Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Good evening. Thank you, Delaine for that very sweet introduction.
Many thanks to all of my dear colleagues at
George Washington Carver and at the district office. And, of course, to my friends
and family. All of these folks have been true supporters
of the work I do in my classroom and in the community.
When I was gathering my sentiments in preparation for tonight's
speech, I couldn't stop thinking about some numbers I came across this summer.
In the Kids Count data book. This publication,
compiled by the Annie E. Casey Foundation annually, looks at the well being
of children throughout the country, ranking states based on children's
economic, education, health, family, and community well being.
According to the data, here in our great state of California,
we rank 41st in child overall well being.
That's just nine ranks away from the worst position.
As of 2011, 2-million 85-thousand children were in
poverty in California. 23% of children. That's nearly
a quarter of all California children in poverty.
These are alarming numbers. But, for most of us, they're not a
surprise because these are our kids.
We see them every day. Our schools are on the front lines
of the struggle with poverty and each one of us does all we can do to counteract
this public health crisis. We fill our classrooms with snacks,
activities, supplies to try to level the playing field
between the haves and the have-nots. We develop lessons through
deep inquiry, discussions of tolerance
around controversial topics and give all students access to
exceptional educational experiences. We do
everything we can. And even though I still
linger on that awful number (2-million, 85-thousand
children in poverty), I am overwhelmed with a sense of hope.
Because I know that there are thousands upon thousands of other
educators out there. Out here.
All of you. Teachers who are tackling this issue
with your brilliant ideas in new ways each school day. Thank you for all
the work you do every day. Namaste.