The Jose Vilson: The Blog

From a Teacher to an Educational Leader

Luz — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:00:56 +0000

Luz loved writing about education so much, she decided to give us another nugget of wisdom. Once again, Luz …

The transition began four years when I saw the chaos that was around me in the school I had been working in for six years. Even though it wasn’t always the perfect setting, there was a sense of solidarity and commitment from my colleagues. I had the privilege of having many mentors in said building who took me under their wing and helped to mold me. From them, I learned that as a teacher I had to make sure that my students were my first priority and not the latest mandates imposed upon us by a continuous changing at the district, region, NYCDOE, and state level.

Unfortunately, due to the latter, I had the privilege of meeting many administrators who added a title to their name and which carried no weight because they possessed no said qualifications of leadership. Positions had been assigned due to political connections either at the district or city level. Others had graduated from the District University of Leadership and had earned the 18 credits on paper which were needed to obtain state certification to be a building leader. Last but not least, we also had administrators who graduated from an educational leadership program, a pilot program. Yet, we still had administrators in said building whom had earned their positions by putting in the time, working hard, and their commitment to the kids, and even to themselves.

The school was undergoing a tremendous change with all the requirements we had to meet in order to remove our names from “THAT” list, the new state guidelines, and an unstable leadership. In spite of all this, the majority of the teachers worked together and maintained a semblance of stability for our students. Even though we knew things were very questionable, we also knew we had a job to do. At times, teacher morale was low therefore some of us would rally the troops and provide that moral support in these desperate times. Especially because some veteran teachers that had been teaching over fifteen years suddenly found themselves being observed, written up, threatened with a letter in their files, and felt a certain disrespect by the new administration - those whom had been in the classroom for a minute or two and had not earned their accreditation with the staff.

This was an ongoing battle both at the administrative level and the staff. The established administrators had earned their respect from many of us since not only had they put their time in but had also been teachers themselves. We found ourselves sitting in meetings in which the new administrators did not know about English language learners yet insisted directing the ELA, ESL, and bilingual teachers as to how to do their job. Conversations ranged from what color should the words for our word walls be, the reading assessments kits, weekly grade level meetings, and professional development after school. We heard from the new administrators how one has to create incentives and make them understand the relevance of what they learn.

An example that was shared with us was about a student who had difficulty reading but his incentive was not only the sports car his dad would buy him, but the business he would one day inherit. My colleagues and I sat there in silence trying to make the connection between our students whose reality at the time was the following: 1^st and/or 2^nd generation American-Latinos, immigrants to this country like their parents, lived in an economically diverse neighborhood, and who were below their respective reading grade level. Did this administrator not realize who our students were? Yet, this same administrator went after teachers whom were veterans and had more combined years of teaching than said person was alive. Another strategic device was for administrators to come into our classrooms with a checklist which consisted of the following: word walls, students’ work, labeled libraries, labeled notebook bins, bulletin boards up-to-date, information posted, and of course to see if we were teaching. It became a constant interruption during instruction that even my students would roll their eyes and have an attitude since we had “Big Brother” (or “Big Sister”) was watching us.

Even though I comprehend and acknowledge that the level of bureaucracy can often interfere with leadership, I do not justify incompetence as being a core requirement like I had personally witnessed in said environment. In order to lead, one does not have to micromanage teachers nor disrespect them and attempt to threaten them by putting a letter in their file because one is demanding respect when it has not been earned. Instead, have conversations with staff members and listen and address their concerns, especially when there is hesitation to try the new “miracle” curriculum.

I am not saying that teachers do not have to sometimes refresh their techniques and learn new approaches but there is finesse as to how this is done. It is easy to target those teachers whom won’t fight back unlike those teachers, whom are known not to do their job for various reasons, yet are still working and earning a paycheck because creating a paper trail is an on-going process. If these teachers are detrimental to the students, then make sure that there is a follow through because mediocrity is not acceptable. There is no need to walk around with a checklist to see if your building is in order since as a leader your vision of what the building and classroom should look like is transparent to everyone; but most importantly, the stakeholders of your school, are also aligned to this vision. It is not an easy task to undertake for those who have decided to embark on the path of educational leadership, yet is very necessary in order to transform our schools, inspire our students, and motivate our teachers.

