Why Are Many of Our Children’s Teachers Still Students Themselves? | California Progress Report

Why Are Many of Our Children’s Teachers Still Students Themselves? | California Progress Report:

Why Are Many of Our Children’s Teachers Still Students Themselves?

by megan

By Maribel Heredia
Plaintiff in Lawsuit Against the Department of Education
Four years ago, my son Joey — who was in first grade at the time — came home from school and said, “Mommy, my teacher wasn’t there today. She went to college.”
I figured he had to be mistaken; surely, his teacher had completed college and her professional training. I started asking questions. But instead of putting my mind at ease, the truth shocked me.
It turned out that the person responsible for teaching my son vital skills — how to read, spell, add and subtract — was still learning how to teach.
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Why Walmart Loves Welfare

by megan

By Bobbi Murray
The Frying Pan
You may have already heard that uber-retailer Walmart plans to open a 33,000 square-foot store in L.A.’s Chinatown.
Last week opponents of Walmart’s Chinatown store gathered at Sixth and Park View in MacArthur Park to listen to Walmart “associates”—the retailer’s preferred term for its employees—talk about their need for public assistance to make ends meet.
If you know L.A., you know MacArthur Park is nowhere near Chinatown. But it is across the street from a California Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) building—a place you’d go to apply for social services such as welfare and health care— for support you might need if you were employed at a poverty-wage job.
Support you might need if you work at Walmart.
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Green Jobs Remain the Bright Spot in the Economy

by megan

By Beth Gunston
California League of Conservation Voters
Green jobs have proven to be more than just a buzz term. As the grip of the recession continues to hold, a new report just put out by visionary group Next 10 provides stats that this budding sector of the economy is holding firm.
As pointed out in a L.A. Times article:

“The report suggests that amid volatile prices and tight markets, green entrepreneurs and their products and services will become increasingly competitive. California’s strong foundation of environmentally focused innovation and research, as well as its early-adopter culture, will also help.”

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