September 2008

Carl: yo some of the watchmen themeness going on in your new layout just hit me. i like it even more now
Me: hahaha
Carl: shh, it’s ben a long day lol
Carl: don’t hate
Me: i almost did
Me: haha

My latest site redress had three inspirations: The Watchmen, Salvador Dali, and Andy Park. Let me explain.

The Watchmen

I’ve been reading The Watchmen graphic novel since the trailer came out (yes, I’m a noob), and that book has held my attention like no other (even more than, say, some of the work I had to do for my kids. I caught up eventually). As soon as I hit the Photoshop, I wanted to stick religiously to the layout of the book, blending in the infamous chapter face layout, just changing up some of the elements so I don’t get hit up for copyright infringement or whatever have you. If I remember correctly, the font for the Watchmen’s titles is Tempo Std. (Tw Cent MT Bold is an appropriate substitute, too). I laid out most of the poetry pages in that light, too, using Tw Cent MT throughout, and having that black backdrop against the white text really harkens back to the book. I decided against yellow because, well, I’m not a HUGE fan of yellow all over my stuff, but I liked it enough to use it on page 6. Just a splash is enough.

Salvador Dali

I was really excited to get into making my site, and remodeling everything, when, as I described here, I went to the Salvador Dali exhibit at the MoMA. Frankly, I was embarrassed to call myself an artist of any field, seeing how artists like Monet, Picasso, Cezanne, and him pushed their art forms to new levels. They couldn’t give a crap if people thought it was strange, because they knew they were making something that would arouse emotions out of people, make people ask critical questions about the painting and possibly their own lives, and convey a message about themselves without actually saying it for them. That’s the human component of art.

When I looked back at the site, I realized it just wasn’t inviting enough. I went back and redid the menus, got advice from Jon who I actually met with to do this lovely portrait of me:

And pushed the usability of the site a little further than I might have. I spent practically a fourth of Saturday, and all of my Sunday getting it done, and putting up my best unpublished work in the poetry section, which took a huge amount of time on its own.

Oh, and one more thing I wanted to add: the artists I mentioned did their stuff with no flash, just depth and accessibility. So that was my vow too: no Flash, just accessibility.

Andy Park

Not that the man needs any introduction. He’s done most of the stylish pics you see in anything I do. From the side profile of me looking over the Lincoln Memorial / Washington Monument to the sexy and ever-present toothpick picture people seem to enjoy so much, he’s taken them all. (Special shout-out to Groana, who took the pictures in the classroom, mea culpa for not acknowledging you on the links page). Andy’s eye for drawing out the insightful and personal is keen. Take just a sample from his site and you’ll see an artist at work. And it’s no wonder I re-use his pictures, even if I’ve used them before. The thing about his pictures is: they never get boring. Maybe it’s just me, but his camera doesn’t just magnify the person, but the persona behind them.

I needed a layout that does justice to whatever he puts in his photos. Even his lukewarm efforts (according to him) made it onto the page. Says somethin’ about him.

The Feedback

So the effort is to make the effort look effortless. It’s one of Robert Greene’s Laws of Power, so why not? All of it has been extremely positive. Some people thought I needed to edit a few things here and there, but out of a possible 10, I’d say the feedback was anywhere between an 8 and a 10. People who never knew I wrote now know, and people who knew I wrote still loved browsing through the poetry but also knowing I blog and anything else (who was it that said teachers don’t write poems?). I also took the advice of SEO experts and put in more searchable text into the page.

Now, onto more pressing issues … like a nice cool shower and sleep. Peace, my people, and if you have suggestions for future implementations of the JLV, let a brotha know.

jose, whose been giving tips out for web design all month …

Tagged as: site update, web design

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You all know how much I hate talking about other teachers, especially since I’d hate to bring such karma on myself. Nonetheless, I’m conflicted by the growing discrepancy between my students’ applied knowledge and their NYS Math Test scores. I’m not gassed in the least about the New York State Math Test and its ability to measure whether or not my students are prepared for the next year’s challenges. I understand that, as far as standardized tests go, the state math test is … simple. I also understand that it’s a snapshot of what my students can do, a snapshot largely limited in scope, unequal for all schools in the state, and easily swayed by a myriad of factors including whether or not the student ate breakfast that morning or if they remember how to multiply integers. Fair enough.

On the same token, I can’t help but gnaw my teeth when I see the scores and how people have lauded the students who came into my school. Most of the incoming students have 3s and 4s in their state math and ELA (English / Language Arts) test, and statistically, that’s pushed our scores a good 10 percentage points higher than when we left for summer break in June. Again, it all sounds like good news. Over the summer, I even took the time to analyze their scores more thoroughly and I tried to (and couldn’t) keep a tempered reaction to the potential excellence I beheld. Needless to say, I spoke too soon.

