From the get go, Green Dot transforms the look of the campus. When school starts, it will no longer look like a dismal prison and look more like a university. The whole school is broken up into a series of mini academies with separate principles and rules. This reduces class size and the teacher to student ratio. The academies are literally divided up on the campus. Kids eat lunch on their own little campus and lunch period is staggered. Previously, the entire school population--thousands of kids--would have lunch in the middle of campus with insufficient adult supervision. How could fights not break out? Imagine every USC student out on campus having lunch at the exact same time.
A dress code of black, collared shirts and khaki pants are imposed, which was apparently welcomed at Locke since there have been so many problems related to gangs and gang colors and attire. And all teachers have to re-apply for their jobs. Of the over 100 teachers at Locke, 40 kept their jobs (some chose not to re-apply), and they hired 80 more. Green Dot uses the allocated public funds and allows each academy principle and staff to use it accordingly based on need. Green Dot founder Steve Barr told me that 40% of a public school’s budget goes to overhead. Green Dot eliminates the overhead and channels the monies to paying teachers more and figuring out how to use the money in an effective, non- wasteful way. It’s not rocket science, it’s about efficiency.
“The way to fix schools, “ Barr says, “is to get rid of private schools.” He went on to say, “can you imagine if affluent parents had to send their kids to Locke?” He exclaimed. “It’d be different school.”
Green Dot and its strategy are worth reading about: www.Greendot.org. My experience at Locke was hugely moving. I met the assistant principle of one of the new Locke schools, Zeus Cubias. Cubias has done everything from teaching math to coaching girls soccer at Locke for 12 years. When Green Dot first appeared on the scene, Cubias felt insulted. Born in the surrounding community, Cubias assailed Barr for thinking he knew what the community needed. After spending significant time with him and learning of Green Dot’s formula, Cubias was sold and has become one its biggest advocates.
“For the first time in a long time, I feel motivated,” Cubias said. “I admit, I was starting to get complacent, we all were.” He then broke down in tears, “I am so thankful that someone is believing in us and our kids…I want to prove everyone wrong about us.”
I've gotten into fierce debates with dear friends over public vs. private schools. While I totally understand that parents only want what's best and safest for their kids, but I also realize that in America we need to think off all kids as "our kids."the kids of today will be the future leaders, business owners, and welfare recipients of tomorrow. Why don't we want the best and safest for all of our kids?
All eyes are going to be on Locke High School and Green Dot when thousands of kids return this fall. If they succeed, the Green Dot model may become a national one. The good news, the bar has been set pretty low--Locke can’t get much worse.
We have politicians, talk show hosts, celebrities, wealthy spiritual gurus, and CEOs that take and take, and never give back. They throw out charity money, to make themselves feel better, but people are not charity cases. The majority of people have hearts, minds, and brains, passions, and talents just like anyone else, and they only want an economic environment where there is fair an honest play. The job whatever it is should goes to the person who can do the job in an honest, conscious way and who will create a sincere environment of good will, not to someone because they have a B.A. from Harvard, and will profit the company at everyone else’s expense. A bully is a bully regardless of his/her Harvard or Yale education or his expertise. A power hungry human being that oppresses and neglects the rights and liberties of the people below him is a problem, not an asset. Regardless of what hi/her school credentials are.
Americans need to stop meditating so much, and forgiving others, and start forgiving themselves. The majority is supposed to keep a watchful eye on our government and corporations and make sure that those in power are serving the majority, not just the wealthy CEOs and celebrities, and politicians.
Our corporations, government, media spiritual gurus are run by narcissistic greedy, selfish egos who are never satisfied with what they have or earn. Most of these people have B.A.s and Master’s degrees, big titles, money and power but they are still not satisfied because they are not aware of love and they keep trying to fill the emptiness they feel with self-grandization, and self-glorification. They always want more and more and more, and seek more and more at the expense of the well-fair of the majority. Those who are more conscious and the targets of these bullies are brain-washed by the spiritual community to forgive and tolerate, and just give these people bullies love. When you allow another person to violate you emotionally, physically, and financially – that is not love. When the Human Resource of a corporation or company does not address with firmness the situation of an employee being bullied or harassed by a boss or co-worker , and tolerates it, denies it and looks the other way, then that is a double violation on the employee being harassed and bullied. And I’m sure the person in charge of Human Resources has a B.A. or even a Master’s degree but they are ignorant - there is no intelligence there at all. The employer doing the bullying may also have a B.A. So what. These people have no real education at all if they do not protect others and the rights of others. And Yes, they must even demand a safe collaborative environment, and one of good will and equality.
With all this education we are still producing a society of people who operate like pigs and animals. We can say that poverty and lack of education produces the same type of person, but for different reasons. Unreasonable and intolerable lack and poverty will always produce fear and anger, and animal behavior, but on the other end of the spectrum, educated and the well to do, don’t have any consciousness either because they refuse to give to those who lack or serve those who lack so that they won’t lack anymore. Rather the educated and well to do are still so lacking in self-esteem and peace of mind and their own divinity that they have to keep taking and taking and trying to fill themselves up with more and more and they take from the majority who have so much less than them. But they are never satisfied, because their so called education, doesn’t teach them how to love themselves, and so they don’t know how to love another. The ability to see another as themselves, and treat another as they would like to be treated is not taught in formal education. This is why formal quality education will not solve the problem. Education with consciousness can solve the problem. But education itself is an empty vessel.
Our offices are full of bullies, our school system, and our churches, and our government with people who have B.A.s and Master Degrees.
Education is only a small piece of the puzzle. It is a tool, and only one tool, and not the answer. People need to learn how to love, appreciate, respect, and up-lift one another. Without that kind of education formal education is useless, and so it has been proven as we look at the state of our nation in every area. There are just as many people right now with B.A.s who are out of work, as those who are talented and experienced in the work force who don’t have B.A.s. and are out of work as well.
There are now just many people who have B.A.s and Masters Degrees who are out of work now who have families to feed and mortgages to pay, and they can’t. We have for many years been tolerating an unethical economic environment where only the greedy, the liars, the cheaters and the bullies and the abusers win at the economic game. So education although important for the poor, the focus on it, is really also used as a way to avoid the real problem which is excessive corruption in business and government.