Somebody get me some flats

cause it looks like I might be standing in the unemployment line come July. I've been teaching ROOTS, a class for kids who've been severely impacted by the prison system (they've been incarcerated and/or have incarcerated parents) for the past four years. I LOVE MY JOB SO MUCH. I teach two classes of ROOTS per day (plus a Study Hall), and the rest of the day have time to do things like develop an engaging curriculum, meet with students who are in trouble, intervention/a little counseling, things like that. It's tough, but it's pretty much a dream for me, as it combines everything I'm passionate about (underserved kids, the prison system, art, education, creative writing, social justice).

But as many of you know, California's in the midst of a budget crisis, and guess what gets cut first? Teachers, social programs, services for marginalized youth. WTF?! Last night I stood with some amazing allies & my die-hard boss & one rockstar student at San Francisco City Hall for five hours, pleading with the Board of Supervisors to reinstate funding for ROOTS at Balboa High School. My students are the most vulnerable, struggling kids in the school . . . and they need us! Cross your fingers that the Mayor's office musters up some empathy and solidarity and gives us the money that we need to make this happen for the kiddos! Otherwise I might be doing one of these two things:

fries

prossy

Ugh. But to change the subject to something much more awesome, check out my piece about preteen crushes on author Nina LaCour's amazing online "journal," Chelsea I Want My Flannel Back. It's called Edward I Want My Dignity Back, and it's an homage to my 7th grade crush . . . Edward Cauthorn. :) If you like Mortified and mix tapes and references to the 90's, Chelsea I Want My Flannel back will be right up your alley. :) Here's a preview:

Save our Schools!

Those of you who live here know about the savage budget crisis in California, and the $22 billion budget cut to education that our beloved governor is enacting. 900 San Francisco Unified School District educators are expected to receive layoff notices on March 15 . . . our schools are in crisis! It's incredible to me that education would even be considered as a recipient of a massive budget cut. Our kids already have huge classes, not enough resources, a dearth of supplies and paraprofessionals, and a slowly depleting array of arts programs. Meanwhile, Schwarzenegger is building a $400 million new death row at San Quentin. Meanwhile, our state is ranked #1 in per-inmate (per year) spending, and #46 in per-pupil (per year) spending. Meanwhile, huge corporations and oil companies received $2 billion in tax breaks last year. WTF.

All that said, it was so inspiring and energizing to see the THOUSANDS of students, teachers, parents, and concerned Californians rallying at City Hall today. How can our government possibly let down our kids?? Here are some pics from this afternoon:

protestors on the steps of City Hall

the M twinnies, me, and DH

my interest in this one is pretty clear

how could Arnold say no to this?

right . . . cause he's The Terminator . . .

I'm so proud of my students and of students all over San Francisco for standing up for their education rights. Damn straight, kiddos!

Tonight I got the cutest message from one of my 5th period hellions. It said:

My mom doesn't noe i hav my fon Ms. Kiefer . . . plz dnt tell her . . . just wanted to noe if your ok . . . i heard about some arrestz that were made . . .

(Some of that, btw, is just wack text abbreviations, and not egregious spelling errors). ;) Pretty dang cute . . .

Today's protest had me thinking about kids who grow up in San Francisco. What a life, really. Even the underprivileged ones, despite lacking necessary resources, are growing up in this amazing, beautiful city dedicated to social justice and equality. They live in a city that has gorgeous weather almost all the time, Golden Gate Park, several beaches (cold, but so pretty nonetheless), art programs everywhere, and just so much love and openness.

This is not to say that I don't have endless love and nostalgia for my southern upbringing of front porches, sweet tea, and classic rock. It's just . . . so different.

And with my heart beating mad love for my city, I say goodnight. :)