RAMON Cortines, school superintendent of that gigantic educational system somewhere down the Pasadena Freeway, was on the airwaves Thursday spouting a message that I suspect not too many of those in charge of teaching kids wanted to hear. It wasn't that his message was controversial and, then again, maybe it was since he laid out a plan in which everyone had to work.
Parents as first teachers means some work going on in the home. Those who guide the classroom, he said, need to recognize, accept and put into practice new attitudes toward students who come from different home environments, backgrounds and cultures. School environment thrives best with a team approach; an adversarial approach misses the respect all participants are due.
I get letters, letters and more letters from readers who are teachers, moaning and groaning about student behavior, hostile parents and administrators who do not support the letter writer's classroom attempts to hold students accountable for unacceptable behavior.
In fact, in kicking off my television show Thursday night with Cortines as guest, I read excerpts from a recent correspondence in which the teacher complained of children with the absolute inability to focus. Well, that's not her phrase, but she detailed constant trips to the bathroom, scratching of sores until they bled, touching other students, crawling on the floor and more. In the final paragraph, administrators at her school, she said, never provided her with support when students were sent to the office.
While the Los Angeles Unified superintendent didn't address this teacher's classroom dilemma directly, throughout our 60-minute conversation he was clear about "the office" being an integral part of the learning team.
School personnel acquiring new attitudes? Training is required. Parents understanding their role as first teachers will require as much guidance as school personnel.
While there wasn't time for me to read a second letter from a teacher, the issues highlighted in the first letter written by a high school teacher had taken on a new form as evidenced by the letter's details.
Can the hopelessness evident in the correspondence I receive and that I hear in most conversations about our schools be overcome? Cortines answered yes! He says he sees hope in the eyes of students when he visits schools.
I visit schools and I see chaos. I'm, and Mr. Man said I could, going to tag along with him for some visits as I'm one of the first who needs a few lessons in attitude adjustment about our schools.
When he was superintendent here in Pasadena, Cortines' driver dropped him at my home unexpectedly one early morning to tag along with my daughter, Pia, on the bus ride to Pasadena High School following a column I had written regarding transportation conditions
I'm sure there are many parents who have stories about his tagging along. Now, it's the parents' turn. But what can people do other than complain?
"Visit the schools. Establish a presence on campus, and, no, you don't need an appointment. Remember the schools belong to the people," he said, and then concluded our conversation with these words of challenge, "Parents need to take back the schools."
