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Patrick S. De Walt, M.B.A., Ph.D.

~ Communal Conversations for the Promotion of Active Critical Engagement

Patrick S. De Walt, M.B.A., Ph.D.

Tag Archives: Florida

Assail

18 Saturday Feb 2017

Posted by Patrick S. De Walt, MBA, PhD in Poetry, Uncategorized

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Advocacy, Community, Culture, Discrimination, Diversity, expression, Florida, Freewrite, Gender, homosexuality, humanity, Identity, injustice, oppression, Performance, poetry, police state, Politics, power, Race, racism, sexual orientation, social critique, social justice, Social norms, society, Streams of consciousness, violence, voice

A festive congregation of diverse forms
Gathered in joy and celebration
Unknowingly targeted for reasons
Subjectively debated and/or ignored
The setting places those who truly
Seek to be advocates and allies
In perilous conundrums
Scared hearts and bodies
Others cold and riddled
Propaganda is the last thing needed
Or wanted to be heard
By a family, lover, and/or friend of anyone
Who was assailed
Violated
Traumatized
Or even scapegoated
Identities fractured by incomplete
Or politicized objectives
The absolute truth may never truly be known
Yet we can concretely deduce
There are no true winners if all of us
Truly embrace our humanity
Advocacy means we share our voices with those
Who oppression continues to work to mute
Advocacy means not playing the victim-blaming game
That often becomes the means of historical erasure
With each last breath or aching wound
Whether physical or emotional
We have all lost and are under assail
Race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and culture among other aspects of our humanity
Have been further eroded
Orlando is just one of many examples of the
Detrimental effects of hate no matter the rationale
Love is not the solution when it is cloaked in complacency and inaction that shuns levels of sacrifice
Until each breath inhales this unalterable truth
There is no true we, yet the current national, societal, and political stances
Empower an assailant that has historically mutated
Each second, minute, hour, day, year, decade, and century
Known as the “American” F
Fear…

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Victim Blaming Rationalization: Why Trayvon Martin is Symbolic for and of African American/Black Experiences in the United States.

30 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by Patrick S. De Walt, MBA, PhD in Blog, Racialization Impacts

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Blackness, Culture, Diversity, Education, expression, Florida, George Zimmerman, Identity, Inequity, Law(s), Race, Racial identity, racism, social critique, Trayvon Martin, victim blaming rationalization

Over the course of the many days, weeks, and months since the tragic death of a seventeen year old teen, much has been debated and said about what is justice in today’s United States. Color-lines have been drawn in many cases, as reactionary as they were during the Jim and Jane Crow Eras in this country. Sentiment remains mixed with an output of social consciousness and outrage. Protests in the streets and even a Presidential Address about race and its lingering effects on society have taken place. With all of this being said, there still seems to be something absent from the conversation. Something that is as systemic as the endemic racism that encapsulates this country even when many emphatically attempt to deny its existence.

“What is this item that I speak of?” you may now find yourself puzzlingly asking. It is the way that many of us have, due to the reality that “race” and “racism” are as “American” as “apple pie?” How dare I make such suggestions when we now have a “Black” president elected for not only one term, but two. Not when we post pictures of a “Black” First Lady and praise the couple’s two beautiful and charming “Black” daughters. We are in a post-racial society where we all need to be “color-blind” and just see each other as only human. Furthermore, we see only the “human race” as we are all “Americans,” so the story goes.

And let us not forget our Constitutional rights that are also at stake when we critically engage the tragedy that was not solely Trayvon Martin, but dare I say, George Zimmerman. For many who are of African descent and/or are starch allies, this utterance by one of their very own will seem outright blasphemous or a betrayal on the legacy of our shared struggle. Continuing to hide behind the scapegoat of the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms as some continue to champion. Since and even before 9/11, we remain fed heavy doses of fear through all forms of media. A land built on propaganda continues to manufacture reasons to shape and craft the thoughts of a society and the globe. What is this fear that I am now speaking of? The same fear that endured the antebellum plantations, the uprising of darker-skinned property, for at the time still not viewed as human. That task is still a work in progress; if you look hard enough you’ll still see measures of hatred and thoughts of superiority for no other reason than social dogma propagated for generations.