For the last couple of days, we’ve been working on understanding the groupings for real numbers (i.e. whole, natural, rational, etc.) For my high-school level readers out there, I even introduced them to set notation for these groups so they become familiar with it for now and advanced math. I personally thought I prepared an informative first-week lesson. For the two classes that have had me before, it was successful, and just from taking some informal assessments and looking at their classwork, I have a good sense that even the more deficient students have a grasp of what the difference between rational and irrational numbers are. Again, fair enough.

But the class whose students I’m mostly unfamiliar with has had a hard time grasping the material. I tried to rationalize their lack of participation. Are they nervous about having to come to a new and unfamiliar school with a little more structure than their previous schools? Are they still adjusting to my teaching style and on-and-off ebullience about my subject matter? Did they really just forget anywhere between 50-60% of their math knowledge over the summer (as I noticed in my diagnostic analyses)?

I’m not sure, but here’s this: when students in the class can’t give me a number that’s between 2 and 3 in the 7th grade, that’s a big hurdle since, by NYS standards, they should have learned this in 5th grade (correct me if I’m wrong). When students can’t take the square root of a number even when I give them the definition is trouble. When students can’t tell me if 17 is closer to 16 or 25, and the differences between the distances there, that’s an issue. Especially since the basic elements of these questions have come up in the previous 2 tests.

This logically leads me to think that, aside from the questions I’ve asked myself,:

a. there’s a bit of a language deficiency that I haven’t researched
b. I’ve taught the students who had me last year for more applied math while these students haven’t been taught that
c. they got a little too much help on the math test from the person who administered the test.

I know. Bold statement.

What do you think? Am I a bit cynical or am I onto something? Obviously, I’ll still work with the students, and I have every intention of making those test scores into a more accurate reflection of whether they’ve mastered the material or not. I just have to ask if they were really taught or just taught to the test.

jose, who STILL has an aversion to bulletin boards when there’s so much important work to do …

Tagged as: education, teaching

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This morning, on my doorknob, I got a flyer from some group detailing the negative aspects of Daniel Squadron, a young man who’s running for New York State Senate, representing Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. The whole Lower East Side has been abuzz with community activism and political stationing, not so much about the presidential candidate (almost all of the hood reps for Barack), but this rather intriguing and upcoming election for State Senate. As far as community organization, the LES is loyal (sometimes to a fault) to certain candidates who use proletariat politics to get us in the voting booths on behalf of them.

Now, without getting into too much of those politics, because frankly, I’m not as informed as I should be, I find it interesting that the battle of whose serving for whom is heavily dependent on people’s utter prejudices rather than looking at the issues and actually going with what their actions. For example, Nydia Velasquez, the US Congresswoman who represents Lower Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn, is probably one of my favorite politicians because her record speaks for itself. She’s been doing it for what feels like forever (15 years to be exact), and has done it well. You never hear about any scandals from her, and she’s the head official of the US House Committee on Small Business, so her interest obviously lie in her community even if she’s in Washington. She usually makes her presence felt in our hoods and while other people’s name may flounder in popularity, hers stay steady.

And that’s really all I need from a politician. I’m not asking them to change the world, but I do ask them to keep their community’s interest at heart. It’s easy to walk into those Romanesque edifices and kowtow to the special interests and political games in those hollow chambers, but it really takes someone who understands what a “public servant” does and do that to the best of their abilities. I’m not saying Ms. Velasquez is Queen of perfection, but her recent vote as the most progressive politician in New York, a progressive bastion, should let you know why our hood likes her so much.

Now, when I look at Squadron, I see the face of the new Lower East Side / Brooklyn: young, bearded, White, and unfamiliar. He looks like the guys who peruse the night scene on 1st Street or Ludlow, and that makes me itch. From what I understand, he barely lived and worked here in NYC, mainly as an aide for Senator Chuck Schumer. While the photo ops are nice, I’m not sure he’s actually in tune with the community as he should be. Then, I look at Martin Connor, and I see … an older White gentleman. He’s been around a while, but I ask myself if he helped or hurt our neighborhood, so different from he first took office. Furthermore, I feel like I only hear of Marty Connor’s name during elections.

