KALW Starts the School Year with Stories of Extraordinary Educators

By Ben Trefny, News Director, KALW Public Radio

The San Francisco Unified School District just launched its academic year, and KALW reporters and trainees are highlighting schools’ most fascinating issues along with some of its most extraordinary educators. Take a minute to check out some of the work that aired in the first week back for students:

The Radical History of the Murals at George Washington High School

This documentary, reported by KALW summer trainees Marco Siler-Gonzales (’18) and Ariella Markowitz (’19) looks at the history of muralist Victor Arnautoff’s work all around the Bay Area through the eyes of his family, other artists, students and parents at Washington, district board members, and others. It goes far deeper than the surface discussions most media have had on the topic of his controversial murals at George Washington High, and it features extraordinary and insightful voices and perspectives. Altogether, this audio work provides an extraordinarily contextual teaching opportunity about the complexities of art, race, and education.

This School Volunteer Teaches Kids to Regulate Their Emotions – Through Mindfulness

This intimate portrait of a district instructor illuminates the challenges and values of the practice of mindfulness. It’s a continuation of KALW’s education reporter Lee Romney‘s deep dive into how SFUSD works with students from communities that often struggle in conventional education

Additionally, this week we launched a series of in-depth profiles of district “superheroes” called “It Takes A School.” The series, produced by Audio Academy graduate Bo Walsh (’18), will continue Monday through Thursday next week on Crosscurrents. The pieces are delightful and touching, and they shine a light on unsung stars throughout the city. Here’s the first one:

It Takes a School: Mission District K-8 Security Guard is the “Spirit of the School”

Happy school year, everybody!