As history has told us, as it has been crafted within our educational textbooks, that the legacy of wrongdoing is still not ready to be fully addressed. We’ve had apologies and offered reparations for instances for select members of our Union yet we still find ways to avoid fully addressing the wrongs done to our Native community members. They, as the rest of “the minorities” must have done something wrong, right? They must not want to be successful? They don’t care about education? Why don’t they want to learn to speak proper English? Why don’t they… (I’ll let you fill in the blank). In each instance, one thing remains clear. We often will acknowledge there is a problem but how we perceive it beyond that is what I really want to address.

We call it, “victim blaming rationalization. A response to a social problem—such as injustice toward a minority group—that identifies the problem as a deficiency in the minority group and not a societal problem, as in ‘If poor people want to escape poverty they just have to be willing to work harder” (Koppelman & Goodhart, p. 42). In a similar vein, this is what often happens when race and racism are at the center of public debate. We don’t want to acknowledge the legacy that has driven the nation’s politics and social norms. We have short-term memories on who were discriminated against based on existing notions of privilege and whiteness within the society. Because by doing, so this often causes us to have to challenge or relinquish our own interests.

In a nation that politically and morally does what is in the best interest of itself– well, actually in the best interests of the wealthy and/or powerbrokers–in most that it does, we are confounded with fundamental issues. So when we see poverty, we blame the poor. When we see ignorance, we blame the uneducated. Yet we rarely make headway when we blame the system in which all of the social malfunctions are perpetuated and maintained. Because it will cause us to have to own the possibility that we have to sacrifice, have to struggle, have to actively become a part of the larger community without guarantee that we will get everything that our hearts desire. Interest theory explains why we discriminate and/or justify not supporting our community in the ways that we want the community to support us.

Why does any of this matter when it comes to victim-blaming rationalization and the tragedy that are the circumstances that envelope the death of Trayvon Martin and the public outcry about George Zimmerman’s acquittal? Simple, it is indicative of the legacy that is seamlessly embedded within the laws that govern this country. It is born out of the enterprise of Capitalism and globalization that fosters the extension of a set of cultural norms and values that some say only sees green. We see it in the manner in which a hoodie has become a symbol that, for some, can be likened to sad a day back in Mississippi when a young teen was kidnapped and killed for whistling at Carolyn Bryant outside of the Bryant Grocery and Meat Market. We see it in other cases that have been highlighted since the verdict across the country. Culturally, instances like these resonate with the past and current experiences people of African descent have within the United States.

We, as we’ve been socialized through the prism of racism, tend to dichotomize things to the simplest way possible. What do I mean by this statement? Well if you’ve ever said, “It’s as simple as black and white” then you’ve done it. What many don’t really know is what they’re implying with this question is that they are acknowledging their own limitations in the situation. They are acknowledging that they are limited in their ability to see the complexity, which is at the heart of this tragedy. The intellectual prison is on display in the form of either/or mentalities that many of our public schools promote as part of the greater enterprise. The ignorance of this and other aspects of injustice are running prevalent in this country, some would expect to be said. Yet all of this is exactly why our society will continue to work in a disjointed fashion. We, as a society, are fragmented, splintered, lacking cohesion in the saddest of ways. We are apathetic unless, sheepishly, we are moved to action by our twitter, facebook, and/or other social media feeds. We click buttons as opposed to working to shape lives beyond our own doorsteps. We impatiently wait for the next person to do what we ourselves need to accomplish. We do what’s easiest and most natural– we yell, we talk, we pray, and then we ultimately forget. Until we all recognize that injustice to any one of us is injustice to all of us, we will continue to be reminded of inconsequence of being othered in this othering space known as the United States of America…

To be continued…

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Crush-Hopper Presentation Video (Jan. 17, 2013)

24 Friday May 2013

Posted by Patrick S. De Walt, MBA, PhD in Blog, Identity Politics, Racialization Impacts, Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Blackness, Culture, Diversity, Education, expression, Florida, Higher Education, Multiracialism, Performance, Public Education, Race, Racial identity, social critique, South Africa, Streams of consciousness, Student Behavior, University of South Florida, World

Hello everyone,

I am including the video of both my lecture and the subsequent Question and Answer session with Ms. Mandisa Haarhoff about her one person play, Crush-Hopper. She was truly amazing as a performer but more importantly as a person.

