Oakland teachers Archives - Oakland Voices

Over 5,000 COVID-19 cases in Oakland; first day of school

August 10, 2020 Rasheed Shabazz

It’s the first day of school, but classes are online in Oakland.

cellular image of novel coronavirus with the word Oakland above

Oakland COVID-19 Update: First Alameda County death, AC Transit fare-free, Oakland schools

March 23, 2020 Rasheed Shabazz

COVID-19 in Oakland: First coronavirus-related death in Alameda County, AC Transit fare-free, Oakland schools closed, Kaiser treats cruise ship passengers or crew.

A Place Where Community Happens

June 8, 2017 Tony Daquipa

“We’re all different, but we all have that love for Sequoia.” -Zachary Hile At the risk of missing the start of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, several generations of Sequoia students, families, and staff

A Day in the Life of Lam Vo

March 5, 2013 Debora Gordon

By Debora Gordon Lam ended a recent letter with “Write me when you find the time. I certainly have all the time in the world to wait.” This prompted me to ask him what it

A Former Teachers’ Union President Considers Her Legacy

February 23, 2013 Debora Gordon

Former Oakland Education Association President and current Sequoia Elementary School teacher Betty Olson-Jones poses in her 5th grade classroom Photo: Oakland Voices/Debora Gordon January 2013 By Debora Gordon Betty Olson-Jones is back in the classroom

Looking at Lam and what needs to Be done

February 23, 2013 Debora Gordon

Lam was, and perhaps still is, a young man with a lot of potential. He could have gone on to lead a life of commonplace trials and triumphs; having a family, a job or a career,

Oakland Teacher Alison Ball Breathes Life into Math & Science

February 22, 2013 Debora Gordon

By Debora Gordon After early teaching stints in far flung locales from Ecuador and China to New York and Sunnyvale, 4th year middle school teacher Alison Ball, 29, came to Urban Promise Academy (UPA),

A Call to Lam’s Mother

February 20, 2013 Debora Gordon

Many, perhaps most, parts of this story have been hard to tell. I often imagine someone who might be personally affected by a particular part of the story looking over my shoulder. As I write

Oakland Art Teacher Thi Bui Urges Students to Draw, Think Outside the Box

February 13, 2013 Debora Gordon

Thi Bui, an art and digital media teacher at Oakland International High School, described herself as “a little reckless. I break a lot of rules. I’m very comfortable letting go of the reins if there

School-to-Prison Pipeline

February 13, 2013 Debora Gordon

By Debora Gordon Every time a student does poorly in school, or drops out, there is likely a great increase in the chances he will wind up in prison. I recall in my discussion with