And it’s with that thinking that the role of community organizer becomes ever more important. Activist groups such as PHROLES address issues pertaining to public house in my hood. Social workers, parents, and teachers in this city are going to the important meetings and rallies to keep our interests (which is specifically our children’s interests) in the ears of politicians who only want to read off a sheet rather than come from the gut. Even subgroups such as 100 Black Men in Law Enforcement often takes stances that contradict their employer’s positions for their community’s benefit. That’s powerful.

With the understanding of the complex politics of New York City with its varying degrees of liberal and progressive ideas, it’s hard to jump into community organization when there are so many options. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. I just hope that whatever path I choose will

a) be in line with most of my ideals
b) will serve the people and not the “masters”
c) keep the people who I represent informed and active

Because if I can’t meet either of those requirements, I can’t honestly say I serve those people. Maybe that’s something our public servants should take heed of.

jose, who has 2 dangerous posts coming up this week …

p.s. - Please support the blogs around the web contributing to the Blogging Day of Justice today, starting with Electronic Village.

Tagged as: activism, lower east side, nyc, politics

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Alright, for those interested and those who inquired, yes, The Jose Vilson is live!

Tagged as: web update

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Let’s set the scene.

Sunday, September 7th, 2008. I’ve just spent the better part of the last 7 hours soft-coding and designing page 4 of my website, which includes it’s own subset of pages and such, and making a really cool menu. Drake and Josh, Spongebob Squarepants, Philadelphia Eagles vs. St. Louis Rams, and Dallas Cowboys vs. Cleveland Browns on the TV screen. Honey Nut Cheerios, egg sandwiches, and rice and beans on my various plates. All this Sunday productivity has prevented me from being even more productive. The sun looks the same now against my walls that it did when I woke up: orange and calming. No, I haven’t stepped outside all day. No, I haven’t graded my kids’ work: a diagnostic namely. No, I haven’t even seen my regulars like Facebook and Twitter in a little while.

All in the name of finishing what I’ve started.

I was inspired yesterday to go to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) to see the new Salvador Dali exhibition, and in a word: disturbing and awesome in the truest sense of the word. His paintings are rife with introspection, iconoclasm, and assault on conventional thinking. While his artwork is easily recognizable, they’re just as mesmerizing as the first time you see them. His work does not belie his face: he’s a madman of extreme proportions, and his art was his placebo. When you look at the work, you notice the man is accomplished for wringing out those emotions of us; he arouses feelings of disgust, hurt, disappointment, arousal, idolation, and excitement.

And the one thing we can say about him is that his genius ISN’T in what he was ABOUT to do. He had tons of unfinished works, and left a few manuscripts on the table for us to peruse I suppose. What he didn’t finish usually measures potential. Thus, we can only measure someone by what they DO finish. If he didn’t finish his works, would we laud him posthumously the way we do now? Not as much. We forgive his intricacies and, frankly, his more perverted thoughts, strictly because when he made the surreal more tangible to us through his work.

In the same way, whether we’re in the middle of a project, whether we’re getting paid for it or not, it’s in our best interest to finish what we start, or at least finish the plans that will let someone else finish the job for you. This summer, during my semi-internship at my school while learning about data and how to apply that to instruction, I also helped develop and implement an Excel spreadsheet that automatically analyzes the snapshot we know as the NY State ELA and Math tests and distributing that to every teacher in the building. While there’ll definitely need to be software updates every so often, suffice it to say that actually getting it done was the best feeling ever.

That’s pretty much how I’m approaching the next 176 (or so) school days left in my schedule. As well as this blog. And my books. And my life. There’s lots to accomplish, but for anyone who’s been paying attention, I’ve never been so motivated in my life. Now, if I’m correct, the next blog you all read will update you on my latest and greatest baby: the long-awaited main site update.

jose, who wonders who watches the watchmen …

Tagged as: dali, inspiration

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I’ve found a bit of a paradox.

I bring this up because of the conversations I’ve been having with respected and degreed educators in my sphere, one whose very close to me personally and one whose cool with me professionally. Both have different schools and different situations, but both have the students in their schools in mind.

On one end of the argument, we have a large conclave of teachers who complain at every turn possible. Simple matters become grandiose events. We can have a professional development period, and once those kinda discussions happen, everyone has that looks-at-their-watch-when-is-this-over-not-just-yet-aw-man look on them. I’m all for rebel rousing and upsetting the established order, but there are also times when this sort of activity just isn’t necessary nor valuable to our primary objective: helping students. For example, someone who’s taught the same student for 5 straight years because that student can’t pass his class should take an earnest look at his or her class and how they’re addressing that child’s needs. Teachers who would rather read the newspaper in homeroom than take care of students and simultaneously complain about their students’ lack of effort boggle my mind.