De Walt Crush-Hopper Lecture

Crush-Hopper Question and Answer with Ms. Mandisa Haarhoff

Enjoy,

PSDW~

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Onward to the Next Chapter

13 Monday May 2013

Posted by Patrick S. De Walt, MBA, PhD in Blog, Educational Trenches, PSDW Reflective Journal

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Tags

Culture, differentiated instruction, Diversity, Education, expression, Florida, Higher Education, pedagogy, Public Education, Reflective Practice, Streams of consciousness, student centered approaches, Teacher Education

Hello everyone,

Today marks the start of a new and exciting semester (10 weeks). As I have taught over the years, I am reminded of all that makes teaching and learning so important to me. I see it in the responses that I get when I post here on the blog as well as through other social media sites https://www.facebook.com/pages/Patrick-S-De-Walt-MBA-PhD. As I became more aware of the ways in which my beliefs and passion for teaching was shared by others, I found that I was more concerned about everything that I was saying. I don’t take this privilege and honor lightly by any means. I thank each and everyone of you who have taken the time to read anything that I have ever posted online….

The Life of an Educator

It is a very interesting thing to learn from other educators about how they see and experience the life of an educator. Some find the joy in all that they do, others see the responsibilities that are inherent with the position, and others are still trying to figure their way through the process. In many ways, I find that I embody all of these components and feelings each and every time I nervously step in front of my students. While my exterior presents a self assured and somewhat confident person, the interior self is always wondering if he is “doing right by his students.” I find that to be one of the hardest things to come to terms with for me as an educator, I want to always help and prepare my students for all that they will face as they continue their pursuits within the field of education.

The answers that I seek are rarely found within the time that I have my students within my class, but I naively still wish to see any indication that my students get it! As I have discussed about my interactions with Jekyll & Hyde learners in my previous posts, my desires for my students’ success intensifies. I find that I am often fighting them when in comes to my undying belief that they have amazing yet untapped potentials that they seem to not even recognize. I find myself thinking back to my own educational experiences and realizing how fortunate I was to have educators who stayed the course with me even when I didn’t seem to care. From these intense feelings, my teaching philosophy and pedagogy were ultimately born. As a result, I work insane amounts of hours thinking about my lessons and, in the past, grading tons of student assignments.

My growth as an educator has resulted from these educational experiences that consisted of trial and error, long nights of anxiety, and many intense conversations with family, friends, colleagues and mentors. My ideology and integrity are at the center of all that I do and that gives me great pride. Pride in the fact that I am now seeing the seeds that I have helped to plant begin to blossom in multiple contexts as I hope that I have done for my own teachers.

Starting Anew Today

As I write this entry, I am less than an hour away from another exciting and unpredictable semester (Summer 2013). I have so much that I want to achieve with my students and hopefully they will ultimately achieve their own goals as well. I’m teaching my normal class on diversity. I’m also entering into a new area that partially resulted from all that I have done here which has motivated me to explore–a course that merges both student engagement and social media. For now, that’s all I have to say about it but in the coming months I hope that you stay around to see those finished products. So I write to all of the learners and educators out there. Continue to explore your own realities and the beauty found within them while still challenging them for their ultimate enhancement.

My excitement and anticipation have again returned to my core preparing me for a new group of learners who have all the potential in the world to achieve greatness. I just hope to be a small part of their journey as they continue to be a huge part of my own….

Until next time.

PSDW~

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Teaching Who We Are: Seeing the Beauty in Student Engagement

30 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by Patrick S. De Walt, MBA, PhD in PSDW Reflective Journal

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Culture, differentiated instruction, Diversity, Education, Florida, Higher Education, Identity, Inequity, K-12, pedagogy, Politics & Education, Public Education, Race, Racial identity, Reflective Practice, social critique, Streams of consciousness, student centered approaches, Teacher Education, underrepresented groups

One thing that I have come to embrace about myself, personally as well as professionally, is my passion for learning and seeing others excited and empowered within educational contexts. I often forget that the passion that I have is unique to me as other things are unique to others.

