Posts from — September 2008

Who gets to say their real last goodbyes?

Late in August, right before school started, the week that my mentor and friend left to another school for a more prominent position as a math coach, one of the eternal spirits of the school, Mr. N, died, and in surprising fashion. With the vast changes in our school, Mr. N’s death rung like a four-alarm blaze across those who worked at the school presently and in the past. No one could have known that he would have passed on to another dimension, especially in light of his proclamations of “55/25!” so close to actually retiring and never reaching that age.

He was known as the “troublemaker,” an affectionate term for the feisty and cantankerous spirit in him. He’d tell stories of the battles he’s fought in his homeland, his excursions across the world by sea, by land, and by air, his decades of teaching, and often anyone within earshot of his voice knew that he wasn’t even telling us the half. The man demanded a certain attention only few mastered. His swagger and audacity often caused administration fits, children to run home and cry about the mean old science teacher, and fellow teachers to take a few steps back before approaching him.

Inside, though, and this became very evident once you spoke to him, he had the heart of a warrior. He was a true champion of the people, often standing up for the very teachers he’d fight with, and looking out for his most troubled students knowing that they could reach their full potential. Nothing was ever good enough for him, and he made sure the students knew that. His signature stroll in the hallway and thunderous growl could be heard in the hallways sent out the alarm that, yes, he was here, cane, daishiki, golden chains, and all. This king was not to be messed with.

He was a social delight, imparting his wisdom with anyone who wanted to share a drink with him, dancing with the prettiest women on the floor because he said so, and speaking his mind whenever he felt like it, and even principals just had to take it because they knew what he was about. He loved his job, and he fought even harder when he saw others fight just so they could be at peace.

And I’m still having a hard time reconciling his passing. I still expect the man to be there, and even on the train home with my girlfriend reminiscing about him, I was overcome with emotion and tears reminiscing on this African king. He brought many a man and woman to their knees, and embraced them just the same as part of his kingdom. He’s survived by wife and kids, yes, but also thousands of students whose lives he affected, who still scream his name when they see him years later on the street, and science labs that almost feel empty without him there.

Mr. N, your labor of love still reigns …

jose, who made sure I told people who I thought were doing a good job that they were …

“A Message To Latinas, Remastered”

She gets on stage,
Powerful, omnipotent, nervous, fragile
She stands behind the mic
Calling for attention,
That which is already hers
Cautioning that she might use terse language
An audience already accustomed to the curses of a million lives
She stands there, reading off her crumpled paper
Reciting a life’s work worth its weight in the wait
A significant time
Not from the beginning of the show to her set
But from the beginning of her life to the motivation to put these thoughts on a sheet
Or the time the women of her kind before her
Voiced similar struggles
With picks and gel to hot combs and curling irons
The natural bearers of human life’s fruit
Reminded physically every 28 days of a 10-month period
She should have the choice to embark on
She’s the loud lion’s lioness,
The million unrecognized members of the largest movements we recognize
The curves to a man’s rigidity
The sweet to our tart
The muscle we don’t see in our mesodermal layers
The inspiration of our creativity
The thoughts behind the words of this scribe
Whose only task is to observe the Latinas
So decorated in their accomplishments
So invigorating in their candor
Emotional multitaskers slighted by sexist views
Willing to change those in not-so-quiet ways
And she gets off the stage,
Her words speak to the people,
Ripping at the idea of politeness in the name of effective communication
Of her needs, wants, desires,
The good, the bad, and the undiscussed
And all we have to do is watch and listen
Let her speak her piece
The soundwaves of the million unrecognized oft become familiar …

Jose Vilson, © 2008

jose, who is often inspired by those who seek inspiration from him …

This extended weekend here at Syracuse U was the necessary motivation I needed to make everything I do that much better.

After all the panels, workshops, meetings, business cards (and business cards running out), and serious conversations, the responsibility and power to do as much as possible with the talents and connections I’ve developed has become almost impossible to ignore. Alumni from decades before me want to get to know me, much the way I wanted desperately to get to know them as I ascended the ranks of college life. Ever since I found out about CBT (Coming Back Together, alumni reunion), I knew I’d find the sages and legends that led movements before me, and ultimately, I’d be helping to cement their legacies as a collective.

