Commissioner King & Special Interests
Last month, NY State Education Commissioner John King launched a series of town hall meetings with parents in an effort to educate school communities about the Common Core Standards. The recent forum in Poughkeepsie, available on YouTube, has been viewed 51,309 times. The 25-minute video illustrates the 12 years of…
Seven Things I Do Not Understand About The NYC Department Of Education
Learning in Trailers How can it be acceptable for children, teens or any human being to learn or spend hours in a leaky, moldy trailer/portable classroom that has outlasted its due date? Check in with your gut — on any level. Emotional: what does it feel like for a student…
Memorial To Labor Day — One Journey Ends Another Begins
Right before Memorial Day, someone dared me to compose a weekly blog for the summer. I took the dare and did my best with help from my amazing assistant, Kelsey. This is the last blog of summer. I will now return to monthly blogging and begin video blogging – vlogging…
Last week, I was on the phone with Christine Rowland, an ESL teacher and professional developer at the UFT Teacher Center at Christopher Columbus High School. The conversation drew to a close. We hung up. It was then I realized I was in pain. Her news took time to sink…
When I was four years old, my father moved us from Queens to upstate New York. He was a native New Yorker, ready for a gentler lifestyle; I was four and along for the ride. I never experienced New York City unless I was visiting, which I didn’t realize until adulthood…
What do you see when you close your eyes? Where do you go? You may be comfortably aware as your mind traverses the depths, immersed in radiant thought, picturing grandiose visions atop a vast, blank canvas of fanciful imagery. Imagination reigns as you explore boundless possibilities. For a brief moment,…
Most people who know me well are aware that writing does not come easily to me; public speaking does. One reason I’m not a natural-born blogger? Questions. When it comes down to it, most of the content in my head seems to formulate itself into a question. But let’s face…
In response to the New York Times editorial (July 6, 2013: A New Education Mayor), * I wrote the following comment: “In order to accomplish all he has, the Mayor has stolen from one population to give to another. If that’s okay with everyone, well, then that’s okay. It’s not okay…
Memorial To Labor Day – Guest Blogger/Speaker Klaudio Rroku
Memorial To Labor Day – Klaudio’s Speech On June 25th at Lehman College, Klaudio Rroku gave this Salutatory Address to the 2013 graduating class of Christopher Columbus High School in the Bronx. Good Afternoon Ladies and Gentleman! I feel honored to stand in front of this incredible graduating class. Thank…
“…I would prefer to fund things that are working not things that are not working.” “Our grant-making seeks to provide the most marginalized people with the education necessary to succeed in the workforce and contribute as citizens in diverse societies.” I read and listen to rejections like these – usually during a…