Teacher Forum to Open the Classroom to the Community

The Bridge Project and the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation will host an evening of presentations by local teachers tonight. The first-of-its-kind Teachers Talk is billed as an opportunity for lifelong learners and community members to hear educators discuss their passions.

It is also a unique form of community building.

"I'm always looking for ways to make the bond between community and schools stronger," said event organizer and educator Helen Codron, who has lived in  Manhattan Beach for 14 years. "The more people are invested in schools the more they will be willing to support the schools."

Mira Costa High School social studies teacher Andy Caine will talk about  "Perpetrators, Resisters and Survivors: The Psychological and Moral Issues of the Holocaust." James Locke, a science teacher at Manhattan Beach Middle School, will discuss "The Scientific Method." Robinson Elementary School teachers Darri Stephens and Elizabeth Herbert will examine "The Teacher-Parent Partnership: Igniting That Spark in Every Student."

Locke says that Teachers Talk is a great opportunity to share his expertise with community members. "I hope they come away with the understanding that whether they thought of themselves as a scientific person or not, they need science literacy. Science is a living and breathing and changing body of knowledge, and it needs to be part of our lives," he said.

Locke considered all age levels when he chose his presentation topic. He hopes that exploring how science relates to his own life will engage adult attendees as it does his students.

Andy Caine, an attorney for 20 years before becoming a social studies teacher, was the first educator to sign on to Teachers Talk. "I thought this was such a great idea that I told Helen [Codron] if I hadn't stopped being a lawyer I would be in the audience for this."

In his discussion, Caine will address many questions surrounding the Holocaust, such as why the German people went along with the atrocities and how the prisoners coped. He'll also look at how recent occurrences across the globe may tie in.

"Giving parents an opportunity to do things with the school and have more contact with the school is a great idea," Caine said.

Codron said the main purpose of the event is to showcase the teachers because community members rarely get to see what happens in the classroom.

"What goes on between teachers and students is the foundation of education," she said. "People don't get to see that magic happen, and this is an opportunity to share that incredible experience and learn from these talented educators."

The response to the event's announcement has been positive, Codron said. She expects that the majority of tonight's attendees will be parents from Manhattan Beach but she hopes to eventually expand the series to the entire South Bay community.

All three presentations begin at 7 p.m. at Mira Costa High School, and guests are asked to meet at the flagpole near the administration building on Artesia Boulevard at 6:45 p.m. From there, they will be escorted to their specific sessions.

Caine will be speaking in the library,  Locke in the college and career center and Herbert and Stephens in the guidance office conference room.

The event is free to the public. To RSVP, e-mail Helen Codron at hcodron@gmail.com.