This CBT became less about just soaking up experiences, though. It’s more about developing the human potential of these shared experiences. Not only are we now in positions to share these movements with others and just build casual relationships; it’s about building the necessary bridges across generations of experiences, and highlighting that which binds us to the university. We founded the organizations, fought against the same injustices, used the same dorms, and met in the same areas. We danced to different music, had different relationships with administration, and felt different vibes about the global economy and what we’d do after we graduated.

Somewhere in that matrix of contrasts and commonalities, we alum found a common ground, the same ground that brings us together. We’re no longer just participants, but investors. We’re not asking for a minimum slice of the orange; we want 1/2. We still see a struggle to overcome, but we acknowledge the role we alum play for students who have shared our experiences, and how just a few simple words from some of our Syracuse University descendants empowered us to amplifies our voices in institutions that were once not friendly to us and our needs.

Often, people see the students as the conduits for change, the bearers of the torch, and when they move on from that station, they no longer see themselves as accountable to the kinds of change the institution needs. CBT changes that dynamic for so many of us. Now, and for the last 25 years, Syracuse U has those experiential and financial backing from underrepresented groups. And now, I’ve become a big part of the movement for more of this partnership to reflect the alum.

More than anything, though, this weekend left me exhausted. Off to sleep, y’all.

jose, who laughs at people who sing “Swagger Like Us” and really have none …

I don’t want to have a beer with my President.

Scenario

Anyone that thinks otherwise is, at best, a sycophant with a penchant for reading wishy-washy children’s books. Picture the scene: I’ve just gotten back from work at around 5pm, Kangol hat, tie, pinstriped shirt, chalk-tinted slacks, and the weather’s really nasty. I come into my favorite beer place, pushing through a ton of black suited gentlemen, sit on a stool, and watch the 5 o’clock news, and to my right is the freakin’ President of the United States of America. I order a Blue Moon, and he’s got a Sam Adams in hand. We clink glasses when all of a sudden, his face turns flush, practically jumping out of his stool. Why? Because 5 minutes later, the news comes on and there’s another national crisis, and rather than being on his job, he’s there with hops in his breath and his shirt all a mess, completely unready for TV and completely rude: dude left without paying his drink, and here I am again, paying with my hard-earned money for his own follies.

For Real

Now, I’m making a large assumption that a woman wouldn’t be there drinking a beer, but I only hang out with women who pay for their own drinks these days, so the rudeness factor hasn’t come into play in a long time. I’m also making an assumption that the President participates in the modern moonshine. More than anything, though, I’m under the assumption that most people who understand the role of the President know that it’s not a job someone can take lightly. It’s bad enough our present President thinks he can break out the candles during the peak of Hurricane Katrina while the guy we were supposed to have (the guy that people said they probably WOULDN’T have a beer with) is getting drenched from working down there. Imagine that our President is finding out when disaster strikes on television at the same time we do.

No way.

I for one would never want the mayoralty, much less the Presidency of a whole country. I’d lose sleep thinking about the millions of people I’m serving, the hundreds of critical (and often life-and-death) decisions my team and I would have to make on a daily basis, the billions of taxpayer dollars I have a primary say over, the policies and doctrines under my name, sealing the legacy of me and my whole bloodline probably for the next couple of centuries. With great power comes tons of responsibility, and while I’d at first relish the chance to take the nation’s highest office, I’d never be up for that kind of challenge.

In turn, it behooves anyone with a clear conscience to think about the responsibilities of whoever is chosen as the next President. It reminds me of Robert Greene’s 34th Law of Power, where he says

“Law 34: Be Royal in your Own Fashion: Act like a King to be treated like one”

Theoretically, we’d say that we would love to meet the President and have him or her be normal, just like everyone else. Yet, presidents are abnormalities. They’re kings with term limits and high chairs instead of bloodlines and thrones. They’re servants to and rulers of the people, and that’s why, when we elect an official, we better make sure they’re good decision makers, because the less informed have a hard time making critical decisions for themselves. We also note that, time and again, when people of high rank or a certain celebrity tried to act like everyone else, people immediately turned on the person, to the point where his or her legacy is completely disparate from the person who lays there, bereft of the pedestal on which they once stood.

