From the monthly archives:

August 2009

Industry Rule #4082: Rule #4080 Applies to Education, Too

by Jose on August 31, 2009 · 4 comments

in life

I wonder how inactive and paralyzing it is to the school system when, superficially, we exude some form of pleasantry and quietness that many may mistake for some sort of sterility, at least on the part of the relationships within the building. For those who’ve had any experience within a school, I’m here to quasi-report that not only is there far too much gossip in schools, but that even what some consider honesty is just another form of sullying someone, and that’s far from cool. Too many adults in our school system act like children when it comes to this, in an environment where we often discourage the gossip. It’s one thing if you’re just openly reflecting on an incident and it’s not a private issue, or if you’re talking about an situation in terms of the idea and not the person, and quite another to straight up pass untruths or fabrications, knowing you may not say it to the person’s face if confronted by what you’ve heard.

Personally, I’ve come across it. I barely stepped into my “lateral move” without saying so much as a word and the gossip and disdain overflooded. I’m not going to let any of it affect my positive attitude nor will I let it discourage me from doing what’s best for my particular students. I’d prefer to be focused on helping the students instead of acting too much like them.

Jose, who credits A Tribe Called Quest for the re-interpolation of my blog title …

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Short Notes: The Imperfect Death

by Jose on August 30, 2009 · 2 comments

in life

Sen. Edward "Ted" Kennedy

Sen. Edward "Ted" Kennedy

A few notes:

And finally, a word on Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy:

I confess: I’m too young to have remembered the assassinations of JFK and RFK. I’m also too young to remember Mary Jo Kopechne and the Chappaquiddick incident, and the early 90s when people profiled him as a drunken playboy. I also can’t remember anything about his or any of his family members’ personal tragedies. I learned most of what I know from my own informal research. I didn’t realize anything about the 300 or so he and his team helped enact during his tenure as senator and didn’t understand where this “Lion of the Senate” stuff came from.

But on Saturday morning, there I was, watching with most of America, the mass for Edward Kennedy. I usually don’t watch these memorials since I’m not inclined to do what everyone else does, but something told me I should. So much of the Kennedy legacy lays in this weird synchronism between majesty and mystery, of calamity and triumph, and moving time along as well as changing the times, too. Edward himself represented that wholly for 1/2 a century, and for that alone we need to thank him. (Just think: he went for Obama at a time when no one thought he had a chance in hell.)

He lived this duality that became a barometer for how the country’s ideals lie. He was privilege and humility, politics and servitude, tribulations and effectiveness. While it’s hard to forgive him for his role in the death of Mary Jo, how can I ignore his positions on health care and immigration? I’m always drawn to figures that induce argument and division, if only because all of us are far from perfect, but in our imperfections, we can find a means to do some sort of good. And unlike the rest of his departed siblings, he’s the only brother in the Kennedy generation to die of natural causes. Befitting for a life like his. May he rest in peace.

Jose, who’s beginning the journey all over again tomorrow …

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Does Social Media Mean Social Justice?

by Jose on August 27, 2009 · 4 comments

in life

puzzlemirrorplanet

The World as a Puzzle

In the 1950’s, as civil rights groups of interest (i.e. dissident and radical groups) began to truly penetrate the mainstream thought of America, the FBI developed a program with a series of protocols for disruption and misinformation called COINTELPRO (an acronym for COunter INtelligence PROgram). By most reports, not only did they intend on gathering as much information about these dissident groups and individuals as possible, but they also sought to produce misinformation within the groups to create malcontent and chaos within even the most structurally sound organizations.

While J. Edgar Hoover’s dream child no longer exists under that name, I have a couple of quandaries I think about all too often. As someone who has run the gamut as far as social networks are concerned, I have to wonder how much of my information I’ve freely given to agencies whose primary function is to silence my voice. On the other end, I also wonder how much of the networking I’ve done online has helped me mobilize and proactively find like-minded individuals across the nation and the world.

On the one end, most social media users I know don’t give away information that we don’t already know through simple conversation with them or through their friends. They’ll post pictures of themselves, their friends, and the events they’ve been a part of. They’ll discuss their thoughts on a certain issue, and usually not too in-depth. They may even post their personal troubles, but again, nothing out of the ordinary in the grand scheme of things. Thus, this information becomes almost redundant for those looking to find information on anyone they’re interested in. On the other end, with the advent of these social networks, it becomes more enticing to reveal more about yourself to distinguish yourself from other profiles in the interest of “standing out” or becoming “most popular.” It’s a temptation a few of us fight, especially if we don’t have people who market for us. Promoting oneself has its positives, but how deep do we take that?

