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Janice Hickey, director assistant superintendent of educational services for the El Segundo Unified School District, recently returned from a trip visiting classrooms and meeting teachers in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. She takes note of the differences in educational opportunities between the rich and poor, comparing it to the educational system we have here. Here is an account of her trip:

The blistering, hair wilting, makeup melting heat was taking a toll on me and it was all of 8:30 in the morning. Ten California educators were stuffed into a Brazilian van, thundering out of Rio de Janeiro on a highway divided by no lane lines, headed for God knows where. All of us were in the country in pursuit of an International Leadership Certificate program offered by Dr. Linda Orozco through the University of California at Irvine, as well as undergoing additional coursework required by our administrative credentials to attain a Tier II level of certification.

As I bounced along hip to jowl with my fellow adventuresome California administrators, I was still in a state of shock over the school conditions I had witnessed the day before in a local neighborhood favela (slum) reminiscent of "Slumdog Millionaire."

If you like paint on the walls, technology in the classroom, and teachers with desks, slum schools are not going to be the place for you. If you like stifling heat, 40 crammed kids seated on ancient, rusted, decaying student desks, with one lonely fan laboring mightily in the back of the room, they may be just the ticket. And yet... all of the above couldn't stifle the gleam in students' eyes, or soften the steely determination of their instructors, or deflate the will of the volunteers who give generously of their time in an attempt to save another lost generation from the grinding poverty of the favelas.

Ironically, the poorest in Rio de Janeiro have the best seat in the house for stupefyingly sweeping views of the city and the beachfronts below. Favelas are the byproduct of the Ipanema and Copacabana building boom of the 1950s and 60s as citizens swarmed to the city for construction jobs, throwing up shanty houses against hillsides previously undeveloped. As generation after generation moved to the city, or had children of their own and space became limited, families built yet another tier to their houses until favela homes stretched four or five stories high. Access to neighborhoods begins at sea level via dark, narrow, cobblestone switchback alleys, many of which have never been mapped and are home to despair, poverty, filth - and dignity.

Solar Meninos de Luz is run by a charitable organization offering preschool through grade 12 programs. Children as young as two attend, freeing their parents to earn a living doing someone else's laundry and cleaning other peoples' houses. Infants are diapered, fed, and showered in assembly line fashion while older siblings crowd into classrooms struggling to attain their version of a winning lottery ticket - a decent education.

So as our cramped van continued its upward climb through an increasingly green canopy of rainforest foliage, it was a whole new experience to step out onto the manicured gardens of the American School of Rio de Janeiro, home to students of diplomats, foreign dignitaries, and wealthy families of Rio society. A series of five cupola-shaped buildings, patrolled by security guards with secret service-type ear pieces, comprised the K - 12 schools, which sported a manicured soccer field, state of the art student museum, outdoor adventure training center, and one-half-inch thick bullet proof glass. For the $25,000 tuition, children could glance out one window and see the gorgeous Rio skyline and beaches below, or out another to the ever encroaching favela houses overhanging the campus - hence the bullet proof glass.

Graduating seniors were deep in contemplation as to where to travel for their senior getaway trip -- Paris seemed to be the front runner. Classrooms were colorful, technology-laden, clean and small, averaging 15 students to a class. Educators lured from around the world by the high achieving students and luxurious teaching conditions put their students through rigorous paces, the crisp air-conditioning holding the stifling heat at bay. Banners in the main office celebrated the caliber of Universities these students gained access to: Yale, Harvard, Stanford, University of Chicago, New York University -- the list went on and on.

As we wandered the grounds, pausing to take pictures of the thick jungle foliage growing right up to the edge of the soccer field, I pondered: How could such a dichotomy exist? How could so much abundance be available to so few, while so much poverty and neglect stalk the so very many? Then I reflected on the United States educational system and the similarities were unsettling. Why do so many inner city schools catering to the poor and the voiceless suffer such a deficit in educational capital while more affluent communities with activist and advocate parents not suffer the same fate?

