[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> > Not the lesson they intended > Two L.A. charter school teachers lose their jobs over a planned Black > History Month presentation. > > By Carla Rivera, LA Times Staff Writer > March 19, 2007 > > Administrators at a Los Angeles charter school forbade students from > reciting a poem about civil rights icon Emmett Till during a Black > History Month program recently, saying his story was unsuitable for an > assembly of young children. > Teachers and students said the administration suggested that the Till > case - in which the teenager was beaten to death in Mississippi after > allegedly whistling at a white woman - was not fitting for a program > intended to be celebratory, and that Till's actions could be viewed as > sexual harassment. > The decision by Celerity Nascent Charter School leaders roiled the > southwest Los Angeles campus and led to the firing of seventh-grade > teacher Marisol Alba and math teacher Sean Strauss, who had signed one > of several letters of protest written by the students. > The incident highlights the tenuous job security for mostly nonunion > teachers in charter schools, which are publicly financed but > independently run. California has more than 600 charter schools, and > their ranks continue to swell. According to the California Teachers > Assn., staff at fewer than 10% of charter schools are represented by > unions. > "I never thought it would come to this," said Alba, who helped her > students prepare the Till presentation, in which they were going to > read a poem and lay flowers in a circle. "I thought the most that > would happen to me [after the event was canceled] is that I'd get > talked to and it would be turned into a learning and teaching experience." > School officials refused to discuss the particulars of the teachers' > firings but said the issue highlights the difficulty of providing > positive images for students who are often bombarded by negative > cultural stereotypes. > "Our whole goal is how do we get these kids to not look at all of the > bad things that could happen to them and instead focus on the process > of how do we become the next surgeon or the next politician," said > Celerity co-founder and Executive Director Vielka McFarlane. "We don't > want to focus on how the history of the country has been checkered but > on how do we dress for success, walk proud and celebrate all the > accomplishments we've made." > McFarlane said details of the Till case were too graphic for an > assembly that included kindergartners. The principal, Grace Canada, > could not be reached for comment. McFarlane, speaking for the school, > said her review of the incident did not support the teachers' > allegations that Canada had used the term sexual harassment to > describe Till's behavior. > But Alba said that when the principal informed the class that they > could not recite their poem, she gave the example of a construction > worker whistling at her as she walked down the street. > "She said that she would be offended by that and that what Emmett Till > did could be considered sexual harassment," said Alba. "She used the > phrase a couple of times and when I objected, she said 'OK, > inappropriately whistled at a woman.' " > Many parents said their children affirmed that account. Marcia Alston, > mother of a seventh-grader, called the school to say she was appalled > at its interpretation of history and the treatment of the teachers. > She said that in the conversation, the principal used the term "rude" > to describe Till's actions. > "Mr. Strauss and Ms. Alba were excellent teachers," said Alston. "The > fact that they and the students had signed a letter, I thought, was > good; it was something they were passionate about and it could be used > as a learning tool." > Verna Hampton, whose daughter was in Alba's homeroom and signed a > letter, said she was especially offended that the incident occurred > during Black History Month. Hampton said her daughter told her there > was nothing offensive in the letter she signed. > "Those teachers should not have lost their jobs for standing up for > what they felt was right; that sends the wrong message," Hampton said. > "The kids didn't even get a chance to say goodbye." > Alba, 30, began teaching at Celerity when it opened in the fall of > 2005 shortly after she received her credential. She taught social > studies and science and is now looking for another job. She is writing > to the school's board of trustees to request a hearing, and Strauss > has drafted a letter to the board complaining that his firing was > unjustified. Under the contract signed by the teachers, they can be > fired with or without cause. > In the letter terminating his employment, dated March 6, Strauss was > said to have been "disparaging the school to students and parents and > authorizing by physical signature a nonsupportive message to the > administrative staff." > According to Alba and Strauss, individual students wrote 10 to 15 > protest letters, some of which were signed by other students. Neither > the teachers nor the students made copies, they said. > "The kids felt strongly about this, and because these are my students, > I felt one of my jobs was to pay attention to them," said Strauss, who > is earning a credential at Cal State Dominguez Hills. "It's important > anywhere a teacher works that the employer be willing to listen and > keep an open mind and maybe even be willing to change their mind if > they learn something new." > Frank Wells, a spokesman for the California Teachers Assn., said the > Celerity incident highlights the importance his group has placed on > organizing charter school teachers statewide. > "This points out the vulnerability of teachers in some charters where > they don't have safeguards and can be fired for any or no reason," > Wells said. > Celerity Nascent (the name is derived from words meaning swift or > accelerated development) opened in the Jefferson Park area last school > year as a K-6 charter campus with about 330 students. Seventh grade > was added this year, and there are plans to add eighth grade next year. > Of its nearly 500 students, 80% are African American and about 19% are > Latino. McFarlane, who is black, said 65% of the staff members live in > the neighborhood and that part of the school's mission is to create > jobs in the community. > Most students are below grade level in reading when they enroll, and > many have behavioral problems, school officials said. McFarlane, who > worked for 14 years as a teacher and principal in the Los Angeles > Unified School District, said that with its focus on project-based, > "culturally responsive" learning, student achievement is rising and > parents are more involved in their children's learning. > Gary L. Larson, a spokesman for the California Charter Schools Assn., > said Celerity is well-run and its administrators highly regarded. He > defended the school's right to judge the appropriateness of the Till > presentation and to dismiss teachers. > "If they felt that it was too sensitive in nature, and as long as they > are following approved procedures, they have the authority," Larson said. > Many parents agreed with the school's decision to omit the Till > presentation. During February's Black History Month program, the > seventh-graders' poem, based on the book "A Wreath for Emmett Till," > was replaced by a reading on the civil rights struggle as a whole. > "There's no celebration in the Emmett Till story," said Stephen > Weathers, president of the school's parent organization. "He was > beaten for whistling at a white woman, and I don't want my daughter to > know that in the fourth grade. I don't think a celebration of Black > History Month is a forum for that story. It's important, but that > wasn't the stage for it." > Scot Brown, associate professor of history and African American > studies at UCLA, said it was unfortunate that school officials and the > teachers did not find common ground. > "I'm surprised that the teachers and principal could not work out a > way for students to do this presentation in a way that highlights the > significance and importance of Emmett Till's loss to the larger black > freedom struggle," said Brown. "It's much bigger than the acts of > violence you don't want kids exposed to Š. > "It sounds to me that by laying a wreath and saying a poem, the > students and teachers were working through the meaning of his > sacrifice to the black freedom struggle, and that's very important." > > www.rockrap. <http://www.rockrap.com>com <http://www.rockrap.com> > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free > from AOL at AOL.com <http://www.aol.com?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000339>. 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