A classroom credo

"One Day at a Time" was the song that eight adult students sang Wednesday night. It's also the credo of their classroom.

They performed in the Burbank Adult School auditorium in front of more than 100 friends and family of fellow students.

It was the middle of Adult Education Week in the district and the end of the school's multicultural appreciation day, in which students performed songs and dances that reflected their cultures.

Most who sang, like Osmin Zelada, 30, of North Hollywood, are learning English as their second language and taking extra classes at the school on the side.

"I want to learn English," said Zelada, whose first language is Spanish. "I want to write and speak English. If I do that, I can say to anybody what I want or what I don't want, or what I like or don't like. It's hard, but I have to do it."

The week included a trip to the state capital on Monday to present three Assembly bills on adult education. The bills would increase funding and make more money available to students who take classes through the Internet and other correspondence.

The state also awarded the Burbank Unified School District with $263,700 on Tuesday for adult education through the Workforce Investment Act Title II Adult Education and Family Literacy Act grant.

English as a second language and literacy classes and civic and citizenship education programs throughout the state were awarded funds.

The money awarded to the adult school has already been worked into the school's budget for fiscal year July 1, 2006, to June 30 of this year, Principal Cherise Moore said.

"We want to use it on things that can go right back to benefiting our students," Moore said.

The majority of funds will be used to upgrade technology and modernize their computer labs but may also be used for textbooks, supplies, teacher salaries, instructional costs, maintenance, child care and transportation for students.

Adult Education Week ends tonight with a fashion show fundraiser at the Burbank Adult School. Proceeds will go to the Parent Education program, which supports the children of parents attending class at the school.

But Wednesday night's performances, a mix of English and Spanish songs, were a chance for students to build confidence in the use of their learned skills, teacher Susan Corella said.

They are students like Olga Miranda, 45, of Burbank. She gets up every day at 2:30 a.m. for work at 4 a.m. at her local grocery store.

Miranda takes English classes four nights a week after work.

"Sometimes I'm tired," she said.

"But, you know, I have to come. I have to do this."