UTLA needs to be progressive

Just like many of these students at Locke today I was encourage to go to college by several teachers at Locke, whom have been also helped me throughout my college career as well. Instead of talking negatively about Locke students and staff, you should try to find solution to get rid off policies such as " NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND" or the "CALIFORNIA EXIT EXAMS", which only lowers students self-esteem and intimidates them lets face it not every one is a good test taker.

Yazmin (minor in education) @ 8:38 PM PDT, Jun 25, 2008

As a senior at UC Satan Cruz and an alumni of Locke High School (class of 2005), I'm proud to say that Locke's faculty and staff have and is still working hard to educate their students. I admire the hard work that many of these teachers do in order to promote higher education for the students at Locke who are constantly seen as failures. However, what society does not know and does not want to acknowlege is that these students go through a lot of things that no conservative rich person will ever go through.

Yazmin @ 8:37 PM PDT, Jun 25, 2008

WHETHER I BEGIN A SENTENCE W LOWER CASE LETTERS DOESNT INDICATE DAT LOCKE STUDENTS DNT RECEIVE A QUALITY EDUCATION. B4 U DECIDE 2 POINT OUT MY MISTASKES Y DNT U GO & TEACH A DAY @ LOCKE U WOULDNT LAST A MONTH B4 U THROW IN DA TOWEL I HAVE A LOT OF RESPECT 4 ALL MY FORMER TEACHERS ESPECIALLY 4 MR.RHODEN WE WERE BLESSED W TEACHERS WHO PUSHED US AS HARD AS THEY COULD WHETHER WE MADE IT 2 COLLEGE WAS B/C OF DECISIONS WE MADE IM PROUD OF WAT I HAV ACCOMPLISHED & OF WHERE IM HEADED

MARIA HERNANDEZ @ 8:04 PM PDT, Jun 25, 2008

ITS EASIER 2 JUDGE 1 ANOTHER 4 WAT WE C BUT WHEN IT COMES DOWN 2 IT WHEN U PUT URSELF IN OUR SHOES OR THOSE AT LOCKE U WOULDNT B ABLE 2 WALK 10 STEPS AS 4 'ENGLISH TEACHER' DNT PUT IN UR 2 CENTS IF U DNT KNW HOW IT IS TO WORK OR IN MY CASE GROW UP IN SOUTH CENTRAL LA THANX 2 LOCKE I ENTERED COLLEGE A QUARTER AHEAD. HAVENT U HEARD OF DA SAYING JUDGE URSELF B4 U JUDGE OTHERS HONESTLY DA ONLY REASON IM WRITING THIS IS 2 THANK MY TEACHERS & COUNCELORS 4 ALL THEIR SUPPORT B/C I CAN GIVE 2 F**KS ABOUT WAT U THINK ABOUT MY WRITTING U R NO 1 TO JUDGE.

MARIA HERNANDEZ @ 8:04 PM PDT, Jun 25, 2008

Several questions: How did you come to the conclusion I was “blaming the media”? Can you please define what a "quality education" means? It is important (essential in fact) to know “academic” language, but we must also recognize other language choices students make. Rather than highlight the deficiencies in the post, why not congratulate her and her peers on reaching college and achieving a dream? There are plenty of tutoring centers and writing specialist in college who can help make students better writers, but how many of us in secondary education are helping our students reach their aspirations and goals?

S. Rhoden @ 7:10 PM PDT, Jun 25, 2008

It saddens me that a college student writes sentences that begin with lower-case letters -- and that she cannot even correctly spell her beloved teacher's name. The writer blames the media for focusing on the negative; however, in this poorly written post she provides the public with yet another reason to question whether Locke students receive a quality education.

English Teacher @ 9:13 AM PDT, Jun 25, 2008

im a locke high school alumni (class of 07) as well as mr rhodens former student for the past 4yrs. i as well as my classmates made it to 4yr universities. i attend uc santa cruz and y brother who also attended locke class of 05 attends uc berkeley. i have spoken to mr rhden about how the media only speaks about our riots and not on how many of us made it to college. im a sophmore at santa cruz going for my bs in business administration. fred montiel made it to MIT fully scholard. as you can see locke has improved but because of our reputation the media doesnt focus on anything besides the negative.

maria hernandez @ 8:40 PM PDT, Jun 24, 2008

The author states that "we are already leaving children behind, continuing to lose effective and influential teachers, and we have very little active support from the public." The kids will eventually leave public education behind with all the nonsense of measures and moral and political agendas. Parents will find alternative ways to educate their kids. State education is an oxymoron. Good teachers won't put up with the public educational system. It's too fulfilling to work elsewhere for better pay. Tell me why the public should support a system that is mired in the dinosaur of unionism and wicked liberal agendas.

Ileftcali @ 8:30 PM PDT, Jun 24, 2008

As a teacher I am saddened by the bureacratic morass that is LAUSD & in working w/UTLA in the past couple of years, I have similar issues, & agree of the undue influence that personal issues often hold. No, UTLA did not make the right call at Locke, but In spite of my disappointment & anger at this and other things done in the name of "the Union" I feel the most effective way to usher in the progress I seek in the LAUSD is to work at transformation from inside.

Ray Clark @ 7:28 PM PDT, Jun 24, 2008

The UTLA needs to be left behind... it's sad and politically sickening to see union leadership hold to their own ideologies rather than "open the door" to Charters. Locke and other schools in LAUSD are results of a bureaucracy that has become like the "Titanic". Meanwhile the communities that need transformation are being hindered by the UTLA and other interests. Open up the opportunity to choice.

lgarcia @ 2:47 PM PDT, Jun 24, 2008