“But the skill I am most grateful for learning this year,* is how to write a thesis statement. In the past, I had learned what it was, but had no knowledge of how to write a good one with the required elements.”1
Los Angeles Teachers’ Strike
Background
As the negotiations between Los Angeles teachers’ union, UTLA, and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) were nearing an impasse at the end of 2018, the media in Los Angeles was trying to diagnose what the main issues were in the negotiations.
Based on my experience as an English teacher in the district for nearly two decades, I wanted to highlight something positive in the district that did not get enough attention, nor did the issue I wanted to bring to the fore get enough support from district leadership. My goal in pointing out the existence of success in the district was to highlight the availability of solutions that exist within the district. Duplicating that success would require district management to listen to teachers, a gap responsible for so many ills in bureaucratized institutions such as LAUSD. My independently submitted editorial was most directly in conversation with the above articles in the Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times allows limited articles before enacting a paywall. Additional less restrictive articles below.
Here is additional reporting about the strike from open access sources.
https://calmatters.org/education/2018/12/los-angeles-unified-teachers-strike-lausd/
https://edsource.org/2018/los-angeles-teachers-plan-to-strike-jan-10-union-says/606282
https://www.kqed.org/news/11718384/3-reasons-to-pay-attention-to-the-l-a-teacher-strike
https://www.vox.com/2019/1/13/18181010/los-angeles-teachers-strike
Testimonials
“I improved in reading comprehension and actually understanding what I was reading because I had many different sources and way* to understand the book, that really helped me. … Mr. Viskanta really seeked* out to help everyone understand everything and make sure no one was lost and I really appreciate that. “1
SA 2014
“This semester I have learned many things. For example, I have learned how to read books by William Shakespeare. … I also learned how to read between the lines. Often times, authors put hidden meanings in their places. Ive* learned to look deep into whatever im reading now instead of just taking everything at face value.”1
TM 2014
“I try to practice mindfulness at the beginning of the class to support my thinking and my quantity* of work. But, I have also use my mindfulness outside of class, when I have to deal with problems at my house.”1
CD 2016
“I really liked the books that we read* they really caught my attention. I also really liked what the stories were about.”1
SC 2016
“What I learned in this class is that I learned to be more patient especially on writing essays which is one of my weaknesses. But I was able to overcome it because I know in myself that I can do it, and because of your help.”1
QA 2016
“One thing I learned in this class is how to start a good paragraph. To start a good paragraph, you need to gather evidence first, then have a topic sentence, and a main idea.”1