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| TCLA: Do you think that students across the city receive roughly the same resources? Do they receive adequate resources?
PA: I think schools that have houses with high property values around the school get better resources. Within Lynwood, there is not much of a difference because everyone is the same economically. In our school, everyone has the same access to the same AP and Honors classes. They don’t really enforce requirements on the students to be in those types of classes. TCLA: Is there one resource inequality that particularly concerns you – and if so, what is it and why do you think it is important? PA: The strongest inequality that stands out is the high amount of uncredentialed teachers in low-income areas. In schools that don’t have credentialed teachers, students aren’t getting what they deserve. All people pay the same amount of taxes, but then some students don’t have books or their teachers don’t seem to care and lack motivation. I think it’s important because a student needs to feel motivated to continue on with a higher education. If they don’t feel motivated, they aren’t going to go to college, they are just going to stay where they are. And their children are going to end up the same way. At my school, the teachers are always putting down the students and telling them that they don’t have the ability to go to a Cal State or a UC. TCLA: What should be done to achieve equality in this area? PA: I think to achieve equality, the district has to distribute credentialed teachers equally all over Los Angeles. For most teachers, how much they are getting paid is a major influence. And if that is a major influence then all teachers in all of Los Angeles and Lynwood should be making the same amount of money. TCLA: What actions would you recommend to students or parents interested in joining this struggle? PA: I would recommend that parents go to PTA meetings at the high schools and the elementary schools. It’s important to get involved and go to the school board meetings. Since nobody is telling them what to do, the school board thinks they are in the best interest of the community, but it’s not always the case. TCLA: What difference could equal educational resources make in today’s struggle against racism? PA: Having credentialed teachers probably won’t change racism that much. I think it depends on the teacher and how they teach students to look at the whole world and not just Los Angeles. Sometimes students are only exposed to one culture in their communities. ^tcla |
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