So at our last SCOSUG meeting, Al Gordon mentioned that there was going to be a Ruby on Rails workshop in DC that he was thinking about attending. This workshop is called ‘Workshop For Good‘, and it’s being put together by a teacher at a DC highschool.

Naturally, a Ruby on Rails workshop piqued my curiosity. Since Al was going, he said I could tag along with him…so I signed up. Currently, I’m #1 on the waiting list, but (judging by the email conversation I had with the organizer), I’m in, thanks to Al giving him a bit of a nudge. Kudos to Al.

As you may have infered from the name, this workshop isn’t Just Another RoR Class. It’s actually a fundrasier for the Chavez Public Charter School. From the Workshop’s ‘Purpose’ page, it seems like Chavez has been doing a lot for the community.

Our typical student enters 9th grade reading on a 4th grade level. Without significant improvement there is no way that student can succeed in college. We have a rigorous literacy program that pushes ability to the maximum rate of improvement. Last year our students showed more improvement in reading ability than any other school in DC.

Sadly, Chavez isn’t as much of a financial success as Yale has been (you know, Chavez can’t afford to buy Washington D.C. </yale-burn>).

Things that most people take for granted are missing in DC public schools. It’s a luxury for a class to have textbooks – you can practically forget about students having their own copy. Technology is largely outdated and worn down.

Hence, the fundrasier. It’s been a $400 registration fee. All five of the student slots had been filled by the time I registered (bloody college students, always whining about their student debts…it’s all beer money to them!). Because it’s charity, and for people who seem to know what they’re doing, I don’t mind the extra $200.

So I guess OwlManAtt will be doing DC in a few weeks. The trip is still sort of being planned. Cya down south!