And yet certain similarities... The hope on the faces of the poorest students was indelible. The knowledge in poor students' smiles that education was their savior was inspirational. The joy in their laughter was universal. And their futures, for those who had the tenacity to stick with it, were entirely possible.

Similarities indeed.
**A footnote -- the day after I left Rio de Janeiro the torrential rain finally saturated those hills surrounding Rio de Janeiro, sweeping through the poorly constructed favelas and creating mudslides that killed over 300 people.

Here are some photos from the trip: Above, Brazilian favelas. Below, a portion of the downtown Rio skyline. (Photos courtesy of Janice Hickey)

Photo courtesy of North High ASB.

This account of last week's 'Day Of Action' and the impact funding cuts have had in Torrance Unified was written by North High School students Anastassia Olmosa and Aileen Yoon.

March 4th, 2010 was a defining day at North Torrance High School. If anyone had doubt in the students' dedication for their education, this day proved them wrong. It was the "Stand Up For Schools" day statewide and the students at North High took a stand, or rather a seat. Over 70 students joined in the quad to fill the 55 desks and when those filled up, many chose to stand. Their message was simple: don't throw education out on the streets.

The North High Student Council organized this event in addition to encouraging the entire school to wear blue. "I went to the Student Government and told them the facts and what the teachers were planning," teacher Don Hendricks said. "They were more than willing to jump in and educate the community about what's going on. Today, all of the students at North really showed that this is their community, their school, and that they're very concerned about the future of their education."

The 2,200-student campus named the day 'Blue Day' and wore blue to show their unity and that they care. Signs outside of the school read, "We care about our education." When asked why he cares, ASB President Tatsuya Kohrogi answered, "I've had so many opportunities here at North and I can't imagine the budget cuts taking these opportunities away from future generations."

Due to the state budgets, the Torrance Unified School District unfortunately had to cut many positions and activities from the schools, which has impacted the students' learning. Seniors are still affected by these budget cuts because colleges are reducing their admissions by 40,000 students. In reality, we're all affected because these students and their education are the future of California. But the state is not yet done with the budget cuts, and the TUSD is severely facing the repercussions. The entire district is doing what they can to work together and try and make the best of the cuts, but because of the devastating economic crisis, the only thing they can do is cut back positions and classes. Even so, the school district and the teachers they represent have come up with a petition to try and put the schools first. Because they know that the cuts will probably keep coming, they have agreed to try and find a way to compromise and put the students' needs first.

Although many students these days are seen as apathetic, the 'Stand Up for Schools' day showed that this adage is no more. Not only did this day bring the students closer together, but it also brought the entire school together. Students and teachers alike were taking a stand to support what matters most in our society today - education. This day truly showed that the power of student voice could truly promote a positive influence.
It's true that most students at North and at many other high schools don't have the ability to change what is happening to their schools, but they feel they do have the power to bring awareness to those who can make a difference by voting. Whether this day be viewed as "Stand Up For Schools" day or Blue day, it was most definitely a day to bring change and let the students' voice be heard.

In November, Aileen, a senior and editor-in-chief of North High's student newspaper, the North Wind, wrote about how the budget cuts were affecting school programs.

By Julie Shankle

Over the Thanksgiving holiday I often reflect upon for what I am thankful. While family, friends, good health, and stability in bad economic times top my list, I delved a little deeper this year. I started thinking about my rapidly changing profession and how I and others in my field are coping with said changes.

First off, I am a public school teacher. I have been for 19 years. Since college, I have worked for three school districts in two states as a secondary English and journalism teacher. And in that time I have been privileged and thankful to spend time with many, many wonderful teenagers. Luckily, I still keep in contact with some of them. I'm thankful that so many of them grew up to find success and build strong families and traditions of their own. As an educator, I want my students to be skilled, intelligent, successful contributors to our society. Every teacher I know wants the same thing, but my colleagues' world has changed dramatically during my 19 years in the classroom, especially in the past two years. Our once stable profession has turned into an unstable mine field littered with unemployed holders of masters degrees, trained professionals faced with having to change professions by force, and mentors of today's youth worried about what this means for the children's futures.

