Author: Maria Su, Director of San Francisco’s Department of Children, Youth and Their Families

We know from decades of research and experience that learning is a process, with each experience building on the last.

Research also tells us that there is truth to the old Chinese proverb, “Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.”

San Francisco educators have the unique opportunity to use the city’s rich arts, cultural, natural, social, and human resources as a living, hands-on classroom to involve youth in their learning.

This exchange between students and the city’s cultural opportunities can happen anywhere. Students can head downtown to participate in the Cartoon Art Museum‘s Comic Book Project, where they learn about the art and technical production of making comic books. Or one of the teaching artists from the Performing Artists Workshop can visit a classroom or afterschool program so students can learn drama skills or study music from around the globe.

Through these experiences, students are able to interact with professionals with talent and expertise in their discipline and can experience the arts and culture first-hand. In addition, most of the city’s cultural institutions and museums have free days to help reduce barriers to access. You can find the details about free days, hours of operations, location, and special events at San Francisco’s Official Family Resource Guide, SFKids.org.

San Francisco is also home to more than 40 neighborhoods, each with their own character that offer students an opportunity to learn more about local history, modern issues, and the diverse residents of this vibrant city. For example, educators and students can take a walking tour of Chinatown led by a teenager who has personal and family ties to the neighborhood through Chinatown Alleyway Tours, a nonprofit, youth-run program. What better way to bring to life the lessons of a social studies or history textbook?

There are many more examples of how our city can and does serve as a classroom for learning – from the outdoor laboratories of our city’s parks and beaches to our financial, technological, and health care industries that offer opportunities for students to apply their skills to real-world opportunities through internships and jobs.

We all have a role to play in exposing students to these cultural resources. Teachers can take students on field trips, youth programs can invite experts to work with youth on after-school projects, and families can tour and attend events at these institutions. San Francisco’s Department of Children, Youth & Their Families is proud to support organizations like the ones described above that use the city as a classroom for our youth.

- Maria Su, Director of San Francisco’s Department of Children, Youth & Their Families

Now it’s your turn. What ideas or opportunities can you provide to help make San Francisco an hands-on classroom for all students?