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The Not-So-Golden Age: A Teacher’s Diary

Was there ever a “Golden Age” in California’s schools? In some ways, schools were notably better thirty years ago. But there were troubles then, too, as seen in these excerpts from a diary kept in 1969 by Richard Arthur, then a history teacher at Jefferson High in South Central Los Angeles.

1968

Sept. 20--A shooting occurred just before lunch.

Sept. 23--Students and outside loiterers walked the halls all day.

Sept. 24--During a heat wave, I was unable to shut off a heater in the bungalow.

Sept. 26--Suspension of student leads to possible walkout in his honor.

Sept. 30--Chalk, erasers and maps missing from rooms. Many non-students dropped into classes.

Later in the semester:

Nov. 19--The Flag was burned and stomped. The Flag and curtains in the auditorium were burned. At least five trash can fires. People roamed the halls all day. A teacher was jumped on and hit by some students.

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Nov. 20--Several trash can fires. Two more false [fire] alarms. A woman teacher was accosted.

Nov. 21--A potentially small riot developed because of a couple of girls fighting near the front door.

Nov. 22--More trash can fires. Halls full of loiterers every period.

Nov. 26--Another false fire alarm. Halls crowded all day. A girl passed out in the restroom.

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1969

As the semester drew to a close:

Jan. 24--Boys smoking cigarettes and pot in the boys’ room while gambling. Someone demolished the same boys’ room before the end of school.

Jan. 27--Someone demolished the student store again. The windows were broken in the halls.

Jan. 28--The halls were full all day. The rooms were filthy. There was shooting near the auditorium--a boy was wounded [just off campus]. It began after an argument over gambling.

Feb. 17--Two of my rooms were flooded with water . . . The electric shop was demolished and painted black; another room was put out of use by a fire.

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Feb. 18--A boy died after passing out in the gym. The State Testing Results were announced . . . The B-10s [one group of sophomores] were at the 11th percentile, nationwide, in reading; the A-10s [another group of sophomores] were at the 9th perentile. It was estimated that we are losing 60% of our students.

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