Luz, who’d love to hear your enlightened opinions about all of this …

I Am The Walrus In This Here Blogosphere

Jose — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 03:01:15 +0000

I believe in completely and absolutely putting yourself out there for everyone to find …

Kinda.

There are a million and one reasons why you shouldn’t even mess with having an Internet profile, including, but not limited to: invasion of privacy, competitiveness for amount of readers, page views, and subscribers, feeling the need to update (at least) weekly, running the chances of your boss / ex / ex-friend from high school / mortal enemy / Department of Homeland Security or any other number of agencies coming out to hogtie you, split open your neck with a guillotine, and put a toe tag on you just for finishing touches, there are also a few reasons often overlooked, especially since the Internet is truly the next big dimension.

Yet, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my favorite part of social media: the human connection. In my circle of friends, I’ve been the most progressive user in this medium, even when some of them were detractors. A few years later, many of the opportunities I’m proud to be a part of and the people I’ve met have come from the ‘Net, believe it or not. So without further adieu, a list of reasons to ponder becoming a full-blown Web 2.0 / 3.0 geek:

1) It’s yours. Not anyone else’s. Full autonomy. I don’t post dirt, but real parts of my story, and that’s important for me to make that distinction.

2) You create your own “media.” I don’t have to wait for a spokesperson, or get a publicist. As soon as I write something, BAM! Done. It’s proven good so far, so I won’t ruin my good fortunes.

3) It creates tons of opportunities for … well practically everything. Ever since I started blogging, the opportunities to meet people, go places, be part of workshops, and write for different venues have practically fallen on my lap. Before I started blogging publicly, I had to beg and plead for an opportunity, and I’d have to pull out some random report I did for writing samples. Now, if someone wants a writing sample, they can hit the nifty orange icon at the top of my page. It’s really that simple. I know friends who’ve gotten contacts for book deals, mentoring, and even a few political party conventions.

4) On the Internet, it’s much easier to filter out people you really like (or don’t like, for that matter). I’m not forced to work with anyone who I don’t like if it’s the Internet. That red X on the corner (or silver and black X for Mac users) comes in really handy in those cases.

5) You can test out ideas and get immediate (and sometimes very thorough) feedback about the idea. 1/2 the time I blog, it’s about dropping unfiltered thoughts and trying to get a different worldview than my own. I grow from it, and I’m sure you can too.

Also note a couple of things, too:

1) I don’t ever say anything incriminating about my workplace. I’ll talk about the ideas I’m not too fond of, but never the person (unless it’s a public figure like Klein or Bloomberg). I know I’ve harped on that quite a bit, but it’s important because I know who reads this stuff and the kinds of drama it can create. I won’t be the next teacher-blogger who’s forced into seclusion by some higher-ups wagging their hefty fingers. No thanks.

2) These also comes with the precondition that you know how to manage how you’d like to be perceived.

So please, get a Facebook / MySpace (e-mail me for this one) / Twitter / blog (preferably self-hosted) / LinkedIn / any other new social site that might outdate even this post. As long as the Internet is a place to meet more humans (and by meet, I mean meet them in real life) and not to run away from them, then we’re good. And even us introverts have to play the extrovert if we have a message to get across.

Until everyone understands the power of this Web 2.0 / 3.0 business, I’ll still be the walrus in the room. Goo-goo-ga-choob.

Jose, who has parent-teacher conferences tomorrow and am inordinately excited about the possibilities …

Short Notes: They Don’t Pay Me Enough To Accept Your Comments

Jose — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 17:21:09 +0000

A few notes:

Now that the election is done, I gotta say: I still don’t think Barack Obama parted the Red Sea or anything like that, and thus, we should still be able to criticize him and his pending administration, especially his Clinton-centric transition team / Cabinet nominees, or so it seems. Not saying we should completely flatten him for moves he hasn’t even made yet (here’s looking at you, Tavis Smiley), but let’s stay critical thinkers.
Again, for me, it’s about disagreeing without being disagreeable. I’m not here making inflammatory comments about anyone. Seems like everyone’s snooping around to see if they’re being talked about.
Speaking of which, dude’s made more jobs than MC Hammer. A transition team? Have we ever seen this kind of efficacy going into a presidential term?
I knew Bush was a little grimey, but is he really this gangsta?
If you think what the rest of us think about Joel Klein, then please sign the petition. As a matter of fact, write it in a letter, too. I’m not dissing him as a person; I’m against the idea that we can just sell off our public schools to the highest bidder. I’m against third-party practitioners controlling how children learn even when we have standards to follow. I’m against constantly changing the big ELA and Math tests for the benefit of the “higher-ups” instead of thinking about what’s good for the children, especially when it’s time for re-election. I’m against jumping through loopholes set specifically to guarantee the right people are put in the right place. I’m not against the person, but against the ideas. See?