But then there’s the flip side of that argument when we talk about responsibility. Teachers don’t always get treated like professionals, and the expectations for them shift depending on whoever’s in charge. Some of the bitter history between administration and teacher is hard to erase, and so is the whimsical flux often frustrated teachers. I’ve stated time and again how the profession of teaching takes time, and just from general conversations with teachers, I get the feeling that what’s “important” is usually just a facade to appease rather than actually researching and figuring out what’s best for the students.

So I’m at a weird spot right now. Any thoughts on this?

Tagged as: education, teaching

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No, it’s not the same.

Mostly the same kids. Same subject. Same friendships. Same teachers in the building. Same madness in the beginning. Same school building. Same confusion as to what the heck students had on their heads and why they decided not to wear uniform if they’ve been to the school already. Same high hopes. Same uneasiness.

But it’s definitely not the same.

This year, I envision me taking better care of myself. For all intents and purposes, I felt almost useless for the last 2 weeks of last year due to circumstances I couldn’t control. Now, even with the recent teacher departures, I feel I’m more in control. As a teacher, I come into the classroom with an incredible swagger. I fully expect all eyes on me even when I’m not the one teaching. I expect quiet when I’m speaking. I expect a certain respect from everyone. When I write on the board, I expect students to be writing notes in back of me and nothing else. I expect quiet usually, and maybe just a little buzz while they’re working in groups. My gumption doesn’t come from anything except wanting to preemptively avoid 85% of classroom management problems from the onset.

and if I thoroughly believe in that persona, then that’s exactly what I’m going to get … and sometimes to a fault.

Even with all that pomp, I still find that the kids react to me just the opposite of what I’d expect. They welcome my presence, and even my slight passing by the classroom gets them overly excited rather than nervous and scared. :: snaps:: So much for that. I’m still getting kids running up to me, literally leaving their classes, and begging me to teach their class (I have little control over that). It’s a weird feeling, for as much as I want to maintain the “no smiling ’til Christmas” mantra, I also know that, much sooner than later, my students find out I care a lot about them.

So for the new teachers reading, please know:

Teaching is, more than anything, a living contradiction:

• It’s a profession because I’m getting paid for it, and a calling because there’s something innate in true teachers that implant us in our students’ memory banks
• I get to be mean and nice, sometimes within a span of five seconds
• I’m fully expected to be ready with a lesson plan, but I’ll never truly be ready for what happens on the everyday.
• Almost everyone knows what a teacher is and what they should look like, but I still have a hard time expounding on my experiences as one to anyone but people who work with youth in that capacity.
• I teach math, but I’m a prolific writer, a music connoisseur, and an avid reader of historical non-fiction (usually on the radical side)
• I’m expected to be a role model, but that suppression of some of my more unbridled habits (cursing comes to mind) makes me want to do it more when not in the view of children
• I love being with the kids, but for my own mental health, I need a break because …
• The energy I put into my profession is what comes out of me …

But that’s my job. I’m amorphous and omnipresent. I’m an overlord and proponent. I’m whatever my students need me to be. And that’s the way I like it.

jose, who has no idea what he’s gonna dress in tomorrow …

Tagged as: education, teaching

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This will be that year
The year of the grandiose theme song
Providing the vibrations of an aura well suited for triumph
It is here that the masters appear
When kings die in a battle of decades coming to a tragic end
When they were almost ready to hand over the throne
And warriors patrol other commonwealths
In search of greener pastures and one day ruling the world
With such shifts amidst and abounding
This humble knight asks who would want to rule this principality?
Constant preparations and mental exercises for another academic year
I studied the scribes of the grandest wizards
Traversed through lands and oceans
Bathed in the the stuff of legend
Immersed in the works of the greatest lecturers and pontificators
Years ago, when trained in this craft, and I assumed the position of sir
I dreamt of the day that I would rule the world
With ruler in one hand and pen in the other
Armed with the word and the math alike
That I’d get a chance to educate to the next generation of
Artisans, warriors, carpenters, scientists, and evangelists
Of the clandestine and good works of the people who proceeded them
Upon my knighting, I had nothing strewn before me
Nary a sword nor a shield
Or a horn I can wield
Just a band of keys
And nothing more
Just expertise and a will that drove the many before me
And the many after me
This will be the reckoning
The year the dragons test thine iron and mettle
The year where the alloy either withstands or disintegrates
The year of the triumphant
The year in which I attempt to once again rule the world …

jose, who wishes everyone an awesome year …

Tagged as: poetry

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