Miss Susy's Classes: Kid Paradise

Originally from Ohio, Susy Porter, like so many transplants, moved to Los Angeles  to pursue a career in entertainment.  But while making ends meet as a party entertainer, she met a clown (really!), married him and ended up raising her family–son Luke is 9, daughter Grace, 6–in Culver City.

Filling up six “Sing, Dance and Play” classes a week for almost a decade since then, she's now in the enviable position of having gotten to know hundreds of Culver City families  and watch them grow up, including mine.

It was in 2004 that the Culver City Living Catalog first introduced my to Susy’s classes at the Veterans Memorial Building.  It was my first regular opportunity for “me” time, and then-baby Trinity’s first experience in a classroom.  

One of Susy’s many strengths as a teacher is that she relates to each child exactly as he or she is, and accommodates the quirks and gifts of each.  Always an observant child, Trinity preferred sitting on the sidelines versus mixing it up with the other kids. Five years later, baby Ashton took a different approach.  A man of action, his biggest challenge was putting the instruments back in their baskets when class was over. He just wanted to keep playing.  Despite their different learning and participation styles, however,  Susy made it easy for both of them to enjoy the classes on their own terms.

It’s not only the kids who have a good time, though. There's plenty for the adults to enjoy as well. The jokes and humorous asides can fly fast and furious in between songs and activities, and Susy’s ability to bring her unique—and occasionally naughty—sense of  humor and fun to class is another one of her gifts.

Like other Culver City instructors, however, she’s had to adjust to Culver City’s transition from the paper Culver City Living catalog  to the new online  system. But given the software problems that have plagued the website, and limited community awareness of the new system, the adjustment hasn’t been seamless and registration has been down.

Still, Susy is optimistic that the incoming Director of  will soon be making it even more convenient for Culver City residents to register for her classes, as well as the many others that make up Culver City’s family-friendly offerings.

So if you’ve got a baby, a toddler, or even a pre-schooler, and you haven’t met Susy or taken one of her classes, there’s still time to register for the spring semester.  If the website doesn't work, you can always go down to Vet's Park and sign up the old fashioned way: live and in person.