I love Monroe Elementary School because my kids learned how to tell jokes in Spanish and can make fun of me behind my back.

I love it that whenever I cross the Monroe playground to help in my son’s classroom I see a teacher like Lisa Greenhill laughing and playing PE games with her kids, and it is clear to everyone she is having a great time.

I love Monroe Elementary School because Elvia Diaz’s photo honoring her as a parent volunteer hangs in the front hallway, and she is just one of many parent volunteers week in and week out working hard for all our kids.

I love Monroe Elementary School because when I receive emails from Tanya de la Jara about how my son is doing, I can see that she was up at her computer at 4:30am thinking about my kid and others and I really do feel as if I am not alone.

I love it that our principal, Jen Steiner, leads by example, challenging us to work as hard as she does to reach goals that benefit all Monroe kids. Jen mixes loving good humor with straight forward honesty about what still remains be to accomplished: I love it that she never backs down!

I love Monroe Elementary School because when I pick up my son from the after school program there are always numerous teachers still working even though it is dark and cold out.

I love Monroe Elementary School because it is filled with artwork and music and many languages and feels like the best part of the world has converged in our little corner proving that peace, harmony and respect are not just lofty principles, but tangible realities.

I love Monroe Elementary School because community members actively appreciate each other everyday.

I love the front office staff at Monroe (Midie, Lorena, and any other folks who happen to be using the xerox machine) who always treat parents w/ respect and kindness.

I I love Monroe Elementary School because teachers like Mark Rosenberg, Cristina Moreno, Annie Agvanian, Tracy Miller, and many others truly love their students and their jobs, and it feels like a group effort.

I love the way Monroe Elementary School parents have taken an equal role in raising money to support the school programs and have been influential in making sure we have arts, and a garden, and PE.

I love the way Winnie, our librarian, and teachers like Sara Dunn wirite grants and proposals to Donor’s Choose to get resources for the school.

I love that even with the looming budget cuts and the not-so-funny humor at once again being told to do more with less, the teachers and staff at Monroe are more determined than ever to provide our kids with the best education possible.

If the fate of the world rests in the hands of our children, then we are lucky they are shaped by the teachers and staff at Monroe: good-humored, hard-working, stubborn idealists who hold all of us to a higher standard.

They honor us and our children everyday by their presence, and if I could snap my fingers so that those who deserve it were the most well-rewarded, we wouldn’t be facing this budget crisis. But in the days and months ahead, I promise to do my best to ensure that it doesn’t get worse, and that someday California will again lead the country in support for education. And I thank all of the teachers and folks who work for our kids in daunting situations. We owe you everything.