I have so much to say from the conferences I attended that it will most likely take multiple posts. AERA is a big conference for those of us who do anything that has to do with education research. The American Education Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting is huge. In fact, this year I decided that … Continue reading »
A lot of hullabaloo has been sparked regarding Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s anger-rousing presentation at the American Education Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting last week in San Francisco. Jennifer Jennings publicly apologized to him via her blog in Education Week here. Others have mocked her apology such as here. Diane Ravitch questioned the meaning … Continue reading »
I just wrote about two majorly wonderful events that I initiated in our House 4 of the New Community College. Here I wrote about World Book Night, and here I wrote about an author visit by Jean Kwok who wrote our Composition I book Girl in Translation. What I didn’t write about is how damn … Continue reading »
This is one of those stories that proves when you give love you get it back. That amazing things can happen from the smallest transactions. That teaching can blow your mind apart. I am still awash in shock, awe, and happiness that it all transpired. I posted months ago about a young man reading our … Continue reading »
I haven’t posted in a while, and while I have felt intensely guilty about my lack of posting it’s only because so many amazing things have been happening at work that I have been too too busy to put them into words. Now I will try to catch up. Last week, on April 23rd (Shakespeare’s … Continue reading »
I have been cleaning out email all day. So much email! Amid the mess I found a request from a dear student whom I taught almost 3 years ago. She is now at a different CUNY community college (BMCC) and applying for a scholarship. She wrote to me because she needed a letter of recommendation. … Continue reading »
Wednesday was our first day back from Spring Break, and, as you might imagine, the students were lackluster in their enthusiasm at best (Minus one student, Steven, who admitted that he was bored at home and wanted to come back; I love it when students admit that!). With this in mind, I made sure we … Continue reading »
A not-so-curious thing is happening in education. Early Childhood Education is very hot right now. President Barack Obama even mentioned it in his inauguration address. Every talking head in the world of education is blah blah blah-ing about how an early start to reading, writing, math, and school habits is what determines future academic success … Continue reading »
The Teacher’s Tale Here begins the teacher’s tale: Once upon a time, in Bushwick, Brooklyn, There lived a sixth grader, the embodiment of sin And a first year teacher, who, innocent as a daisy, Had a confrontation with this child that about drove her crazy. First let me forewarn you that this tale is quite … Continue reading »
April is National Poetry Month! I wrote this after my first year teaching. I had my students each write a tale from a modern person modeled on The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. I was 28 years old, I had taught one year of 8th grade and was teaching high school for the first time, … Continue reading »
