Comments on Pasadena Daily Photo: Eliot School: The Quiet Storm

Stef, by the time your little one is ready for mid...

2009-11-08T08:08:29.709-08:00

Stef, by the time your little one is ready for middle school, Eliot's API score will be 1000 so you can just send him there.

I feel the same way, Elaine. I had such a great education. It pains me to see the kids in my neighborhood having to sell crappy wrapping paper or inferior candy to go on field trips.

I'm so glad I finished school before Prop 13. Scho...

2009-11-07T23:43:59.982-08:00

I'm so glad I finished school before Prop 13. Schools are the last thing that should be starved of funding. The survival of our republic depends on a deeply and widely educated citizenry. Already, evidence of revitalized superstition and demagoguery are threatening the fabric of our culture.

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just popping by to say hi :) Hope all is well Petr...

2009-11-07T21:59:07.395-08:00

just popping by to say hi :)
Hope all is well Petrea, I will have to start to think about school someday soon for our son... I'll send him study in France :)
Have a lovely weekend

It doesn't surprise me, Loren, that you're putting...

2009-11-07T18:34:49.996-08:00

It doesn't surprise me, Loren, that you're putting in a lot of time. I have a friend in the Valley who not only helps in the cafeteria of her six-year-old's school but puts in one day a week in the classroom and donates huge amounts to the school.

Lisa, is the track system the 90-min or the 60-min? They were talking about the 90-min at Eliot as though it was a choice, not forced by budget concerns.

Amen, Cafe. We do have to vote our tax dollars for schools, or if we feel we've sent enough money that way then vote in school board elections to make sure the right people are overseeing that money.

Trish--no kidding about ADD. It takes a dynamic teacher to keep a 13-year-old's attention for even an hour.

Margaret, I'd love to hear your locker stories someday.

Me too, Chieftess.

FYI Hearken...prior to Prop 13 there was still a l...

2009-11-07T15:27:06.302-08:00

FYI Hearken...prior to Prop 13 there was still a lot of volunteerism in the schools...PTA was very big and all our moms were in it and participating, much to the chagrin of us kids...little did I know then that I would appreciate the time my mom (and sometimes dad!) spent in PTA and all those school related projects...

No lockers! That would have made me so happy.

2009-11-07T11:53:48.232-08:00

No lockers! That would have made me so happy.

the father of a friend used to teach at Eliot. He ...

2009-11-07T11:16:29.465-08:00

the father of a friend used to teach at Eliot. He never told me it was special, but he never seemed to dislike his work as some public school teachers did. I think if more kids had learning environments like this, we'd have fewer dropouts and fewer problems. Tho, I do know that 90 minute periods can be tough for the ADD set.

ok...pulling from yesterday's comments---stealing from schools? jeesh people, c'mon! grrrrr.

I think unless our economy returns to the strength...

2009-11-07T11:01:11.380-08:00

I think unless our economy returns to the strength it used have relative to the rest of the world, you can probably say good bye to the good old days. Good bye to some of the things we grew up with, taken for granted, such as low-cost quality education.

There's no free school lunch for much of anything.

A lot of the schools in the area who had the 90 mi...

2009-11-07T10:40:59.992-08:00

A lot of the schools in the area who had the 90 minute class period structure can no longer afford it. They have had to swtich to traditional periods r/t budget cuts. In LA, the track system saves money but I've heard teachers say how awful it is for the kids. I hope this budget crisis doesn't ruin all that the schools have accomplished in last few years.

Petrea, just wanted to let your readers know that ...

2009-11-07T10:28:07.084-08:00

Petrea, just wanted to let your readers know that most PUSD schools have tours similar to Elliot's; for instance, McKinley's is the first Wednesday of every month. I highly recommend these tours to both parents and residents, to see what is going on in the schools.

Thanks again for spotlighting our beautiful schools, and the work that is going on there.

Unfortunately, going on campus is not at all nostalgic for me, because PTA parents view the campus as a workplace. You wouldn't believe how many volunteer hours have to go into making a school run smoothly. Much of this is because of state budget cuts over the years (dating all the way back to Prop 13), and we feel an obligation to step in to "fill the gap." It's fun and rewarding work, but not at all nostalgic. My parents hardly ever set foot on my campus when I was a kid.

But I didn't feel as though I'd never left. School...

2009-11-07T08:33:39.918-08:00

But I didn't feel as though I'd never left. School is really different now than it was in the sixties!

Karin, the schools I went to as a kid were all new...

2009-11-07T08:32:33.362-08:00

Karin, the schools I went to as a kid were all newer than this one, but still the building was loaded with nostalgia for me. There's something compelling in these beautiful old institutional buildings. I really jumped at the chance to see inside this place.

Did it feel odd to be in school again, or as thoug...

2009-11-07T07:15:05.375-08:00

Did it feel odd to be in school again, or as though you never left?

Interesting series, P.