Back to School Night

So last night was my turn to go a day in my daughter's life as a freshman in high school. The evening began in the auditorium of Oakland Tech - which is one of the best schools in Oakland to attend. Just a few notable famous people have graduated from here:

John Brodie ‘52: All-American QB at Stanford, All-Pro for San Francisco 49ers.
Gabriel Carroll ‘01: International Math Olympian, Harvard University Grad.
Ron Dellums ‘53 : Mayor of Oakland, former Member U.S. House of Representatives
Rockmond Dunbar: Actor
Clint Eastwood ‘49: Academy Award winning actor, producer and director.
Curt Flood: All-Star outfielder for St. Louis Cardinals.
Len Gabrielson: Former Major League baseball player w/Dodgers, Giants, Cubs
Alexis Gray-Lawson: Cal basketball, 2005-06 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year
Devanei Hampton: Cal basketball, 2006-07 Pac-10 Player of the Year.
Rickey Henderson: All-time Major League Baseball leader, stolen bases & runs.
Ted Lange: actor, ‘The Love Boat’
Cookie Lavagetto: Former Major League Baseball player and manager.
Terrell Lowery: Former Major League Baseball player, Cubs, Devil Rays, Giants.
Marshawn Lynch: 2007 1st round draft pick of Buffalo Bills, Cal running back.
Tony Martin: American actor and traditional pop singer.
Rod McKuen: best-selling American poet
Abbas Milani: Iranian-American historian, Iranologist, Professor and author.
Harold ‘Brick’ Muller: 3-Sport Cal All-American, 1920 Olympian
Huey P. Newton: Co-founder and leader of the Black Panther Party.
Wolfe Perry: Stanford Basketball 1976-79, actor in The White Shadow TV series.
The Pointer Sisters: Grammy Award-winning R&B group and recording act.
Leon Powe: Boston Celtics, Cal basketball 2003-04 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year.
Quentin Thomas: University of North Carolina Basketball.


I feel priveleged to be able to send my daughter to such an enriched school - away from hoodratted, ghettofied, nignant chillens up the street from my home. So as our day begins with announcements and welcome addresses from the staff.. then we're off to the races.. 15 minutes per class for all 6 periods. Now I remember high school, but if I tell you her school is HUGE! I have a renewed respect for her.. and not only the fact she found all 6 classes on the first day, because after walking (half jogging) around that entire school from class to class I was out of breath and ready to pass out!! I would have quit the first day and called it a wrap.. it's a maze in that place!



The teachers were really attentive and knew my daughter by sight.. they all had wonderful things to say about her.. even one teacher offered her extra credit for the fact that her parents showed up that night and another let her take her test over again for a higher grade. But you know I can't end this story with no drama.. that wouldn't be fair would it? Yeah you know it's always one in the bunch to just make you shake your dayum head... this one was her Spanish teacher. Now as I walk into the class and seat myself to her speech already in progress (told you the school is maze.. we got lost) I noticed that this wasn't a woman of hispanic descent.. hmm okay no harm no foul there especially if you know what you're doing.. so as I sit down, my daughter leans over to tell me something in my ear.. if I tell you that ghettofied teacher glared at me and her as if she was gonna whip out her belt on ME? Whoa.. holllle up! This lady don't know me like that!! Then she tried to play it off and told me that she was "smiling" at my daughter instead... now my instincts tell me "Tell that heffa she got a mama.. how bout you let me do my thing and you do what you do.. I GOT this!!" But my better judgement told me to just smile a fake smile and ignore this woman who's been obviously teaching so long she thinks I'm her student..




Other than that.. I had a wonderful time with the teachers, parents and students of Oakland Tech.