Even deeper is that social media can also be a mechanism for misinformation and eventual separation. For instance, today on Twitter, I laughed when someone wrote “Huffington Post has 18 white men as their featured bloggers,” and immediately called out the lack of diversity at Huffington Post. My questions cascaded as follows:

1) Why should Huffington Post care?

2) We have a few Black / Latino bloggers on Huffington Post and they get featured on the site every so often, so why does a day where they strictly feature whites surprise you? That’s stat quo.

3) If / when people of colors (and I do mean Asian and indigenous people as well in this conversation) have a viable alternative to Huffington Post, will we use it as a platform to converge or to outdo the next? The latter has become customary here on the Internet, if you ask me.

4) Do we somehow believe that the Digital Divide has seized to exist? That really doesn’t even come up on any social media platform I’ve seen. People are so concerned with having Barack Obama’s ears instead of giving “the people” in their communities a real voice.

In all of this, we should already see how social media in and of itself has very disparate consequences on the ideas of information. It can liberate and celebrate the ideas and voices of our generation and future generations to come and make these ideas more facile to build around. We can build whole curriculi and engage hundreds in a matter of minutes without leaving our seats. Some of the biggest campaigns of recent history came via the power of the interwebs. On the other end, if we don’t keep tabs on the sorts of information released out there, the consequences can become much more dire. Instead of a rumor about Lindsay Lohan’s plastic surgery or Chris Brown’s new chick, we’ll get a made-up report about a local activist or an nonfactual tweet about health care reform (is that happening already?).

So, does social media mean social justice? You tell me.

Jose, who just got 2 more projects to work on just now …

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We Fight, We Love (or Pedagogy of the Oppressed, in a Context)

by Jose on August 25, 2009 · 8 comments

in life

altoalaguerraDenise Oliver-Velez, who commented in my last blog about the Young Lords anniversary and reunion gathering, said something poignant that educators like myself should take heed to in their quest to educate underprivileged and underserved children in this country (of any color). The average age of a Young Lord in the Young Lord Party’s prime was about 17 years old, the youngest 12. While many of the people I’ve encountered who consider themselves activists came to this new consciousness around college, the people of that generation were already starting free breakfast programs, starting a liberation school, taking over hospitals, cleaning out (and subsequently burning) piles of garbage, all in the name of self-sufficiency and making sure the people of that neighborhood had their needs met. Come to think of it, most of the groups people in this country consider radical / revolutionary started with young people.

The lack of information about these historical groups in our present-day curriculi demonstrates how those who’ve written the history books care less about the empowerment of our students and more about keeping them docile and complacent. While some may dispute the merits of taking over a church or bringing AK-47s to guard your people (I’m not one of them), these young people at the time brought services to the people that our generation and beyond took for granted. They helping bring along those basic, socialist services, and they didn’t stop there. As they got older, they graduated into more far-reaching work, like the heads of unions, broadcasters, university professors, and politicians. In other words, these young people continue to be effective contributors to society as a whole.

In turn, as a teacher, I find it disingenuous that teachers really don’t believe in the potential of our youth. Those very kids who are so-called thugs and vagabonds are really intelligent, energetic young folk who need a chance at really making a difference in naming and transforming their worlds. While many of our students need that tough love, and a no-nonsense attitude, we must also prepare them to become active and responsible citizens for their own neighborhoods so they can become self-sufficient. Our test-ready notions of reading and arithmetic without any holistic child-building almost begs our future generations to become what our society calls delinquents and social lepers.

If we as teachers either work against building up students or stand to the side while it happens, we’re complicit in this. Paulo Freire, of The Pedagogy of the Oppressed fame, gives us a question to think about:

Who are better prepared than the oppressed to understand the terrible significance of an oppressive society? Who suffer the effects of oppression more than the oppressed? Who can better understand the necessity of liberation? They will not gain this liberation by chance but through the praxis of their quest for it, through their recognition of the necessity to fight for it. And this fight, because of the purpose given it by the oppressed, will actually constitute an act of love opposing the lovelessness which lies at the heart of the oppressors’ violence, lovelessness even when clothed in false generosity.