SO I don’t want to have a beer with the president. I don’t need to feel any “ordinary” connections with whoever takes the post. If we eat a meal together at the big house, that’s cool. If the Prez wants to watch a game at Yankee Stadium with me next year (and hook a brotha up with 2 or 3 extra tickets), then by all means, let’s do that. But seriously, you really think I want to know that the leader I helped elect (or not) is out there somewhere, imbibing when there’s so much work to be done for this country? My tax dollars are going to that?

No thanks. I won’t be toasting to that.

jose, who can’t wait to go to Coming Back Together in Syracuse this week …

When I last discussed the acclaimed 48 Laws of Power, I was still heavily entrenched in the workings of Mao, Bismarck, Talleyrand, and Lola Montez, and thus found myself quickly able to apply my readings into my daily work as a math teacher in the NYC public school system. It became especially apparent after talking to a cluster of well-known bloggers personally that these 48 Laws not only apply in the classroom but when dealing with administrators and other teachers. Let’s recap what my list of my favorite laws of power (full list here):

Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions
Law 4: Always Say Less than Necessary
Law 5: So Much Depends on Reputation – Guard it with your Life
Law 9: Win through your Actions, Never through Argument
Law 13: When Asking for Help, Appeal to People’s Self-Interest, Never to their Mercy or Gratitude
Law 17: Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability
Law 27: Play on People’s Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following
Law 28: Enter Action with Boldness
Law 29: Plan All the Way to the End
Law 30: Make your Accomplishments Seem Effortless
Law 31: Control the Options: Get Others to Play with the Cards you Deal
Law 34: Be Royal in your Own Fashion: Act like a King to be treated like one
Law 35: Master the Art of Timing
Law 36: Disdain Things You Cannot Have; Ignoring Them Is The Best Revenge
Law 44: Disarm and Infuriate with the Mirror Effect

Again, at that point, I thought I’d only mastered #3, 4, 9, 27, 30, 33, but according to some, I got a lot more down by now. I just want to highlight a few of the original 48, as reading through some of the conversations around the blogosphere leave me wondering whether 48 Laws of Power should be required in all those cool teacher education programs so many of us have dichotomous opinions about. These laws as far as educators (and anyone really) are concerned fall under 3 categories: pre-event, during-event, and post-event.

Pre-Event (#3, 5, 28, 34)

Before I even walk into the classroom, whether I have a lesson plan ready for the students or not (I usually do, but I have rough nights like other humans), I should at least come into the classroom ready to teach my students. I know what the students think of me, but I get to form that with a) a built reputation b) formlessness so they don’t get too comfortable and c) a vision for how you want to be perceived. The worst any teacher, new or otherwise, could ever do for themselves is to not believe in the persona they’ve established. If you’re the cool and fun teacher, then know what that comes with. If you’re the strict disciplinarian who doesn’t want anyone talking, then you should reflect that. Once I let the students dictate who I am, I’ve lost it. The topic of management (classroom or otherwise) has literally blocks of books dedicated to it, but only the good ones address this: my soul (or inner energy) determines whether I’m convincing in my role or not.

During-Event (#4, 9, 13, 17, 29, 30, 44)

During class, we need to stay focused on the task. That goes without saying. However, people often mistake nastiness for structure. My lessons are supplemented by my mannerisms. For instance, teachers’ questioning techniques help the students come up with their own thoughts about how to solve problems. Students get mad at first because they’re used to getting the answer straight away, but the more questions I ask, the more they’re forced to think about the questions I’m asking. In other words, I’m saying less than necessary. Also note that students often invite me to argue, and my response is always task-related. I always say, “Is it about math?” or “What’s your question related to the math?” Sounds a bit Draconian, but during the 42 or so minutes I have them, I don’t have time to waste and they shouldn’t feel that way either. If it’s not about math, they know not to bother me. If I can dead a conflict in a matter of seconds, I do it before other students gain courage to try anything with me.

