Access for all

So Stella attended her first protest rally today. I mean, we DO live in California, people. All the UC campuses, as well as other K-12 public schools and Cal State campuses held a "teach-out/speak out" day where professors were supposed to teach their classes outside and rallies were held to protest the privatization of public schools - basically, the raising of school fees and tuition so much so that public colleges are starting to cost like private schools, and thus restricting access to public education to families who cannot afford to send their sons and daughters to such a high cost school. Believe me, I think it's pretty dang awesome that all the UCs are so relatively cheap (in comparison to private schools) for the kind of education that they offer students. But when the President's office of the UC system is thinking of raising fees 300% in the next five years, well then... that's kind of an issue.

I think this speaks to the larger endemic problem about the lack of affordable, accessible, QUALITY education here in America. Why is it that we always look to our school systems to cut the budget? Why are we laying off teachers to pay for other things? I really have never understood how our country has routinely put K-12 education on the back burner of "things that are important." And let's not even get into how many years I'll be paying back students loans... I mean, i guess I should be lucky the government lent me the money at such a low interest rate, but it still is unfathomable to me that America as whole doesn't seem to value the importance of good classes, good teachers, and good schools.

In the interview search that both Steve and I have been in the middle of, we constantly consider - so - what are the public school systems like? Philly? Oh you don't want to go to Philly public schools, everyone told me. Everyone who can sends their kids to private school if you live in the city .... Um, well, we wouldn't be those people who can. Yesterday, I received a call from Queens College in NYC about a job interview for this month. (out of the BLUE folks! But guess I'm headed there sometime soon!) and of course Steve and I go - well, NYC public schools are mostly horrible, but private schools are completely out of reach. Do you know that they cost upwards of $20K a year? Um. Yes, you read that right. Twenty THOUSAND dollars for K-5 education. That's wrong. That's just wrong. And why ARE NYC public schools not great? Why shouldn't the children of the 8 million people that live in the 5 Burroughs be able to have quality education for their kids?

So back to the rally. It's the first time i've ever seen such pluck and gumption from our UCSD students. It was remarkable to watch and encouraging. The apathy that I've seen reside in so many of my students over the last five years seemed to be at least hidden for today. And that was really amazing to see. Stella had a maraca that Grammy Z gave her and she shook it when the crowd got all fired up... and of course, she gave a running commentary of the whole thing, but I'm not exactly sure what she was saying. ;)

The rally seemed to inflame her gums however, so she went to bed with a dose of Tylenol and a big hug as the FOUR INCISORS descend all at once into her gummy mouth. Um, when does this bloody teething thing end?