The other day I went to the Apple Store in Burlingame, CA. There at the Genius Bar were a group of school children along with their teachers (or camp counselors) all wearing blue tee shirts working on laptops. I couldn't quite see what they were working on - maybe iMovies. That doesn't really matter. What matters is that they all had the opportunity to work together using modern technology. I'm happy for those students; what a wonderful experience for them. But it made me think of my own students in Daly City (Check your map - this is a suburb just south of San Francisco). 
When our after school program, Citizen Schools begged for funding from several Silicon Valley companies, no one would give them the money they needed. The result? The program was forced to leave our school to go work with other students somewhere else. What is it about Daly City? Our community seems to be forgotten. Our school district isn't like the large San Francisco district to the north of us or the more affluent districts to the south of us in Silicon Valley. We aren't the richest or the poorest, but rather basically a working class community. I guess that means we aren't glamorous enough to get the kind of funding other districts get. The result: my students lose out.
Daly City is a neglected area to be sure. It's a pity that the elitist technology companies don't recognize the value of non-tech workers and their families. San Francisco has always turned her nose up at DC out of habit. Daly City is viewed as a place to move away from by immigrants. Politically and economically, it is marginalized by government. Rise, O Daly City, and sound your barbaric yawp!
ReplyDeleteR - Thank you once again for reading. I enjoy your call to action!
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