“We Teach Who We Are.”
—Parker Palmer–

The more that I write, the more that I reveal…

This statement is how I also think about teaching. The more I teach the more that I reveal about myself and sometimes discover about my students. After teaching for as long as I have now, whether it was as a first grade teaching in Houston or as a graduate student in Colorado, I have been one that gets a reaction out of my students. Sometimes that reaction is hostilely posted on faculty teaching evaluation sites (I still have not really reviewed them), university student evaluations and/or the responses of my students after they are no longer bound to my class and its rules.

The funny thing that I have found out about this process is that I am what I like to call, “An acquired taste.” Yes, this statement, as the previous journal entry laid out, positions itself as a dualistic perspective. But the data so far confirms it. My passion is one that propels me to want my students to excel and I push them to the point of discomfort. I challenge them even when I agree with what they may have said. I am and can be relentless in this regard, as many who have taken my course(s) might say. However, I know in my heart of hearts that I do all that I do for what I hope they will see in themselves one day–a promising teacher. Most teachers that I know have at some point in time referenced this saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.” I struggled with this phenomenon so much as an instructor here in Florida, as I did while I was a graduate student in Colorado. I wanted all of my student to be nourished by the educational process that I so love in its non-conventional forms. I teach who I am and I push them to learn who they are, so that they can teach from those meaningful parts of who they are when engaging their students.

Food For Thought

I had a very interesting conversation with my graduate assistant today and much was revealed to me, both directly and indirectly, regarding how “Teaching Who [I am]” was/is my greatest strength.  Yet, it is also the most challenging aspect of my role as an educator. My passion and perceived intellect can be too much for others even while I know that I have so much more to learn; because, as I have shared with my students today, “The more I learned, the more I realized how much I really didn’t know.” I teach from my mind and heart each and every time I step into a learning environment. I don’t know any other way to be an educator.  And as a result of this way of being and knowing myself, whomever acquires an understanding of me and my pedagogy developed palates that allow she/he to engage in varied perspectives on a host of topics. They attain the ability to engage an eclectic personality and mind who only wishes to better himself and the community in which he is obligated to serve–our future generations of learners.

My graduate student, after a lengthy conversation about the course and our preparation for future course objectives, reiterated a perspective on my way of teaching and it humbled me. In the midst of all the chaos of our conversation, key elements of my and my teaching philosophy were articulated–the allure in learning. This phrase is something that has stuck with me since my graduate days. It written and introduced to me by one of my graduate school professors–Dr. Daniel P. Liston. It, in essence, is one of the staples of what I begin each semester with, challenging my students to connect with their internal capacities for becoming the best teachers that they can be by confronting, engaging and/or understanding themselves in more critical ways.

Engaging the Toxic Word “Race” in a Diversity Course

An example of this occurred today as my morning sections began to discuss chapter 5 PulseClicker2of our text. I asked my students to answer our “Clicker Questions”– Clicker is an interactive assessment tool that always for me ask students questions and get instant feedback– for the day. This question was a short essay that they were to answer about, “Is ‘race’ still in important part of U.S. society, yes or no?” As an introduction to this topic, I decided to not run from this feared word like many others do not only in our classrooms but in almost every other place in our society. This question also required that they expound on why they chose either yes or no. And I enjoyed hearing those who said “yes” explain their answers but I also enjoyed those who said “no” explain theirs. If you’ve read my previous post, there appeared to be a lot of Jekylls and Hydes in attendance during this topic. But I pushed and pushed the conversation and many of them took the risks of sharing their perspectives and why. I truly loved it! Because it was them engaging the tough topic wherever they were in their understandings within my classroom. These moments mean so much to me. To hear a student who has been positioned as a Jekyll turn out to be more of a Hyde.

Students gave ranges of responses that said, in a sense, while they didn’t want to use race they recognized that it was still impacting their lives. Others offered positions that promote ideas of humanism. I found all of the examples to be of significance and usable in this learning opportunity. So I took a few chances with them, I did an up down activity that I’ve done before with other classes. I had all of my students stand up and asked a series of questions (paraphrased and may not be out of sequence of how I did it in class, FYI): 1) If you are not male, please take your seat, 2) if you are not Protestant, please take your seat (ironically, after the completion of my lesson it later dawned on me that I misspoke), 3)If you do not own property (land), please take a seat, and 4) (what I would have concluded with had I needed it to) If you are not white, please take a seat. But in this case, there was no need to ask #4 because all of my 50+ students were already seated. In having my students participate in this kinesthetic exercise, I wanted them to think about how we, over time, have forgotten the sacrifices and injustices that have resulted from the application of race within this society.

