, JOB OF IMPROVING THE CURRICULUM FOR THE MANDARIN PROGRAM ACROSS THE DISTRICT.
THE CURRICULUM IN THE MANDARIN PROGRAM IS 15 YEARS OLD.
WE ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF LOOKING AT NEW CURRICULUMS, BUT NOW, JUST RECENTLY FOUND OUT THAT A NEW CURRICULUM IS BEING IMPOSED UPON BROADWAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
THERE WAS NO ENGAGEMENT OF MANDARIN SPEAKERS WHEN IDENTIFYING THIS CURRICULUM.
I HEARD A LOT OF TALK DURING THE CONVERSATIONS TODAY ABOUT NEEDING TO ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY AND TO ENGAGE EXPERTS ABOUT BEING COMMUNITY CENTERED AND COMMUNITY DRIVEN
[02:15:01]
IN EDUCATION.AND THAT COMMUNICATION NEEDS TO BE BETWEEN THE SCHOOLS AND THE PARENTS.
WHY IS THAT NOT HAPPENING? WITH RESPECT TO THE MANDARIN CURRICULUM, PLEASE, MS. GRIEGO AND PLEASE OTHER BOARD MEMBERS MAKE MMED AND MAKE THE DISTRICT COME BACK TO THE PARENTS AND COME BACK TO THE STAKEHOLDERS WHEN LOOKING AT A CURRICULUM AND ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO THE MANDARIN PROGRAM, WE HAVE 15 YEARS OUT OF DATE.
ALISON RAMIREZ, YOU'RE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK REMOTELY.
I DO NOT HAVE YOU SIGNED IN, BUT ARE YOU IN THE ROOM? ALISON RAMIREZ? NO, UH, LUCIA PRECIADO.
I SEE YOU'RE ON, ON THE LINE WITH US.
LUCIA, PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN.
LUCIA, PLEASE PRESS SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF, AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK ONCE YOU BEGIN.
OKAY, LUCIA IS NOT PUSHING STAR SIX.
SO THAT, UH, CONCLUDES, UH, COMMENT.
YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK.
UH, MY NAME IS LUCIA PRECIADO.
I'M THE PROJECT DIRECTOR FOR NATIVE WASTED COLLEGE, UH, THE AFOREMENTIONED PROJECT BY, UH, JAMIE ROCHA.
UM, SO I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL, UH, THIS, UH, PROJECT COLLEGE IS, UM, SOMETHING THAT WE'VE DELIVERED SERVICES FOR NATIVE AMERICAN STUDENTS AND PARENTS IN SO IN, UH, HERE IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS, UM, AROUND COLLEGE READINESS AND CULTURAL PROGRAMMING, WE'VE REACHED ABOUT, UM, WE REACHED ABOUT, UH, FAMILIES FROM 60 DIFFERENT, UH, NATIVE NATIONS.
AND SO AS WE ARE DISCUSSING, HOW DO WE MAKE THIS, YOU KNOW, A BETTER PROCESS FOR EVERYONE, UM, RECENTLY HAD A LISTENING SESSION WITH OUR STUDENTS AND PARENTS.
AND, UH, WHAT WE LEARNED, UH, FROM OUR STUDENTS IS THAT THERE'S BEEN INSTANCES WHERE THEY STILL FACE BULLYING, UH, RACISM AND DISCRIMINATION FROM THEIR PEERS.
IN ONE INSTANCE FOR THEM WEARING THEIR BEADED EARRINGS, UH, FOR WEARING THEIR BRAIDS, FOR, UM, EVEN BEING TAUNTED IF THEY'RE REALLY, ARE THEY REALLY NATIVE AMERICAN OR ARE THEY HISPANIC? ARE THEY MEXICAN? UM, AND SO THESE THINGS UNDERMINE THE STUDENT'S IDENTITY.
ANOTHER INSTANCES WHERE OUR PARENTS, UM, THAT HAVE SIGNED UP FOR NATIVE WAYS TO COLLEGE HAVE ALSO BEEN FACING, UM, TO AN EXTENT BULLYING AND DISCRIMINATION WHEN THEY ARE ON ANY UNABLE TO FILL A 5 0 6 FORM, OR THEY'RE BEING, UM, ASKED, UM, ARE THEY REALLY NATIVE AMERICAN? OR THEY'RE BEING NOTED AS, OH, YOU'RE THE FIRST NATIVE PERSON IN THIS SCHOOL IN A REALLY LONG TIME.
UM, AND SO THAT DENOTES, YOU KNOW, UH, A SENSE OF, UM, DIFFERENCE FOR NATIVE STUDENTS AND FAMILIES THAT UNFORTUNATELY, YOU KNOW, SCHOOLS AREN'T, UM, AREN'T EMBRACING, UM, NATIVE AMERICAN STUDENTS IN THAT PROCESS.
