El Testeferro de los Pordioseros – Street Fighting Man

Maybe I’m cynical. Maybe I’m simply a realist. It’s just that I’m used to stuff associated with the Los Angeles Unified School district simply not working. I’m used to expending tons of time, energy, and effort into a system that largely does not have incredibly high returns on those efforts.

That’s why I’m so utterly aghast astonished (I seem to need to work on my adjectives…) after today’s Local District 3 Magnet Faire, hosted by Cochran Middle School. The verb “host” is not strong enough for what all the Cochran folks did to make this event happen! A dozen teachers and staff volunteered their Saturday morning to come out and help, as well as about a dozen students! Our principal was freaking awesome as well! And this is to say nothing of my two partners-in-crime, Rustum and Don, who, along with myself spent countless hours strategizing, brainstorming, pitching, selling, and largely, making this event happen.

And yet it actually happened!

Between 9 and noon, we had several hundred parents and families grace our cafeteria to meet with local magnet high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools that they might want to send their kids to! We had over 25 schools represent themselves and as such, had a consistently PACKED cafeteria where everybody was set up [I took the above picture of the crowded confusion]. Folks also were able to ask some really relevant questions about navigating the complex system that is applying for these magnets, and for the majority, we were able to supply extremely candid answers (even though some District brass was in the room, we were able to answer their questions).

I sit here Saturday night absolutely exhausted, yet continually amazed that this event actually happened! I’m so used to stuff floundering, yet this thing actually worked! It makes me want to try more subversive activities, particularly those affiliated with Hope Change Choices.