Transitions: Manual Arts, The Department of Education, and Stepping into the Productivity of the Summer

Thursday was the final day of the school year at Manual Arts. It was the end of a very long year with significant changes. As the students left the school, they walked away from a campus that has been under constant operation for nearly a decade. This will be the first summer since I’ve worked at Manual Arts that the school is not in session (aside from a paltry summer school offering). What will the school’s return to a traditional calendar look like next year? Will student, teacher, and parent concerns about security at the overcrowded campus be addressed? Will we adequately meet the needs of students in classes that are averaged at 40 students per teacher? Will the incredible (absolutely incredible) graffiti murals at our school be painted over? (Strong signs point to yes.)

Thursday was also my final day as an official employee of the U.S. Department of Education. And though my role as a 2010-2011 Teaching Ambassador Fellow has come to an end, I am excited about the network of individuals I have been able to talk with and from whom I hope to continue to draw expertise on future projects.

This summer, I am focusing on coding, analyzing, and writing up preliminary findings for my dissertation. I am also teaching a few classes in and around L.A. and will be consulting for a few education-related projects. I hope to share information about these in future posts.

I am also pleased to be working with the Schools for Community Action design team. We are developing four amazing (amazing!) small schools to serve the South Central Los Angeles community. The work before us is exciting, difficult, and (occasionally) overwhelming. You are welcome to join us. At the least, please consider following us on Twitter.

I am excited to share a bunch of other work in the coming weeks:

  • I am beginning to play around with Google Plus (thank you all mighty Twitter for coming through with a speedy invite!) and can’t wait to talk about how I see it playing a transformative role in schools.
  • There have been some exciting conversations brewing related to the NBPTS Take One program within my school.
  • I will eventually take issue with Jaime Oliver (while still enjoying the occasional burger at Patra’s).
  • I’m taking down the “Teacher of the Year” program.
  • I’ve got a serious problem with capitalism and creating “lifelong readers”
  • And finally, I have a series of ongoing thoughts about what I have learned from Sadie, my basset hound companion that passed away earlier this week (I am still, slowly, coming to terms with the quietness of the house now that she’s gone, but will be sharing the lessons she’s taught – in her slow, stubborn way – as the time feels right).

I can’t wait to get to all of this! And if you are interested in engaging in an American Crawl conversation and want to collaborate here, this is your official invitation to reach out and make this happen. School’s out! Time for learning!

 

3 thoughts on “Transitions: Manual Arts, The Department of Education, and Stepping into the Productivity of the Summer

  1. ana Rodriguez

    when i started the 10th grade at manual arts the school was a chaos and during the three years i survived my senior years was the best and i don’t think manual arts will be the same manual arts I left in 2010 hopefully everything works well. Good look in everything Garcia.

  2. Sarah Glasband

    This is my favorite line: “I’ve got a serious problem with capitalism and creating ‘lifelong readers.'” Wondering what the connection is & excited to read your thoughts. Hope your writing, thinking, teaching, & coding goes well this summer. Come visit when you make it to the bay.

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