A New Story For A New School: Part I

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

This fall, a brand new middle school opens in the heart of South Central Los Angeles. Students will be drawn here from four other overcrowded and challenged neighborhood schools. This school represents an incredible opportunity: a pristine building filled with competent staff, electives and hope. It also comes with some trepidation, as last year a new high school opened nearby (Santee) in chaos and violence that spilled across campus. There is a story to be told here, a narrative to be shaped by the new students as they create a new social structure and decide what kind of values they will lay as the foundation for this new school. As an English teacher (and a coach), I don't want my students to passively let this occur. I want them to think, reflect, and shape this narrative: for them to actively consider what is the meaning of this experience and what story they want to tell. I am asking for two digital cameras and SD memory cards in this proposal (part of a broader proposal package to acquire enough cameras for each small group to work with one) for my classroom, and for sharing with other teachers, to facilitate this narrative. I am also asking for funds to commercially process and enlarge the best prints for school-wide exhibition. As part of our narrative study unit, my seventh grade students will be examining the stories told in classic photography (from Dorothea Lange, Gordon Parks, Jacob Riis, and Ansel Adams)while looking at narrative elements such as character, setting, and theme. Groups will then use the digital cameras to take pictures of the new school and edit their shots, crafting their own story of just what this entire experience means. This process will culminate in an installation and show open to families and the general public. In addition to the unique situation these cameras will be used for, the use of still photography will greatly enhance the learning of mostly ESL (English as a second language) students in grade-level content standards. With photography, I can isolate and teach critical and challenging narrative elements without encumbering students with language that might be above their reading level. Thus, students that are working to improve reading proficiency can still learn grade-level standards. In sum, this project will fulfill a once in a lifetime opportunity for students and a school to reflect on the meaning of opening a new institution, while also meeting grade-level content standards. This equipment will have a lasting impact into the future as students will continue to use cameras in creating narratives, documenting research, and preparing persuasive materials to meet English standards.