Post-Event (#27, 31, 35, 36)

The crucible of my reputation and what happens in the classroom often comes with what I did and do after class, and the events not having to do with the classroom. If they asked me to showcase some poetry, I did,  and they’ll totally ate that up. If I see a student in need of a serious conversation or just a pat on the shoulder, I reach out and make it happen, still maintaining my teacher voice and face, but I invite them into my experiences, often empathizing with them a little. The little things I do and say as they’re walking out of class, and the way I approach students in the hallway and even the students I’ve had in previous classes make them evangelists. They’ll carry the message more than my voice ever could. I still have students who I had last year come by and visit even if they didn’t do very well the year before. Children have a strong intuition about who cares about them and who doesn’t, and no amount of experience, pedagogy, or Jedi mind tricks can dissuade children from knowing whether or not I’m in the job for social prestige (typically known as the “save the children” people) or if I really believe in students’ achievement.

The Adults

Oh, and before I forget, this also works with the adults around me too. I take the time to interact and get to know my fellow teachers and staff, but I don’t get stuck to any one. Some people usually did favors for me so they can look better, not because they were totally and genuinely interested in helping me. I never give too much away about myself, and I especially don’t tell anyone my true opinions about anyone in the building unless I’m 99% sure they won’t betray my trust. The job is hard enough with the students, but sometimes the adults reflect the worst of their own students’ behaviors. I always keep a foot above the fray, never too far from the madness, but with enough breathing room where I won’t be suffocated.

What Now?

As I’m moving up, more people have become aware of my extra-curricular activities (i.e. this one), and I’m fine with it. Following the 48 Laws of Power, I’ve also made myself invaluable to the school community. The best teachers in the school follow these laws quickly and effortlessly. Something we can all take heed from. Now, there’s a hint of amoral Machavellianism in the book, but our sense of morality varies from person to person.

My first recommendation, before picking up the book of course, is to think deeply not about you are, but the person you want to be. Make every action in that classroom reflective of that. There are a lot more factors that determine how the classroom will work (supportive staff, training, children’s background, the amount of sugar they had that morning), but you can’t go into a situation with that sort of fatalism.

It’s your power. Your move.

jose, who will follow this up with a post I started on Twitter a few days ago …

I walked into my classroom with a pinstriped white shirt, and a brand new Yankees tie I got shipped to me a few weeks before, with navy blue pants, and black shoes. I knew I’d get criticism for it, mainly from a group of students who preferred the now-two time championship Boston Red Sox, my favorite team’s most storied rivals, and a team that espoused some of the greatest Dominican baseball players of all time. Ortiz, Ramirez, and Martinez. These same students were born in 1996, the very first championship I got to celebrate. It bothered me a little to see so many adamant native New Yorkers choose the Red Sox, knowing that at the least they could have at least chosen the Mets, who most Yankees fans don’t really mind, but would never trade for their favorite team. Then again, this anti-NY sentiment comes with the territory: all empires must come to an end, at least to give way for a rebirth.

I first became a Yankees fan around 14 years ago, when my cousin Richard introduced me to some Yankee baseball card he got signed. I believe Don Mattingly came to the now-defunct Milliken Boys Club and signed his card. I heard all these names: Velarde, Williams, and Mattingly, and while the New York Knicks dominated sports, I also found myself attaching myself to the Yankees during baseball season. 1995, Mattingly’s last season, and many people around my neighborhood said, “Man, it’d be messed up if we won a championship without him.”

1996, 1998, 1999, 2000. My principal in high school got tired of giving us days off to let us celebrate downtown at the parade. For my generation of Yankee fans, we almost felt entitled to one because we were so priviledged to have that many consecutive championships with al those charismatic players like Jeter, O’Neill, Cone, Wells, Pettite, and Rivera, and jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring moments like Boone’s homerun, Doc Gooden’s no-hitter, the Davids’ perfect games, Scott Brosius’ MVP performance in the World Series, and cool Joe Torre, personally and professionally. That core of Yankees from ‘96-’00 gift-wrapped all of the great history that this colossal franchise developed for those of us who hadn’t seen a Yankee championship since 1978 or hadn’t been born in time to see that history.