Now we credit “the founding fathers” of this nation without holding their actions accountable to not only communities of color, but also non-land/property owners and women who lived during the era. WE, through our contemporary gaze at history, forget that women and people of color only within a short period of time have (re)gained the right to vote and other important aspects of citizenship in the United States of America. And more importantly, if our students have forgotten or have not been exposed to this valuable information during their own schooling process; what makes us think that the students who they will some day teach will have such opportunities to critically engage these such historical moments that shaped and continue to shape this nation?

Through this activity, my point was to get them to think about race and, more importantly, history within context. Instead of viewing historical moments through contemporary lenses. As many educators may now know, this is becoming a greater challenge with each passing year as history is becoming harder and harder to get students to engage in many instances. So I try to use these moments to provoke students’ thinking any way that I can if it aids them in developing their critical thinking skills as well as their, what I like to call, “their teacher identities.”

I have often told my students that education is a “social experiment” and all involved are a part of this dynamic process. Much of what I do within my classes requires that I take some level or risk. Yet, as what those who have taught me proved only a few years earlier, that the risks we take both as educators and learners have immense power to help redirect and inspire others to keep learning. I am reminded of the many teachers–Mrs. Boone, Ms. Sullivan, Mrs. Terry, Ms. Carson, Mrs. Gobert, Ms. May, Ms. Defibaugh, Mr. Lavergne, Dr. Sigren, Mr. Haynes, Mr. Knowles and the list could continue–who shaped a path for me that I could never have imagined, yet am proud to now travel….

As I conclude this entry, I am drawn to a quote from Palmer (1997),

Teaching, like any truly human activity, emerges from one’s inwardness, for better or worse. As I teach, I project the condition of my soul onto my students, my subject, and our way of being together. The entanglements I experience in the classroom are often no more or less than the convolutions of my inner life. Viewed from this angle, teaching holds a mirror to the soul. If I am willing to look in that mirror, and not run from what I see, I have a chance to gain self-knowledge–and knowing myself is as crucial to good teaching as knowing my students and my subject (p. 15)

So the question becomes for any other educator and/or learner who took the time to read this, “What does your mirror show?

Until the next time…

PSDW~

Parker J. Palmer (1997): The Heart of a Teacher Identity and Integrity in Teaching, Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 29:6, 14-21.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00091389709602343

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Florida School Closures: Why Are High Poverty Schools Under the Gun? – Living in Dialogue – Education Week Teacher

19 Monday Nov 2012

Posted by Patrick S. De Walt, MBA, PhD in Educational Trenches

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Tags

Florida, Inequity, K-12, Poverty, Public Education, School Funding, Teacher Education

As I think about the state of public education and what our future teachers will face, I find myself both optimistic about their passions and desires for entering the profession but simultaneously, I find myself fearful of what type of educational system that they will inherit. After living and teaching in some form or fashion in three states (Colorado, Florida and Texas) what is so clear is that public education remains under attack. In conversations with educators in states such as the ones I’ve mentioned, I hear harsh realities from those whose hearts are still student centered.

As this blog grows, I hope to hear your stories about what teaching is for you as a profession as well as what it is not. As most educators may attest, we wear an array of hats and use a plethora of skills to get our lessons across to our students. We won’t even discuss the amounts of hours and money we sacrifice for those of whom we have dedicated our academic years  and lives to–our students.

I write all of this to set up the following submission that was originally posted on Education Week Teacher. We are in tough times both economically and morally in terms of what we choose to value in our society–not hear to play the “morality card” but it is what it is. We, as educators, are held responsible for shaping and instilling the values and beliefs of a new generation of citizenry for better or worse. So why do we continue to find the following entry still happening in places that are attempting to make a way out of no way?