Oh right, and before I go to the gym, this needs to be said: I am not for sale.

This morning, I got a comment that read more like an advertisement than anything else. I blocked it as spam, but before I did, I went to the site itself. It’s a site supposedly dedicated to “paying teachers more,” and it has a series of posts, all unoriginal content, and all incendiary. As much as I love that sort of blog (check the sidebar at your leisure), I’m not about to give props to any site that says “pay teachers more.” It happens in every industry; they align their message to your beliefs, leave a message on your site, and think that people are dumb enough to fall into the traps.

“Teachers don’t get paid enough!”
“This school pays a Gazillion dollars, and it’s the only one!”
“Teachers have it tough!”

Sites like this one make me sick because they fall right in line with what real teachers are saying: we’re not just asking for higher salaries. It’s about the respect as professionals. I understand; we get summers off, etc. However, it doesn’t mean we should have any less autonomy in our jobs, less respect on a professional level, less of a voice in what goes on in our schools, less chances to make this a career rather than a “Peace Corps-type tour,” or less opportunities to express ourselves in venues like these, where I feel we’re making so many strides in bringing a new dimension to how people view teachers.

As such, if you’re gonna come at me or anyone who blogs, please know we’re not gonna eat your shit. Yeah. I said it. Shit.

Jose, who is heavily ancitipating Malcolm Gladwell’s new book, The Outliers.

Saying It When No One Else Will

Jose — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 03:06:04 +0000

Yes, I’m going to pop my colla just a smidget.

I never really guest-posted before. So what did I do? I asked Nezua what’s up with his guest-posting. He hollers back, letting some of us give our perspective. Check it:

The Forever After:

“Barack Obama isn’t just a man in isolation or the man who’ll lead this country for the next four to eight years, but also a mass movement for that future, a bright one. Barack has overtly galvanized the country in his favor and has built a formidable youth movement that should keep this generation’s voice heard, but its soul intact.”

No, I’m not just saying it’s good because I wrote it. Please go read it. I mean right after you read this. edit: So good in fact that Vivir Latino linked me as well.

Then, Racalicious posted about the lack of racial diversity in the New York 40. A valid point, but don’t they mean New York 41? Didn’t get the memo? Gosh!

And not that you haven’t figured this out already by the big “EDUCATION” tag on the left side of my blog, but maybe someday, I’ll be tagged for Secretary of Education, or at least part of the Transition Team. At least one person seems to think I fit. (Thanks for including me, Rob and Core Knowledge Blog).

Oh, and before I forget … I used my SmartBoard for the first time this year. It was alright, I guess.

Jose, who needs to be capitalizing his name more often …

p.s. - OK, you can go read that blog now. HA! Comment, too.

Somewhere Between War and Peace

Jose — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:10:03 +0000

Only a few years ago, I was so vehemently anti-war, I often got into verbal jousts with ex-US military men of all stripes, giving them side-eyes whenever they’d try to offer me positions in their corps. I remember when I was unemployed for a good 5 months, my cousin, an ex-Marine who just did a tour in Eastern Europe, told me of his fantastic travels and how great an experience it was for him, even went so far as to tell my parents that the Army wasn’t so bad and, because I was unemployed, I had no business rejecting his offer. To that end, I cringed, getting even more annoyed that my parents would even betray my ideals for this man’s “backwards” thinking.

But then I thought back to my walks past the veteran’s hospital, the listless men and women coming in and out of the building, who escaped their rooms just to get a little fresh air, leaving their hand out to every passerby, even if we were just Syracuse U students. My mind still trips out thinking of the vets I’ve seen all along the highway, lining up against NYC’s most prestigious buildings, sleeping on the benches of Union Square, and often rallying against the very war they may have been involved with when they were of age. My thoughts turn to the 1000s of war vets who attempt suicide everyday, maybe due to the atrocities they’ve witnessed first-hand, or how the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America consistently has ranked Democrats ahead of Republicans in veteran affairs.