Now, looking back at the 2001 World Series, how the stadium erupted during games 4 and 5, with the 9/11 atmosphere surrounding the stadium, I realized right then and there it was time to rebuild. Despite all the evidence, like the World Series loss to the Florida Marlins in ‘03, the American League Championship Series loss to the Red Sox in ‘04 (in game 3, the score was 19-8; last time the Red Sox made it to the World Series before then, 1918, more eeriness), and the three first-round exits in the playoffs from ‘05 - ‘07, the Yankees management chose to buy up instead of invest. Some purchases made sense at the time, like Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui, Jason Giambi, and Carl Pavano. But whether it was curious injuries, playoff calamity, lack of strong pitching, or maybe Yankee Stadium telling the team that it couldn’t give anymore, the Yankees could never replicate those previous fortunes.

This must be what the death of an empire must feel like. Today, I walk around with disheveled Yankees fans, multi-color NY caps floating around, long jerseys with numbers like 2, 3, 13, 20, and 55 , and even longer faces, knowing what we’ve become accustomed to is no longer ours: October baseball. Yankee fans have officially become humbled, witnessing the collapse of the greatest baseball stadium of all time while the team collapses as well.

Here’s one Yankee fan who hopes that maybe the new Yankee Stadium can bring some new magic in …

jose, wondering how it’s gonna be next year …

I’m sitting there with 2 of my favorite educators, exchanging laughs, gossip, and semi-Mexican food. I got a cold Corona in my hand, and the ladies have mojitos in their hands. We’re all sitting there, having discussions about politics and existentialism, when all of a sudden, a debate breaks out.

What is a house negro?

Excellent question in light of the recent debates about this really popular Presidential candidate whose been called everything from “galvanizing” and “inspirational” to “elitist” and “out-of-touch,” and one of the problems with this range of answers comes from the history of Black men and women who achieve a high level of success in a world that hasn’t always been accomodating to them. Upon reaching a certain level, the Black person is either percieved as extremely successful and a “credit to their race” or, and often by his or her own people, a house negro.

For purposes of this conversation, we only focused on the United States, so the time periods get fuzzy as we get more international. Now, the debate rages on about the role and perception of the house negroes, but during the period we describe as slavery time in this country (and in many others across the world), the house negro was usually a Black servant who never had to work in the fields with other Blacks, given better clothing, and sometimes given a chance to learn a little more than the field negro. Often, this created tensions between the field and house negros, as (some) field negros percieved house negroes as haughty and pretentious while (some) house negroes looked down on field work and found field negroes disengaging.

Fast-forward to today, and because hindsight is 20/20, historians often disagree about the role of the house negro. Some look at this servant as just trying to survive. If the house negro didn’t do what she or he did to stay in the house, they’d have a higher risk for mortality, and they often served as the conduits for change amongst White plantation owners to developing better relationships across the races. Others take the view that house negroes are nothing but Uncle Toms, negroes who would rather grovel at the knees for a White man’s mercy and gratitude, even at the cost of his own people. Both of these portrayals serve as the basis for how Blacks (and to a large extent, Latinos) are viewed by their peers.

For example, some might call me a house negro because I went to private Catholic school for middle and high school, as well as a highly-recognized university (Syracuse, if you must ask), and even got my masters’, something not afforded to most people of my background. They may also refer to me as such because I can code-switch and have used “the White man’s tools” to excel in life, everything from learning how to put on a suit to speaking English well. On the other hand, some might call me a field negro because I came from the hood and still live in the hood. I came back to work in another hood as a public school educator, and while I didn’t necessarily partake in the negative aspects of the Lower East Side circa 1980-1999, I still have my roots firmly planted in the traditions and cultures of my neighborhood.

Am I a house negro? Even those who consider themselves field negroes find themselves participating in mostly White events and have traditionally White ideas and standards of living. And we further blur the lines if we don’t differentiate between a “house negro” and an “Uncle Tom.” People like Ward Connerly and Clarence Thomas for example, match well with most people’s ideas of this Uncle Tom figure, yet I suppose if someone asked them, they’d totally disavow themselves from those titles. People like Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey on the other hand often play jump rope between those definitions for some.

Personally, the debate alone made me rethink those ideas of house negro vs. field negro. Any thoughts? Yes, I’m inviting ALL of you to speak on it. It’s at least a forum for you to learn and share based on your experience.

jose, who isn’t filtering …

The Urban Scientist recently posted a meme in honor of Latino Heritage Month (Sept. 16th - Oct. 16th). Here’s an excerpt:

“Can you name 5 Latin/Hispanic Scientists?

