It's time to celebrate Adult Education!
Every year in the Spring, California celebrates Adult Education.
This year, Adult Ed Week is April 8 to 12. The focus is advocacy. The theme is "Our Voices Matter."
Adult Education gives us many reasons to celebrate. It provides classes to help immigrants learn English. It provides job training classes. It provides high school diploma and GED classes.
These are the reasons we advocate for Adult Education. Adult Ed is so important. It helps many people. It helps California.
Hashtags for Social Media: #AdultEducationMatters #AdultEdWeek2019 #AdvocacyMatters
The Plan for Adult Ed Week 2019
Through the week, classes will discuss advocacy. Teachers will share a special presentation about Advocacy. Marina and Cynthia prepared it and Student Ambassadors translated it into many languages. You can see the presentation in English here.
Monday Morning: Hang the Banner
Early Monday, Patty, Tommy, and Student Volunteers will hang the big Adult Education Matters banner. This tells everyone who passes by an important message: Adult Education Matters!
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| Adult Education Matters banner hanging outside school. |
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| Two students painting part of the banner. |
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| Students assembling the banner. |
Monday Morning: Virginia Reel - Square Dancing
On Monday morning, April 8th, at 10 am, we will do our traditional Virginia Reel. This is an old American dance, a kind of square dancing. Toshio will lead us. He will be the caller. He will call out the steps and we will follow. You can see a sample of the dance here.
Vocabulary to learn:
partner: the person you dance with
head couple: the first couple in the line
swing your partner: elbow around elbow, swing around in a circle
sashay: grab hands and skip sideways down the line
do-si-do: arms folded across your chest - walk up and then backwards, facing your partner
On Monday morning, April 8th, at 10 am, we will do our traditional Virginia Reel. This is an old American dance, a kind of square dancing. Toshio will lead us. He will be the caller. He will call out the steps and we will follow. You can see a sample of the dance here.
Vocabulary to learn:
partner: the person you dance with
head couple: the first couple in the line
swing your partner: elbow around elbow, swing around in a circle
sashay: grab hands and skip sideways down the line
do-si-do: arms folded across your chest - walk up and then backwards, facing your partner
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| Students sashaying in the Virginia Reel |
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| Toshio teaching students how to do the dance |
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| Students swing their partners |
Tuesday: CCAE Leg Day
Student Council officers Shelley, Shereen, Claudia and Simone and Staff Members Patty and Cynthia will go to Sacramento for CCAE Leg Day. CCAE is the California Council for Adult Education. Leg Day is pronounced "Ledge" Day. It is a special day for advocacy. On this day, the SMAS team will talk to Legislators about Adult Education, our school, and the need for more funding for our school.
Wear Red on Tuesday
And remember, on Tuesday we wear #Red4AdultEd. We do this to carry the message that Adult Education matters and show pride in our school.
Wednesday Evening Dancing
Wednesday Evening Dancing
On Wednesday evening, Toshio will lead evening students in the Reel.
Advocacy Matters
Our school survived a very difficult time - when many Adult Schools closed and all Adult Schools were made smaller. We survived this difficult time by advocating for our survival.
But our school - like all Adult Schools - needs more money. Adult Education has less money than before 2008 - when the economy crashed. This is why the focus for Adult Ed week this year is advocacy.
We must speak up for our needs. Adult Education needs more money.
With more money, Adult Education can help more people.
This is important. Our advocacy is important.
Democracy in Action
Later this Spring, we will write letters to legislators. We will use our voices to speak up and ask for what we need.
Telling our elected representatives what we need is democracy in action. Our representatives depend on us to tell them what is going on and what we need in order to serve the people of California with the best Adult Education possible.
So that is what we will do!
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| Toshio directing Virginia Reel |
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| Students swinging their partners |
Our school survived a very difficult time - when many Adult Schools closed and all Adult Schools were made smaller. We survived this difficult time by advocating for our survival.
But our school - like all Adult Schools - needs more money. Adult Education has less money than before 2008 - when the economy crashed. This is why the focus for Adult Ed week this year is advocacy.
We must speak up for our needs. Adult Education needs more money.
With more money, Adult Education can help more people.
This is important. Our advocacy is important.
Democracy in Action
Later this Spring, we will write letters to legislators. We will use our voices to speak up and ask for what we need.
Telling our elected representatives what we need is democracy in action. Our representatives depend on us to tell them what is going on and what we need in order to serve the people of California with the best Adult Education possible.
So that is what we will do!
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| Students in red mailing letters to legislators |
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| Two students in red with a letter to a legislator |
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| Daniel in red with a letter to a legislator |
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