And for every Muhammad Ali, a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War on principle, there’s a Pat Tillman, who fought for the country he loved (even though he too thought the Iraq war was completely illegal and disagreed with it). It seems that even some of the more hawkish men and women in this country helped vote a relative peace-nick over a war veteran in war-time, one whose work focused more on domestic issues.

So while I’m still very anti-war, and anti-Bush-establishment, I still keep those soldiers all over the world in my thoughts, and wish them a safe return home. They too have families they need to feed. They too may find this war cumbersome and illegal. They too don’t think every detail about this war is being revealed to them. The only difference is that they’re fighting that war and we’re not. On this Veterans Day, a day dedicated to veterans AFTER the first World War and a day that the Congress itself instituted as a day of peace through good will and understanding, let’s keep them in our thoughts and prayers.

Somewhere between war and peace, these soldiers of fortune lie.

jose, who still envisions disputes being settles by a series of games between administration, not with other people as the pawns …

Efficacy Reigns Supreme

Jose — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 18:15:24 +0000

Barack Obama, Workin

A few links on this beautiful Sunday:

Problem Chylde parodies “Jack the Knife” after I tweeted: “@blogdiva Mr. [Rahm] Emanuel is really dedicated to his faith. But he def. believes in separation of church and state. And by state, we mean knife.”
Bam’s got a little venom for the Barack-haters.
JD does a good job of succinctly saying what many of us educator / skeptics felt about Barack.
NYC Educator debunks you center-right propagators. Good read.
Daily Intelligencer discusses the lesser-known stories of the election, including Palin coming out in a towel for official business. Whoops.
Deadspin premieres Smooth LeBron kickin’ it (in more ways than one) to Nicole Scherzinger of Pussycat Dolls fame.
I really can’t believe Barack took Michelle to go see Do The Right Thing on their first date. (Props to the Telegraph, UK)

Efficacy: (n) the power or capacity to produce a desired effect.

A theme we can’t seem to escape as the buzz of the election has somewhat died down is the idea of efficacy, and how we need to focus on results and “GTD” rather on the emotional aspect of things. Facebook may anger people with its constant redesigns and weird downtimes, but does it keep people connected? Yep. Even in this past presidential election, we notice that Barack Obama had these soaring speeches that helped galvanize his believers into buying into his system, but he really started to show gains in the polls when he toned it down in favor of boring policy. That’s when conservatives also started believing in the president-elect. That’s the difference between a blue-state plan and a 50-state plan. Come to think of it, his appointment of Rahm Emanuel as Chief of Staff is perfect because, although he’s feared, he also gets the presidents’ work done.

So now, when I think about the jobs we have, and how cluttered they can be, encumbered by dumb stuff like favoritism and bureaucracy, isn’t this the perfect time to getting real results? And I don’t mean taking some numbers, putting them in an Excel spreadsheet, and changing the scales until it actually makes it say what you want, but real and authentic results. That’s the movement, and that’s what I’m trying to learn.

Question: in your place of employ right now, what would make you more effective in any of the roles you take on? Whether you’re a teacher teaching children or a human resource person trying to make the job easier, I’d like to know.

Just as an example of things that might make it simpler to work:

Better professional development
Supportive environment
Better time management
More efficient ways of data management

How about you? What would help you get better results at your job?

jose, who loves inspiring others to set up their own blogs …

Teaching: By Any Means Necessary

Luz — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:00:58 +0000

This is the first guest post on my site, The Jose Vilson. Here, I’d like to show a little shine to some of my more prolific commenters and readers who may not get the recognition for being the writers and thought-provokers in my circle. Without any further adieu, I present Luz.

