As LA drops summer special ed for adults, a teacher objects
May 20th, 2010By columnist Dennis McCarthy in the Los Angeles Daily News:
The Los Angeles Unified School District has cancelled its summer classes for adults with developmental disabilities for the first time in 20 years, thanks to the budget crisis. Veteran special ed teacher Robert Zazula, who will be laid off for the summer as a result of the cuts, is angry that his students won’t be served even as English-as-second-language classes are preserved.
An excerpt from McCarthy’s interview with Zazula:
“My people matter, and for anyone to say they don’t, whatever the reason, is wrong,” the Bronx, N.Y.-born teacher says.
“These people were born into a world where they are not as fortunate as the rest of us. They need our continued support. Now that there’s a budget crisis we’re going to forget about them?”
… “Why ESL classes all year and not the disabled? We don’t matter anymore?”
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June 15th, 2010 at 9:55 am
I heart you Dave Hingsburger!!!!
May 21st, 2010 at 4:45 am
I really dislike the language of ownership – ‘my people’ … ‘Jerry’s kids’ … I’ve often had friends say to me, when they’ve been out, ‘I saw some of your people down town.’ My response is always, ‘I am not Moses, they are not My People.’