TEA & TASTY TALK WITH ROBERTA WEINTRAUB (MY MOTHER-IN-LAW)

- Liane Weintraub, Editor-in-Chief

I have a pretty amazing mother-in-law. Roberta Weintraub is a remarkable woman who's accomplished some tremendous things in her life and career. We used to have time to talk about these things, and she'd give me advice & guidance. Sadly, those conversations are in short supply lately, as we get so little "down time" to chat. Not that I rarely see her ... in fact, Roberta & her wonderful husband, Ira, are at our home at least once a week, but those are some pretty wild & crazy times, with the kids running around like houligans (especially once Ira gets them fired up!!)

So, for this month's edition of Tastybaby.com, I decided to do something many journalists have done, but which I (a former reporter!) never had the pleasure of tackling ... interviewing my mother-in-law!

A former LA Unified School District Board Member, Roberta is still a very pro-active, high-profile force in education. She founded two major educational programs in Los Angeles, HighTechHigh-LA, a completely hi-tech magnet high school & the LA Junior Los Police Academies, public magnet schools with focussed on civil service. Both are thriving.
Roberta does not appear to have any plans to slow down & I
wanted to know why ... and how she does it!

(Liane)
In all the madness, we never seem to be able to just have a cup of tea & talk to each other. I'm glad we finally have that chance!
You did so much for the students of Los Angeles. Why don’t you retire & rest on your laurels?

(Roberta)
I guess that is just not "me." I cannot abandon programs I have
started. There is always so much more that can be done. The students of Los Angeles deserve not just mine, but everyone’s full attention.

(Liane)
when did you start down this road of educational creativity?

(Roberta)

I suspect I stepped on the path when I was a board member of LAUSD (from 1979 to 1993) and I was concerned about & consumed by the fact that many LAUSD students were aimless, goalless & clueless about their places in the community.

(Liane)
And you felt then that this was a problem that one person - you - could do something about?

(Roberta)
It takes a lot of people, true, but it only takes one person to have an idea & get it started. It became obvious to me that without public sector workers, the community infrastructure would soon collapse.  We had the kids. We had the community.  Why not put them together for the benefit of both? An
idea jelled & I went to the Mayor, the Chief of Police, the Superintendent of LAUSD, 20th Century Insurance (now 21st Century now) & anyone else who would listen. My idea was to start a magnet school for students interested in exploring law enforcement as a career. I was
pushy, persistent , persuasive & passionate.

(Liane)
And how did they all react?

(Roberta)
Luckily, they came on board enthusiastically!  With the backing of all parties involved, the Police Academy Magnet School was started. The
year was 1996 when our first class of 9th graders became Police Academy Magnet Cadets. Then the Law of Unintended Consequences kicked in … in a good way.
Students were mentored by police officers, specifically assigned to the
program by the Chief of Police. Students learned the importance of
discipline, the importance of commitment, the importance of community service, the importance of knowledge & the importance of good
nutrition & physical fitness.  They were required to do community
service, which is essentially helping others while they helped themselves.

(Liane)
You mention physical fitness & nutrition. My ears pop up when you
say that. What does that have to do with a law enforcement program?

(Roberta)
Our cadets, as most today’s teens, were not in great physical shape. Their eating habits were atrocious & their concentration level was poor. Many were overweight. When the cadets tackled the obstacle course and the weight room for the first time, there were a lot of youngsters who had second thoughts about being in the program.

(Liane)
How did you overcome that problem?

(Roberta)
The competition factor kicked in. “If my buddy can do the obstacle
course in five minutes, I can do it in four.” Belore we knew it, cadets, whose grades in middle school were mediocre, watched their GPAs rise as they took seriously the idea of being fit. 

Students were given nutritional guidance, motivation (running with SRLA in the L.A. Marathon) & incredible encouragement. One youngster lost over 50 lbs. (under supervision). He, like others, became more alert, more
focused & more self-motivated. They felt good about themselves, chewed up the obstacle course & set records in the weight room.
What happened was astonishing. From the initial class of 9th grade students (at three school sites),
the program has grown to include five high schools and one middle
school with over 1,000 students participating. Over 98% of the students opt for post high school education. The dropout rate is nil. The amount of students who see themselves in law enforcement or law related fields ws high, but even those who do not choose law enforcement as a career are becoming exemplary members of society ... productive, caring,
committed & healthy.

(Liane)
That is amazing. I imagine the program will keep growing?

(Roberta)
The program may grow but the quality will not falter. There are so many factors that have made this program work. The commitment of LAPD is huge. The officers assigned to each magnet have an incredibly positive influence on cadet development.  Planned joint activities give students a chance to learn leadership skills & apply them within the structure of the Police Academy Program. Their horizons
are expanded when they participate in the Student Run LA program (which
I also founded), a program that prepares them, over the course of a year, to complete the L.A. Marathon. Our association with Devil Pups (USMC) gives cadets a summer camp  experience that will influence their behavior over a lifetime. This year, I can proudly boast that we have an LAPD  Explorer Post on each site. The EXPLORER program further educates & motivates our cadets through an intensive 95-hour after-school program.
I am so proud of this program & proud of the coordinators, officers,
teachers & staff who are so dedicated to making it work.
The initial idea came to me because I was aware of our community &
its needs. I realize, the idea alone doesn’t mean anything. Acting on
that idea is the important thing. Not being deterred by bumps in the
road to fruition is difficult & sometimes it is tempting to just
“fuggettaboutit”.
Fortunately, that is not my mantra.

(Liane)
You are such an inspiration! I can’t wait to talk to you next about your other pet project, HighTechHigh-LA.  That will wait for another cup of
tea ... maybe next time, with a crumpet!