AND LASTLY, UM, ONE THING I WANTED TO SHARE AND BRING UP TO YOU ALL IS THAT, UM, AS, AS, AS TEACHERS, AND I WANNA COMMEND THE TWO TEACHERS BY THE WAY THAT PRESENTED TODAY, UM, FOR ALL THEIR, FOR ALL THEIR WORK, UM, AS, AS TEACHERS, UH, BRING IN THE CURRICULUM SPECIFICALLY AROUND THE FOURTH GRADE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE MISSION SYSTEM OR EVEN ONE OF OUR STUDENTS THAT'S IN HIGH SCHOOL THAT HAS TO, UM, UH, LEARN ALONG WITH THEIR PEERS ABOUT NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY, WHICH IS USUALLY AT THE END OF THE HISTORY BOOK, UNFORTUNATELY, THAT THEY'RE REVIEWING FOR, UH, FOR US AMERICAN HISTORY.
UM, THE, THEIR TEACHER IN ONE INSTANCE HAD TO, UM, REALLY, UH, DELEGATE TO OUR STUDENTS TO EDUCATE THE REST OF THEIR PEERS.
AND WHILE, YOU KNOW, I COMMENDED, UM, OUR STUDENTS FOR, FOR STEPPING UP THAT WAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
IT'S REALLY NOTHING SAY FOR THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
UH, I TAKE NO PLEASURE IN HAVING PEOPLE CUT OFF EARLY.
JUST WE HAVE TO GIVE PEOPLE, UH, APPROXIMATELY THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME PER PERSON.
AND I, I INCREASED IT BY ABOUT 30 SECONDS FOR EACH SPEAKER AFTER, AFTER THE FIRST ONE.
SO, UH, THAT CONCLUDES, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT.
[III. Closing Remarks]
WELL THANK YOU SO MUCH, UH, TO EVERYONE TODAY, TO OUR EDUCATORS WHO ARE HERE, OUR STUDENTS WHO WERE HERE TO OUR MED DEPARTMENT, WHO ALSO PREPARED A PRESENTATION AND PRE AND ESPECIALLY ALL OF YOU HERE WHO DROVE FROM VERY FAR AWAY IN SOME CASES TO BE A PART OF THIS, TO SHARE YOUR IDEAS.AND I WANNA THANK YOU FOR BRINGING FORTH THE IDEAS, THE PERSPECTIVE THAT FRANKLY, IF YOU ARE IN THIS BUILDING AND YOU ARE CREATING SOME OF THESE THINGS, YOU THINK EVERYTHING IS GOING GREAT, RIGHT? BUT IT'S WHEN WE HEAR FROM PEOPLE ON THE GROUND THAT WE REALIZE, OH, MAYBE NOT, MAYBE WE NEED TO CHANGE THIS.
MAYBE WE NEED TO, LIKE YOU SAID, SCALE UP,
[02:20:01]
RIGHT? MAYBE THIS IS HAPPENING IN OUR DISTRICT, BUT HOW DO WE MAKE IT FOR EVERYONE? AND THAT'S MY GOAL, IS THAT WE LOOK AT THE CURRICULUM CRITICALLY, THAT WE MAKE SURE, JUST LIKE WE TELL OUR STUDENTS TO THINK CRITICALLY WHEN THEY'RE READING AND WRITING, WE WANNA DO THE SAME THING AS WE ARE SELECTING THINGS FOR OUR STUDENTS TO LEARN.AND SO I APPRECIATE EVERYONE HERE FOR BRINGING ALL THAT YOU BROUGHT TODAY.
I WANT US TO TAKE A GROUP PICTURE.
I WANNA THANK FOLKS WHO SHOWED UP TO SHARE THEIR PUBLIC COMMENT.
ALL OF THE IDEAS THAT COME THROUGH HERE, I AM GOING TO BE SHARING WITH OUR BOARD OF DIRECTOR, WITH OUR BOARD MEMBERS.
AND, UM, AND ALSO IT, THE GREAT THING IS DR. FRANCIS BIAS IS HERE AND SHE'S HEARING FROM YOU ALL AS WELL.
AND I KNOW THAT SHE'S TAKING THIS INFORMATION AND SHARING IT WITH OTHERS IN HER DEPARTMENT.
I WANNA ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONTINUE USING ME AND MY OFFICE AS A RESOURCE.
UM, PLEASE, IF YOU EVER WANNA MAKE A RECOMMENDATION BEYOND TODAY, PLEASE REACH OUT.
AND I WANNA THANK THE PARENTS AGAIN.
AND ONCE AGAIN, EDUCATORS, KEEP DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING, SPREAD THE BEAUTIFUL WEALTH THAT YOU'VE GOT TO YOUR WHOLE SCHOOL COMMUNITY SO THAT ALL OF OUR GRADES AT HOOPER CAN GET THAT BEAUTIFUL INSTRUCTION THAT YOU'RE GIVING THEM.
HAVE A WONDERFUL NIGHT, AND I WILL SEE YOU NEXT MONTH, I BELIEVE.