Meet Your Neighbor - Kate Livson

Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Kate Livson and I teach here at San Leandro High School. I teach a class call Forensic Biology. This is my tenth year, it is an incredible class. I teach students how to solve crimes using science. It's exciting, it's a great way to learn life science, to learn Biology. You can see around the room the children have made their own mug shots. There is Goergie the skeleton. We do a lot of labs, it's very hands on.

I am also the coordinator for the Season of Service period of peace program at the school this year, this is our 7th year. We celebrate season of Service between Martin Luther King's Birthday and Caesar Chavez birthday. During those 10 weeks groups, clubs and classes around the school get together to create some projects that has to do with non violence, peace and educating our community. Bringing non violence and peace to this school, this community .

This year more than 1000 students participated at San Leandro high School. We have now included both middle schools, John Muir and Bancroft and Jefferson Elementary. We have commitment from these students to learn about non violence, to learn about peace and to bring what they have leant out into their schools and communities.

Wednesday at 7pm San Leandro High School Performing Arts Center the students will perform and present all that they have done (FREE and open to the public)

What do you love about San Leandro?

This is my 10th year and I wouldn't teach at any other high School, I love this place, it's my home. The students are open and inquisitive, they are smart, competent. There is a certain spirit to San Leandro High School that I have never seen in any other school. These students are open to looking further, to questioning more, standing up and telling the truth.

I am the adviser to Club Rainbow (Gay straight alliance) and over the years I have has as many at 50 to 60 students in this classroom looking at changing the culture. We have alliance with the football team. My students have gone into classrooms to talk about gender and bullying. It's an incredible safe and welcoming place, and when it isn't these students always look deeper and wonder how can we educate this person. It's an honor to work here.

Your role with Season of Service, period of peace and with Rainbow seem to have some similarities, can be brought together in part?

In part. It was an opportunity to coordinate it (Season of service). I was able to teach, coordinate Season of Service and be the adviser for the Club Rainbow. As teacher we are often isolated in our own classrooms. We seen 150 students every day over 5 periods, it's like tides, students come in and they go out. There are days I don't speak to another adult all day long, but as coordinator I have got to know all the advisers and I get out a little more.

What have you learnt most from the experience?

Students learn best from each other, things are changing. It used to be that we could write about what we wanted the children to understand, or we would talk about it the way adults talk about things. The way I understand social justice issues, issues of community and of non violence. It's really different the way they process these very important issues. When I say to the club "Why don't we make a Flyer and explain to the students?", "no Ms Livson that's not how we teach this".

I have learnt so much about how to communicate.

It's a new generation with teenagers use of technology.

It's extraordinary, we are invited to use computers in our classrooms. Every teacher has access to computers for every student. It's a challenge because students are on their phone, their screen time is 24/7. It's hard for me,  an old woman, to give them more screen time, but what they have taught me is that they don't learn best with words, we don't want all this language. There are other ways of communicating.  Just look at the Club Rainbow season of service video 

Most of my curriculum is hands on but I recognize that there is another road in learning.

We are all about project based learning and getting students to learn skills and collaboration, working through problems, how to learn and what to learn. This is easy for me as my students solve crimes all day. Here is the evidence, here are the clues, use your science and determine (who did it).

As a district we are moving towards project based learning.

Final quote or words of wisdom?

Don't be afraid of this place (San Leandro High School).These students are extraordinary people, they are our future. This place is full of wonderful, smart, competent, intelligent people. I think people think about high school is hooligan, they have concerns. I would invite folks in San Leandro to come here and experience what we are doing. They should come and experience it on Wednesday.