When the founders of Pacific Oaks Children’s School bought the land that would become the school grounds, the property was under a covenant that forbade people of color from living on it or even staying there overnight. The founders entered into a contract with the intention of violating it. Engaging in civil disobedience means breaking unjust laws. That first act to support equality showed who we are as a college, and we affirm that intention each day. It combines who we are, why we are here, and what we have become.
Just as founders of the Pacific Oaks Children’s School stood against a racist status quo, today we are committed to advancing our anti-bias education, which was developed by Louise Derman-Sparks. Anti-bias education is not unbiased education. Anti-bias education is active, not passive. It intentionally calls out biases. It prompts students to be advocates.
This issue of Voices takes a look back at the early days of the children’s school, including a new section called “Our Legacy,” which remembers our founding families. This is a reminder, at a time when many of our educational traditions are under attack, that there will always be those who fear change and seek to prevent it. The cover story, “Panic: A True American Pastime,” traces the current attacks on transgender youth back to other moments in the country’s past when public figures sought to exploit fear of a changing society to advance their own agendas.
“How to Create a Teacher Shortage … and How to Solve One” examines the stresses teachers endure each day and outlines how we can support the next generation of educators. “On the Shoulders of Giants” is a retrospective look at the college’s rich history of early childhood education and the development of an emergent curriculum that illustrates the notion that change can take generations. There is also a profile of our Center for Community and Social Impact and the vital role the staff played in feeding, supporting, and advocating for the children and families of the Pasadena Unified School District during the pandemic.
I was inspired to come to Pacific Oaks because it is not an organization that pay slip service. We teach action and have from the beginning. An important part of my mission is to make sure that our values and educational traditions continue. As president, I meet with each job candidate before we make an offer of employment, whether they are a vice president or a member of our support staff. I explain to them our core values and what Pacific Oaks is all about. I relate to them our history. And I always end our conversation by explaining that I want them to understand our core values because I want them to act on them. I want them to be intentional in their advocacy.
This is the Pacific Oaks tradition, and this is our future.
Dr. Jack Paduntin
President
Pacific Oaks College & Children’s School
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