The community of Oakhurst

(left) The view on my morning commute.
Have you ever been to Oakhurst? Or, perhaps a better question would be, have you ever driven through Oakhurst? Millions of people have, and do, every day, on their way to America's favorite National Park; Yosemite. People from all over the world drive through Oakhurst every year, but if you were to ask them what they saw there, the answer would probably be, "We stopped at McDonalds for dinner," or "We went to the Raley's to stock up on supplies." For me, and the majority of other non-Oakhurstians, this town has been nothing more than a long strip of fast food joints and gas stations on Hwy. 41, the main artery from southern California to Yosemite.

In the past two months my perspective has changed dramatically. Rather than driving through, I have driven into the heart of Oakhurst every day and interacted with the residents as a teacher at the only elementary school in town. I realize that a pillar of conducting action research is understanding the context in which you are teaching, so I am devoting this post to documenting the community of Oakhurst.

When my principal was recruiting me, she told me, "We may look a little shabby on the outside, but we are fabulous on the inside." I would heartily agree with this statement. Below are pictures of the front of our campus and my lovely classroom.
As you can see, our campus is very old and falling apart. They have been working on a plan to rebuild for several years now, so no improvements are being made to the school. This is similar to town of Oakhurst (which is not technically a town.) It looks like one long strip mall. BUT, on the inside I have found a wealth of culture, diversity, and a caring community.

The major employers are Yosemite and Chuckchansi (the local casino.) Additionally, I have many blue collar families, employed as tatoo artists, car detailers, laudramat operators etc... Sports are a unifying force in community; from youth soccer to high school football, it seems that everyone participates in some way. There is also a thriving artist community, with may small studios and a local bookstore that sponsors poetry readings. As I have gotten to know people, I find that everyone stops to talk to one another. Even in the massive Raley's, I find that I always know someone to say hello to.

This sense of community amonst the residents transfers to the school. The teachers regularily get together after work and on weekends for hikes and excursions. The families all know one another, and all help out. There seems to always be a festival, car wash, bake sale, or other community event going on at the local park. AND I have discovered a biking and walking trail that connects our school to the local library, park, high school and natural creek.

All of this information will inform, and in some ways direct, my instruction. Inside my classroom I use music (see guitar below) and group projects (like my group magazine posters) to create the same sense of community. This is critical to my action research project because I want all students to feel comfortable to take risks in my classroom. The blue papers on my bulletin board below are notes that students have written me about how they are feeling in the classroom. I will also use those to continue to create a community of positive human relations and social justice.