Educators

California’s fiscal future, amid a swirl of mixed signals from politicians, educators and special-interest groups, will be in the hands of voters during a special election Tuesday. Legislators crafted five ballot measures as part of a plan to fix a $42-billion deficit. They added a sixth initiative to prevent elected officials from receiving pay raises during deficit years. But since developing the propositions, Democratic and Republican lawmakers have failed to endorse all of the measures on which their budget plan now relies.

In response to those who say the city of Burbank is “glorifying” Sgt. Neil Thomas Gunn’s death. The candles, flowers and flags flying at half-staff are celebrating the incredible life that Gunn led. As a daughter of a retired Burbank police lieutenant, I understand the incredible sacrifice that these men and women must face while dealing with patrolling and protecting the beautiful city of Burbank. If anyone should know anything about suicide, it would be a police officer, because they are the first ones to respond.

One judge in California decided that the high school exit exam is discriminatory. Some of our high school seniors, he reasoned, were deprived of a proper education, were economically, socially, culturally, linguistically disadvantaged and that they were treated unfairly by requiring them to demonstrate an eighth-grade knowledge of math and English. Taking together all school districts in California, the number of students who fail this exam is relatively small. Districts with heavy immigrant populations obviously suffer the most failures and so the question is raised: Should the state further lower the bar of high school graduation requirements to accommodate a functionally illiterate minority?

Easter is approaching and I am reminded, in keeping with the season, of the bunnies we once had. I wrote about them a couple of years ago and heard from friends and fellow bunny owners: "Lovely story, heartwarming etc." and, just to keep me honest, I also heard: "banal, pointless, presumptuous." Presumptuous indeed is the pet owner who tells endless stories about their little ball of fur without realizing that many people find them tedious if not flat out boring. With that in mind, I offer a condensed version of the story of Ebunny and Ivory, the Final Chapter.

The Hoover High School Debate Club has asked representatives of the armed services to participate in a public forum about recruitment policies on our campus. Given the present realities that military service entail, it is a discussion that merits a public airing. Our youngsters deserve honest answers to questions about what service to their country may involve. They have a right to question whether America's present course and the people who are steering it are worth the sacrifice of their lives.

A recent letter to the community forum provided grist for the mill of our Debate Club in the area of word distortion. It was a reaction to my last column on military recruitment on high school campuses. I had written, "Our armed services provide a very practical alternative to many young adults coming out of high school seeking discipline and direction in life. They provide skills and training opportunities that are unavailable in the private sector." In response to that, one reader (who has taken particular exception to my views)

I'm going to be a grandfather. My oldest daughter just delivered the happy news and I'm overjoyed. One little part of me feels too young to be called "grandfather" but my body speaks to my mind daily and tells me that I am well cast in the part. The gray on my beard has crowded out most of the brown; the hair on top is fast retreating, the knees don't work so well anymore and when I do kick up my heels these days, my ankles swell up. When I rise from a chair after sitting for a while, my first few steps are not poetry in motion.

At this time of the year I like to say my good-byes and send along my best wishes to the current graduating class. It's an emotional time for most of these kids who have spent their last 13 years in public education and are about to launch themselves into a world filled with both uncertainty and promise. The word that always comes to mind for my students at this pivotal juncture in their lives is, bittersweet. Sweet to be free of the constraints of childhood and free to chart one's own course in life.

The gun show at the Glendale Civic Auditorium is once again in our local news. I wrote something a while back about that annual event, objecting to a public facility hosting such a thing. Those who agreed were fairly strong in their agreement. Those who disagreed (3 to l) were even more adamant. Jonathan from Massachusetts, (I've mentioned him before) disagreed in a way that we should all disagree. With respect and civility. Here is part of an initial dialogue I had with this gentleman, who did not essentially change my mind, but who did give me a broader perspective.

Thirty years at the same job ought to earn a little respect for an old-timer, if for no other reason than he has lasted that long. I look back over my 30 years of teaching and the few that are ahead of me, and I do appreciate that respect (and a little clout now and then). But 30 years at the same job has carved out some serious ruts in how I do my job, as well. The familiar paths of the tried and proven have indeed led to a certain resistance to doing things differently than I am accustomed to doing them.