That’s really where I stand. While I think too many educators are far too touchy-feely-save-the-world-y, I also see that this as a labor of love, and an understanding that the very children I’m preparing for in a couple of weeks, that we constantly battle for, and the children who some of us literally give our hearts and minds for, NEED to be young lords of a kingdom solely under their sovereignty.

Jose, who thinks people confuse my ideals for idealism …

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On This Day We Become Revolutionary, Bigger Than We Ever Dreamed Of

by Jose on August 23, 2009 · 5 comments

in life

Young Lords Party Garb

Young Lords Party Garb

Today, I had the grand opportunity of going to the 40th anniversary of the Young Lords Party at the Hispanic Methodist Church on 111th and Lexington St. (NYC). Just coming within a block of the small church gave me goosebumps. The sheer number of people swaying back and forth, trying to wedge into the lines, rocking their nicest Sunday clothes or some simple rev gear (like yours truly) set a scene for the merriment inside. Once in, the walls held media from stations and outlets all across the city and nation, burgeoning revolutionaries, people who just wanted to know what the hype is about, and of course, the Young Lords themselves.

A big part of me wants to go into major detail about the lovely procession, the speeches and descriptions, the poems and the reflections, the prayers, and the sheer electricity and vibrancy of a people struggling to find a collective voice while they saw in those 30-40 people in front tell their tale of the history and legacy of revolution in this country. As each Young Lord came up, the crowd grew more inspired; from the very beginning, the cacophonous clapping became a united rhythmic applause while waiting for the guests of honor. Each moment where a person provided a poignant thought or a uniting memory, the glow of the people enveloped every word with nothing but love. Needless to say, it’s been a long time since I’ve felt anything like this.

I kept reminiscing about some of the revolutionaries I’ve was so privileged to hear and read, plus some of my own formulations about social justice and how we as the “next” generation approach these ideas. Unfortunately, too many of us (myself included) have waited either too long or look to too many other people to make these ideas happen for us so we can “join.” Some people confuse, for instance, scoring points in a slam or making comments on TV as the end-all-be-all for what we deem as revolution. Yet, many studies have proven that people’s thoughts and actions are pretty independent of each other.

In other words, just because people say something or believe something doesn’t mean their work is in that “thing.” For all we know, they could be working towards against their own people in their destructive behaviors and professions (or, G-d forbid, their own self-serving agendas). For true activists in my observations, they’re either working directly in the service of the people or using their influence to provide for the people. We need people in the front lines and we need people behind the scenes. More importantly, we need people. Active and invested people.

Personally, it also means that I’ve gotta learn how to speak up. And so do all the people that went to that event. While many of the younger revolutionaries in that room really want to find inspiration from our predecessors, they’re looking at us like, “What you gonna do?” It’s our task to respond. It’s our time. Let’s move.

Jose, who wants a little less conversation, and a little more action, please …

Me With a Young Lords Event Pass

Me With a Young Lords Event Pass

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Jose Vs. Mr. Vilson, Part 1 (or Love Me, Love Me Nots)

by Jose on August 20, 2009 · 4 comments

in life

Ryu vs. Ken, Street Fighter, as interpreted by EastMonkey

Ryu vs. Ken, Street Fighter, as interpreted by EastMonkey

Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen. I just got back from a wonderful vacation out in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, and spent quite a lot of time relaxing, taking in sun, and being as un-teacherly as possible. Today, I’d like to show you a bit of a conversation between Jose, the writer / socialite / homebody, and Mr. Vilson, the teacher / professional / networker person. This conversation stems from the cavalcade of events that have made their way in my direction: my new position in school as hybrid teacher / data analyst / math coach, the tons of friend requests I’ve gotten from fellow staff members, and the great reading I’ve done as of late (finally finished The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, and I’m halfway through the Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire). Without further adieu, here’s the part I can share here:

Jose: So what you’re saying is that I shouldn’t blog the way I do anymore?

Mr. V: I’m not saying that, but a part of me feels like with all these new and different eyes reading, your … iconoclastic views (to put it lightly) might offend certain people, and for that matter, bring about views from people that might make you feel differently about them, and not in a good way.

Jose: Well, fine, I guess it just means that I’ll have to separate the professional from the personal. After all, I don’t go into anyone else’s house and tell them what to do with their fridge, their writing, their soap operas, or their kids. Frankly, people can choose to not read my material. No one’s asking them to add me, Google me, or anything of the sort. Even my self-promotion knows its limits.

