that was a question posed in an article on one of my favorite blogs, The Eastsider LA. Seems the city refurbished the lake but doesn't have money to maintain the new surroundings.
Seems some folks fear that by not being maintained it will lead to blight and the invitation to unsavory elements in our society to visit "our" pristine park. Words thrown about such as "camper people", "homeless", "taggers" and "gangs".
Damn folks, get a grip. As usual, the article itself isn't really inflammatory but the comments and attitude they bring are. The Eastsider LA actually presented a night of readings from the comment section of the blog at a local eatery. The rants about gentrification and hipsters wer so popular that they are doing it again.
You can read it all here.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
End of the semester
My citizenship classes have ended this week and the potlucks and parties are almost all complete, only one more. After each term I am always surprised by the generosity of my students who get together with a card and make a little colecta to stuff the envelope with some cash.
It gives me conflicted feelings to accept their gift because I know how hard they work and how little they are paid. I'm also grateful for their gesture because it's always nice to have a little walking around money at the end of the term. But in the end, when I open the card and see the folded and worn green paper I feel like it is such an unnecessary gift for me. But I don't know if it would be in really bad form or impolite not to accept it. So I thank my class profusely and remind them that their hard earned tax dollars have gone into my salary already. I know teachers don't get compensated for all the things we do outside the classroom to prepare but depending on the economy my students have been incredibly generous. Not rent generous, but fancy dinner generous which is more than I feel I merit in most cases.
It also makes me feel conflicted because money is such a crass way of showing gratitude, but it is the one we are left with. I'm really grateful for the students sharing their life and struggles with me in class. In most cases, the course I teach is a very simple one, pedagogically speaking, but it means so much to the persons life in terms of self esteem and staking their future in a new culture and country. They are the pioneers for their families, and for better or worse they have changed the destiny of their lives by enduring the road to the threshold of their new citizenship. Their children and grandchildren will grow up in this country as citizens and may one day point to them as the one who brought them to a better life, or one of even more struggle perhaps. Mostly, my class is about confidence building.
Immigrants, regardless of status, have felt the brunt of the last two decades of anti-immigrant sentiment which manifested itself into plethora of bad legislation starting with Proposition 187 here in California. My classes haven't been immune to the stings of this sentiment. I really admire the students who persevere and become citizens in light of all the negativity that surrounds them. It is quite noble of them. But a lot of them are scared to face the immigration official one more time, even though they really have little to fear. So my job is to help them overcome that fear to step through that final barrier and become citizens. My job is to make help them reveal their self-worth and to see the immigration official as merely human, like me or you. In a position of authority, yes, but merely human with a job to do. To see that humanity and to appeal to that nature of the person for ten short minutes to walk away with a lifetime prize. And it's a great job, and even if I won the lotto I would still probably teach it because it does make me pretty damn happy. And so when I look at the card filled with bits and pieces of wages from really hard work it makes me grateful and it makes me feel guilty for accepting something that really won't make a difference in my life as symbolic of the semester long relationship we have just ended. It is given generously and meaningfully but I still dread it.
It gives me conflicted feelings to accept their gift because I know how hard they work and how little they are paid. I'm also grateful for their gesture because it's always nice to have a little walking around money at the end of the term. But in the end, when I open the card and see the folded and worn green paper I feel like it is such an unnecessary gift for me. But I don't know if it would be in really bad form or impolite not to accept it. So I thank my class profusely and remind them that their hard earned tax dollars have gone into my salary already. I know teachers don't get compensated for all the things we do outside the classroom to prepare but depending on the economy my students have been incredibly generous. Not rent generous, but fancy dinner generous which is more than I feel I merit in most cases.
It also makes me feel conflicted because money is such a crass way of showing gratitude, but it is the one we are left with. I'm really grateful for the students sharing their life and struggles with me in class. In most cases, the course I teach is a very simple one, pedagogically speaking, but it means so much to the persons life in terms of self esteem and staking their future in a new culture and country. They are the pioneers for their families, and for better or worse they have changed the destiny of their lives by enduring the road to the threshold of their new citizenship. Their children and grandchildren will grow up in this country as citizens and may one day point to them as the one who brought them to a better life, or one of even more struggle perhaps. Mostly, my class is about confidence building.
Immigrants, regardless of status, have felt the brunt of the last two decades of anti-immigrant sentiment which manifested itself into plethora of bad legislation starting with Proposition 187 here in California. My classes haven't been immune to the stings of this sentiment. I really admire the students who persevere and become citizens in light of all the negativity that surrounds them. It is quite noble of them. But a lot of them are scared to face the immigration official one more time, even though they really have little to fear. So my job is to help them overcome that fear to step through that final barrier and become citizens. My job is to make help them reveal their self-worth and to see the immigration official as merely human, like me or you. In a position of authority, yes, but merely human with a job to do. To see that humanity and to appeal to that nature of the person for ten short minutes to walk away with a lifetime prize. And it's a great job, and even if I won the lotto I would still probably teach it because it does make me pretty damn happy. And so when I look at the card filled with bits and pieces of wages from really hard work it makes me grateful and it makes me feel guilty for accepting something that really won't make a difference in my life as symbolic of the semester long relationship we have just ended. It is given generously and meaningfully but I still dread it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)