EDITORIAL : TEACHER POWER.THE excitement of the first week of the school year with a new reform school board in charge offers renewed hope that many more children in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. will once again be blessed with a good education. It's been a long time since that was true. And it will be a good while before the school board is able to clean house and create genuine reform that will lead to a quality education for a much greater number of Los Angeles Unified's 700,000 students. In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , real results will occur only as teachers step forward, throw off the yoke yoke (yok) 1. a connecting structure. 2. jugum. yoke n. See jugum. yoke, n 1. something that connects or binds. of the bureaucracy that strangles strangles an acute disease of horses caused by infection with Streptococcus equi subsp. equi, and characterized by fever, purulent rhinitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis, abscessation of the draining lymph nodes and cough. much of their energy and redouble re·dou·ble v. re·dou·bled, re·dou·bling, re·dou·bles v.tr. 1. To double. 2. To repeat. 3. Games To double the doubling bid of (an opponent) in bridge. v. their efforts to make sure the educational needs of each and every child are identified and met. Only the district's teachers can motivate students to learn the skills they need to become functioning, literate children and young adults who will one day use what they've learned in kindergarten through grade 12 to lead good lives as adults. The whole city now understands what teachers have known for years: Much of the management of the LAUSD LAUSD Los Angeles Unified School District (Los Angeles, CA) is incompetent, and new leadership is needed. Voters threw out the old board. Many civic leaders have rallied to the cause of a better public education. Parents are begging for their children to get a decent education. Make no mistake about it: Public education is at stake. If results aren't visible quickly, the district could be broken up or voters will demand vouchers that will destroy public education as we know it. Teaching is a tough but good job that has decent pay, summers off and great benefits. As the second week of school begins, LAUSD teachers should remember what it was that called them to this profession - to help children. They must wonder why they always seem to be caught in the middle of administrative and student failures. And they are undoubtedly as frustrated frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: by the LAUSD's leadership failures as are the rest of us, if not more so. But there is hope. The voters responded and provided new leadership on the school board and the money to improve educational facilities. They will do more for teachers if the see results in the classroom. But the public also will do whatever it takes to make sure that the children of this city get the quality education they deserve. The future of public education is at stake. |
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