Locke Mess

Your cover story on Locke High School’s “soul-shriveling assaults of apathy, petty vindictiveness, and demagogic paranoia generated when a stagnant bureaucracy goes rank” commanded my attention. Ben Ehrenreich brings some needed attention to the continuing crisis in public education. He also seems to reach very grand conclusions from quite limited data. Does the author really believe that the teaching staff, support staff and administration are to blame for Locke’s violent atmosphere, gang problems and a murder outside the school grounds? Doesn’t it seem reasonable to note the background atmosphere of violent streets, violent students, racism, pervasive poverty, rampant broken homes and a tolerance for chaos? The media glorification of thuggish behavior might also be a factor.

As a former teacher at Locke in 1994, I encountered some problems getting books and some resignation among staff members. The LAUSD bureaucracy was — and remains — a tragic nightmare and cesspool of inefficiency. Yet it’s unfair, malicious and somewhat deluded to blame Ms. Annie Webb for the cult of ignorance, gang affiliations, and almost daily fights between students in hallways. Student misbehavior, including race riots during assembly meetings to honor Dr. King and Cinco de Mayo, is far more responsible for the fact that “Just 3 percent of Locke students were classified as ‘proficient’ in English.” The state correctly took note of “a chaotic, fragmented and dysfunctional environment in which students cannot focus on learning and teachers on teaching.” Didn’t student misbehavior have something to do with the situation? Didn’t student misbehavior also have something to do with the administration’s decision to search students for weapons, patrol hallways and expel students?

Are mistakes possible? Do teachers and administrators sometimes overreact? Of course. Mistakes are, in fact, almost inevitable when “macho” students refuse to answer simple questions, seek conflict and protect other gang members — on a daily basis. It’s hard to be patient and loving when students are cursing and spitting, literally, in your face. Let’s look at ä what Mr. Ehrenreich didn’t tell us while trying to promote the hip concept that “The kids are all right — but the adults are the problem.” How many guns, knives and other weapons have been confiscated on school grounds? How many times have the police had to come to campus? How many students have been arrested? How many rapes have been reported? How many classes have been disrupted by students? How many illiterate students hide their inability to read beneath a hostile attitude toward teachers?

It’s wonderful to read about the rare successes of a few dedicated students who graduated from Locke and go on to college. Their commitment and activism are inspirational. But the Locke Student Union members are, as even Mr. Ehrenreich knows, the exception. Zuno’s admission that “The students weren’t focused 100 percent on school” is an understatement beyond parody.

I left Locke after a mere semester because of the violent atmosphere in hallways, classes and school grounds. I decided to spend my considerable energy working with more mature students at adult schools and community colleges. Adult students are focused, dedicated and serious about taking advantage of educational opportunities. (Many adult students, by the way, are former high school dropouts who have learned that knowledge is a good thing — and that prison, poverty and illiteracy are bad things.) I have never regretted leaving Locke.

I’m not a saint or a warrior. I’m just a teacher, and too many students made a very difficult and challenging situation far, far worse on far too many occasions. Why should I subject myself to verbal attacks, physical threats and continual stress? I deeply respect, therefore, the teachers, administrators and office staff who work in very difficult conditions, for minimal pay and with limited gratitude, on a daily basis. They are not paragons, but they are resilient. The vast majority are trying to bring information, insight and perspective to misinformed, testy teenagers who believe Tupac is a god. They are trying to help students and making a difference. It’s not easy, fun or glamorous. These teachers don’t get on the cover of the L.A. Weekly.

May I suggest Mr. Ehrenreich walk a few miles in Ms. Webb’s shoes before he so condescendingly second-guesses the difficult judgments made by a dedicated professional under exceptionally stressful and chaotic conditions? How many hours did Mr. Ehrenreich spend at Locke before he felt justified in slamming the teachers and staff who work there full time?

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