Luckily I live in a country that values educating the masses, or at least it did in my youth. I remember learning about Horace Mann's belief in the importance of free, universal public education. In the 1800's, our country began to invest in the notion that every man, not just the wealthy, should have access to a quality education, as education is the great equalizer. In the mid-1900's, we witnessed the rise of the middle class due to the success of our public education system.

Unfortunately, I fear public education is in decline. Unfortunately, political mandates and lack of funding have put a stranglehold on teachers in the classroom. Unfortunately, academic freedom and creativity are dying slow deaths and being replaced with lock-step curricula, drill and kill non-critical thinking assignments, and standardized testing. Unfortunately, Americans are divesting in public education. But...

Thankfully, I love teaching and want to continue doing so, even in a vastly different paradigm. Thankfully, my son has caring, smart, dedicated teachers. Thankfully, Horace Mann's original concept of universal public education still exists. Thankfully, public schools still exist to provide an avenue for millions of school children to build their own American dream. Thankfully, I am still a teacher.

Julie Shankle is an English and journalism instructor at North High school in Torrance. She is the president of the Torrance Teachers Association.

Reporter's note:
A special thanks goes out to Aileen Yoon and Julie Shankle, who were kind enough to contribute to the School Notebook blog this week. Look for more contributions from local students and teachers in the coming weeks.

By Aileen Yoon

We've seen the enormous class sizes, we've seen the dramatic reduction in teachers, and we've seen the number of programs that are being funded gradually less and less. However, what most people don't see going on at our schools are the minuscule things that happen behind the scenes. The things that most people look past because they are a part of every day life. Sure, the budget cuts have affected our classes and programs, but I don't think many people realize that the work that goes into making our school cleaner is also slowly being cut.

After two months of laborious work to try and publish our newspaper with limited funds, I was relieved when we finally were able to put the North Wind into students' and teachers' hands. Like with every issue I have been a part of as a staff member, I was twitching at the sight of the errors we had made, but I also felt like I had a huge burden lifted off of my shoulders. As I was listening to all the comments and criticisms my peers had for the paper, there was one comment that really caught my attention. One of the North High custodians, Chris Johnson, approached me and complemented me on a budget cuts story that I had written for the opinion section of our paper. But then he asked me, "Do you know about all the other cuts that are happening around campus?" Puzzled by what he meant, I curiously sat and listened to his side of the story.

I learned that in the midst of all the teachers and programs being cut, custodial staff and supplies are also on the line of getting the ax. Not only are the custodians in danger of losing their jobs, but necessities such as toilet paper may be supplied less and less. Toilet Paper! At first I was skeptical. How could the district want to cut something like toilet paper? According to Johnson, it costs about $12,000 for toilet paper for the whole year. That is an enormous number that I don't think most people are aware of. In addition, North High's custodial staff is dwindling. This year, we only have two custodians; half the number we had last year. Also, because of all the cuts, Johnson even used his campus Ecology Club's funds to buy wood for desks that needed to be fixed. The solution to this seems simple: take care of our school supplies and resources. However, hundreds of dollars and hours of time are wasted because students just do not know how to respect their school anymore.

It was then that I realized how much our schools were being impacted by the budget cuts. The need for money is so crucial in schools - not only just in the Torrance Unified School District, but in districts all over California. It's one thing to have luxuries and excess programs cut from the schools, but when it starts infringing on basic, personal necessities, it shows that there truly is a problem.

Unfortunately, not many students realize how much our schools are affected by all of these cuts. If only they would realize the impact the budget cuts have on even the simplest of necessities, some of these issues can be dealt with. As a student journalist, it is my job to get this information out to my peers and make them aware of the fact that if our economy does not turn around, our future is at stake. It is our future that can make a difference and change our society for the better. We as students just need to take the steps to learn to work around the budget. But more and more, with all the deficits and apathy among my peers, that future now seems so far away.

Aileen Yoon is a senior at North High School in Torrance and the editor-in-chief of the school's student-run newspaper, the North Wind.