Mr. V: You’re right in some respects, but you know the way people are. Some people’s means for entertainment is gossip and trying to find someone else’s weakness, trying to find what makes them tick. Thus, when you put too much out there, people will use it against you. When you were “just” a teacher, it was easy for you to just spew at the mouth, even though you rarely if ever did. Now, as a teacher and liaison for teachers and administrators, you take on a different role.

Jose: But here’s my issue, too: if people really wanted to know my opinion on something, couldn’t they just ask me? Why go to my blog if Mr. Vilson can just tell them straight up?

Mr. V: a) Because they don’t want to actually ask. Sometimes, my demeanor as a professional can be a bit intimidating, as funny as that sounds, and b) Because oftentimes, humans don’t always communicate what they really mean.

Jose: Well I’ll give you that, but still, there’s something to be said for someone who’d rather go somewhere else to know about me rather than actually form their own opinion about me first. More importantly, they’ve gotta know I’m in it for the kids. Regardless of what others perceive, I’ve made it rather plain that I’m a professional, that I’m not going to lambaste anyone on the blog, and frankly, that Mr. Vilson’s work is all about the students.

Mr. V: It’s rather disheartening, too, because I also think you take care not to become divisive in your opinion on issues. Plus, what does it say when teachers get treated as a monolithic entity unable to form opinions about anything else in this world?

Jose: Well, the main question here is: how free do you want to be? What are you willing to sacrifice?

Mr. V: Let me get back to you on that.

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Picking Up Dust And Why Your Foundation’s Weak

by Jose on August 11, 2009 · 3 comments

in life

Imagine coming to a revelation shortly after you have another self-imposed moratorium on my affronts and barriers, the ones that keep me warm and safe at times but distance me from the vulnerability and trust so many of us seek. In that moment, I sought a change from within that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but I knew I needed to dig up a few things out of my system before I could make those radical changes I wanted to see in my life.

So the next morning, I did the first thing that came naturally to a man wanting change: I cleaned the desk in my house. And by desk, I mean in and around it. I had sneakers older than some of my students back there. Through dustrabbits and fog-hats I stabbed with the back end of my broom, I eventually saw what appeared to be a wall.

I wasn’t satisfied.

I saw some dust in the back of my monitor, in the back of my computer, and I began to eradicate some old sneakers and papers. Just emptying those spaces relieved me in ways I didn’t even realize. Fundamentally, the answer wasn’t me running away from my desk or just leaving it be while I paid attention to other things like building the facade. It was just the simple (but not easy) effort of cleaning what was already there.

Thus, in those efforts, I learned a very critical lesson about becoming a better self. I can’t possibly get better at being myself if the old remnants of myself stick around. My foundation still isn’t as solid as I’d like, so I’m constantly working on that. In only that way can I really build this house the way I’d like.

Jose, who’s going to Jamaica tomorrow …

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A Memorandum on Friendship

by Jose on August 9, 2009 · 7 comments

in life

I’m of the opinion that true friendship never really ends. It may evolve and, in a way, dissipate. I came to this realization last night after my friend Cecilia, who lives all the way out in North Cali, announced her engagement to her boyfriend of 7 years (has it really been that long?). Even with our separation, there’s a set of memories that binds us together and makes us inseparable. While I fully realize that I’m not as approachable as I should be (I’m working on it, I swear), I also have to make it known that once you’re a friend of mine, that never changes.

Some may not feel as strongly. Some people invest in their friendship so much that, if they feel that the other person isn’t reciprocating for whatever reason, they simply leave. And that’s perfectly fine with me. A younger version of me may have been disappointed by those actions, but I can no more force that person to stay anymore than I can control the weather. And like the weather, the way friendships go can be so unpredictable. Even still, I’ll always reserve certain people in my heart and mind, especially when nothing ever happened for that separation to happen to begin with.