I have sat in countless meetings these past nine years as an educator. The topics have ranged from the new state regulations for our schools, the [NYC] Chancellor’s new policies, the curriculum which will solve all our problems, school culture, classroom management, discipline problems, and of course the bitching and gripping sessions, which never seem to astound me. In all said meetings, one of the things I find the most disturbing is the lack of reflection which exists among my colleagues and the administration officials. Questions are posed and issues are brought forward yet some of the on-going responses have become the following:

“I can’t do this in my classroom because of the pacing calendar.”
“These kids don’t have any basic skills.”
“I don’t have support from the administration.”
“I don’t have materials.”
“Due to the budget cuts, I don’t have enough supplies.”

I am not saying that the statements above are not valid because they are and sometimes have a tremendous impact in our everyday reality in the classrooms. But the unanswered question which I not only formulate but articulate is, “

How can I provide my students a quality education in spite of all the obstacles we face in our schools?”

When I share my thinking with others, I often wish I could videotape the facial expressions and the commentaries which emerge from my respective colleagues. It’s as if I haven’t read or comprehended the unspoken teacher manual for many, “This is How Things Are, So Don’t Go and Try to Change Them.” I find it extremely disturbing to hear in a group full of professionals whom are educated and minimally possess a master’s degree, how the system is set up for our kids to fail. Since we already know that this might be the hidden agenda, why don’t we take this knowledge and flip the script? Why should we be pawns in this game of give and take, especially when many of us profess to “love teaching?” Do we really?

Or has it become easy to be part of a system which has so many flaws and allots for the incompetent to get paid while reading a newspaper, have paid summer months off, and protect them from being fired. How does one really get fired from the NYCBOE? Do teachers get fired if they don’t write lesson plans? Do teachers get fired if they use the same lessons they have taught for the past ten years? Do teachers get fired for having low expectations for their students? Do teachers get fired for being prejudiced towards students due to their socio-economic class stature? Do teachers get fired for arriving late to class every day? Do teachers get fired for drinking on the job?

It is very difficult to be part of meetings in which I feel nothing gets accomplished because many of my colleagues believe that this time is needed for a bitch fest. I agree that we need to share and vent our frustrations because God knows that our families and loved ones are tired of hearing the stories. Who else can better understand and sympathize with our plight? Only a teacher can fully understand the nuances of our careers. When do we look at each other and actually bring honesty into the conversation? Almost rarely. After all how many of us feel comfortable asking a teacher with less experience to share some of the innovative ideas in her/his classroom? How many of us admit that we struggle with the different components of our lesson planning and/or execution of it? How many of us accept and admit that our lessons are not differentiated for the learners in our classrooms? How many of us seek alternative professional development training to enhance our instruction? How many of us reflect on our practice and are honest about what works and what doesn’t ?

Our students are diverse in many ways. We cannot measure our students in the same manner the state does because we actually have to incorporate the human factor which they do not. Therefore I struggle when I hear my colleagues claiming to love and give their students the best of themselves while the expectations they have for them are low. There are circumstances outside of the school which affect our students’ learning and motivation. Do we pity these students or teach them how to be resilient and fight back? Our students should not be settling to just get by and/or barely pass in our respective classes. They should be encouraged to step forward and expect more of themselves. When we say that we care about students, our actions will back up this blanket statement. Our actions will exemplify our commitment to their educational success because we will not tolerate excuses. The goal is for our students to modify their thinking from being a passive learner to an active learner.

When do we, as educators, change our thinking from being a victim to being a survivor in this professional realm? We don’t have the luxury of always finding excuses as to why things cannot get accomplished. Our task is to teach “by any means necessary.”

luz, who’s as gangsta in real life as she is in writing.

I Didn’t Vote

Jose — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:11:22 +0000

I rebelled.

I didn’t vote.

Well, let me be clear.

I didn’t vote for a Christian, a politician, a populist, or any major candidate.

I didn’t vote because Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and any other social spaces made me.

I didn’t vote because your profile pic, your text message, your constant blogs, and e-mails made me.

I didn’t vote because any particular candidates’ face was literally all over the place on Halloween, in the newsstands, on my television screen, or on some spiffy list.

I didn’t vote for “change;” that’s heavily dependent on who we’re looking at.

I didn’t vote for a Democrat or Republican, or a Black person or White person or male or female.

I didn’t vote on strategy either, because if I wanted to go with the strategy method, I could have chosen any number of campaigns or interested groups of voters, but I didn’t.

I didn’t even vote because I’m a teacher, and as much as I’ve griped about education and how I don’t like either candidates’ way of approaching us.

