A Miserable Santa Ana School

Okay! Get out of my way. It's time to yell at the wall about Willard School and you're the wall.  I am acquainted with a fellow named Rob Richardson. He's a school board member and thought to be intelligent, aggressive, success oriented, and a "straight shooter". I've never asked him (I should) how can he stomach being part of this miserably ineffective school board without puking in his pudding.

Willard Intermediate School is, by far and away, the most awful example of public schools in Santa Ana, California. It's old now and it's problems didn't happen over night. They won't be solved overnight either. Willard's  The condition now was bad when I first got acquainted with it over 30 years ago.  Now it's worse. Willard is located in a quiet, downtown, residential neighborhood. It was a large middle school that many old-time Santa Ana folks remember fondly. Since that time Santa Ana has been taken over by a growing population of Hispanic families. The demographics of the area have changed quite a lot. The school was originally located in the middle of a typical working class neighborhood. There were people living there from many races and backgrounds. Sadly, the once proudly maintained homes and apartment buildings are now generally neglected and run down. The majority of families living in this part of Santa Ana are very poor, many living in poverty, most dependent on welfare, and speak only spanish in their homes. 

Willard's students are now largely of Hispanic origin. They probably have experienced home schooling, or have very little (or no) school education prior to entering Willard. 

The students were not the only problem.  Beginning the early 1990's there were signs that Willard School had been singled out to receive the new or less talented teachers from the school district. At the same time Willard School was also selected to be the dumping ground for poor or incompetent school administrators. Then state and national governments forced adoption of an increasing number of mandatory programs all intended, of course, to improve public schools. The result has proven awful. Most American public schools, including Willard, continued to decline.  

Education results went down Good teachers could not be persuaded to stay on board. Administrators got more and more frustrated. The schools generally went to the dogs. 

Today, many, including Willard, can't even be called a school. They are more like a daytime holding pen for: 

• 1.  A few good students, 
• 2.  A few not so good. 
• 3.  Many who have no wish to be there at all. 

This last group (3) usually includes: 

• Students with no parental encouragement. 
• No appropriate educational background.  
• No respect for parents, teachers, laws, rules, restrictions, and so forth. 
• A large percentage of them are uncontrollable, uncaring, and sometimes criminal thugs.

At schools like Willard most of the students can not qualify for the grade level they are in. Only a very rare student can survive and excel. Teachers are afraid to teach and afraid to discipline The campus has become a holding ground for delinquents, and the total environment is hostile and dangerous. 

There is no discipline, no consequences, and no support for authority.