5:00 pm, Sunday, April 19, 2009 — Free Admission
Café Flores, 6606 Lawndale Street, Houston 77023

Teachers are on the front lines, combating this nation’s greatest challenges. With very little financial, legislative, or social support, teachers in Houston—one of the most multi-ethnic cities in the nation—daily grapple with social inequity, gifted youth, cultural conflict, united voices, financial shortfalls, generous colleagues, crime, and acts of kindness, and all the complexities inherent in the educational crisis we face. At East End Live Art: Teachers Speak Out, come listen to work by teachers from Lee High School, including Keisha Breaker, Chuck Fattore, Shilpa Sarang and Emily Sketch, who participate in VBB teacher workshops which blend creative writing with educational psychology and the study of trauma. Student perspectives on education, often overlooked or in-articulated, will be shared as part of an installation that portrays opinions about school and provides advice to teachers. Following the performance, there will be a question and answer session with teachers, performer-educator and VBB Co-Founder Marcela Descalzi, and Victoria Jones, MEd, MA, LPC-Supervisor (psychotherapist; also writer and former WITS Executive Director). As always, there will be an open mic. Bring your voices and come hear talk about the real issues. VBB Founding Director Sehba Sarwar will host the show.


Cosponsored by Rice University’s Center for Education, KPFT Pacifica Radio 90.1 FM, Houston Institute for Culture, Houston Area Association for Bilingual Educators, and Café Flores.