More Than Kids

Melrose Leadership Academy Spring Expo

My wife and I live in Oakland, California. When we first moved into our house, we did not have children. We were not impressed with the neighborhood schools, but we wanted children and we wanted to send them to public school. 

Many of the families sent their children to private school, or when their children were old enough for school, the families moved to "a better neighborhood." Several families wanted to change our neighborhood, so that children remained. From our early parent groups, Melrose Leadership Academy was started.

Now many of our children dance, and other parents from the "good neighborhood" drive their children to our neighborhood school.

 

Melrose-2011-Expo - Images by bryan farley

Melrose Leadership Academy Year 2 Ends

My daughter just finished first grade and I could not ask for more from her school. My daughter loves her friends and teachers; she is also learning more than I expected. 

 

We both finished school on the same day this year, even though I taught in a different district. After I left San Marin High School I immediately drove to Oakland Unified's Melrose Leadership Academy. MLA is a Spanish imersion program designed for K-8. Currently, MLA has two kindergarten and two first grade Spanish imersion classes. Next year, the school will add two second grade classes. My son will leave preschool and start Kindergarten in two months.

On June 16th, the students said goodbye until next year.

My daughter is the one on the right being consoled. These two spent the day with each other two days later.

 

I have known some of the MLA kids since they were in pre-school. Some of them I may know through 8th grade. Hopefully, I will know them for as long as I live. If so, this will not be the last tearful goodbye.

Isaac Brott 2011 Memorial

During the 2010-2011 school year, I remembered Isaac Brott and his family. Isaac attended Novato High, the rival school across town, but he died near San Marin High School. When I applied for the open multimedia teaching position on August 16, 2010, I was in Fresno preparing for my annual Mother of an Angel photo shoot. 

On September 17, 2010, Isaac died in a car accident down the road from San Marin. Every week during the school year, I visited his roadside memorial. During the first few weeks, I visited every day. Later, I visited every week, except the weeks that we were gone on vacation.

Visiting helped me remember who I was as a teacher, photographer, father and person.Even when I realized that my position was going to be eliminated, I knew that I had something greater to teach my students. Life matters. Relationships matter. People make a difference. My students' parents wanted me to take care of their children. My own children wanted me to drive home safely and tuck them in at night.  I wanted to be there for them... for all of them.

 

Isaac Brott Novato Roadside Memorial 2011 - Images by bryan farley

 

I often thought about Isaac's family and friends too. Isaac's death has changed their lives forever. While I believe in the power of imagery to change behavior, I also know that photos can only do so much.