Rules:

1. Be sure to name their discipline or field.
2. You can’t choose people from your own institution or company. (I may go soft on this one, this time)
3. You can’t Google or use the internet to aid in your search. (But if you know someone is a scientist, but not sure what disciple, you can look that up).
4. You can consult textbooks, journals, and class notes.
5. You can ask others to help you brainstorm, but they can’t use the internet just to get 5 names fast (see #2).
6. Living and deceased scientists are acceptable.
7. Links to or references about the named scientists are greatly appreciated. Let’s share the knowledge, and tell as many as you can, even if it isn’t five.”

::gulp::

Ladies, and gentlemen, I only knew one of the top of my head. Only one. Jamie Escalante, and he’s not known so much for his mathematical achievements as he is for his classroom achievements. In other words, I, along with thousands (if not millions) of Latinos out there as well as millions of Americans have been deprived of the contributions of these scientists, engineers, astronauts, mathematicians, and leaders in their respective technical fields. Granted, there’s a dearth of said individuals in the field (which is why organizations such as the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) was created), but Black innovators in the technical fields are a little easier to come by (George Washington Carver, Benjamin Banneker, and Madame C.J. Walker come to mind almost instantly).

Thus it behooves us to encourage students, especially those proficient in math and science to continue pursuing those careers. Many fellow teachers don’t encourage those occupations because, frankly, they don’t know enough about engineers and what they do in our society besides the stereotypical assemblance of machinery and messing with multi-colored potions. It also seems that, in Black and Latino communities, the lack of people actually working in the technical fields perpetuates this cycle of technical condemnation.

Of course, I’m coming off a meeting where we’re discussing education and how lack of funds and social inequalities promote the digital divide across demographics, wondering if, after some of my fellow technical people graduate, they go back to the hoods where they came from and inspire others to become more than just computer-literate. It’s one thing to know what a computer does and how to get on your cool social network and quite another to understand the computer’s inner workings.

This will take a concerted effort from those of us who have scientific backgrounds to concentrate our efforts into letting children know that there’s this whole industry that we’ve had such a pivotal role in, but have very few trailblazers in. I know I’m doing my part, but I’m sure I can do more.

And maybe the next time someone asks me how many I can name, I’ll have a scroll in my back pocket, waiting to be read aloud …

jose, who thanks Urban Scientist for reviving my computer science background …

p.s. - If you think starting off Latino Heritage Month by honoring J. Lo is the way to go, you’re out of your mind. As an astute administrator said in reply, “OK, so should we start Black History Month off with Diddy?” Well said, sir. Well said. J. Lo, like Diddy, are cool with me, but … really?

Every so often, I get into this fit where I totally disavow myself from government structures and find myself requestioning some of the major events in my life, from Reaganomics to the disastrous events of 9/11, and realize just how complex it all is, and how little of the truth we actually know, but is spelled out to us through people’s actions and misinformation. For example, John McCain recently spoke about how great our economy is, yet it hurt to see so many Lehman Brothers’ ex-employees walking around with suits and sneakers, a clear sign that they were moving out. That’s also because his buddies collect houses like Monopoly and have enough F*ck You money to weather the barrage of hate afforded them.

As someone who interned in “Wall Street,” I can tell you that not everyone’s a Gordon Gekko, a malicious two-face willing to gouge people’s eyes out for a few extra grand. Rather, these ladies and gentlemen are just trying to make money with the best of their abilities (most of them anways). Yet, when it’s all said and done, despite this financial clusterf*ck, the top 1% of the company walk away spotless and still ready to play golf next week while everyone under him will have to reconsider their financial choice, if I can be a little understated.

This weekend, we also got a glimpse of Barack Obama’s tax plan, a plan that benefits 60-80% of the American people. If you’re making less than 200K, then you’re in serious business. That’s the grand majority of us reading here, and knowing that we can save anywhere from the amount of weekly groceries to a whole month’s paycheck should make people think twice as to whether they want to put votes into McCain’s pockets. Yet, I’m always intrigued as to what Obama plans to do with my money. Is he going to seek out the Phantom Menace known as Usama bin Laden (who the recently deceased Benazir Bhutto claimed is already dead), or will he give my money to interests contradictory to his message of “change?”