To all of my fellow educators across the country, I’m with you in the educational trenches. I hope, in my current role, to help shape those who will walk and teach by your sides in the not so distant future. They are trying and will need your wisdom as well as the space to bring in new ideas for a new generation of student. So be prepared and ready for the new wave of teachers/learners, but in the meanwhile please review the harsh reality as we wait for better circumstances for our schools, communities, children and parents…

Carry on…

PSD~

Actual link to the following comments provided below courtesy of Education Week Teacher

Florida School Closures: Why Are High Poverty Schools Under the Gun? – Living in Dialogue – Education Week Teacher.

Guest post by a Florida teacher.

On Election Day, residents in Brevard County, Florida, rejected a sales tax increase to support schools. According to the Florida Today, the sales tax would have raised about $32 million annually, which the district planned to use to buy new school buses, replace roofs and chillers and purchase new computers to meet a state mandate. Three days after voters shot down the proposed half-cent sales tax, Brevard Public Schools officials recommend closing four schools during the 2013-14 school year. The closures are estimated to save the district about $3 million, a fraction of the shortfall it is facing. Board Chair Barbara Murray stated, “We will rise to the occasion. Our public has sent us a clear message, and we will do whatever it takes to maintain our quality education under the current restrictions.”

It’s simply unfathomable that Superintendent Brian Binggeli considers closing South Lake Elementary School a means to maintain quality education in the district. South Lake Elementary is a school that has found success with students living in poverty while schools all over the nation scramble to find a way to do just the same. According to Florida’s 2010-2011 Rankings, South Lake Elementary was in the top 13% of all the elementary schools in the state and ranked 4th amongst all schools that had a population of students with over 80% classified as being on free/reduced lunch. The Florida Department of Education (DOE) has found the school to be “high performing” for nine consecutive years. Additionally, AllThingsPLC recognizes the school as a National Model of Professional Learning Communities at Work.

Even more disturbing is the fact that the school board voted to close another Title 1 school in the same town as South Lake Elementary just one year ago, and hundreds of students were redistricted. Not just the students from the closed school were affected, but students from 5 other schools as well. A school board vote in favor of the superintendent’s proposal will lead to hundreds of kids attending their third school in as many years. Substantial evidence and studies show that mobility is correlated with lower academic achievement levels; even Florida’s VAM formula recognizes that! It has been found that children who moved 3 or more times had rates of school dropout that were nearly one-third of a standard deviation higher than those who were school stable. Frequent mobility was also associated with significantly lower reading and math achievement.

Where is the logic in the superintendent’s thinking? Some parents at the school, such as Mike Nunez, ask the poignant question, “Does it really all come down to money, class, and/or race?” Nunez notes South Lake Elementary has one of the highest poverty and minority rates of all the nearly 100 schools in the district. He stated that in the history of Brevard County, six schools in the North Area have been closed, with each of them lying in economically depressed areas (never in any areas considered to be “Affluent” neighborhoods). Additionally, Nunez suggests that no written criteria for how schools were chosen for possible closures have been found.

According to the Brevard County’s School Board’s own 2012 Capital Needs Assessment, South Lake is in need of fewer capital improvements than most schools in the district, including some of the schools to which South Lake Elementary students would be relocated. South Lake is 97% utilized while another area school that is both older and in greater need of capital improvements is 91% utilized. For whatever the reason, the School Board is not looking at closing schools in the more densely school populated Central Melbourne area where schools are under-utilized averaging around 80% utilized.

Nunez asks, “Did the school board feel the parents and community would fail to rally behind the school due to economic status?” If that is the case, the school board was woefully wrong. In one week nearly 1,400 people have become part of the effort to save South Lake on Facebook, about 700 have signed this petition, parents and community members came in droves to a rally last week, all the area elementary schools under PTO leadership are united, and politicians from all over the state are supporting the cause, as well as numerous national parent organizations.

Tuesday, November 20, the School Board will vote on whether or not to accept the superintendent’s proposal. Hundreds will be there hoping that the school board will support the case for South Lake and find budget cuts that will not be so detrimental to a population of vulnerable students.

What do you think? Are low income schools more likely to be closed down in your experience?

(The author of this post is a teacher in this District, who asked to remain anonymous.)

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dewalt@patricksdewaltmbaphd.com

Recent Posts

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