Though it didn’t make any huge headlines the day after, I think that Friday’s lockdown will need some in-depth debriefing on Monday. At least for me, it is frustrating to see our school’s media attention focused on these events only. How many times did the news play images of our students being escorted in handcuffs or lying on the ground in handcuffs? What do the captions and the narration say about the hegemonic viewpoint reified for the many people tuned in Friday afternoon?

Where was the media when our community came together in the name of iDivision? Or when my students discovered the Black Cloud? Or our SLC’s other amazing teachers created events with the Human Rights Club, the Science Club, the Gay Straight Alliance, or any of the other many, many positive experiences for the students of South Los Angeles? What about the incredible artwork now completed in Doolittle Hall? Why weren’t these events “Breaking News?”

Though I’m fleshing out the details, I’m expecting all of my students to create their own “Breaking News” stories over the next few days. They will be filling in their own helicopter shots of the school with something positive to say about their community. We’ll use these as building blocks for a Socratic dialogue which will be conducted the Wednesday before our Thanksgiving break.