Like a true friend, when I found out that she was engaged, I dropped the craziest voicemail in her box. After all, that’s what friends are for, right? Forever and a day …

Jose, who’ll choose love over hate today …

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Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Pa’lante Pa’lante

by Jose on August 6, 2009 · 6 comments

in life

Supreme Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor and President Obama

Supreme Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor and President Obama

A few minutes ago, Al Franken, who himself went through a few months of struggle attaining his position as senator of Minnesota, confirmed Sonia Sotomayor as a Supreme Court Justice, 68-31. We all know the biography: products of hard-working Puerto-Rican parents, Bronx-native, came through Catholic education and through the Ivy Leagues, rose up the ranks of the US justice system, lauded by prominent liberals and conservatives alike, and an excellent example of someone whose hard work, intelligence, demeanor, and persistence benefited her. As the first Latina and the third female Supreme Court justice ever, she’s the pride of the many people invested in each of these groups.

People all over Twitter, interestingly, were concerned that she’d never get in, with good reason. The backlash against every decision President Obama’s made or planned probably puts at least a little angst if not outright fear into every other American who’s not a right-wing extremist (and that crowd’s getting smaller as it gets louder). Even non-racial topics like health care have been racialized simply by Obama’s imprint being there. While I’m quick to verbalize my disagreements against Obama and anyone else who sides against the 98% of us who aren’t rich, I also don’t get disagreeable and personal, and that’s where some of these orchestrated zombie mobs get it wrong. Questions about whether Obama was born here or in Africa or whether he’s really on the side of Islamic terrorists simply because his first and middle name “sound Arabic” are ridiculous.

With all that said, it’s important to look at the nomination of Sotomayor as true progress. This generation has grown tired of hearing about the “firsts” and we’re hungry for more. I would now ask us to keep looking forward and measuring progress as more than milestones but in cultural movements where underrepresented people can truly be represented (I don’t subscribe to the word minority as there’s nothing minor about me). As the backlash of progress starts to increase from those who want to preserve the status quo and even regress, it’s incumbent on people of all colors concerned with the advancement of this country as a whole to do their part in making these growing issues a part of their work.

Siempre pa’lante, pa’lante …

Jose, who’s really proud of her …

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Leave Out All The Rest

by Jose on August 6, 2009 · 6 comments

in life

Linkin Park

Linkin Park

This past week, I had the fortune of, among other things, hanging out in North Carolina with the folks from Center of Teaching Quality. I got there (in one piece) right in time for dinner, where teachers from across the country got together and just hung out. It’d been our second time together, so there was no need for introduction. None of us came from the same school district either, so the barriers of politics came down and fast. In these passionate discussions, we got to the heart of what tends to make teachers great: the stories.

While I won’t share everyone else’s, I have no qualms about mine. In my first year of teaching, as a young Black/Latino male teacher, I always got the question, “So are you married?” Naturally, I said, “Yes.” And they’d say, “Who?”

I replied, “Her name is math. Now get back to work!”

Of course, they’d either laugh or just roll their eyes at their (supposedly) corny math teacher. I had to be corny just to keep the heat off me. Of course, one of my knuckleheads decided he’d want to test me. This one (who’ll read this once I send him a link) was always annoying the hell out of me every chance he could, even when he was doing well, and I’d have to call his house for some annoying, knuckleheaded thing he’d do in my class (or not do for that matter).

Nonetheless, he comes up to me one day, a few days after I called his mom and said, “So Mr. Vilson, guess what?”

“Yes, Azzam.”

“I did your wife last night. She was really good.” The rest of the class laughs, but staring and me for a reaction.

I furled my lower lip, just nodding my head while everyone got their giggles in. And I said,

“Funny you should say that because I talked to my wife last night and she said you didn’t do it very well.”

The crowd goes wild. I couldn’t help but say after, “That’s why she came back to me.” More giggles. Of course, he just hung his head and went back to work, seething at his desk. And none of this was devastating or scarring in any way; he’s probably one of the smartest(-ass) students I’ve ever had, and it’s one of my brighter moments of my career. It reminds me how, above all else, people in the classroom are just that: people. We can be our sarcastic, funny, irreverent selves without losing that respect for each other.

If those of us in the position to help people leave out all the rest of the crap, like the politics, the nonsense, the bochinche (the gossip), and the other minutae of our professions, we get to something a lot more substantive, like getting past the skin of a pineapple or even that overplayed books vs. cover metaphor. There’s a passion and love for those of us who are part-time masochists, part-time practitioners, and full-time people-movers that can’t be substituted by the more soul-less and redundant stuff, even with less stress and more pay.

Then again, if we left out all the rest of the minutae, would we have more people in those profession? Possibly. Until then, we’re all in this together …

Jose, who cannot believe it’s already August …

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