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Speaking out

I have been a seventh-grade world history teacher in Vallejo for the past 16 years. I was born and educated in Vallejo . I love Vallejo . I have been blessed to work with some of the finest parents, students, teachers, counselors, nurses, librarians, principals and vice-principals in the world.

I used to be proud to say I was an educator in Vallejo . For some time I've been embarrassed, saddened, disappointed and broken-hearted. But not defeated.

Emboldened by the life of Ms. Rosa Parks, I feel I must speak out. Increasingly, politicians and bureaucrats with little or no recent classroom experience are running our school. I have seen the profound effect that budget cuts have caused in my classroom. Since the state takeover, things have definitely not gotten better. So I wrote the following poem:

It Takes a Whole Village to Educate a Child

They came to get our elective teachers. You didn't even flinch.

They came to get our counselors. You hardly moved an inch.

They came to get our nurses. Don't our kids get sick?

They came to get the librarians. Is this some cruel trick?

They say there is an achievement gap, for our kids who are black and brown.

But, they don't want us to remember, the reason why they came to town.

They came because the district had stolen and squandered and lied.

Now, it's our children who are poorer. Their education is being denied.

They scheduled community forums, when parents couldn't possibly be there.

They took the low number of parents for a community that just didn't care.

They say we're still short on money, so the students will have to pay.

Now it's science, history, and physical education that they want to take away.

Do not forget, it was the district, and school board, who got us into this debt.

The $60 million loan was their doing. We should never let them forget.

While programs are cut from our children, the district has plenty to cheer.

Now, many district administrators, are making over $200 thousand a year.

They are bribing our children with iPods, to coax them to school every day.

They're cheating them out of an education, and collecting $30 of ADA .

They've given teachers pacing guides to follow, which are counter to all they learned.

They've tried to stop teachers' voices and deny them the respect that they've earned.

They ignore the voices of parents, who cry out for much safer schools.

They have stolen, lied, and cheated. They've treated us all like fools.

They've taken and they've taken till there is nothing left to take.

They took our children's future. And try to justify their mistake

Now they are even trying to take the richness out of our community.

Our soul . . . our very heartbeat . . . our multi-cultured unity.

They've sold our children's real estate. They don't heat many of our children's classes.

For years, they have promoted our failing students. As if, they, could give out passes.

Remember, Vallejo , that the achievement gap belongs to the district. Not to our black kids or our brown kids or our white.

We know it takes a whole village. On this we must unite. If they don't educate our children. The whole town has to fight.

Mary Folkard, American Canyon