I’m not always a firm believer in government, but I do get the sense that Barack’s a good man and good decision-maker, whether it’s because of his excellent marketing, his resume, or his interactions with his wife and daughters. I just hope that however this turns out, we see some of the many needed changes all over. I’m not just talking about teaching either, because too many teachers around me only focus on that without explaining their world view. Rather, it’s imperative that we understand how our environments are affected by this massive big bank consolidation, continued cuts in public funds, and prevalent job loss and lay-off.

All these national incidents disrupt what’s happening in our daily lives. I’m all for local politics and understanding what the proletariat needs, but without an accurate worldview, it becomes hard to understand the needs of the people I serve in both the community I live in and the community I work in need, and how they go about their daily business. Days like these give me serious pause, enough to banish government all together, and tell them all to go to hell, for not representing the American people, most of whom have a hopeful but disillusioned (and mainly misinformed) version of what government officials are supposed to do.

Then, I just look at the watch, and understand that, with time, all shall be revealed. When the time comes, true change will come.

jose, who pays no mind to Sarah Palin, and neither should you …

Question: What’s the difference between a blogger and a writer?

Yesterday, a friend of mine decided she’d abandoned blogging for a myriad of reasons, all of them viable and understandable in the eyes of the reader and the writer alike. It hurt me to read because I honestly believe in her ability to convey her deepest emotions and ideas. Even when she extended the post, she never bored people with the writing, eliciting expanded responses from her more devoted fans. Yet, because it was so personal, she didn’t write consistently. When she did, the “numbers” went up, but when she didn’t, well, only her most loyal fans stuck around.

Of course, this can only go two ways: either people love her writing and she’s lauded as a contemporary of her time, offering her book deals and money to do her thing on paperback, or she quits blogging as a whole, leaving her talent abandoned and unexposed to a greater community that may eventually appreciate it. Unfortunately for this heroine, the latter happened. And again, her reasons for leaving get to the heart of the ugly side of blogging. She may be a great writer, but she’s not a great blogger, and despite everyone’s arguments to the contrary, there’s evidence that there’s a difference after all.

I’m not going to name names, but oftentimes, I’ll read a blog and think how, while their point of view may be interesting and sometimes entertaining, it’s not good writing. In some of these blogs (irrespective of background), I’ll find misspellings, confusing conjugations and conjunctions, and just a lack of English (or any language) mastery. These bloggers will put up a controversial picture or speak on nonsense, yet the comments, links, and page views keep coming in the hundreds and sometimes thousands. It’s an interesting cross between crass production, formulaic name-branding, and salacious marketing. I admittedly read some of these blogs, but no matter how drawn I am to the content, the less I’m drawn to the overall writing. Many writers looking to get their writing careers off, thus, have a hard time fitting in because this new medium doesn’t always fit into the mold of the blogger, and gets disheartened in the process.

Granted, many of my favorite bloggers meet at the crossroads of popularity and solid writing. People like The Unapologetic Mexican, NYC Educator, and despite our disagreements about whether or not teachers should write poems, dy/dan, and hold the vanguard down in their respective fields. They, along with a lot of the bloggers in my sidebar, attest to how one can be a good blogger AND a good writer, so it’s not contradictory. Yet, relatively speaking, these type of blogs are becoming few and far between. So either people write well and don’t have much of a following, or they write so-so but have huge followings. I don’t like making gross generalizations like that, but the examples of both cases are overwhelming.

With that said, if you’re a writer who wants to blog, go right ahead. Yet, don’t let page views, subscribers, Technorati ratings, incoming links, and every other Internet gizmo determine your worth. Some people are just better at marketing and writing good blogs, and some aren’t. You can’t correlate how good your writing is with how popular it’s going to be.

However, if you reallllllly want to write, the only person that matters is YOU. You can only write as well as you believe you can. Once that happens, then you’ve gotta decide what kind of writer you’ll become.

What’s your take on this? Maybe it might help new writers and bloggers alike.

jose, who just wanted to write this in the aftermath of my friend’s resignation …