I didn’t vote because everyone else did it. I’m not usually one to just fall in line with those who generally share the same social interests with me.

I did it because I have a little boy in my math class who likes Barack, but thinks (and perhaps knows) that people want to kill him, so he shouldn’t even try because he’s going to get shot.

I did it because I have a young girl who, fiery and outspoken as she is, thinks John McCain himself wants to kill Barack and doesn’t believe that good people can come from either party.

I did it because I see the seeds are planted so students CAN be progressive and political at such an early age without discretion and without fear.

I did it because there’s someone else to look up to, away from the Soulja Boys of the world who give shout-outs to slavemasters or the Yung Bergs of the world differentiating between dark and light butts. They won’t follow those fools; they’ll follow Barack.

I did it because there’s nothing wrong with making a well-rounded family, loving one’s wife, and hugging your kids in public cool.

I did it because as much as the bitter man in me says we deserved Bush for 8 years since we didn’t fight hard enough against the maniac, the idealist believes that we didn’t, and shouldn’t, and this is the recompense.

I did it because, as I looked at and around the classroom, I was almost in (very quiet) tears knowing that these students would never be here if people didn’t literally fight to get into these establishments. Those fights help shift the national ideology, and made peace and progress in this country possible. From the schoolhouse to the White House, and we have the perfect man to bridge that gap.

I did it because, when my unborn children look up at me a few years from now and ask me what I did on this day, I can tell them,

“I voted for you to be whatever the hell you want to be.”

I didn’t vote for Barack the politician. I voted for Barack the man. And with him, I voted for his legacy.

jose, who will either be celebrating or mourning tomorrow. godspeed …

Because of Love

Jose — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 01:06:08 +0000

There are those artists whose adoring legions of fans really resemble nothing more than fairweather people looking for the undefinable “it” or “next.” So many artists gain a sort of status with their fans, and those fans go to the ends of the Earth for them … until they find the next idol and renege their idolatry. Too many artists these days build their foundations on one song, and throw 11 more songs on that single, and call it an album.

On Saturday night, Janet Jackson proved she wasn’t one of them.

Yes, we know she’s the 9th most successful rock and roll act in history, and second most successful female pop act in history as well. We know about the multiple awards, records, tragedies and mishaps, and, for that matter, my reverence for my first fake-girlfriend.

We also know that stardom often comes at a heavy price, and when any mishap is usually magnified times ten when in the scrutiny of the public eye, and further magnified by your own status. Thus, when she does fall (and in some cases, fall hard), it becomes symbolic of her whole music career.

Yet, during the concert, she came to the front portion of her stage, an elaborate wonder of modern staging. In her crazy mohawk and dripping sweat from head to toe, she stood there while people screamed for her. She tried to talk, but we interrupted her with a resounding call to her name.

Janet. Janet. Janet. Janet.

We awoke the little girl from Gary, who still carries that part of her somewhere under the vixen / superstar. She stood there, teary-eyed and humbled by it all. It’s the essence of why Madison Square Garden was filled to the brim for a woman whose had a hard time selling gold in her latest release.

For one night, she was reminded of the fans who still pledge allegiance to her and her legacy, the moments she’s sung to, and the love and care she put into some of our favorite songs.

Janet. Janet. Janet.

Very few artists actually give something to their fans that kicks them from crushes to evangelists, or even to love. Fans are fickle, and non-committal, and that’s also part of the system. It takes something about that person to make them true devotees, where even the rafters shook with her name. She stood there, knowing she’s equal parts human and divine for her fans.

No matter what happens to Janet, it’s because of love she knows we’re there.

jose, who, along with his girlfriend, was only a few seats away from that very moment …

Short Notes: A New Agenda

Jose — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 17:29:44 +0000

Janet Jackson

A few notes:

Last night, I knocked out a really big, bolded item off my imaginary bucket list: I saw Janet Jackson live. We had prime seating in Madison Square Garden for the event, and naturally, I went from cool and collected to a whooping maniac. More on that tomorrow.
People who wish death upon others have a special ring in hell for them.
Reason #1293 why I don’t dig the poetry scene right now: it’s another cool kids convention.
September and October have really flown by, and that’s exciting.
I’m thinking professional development needs a major overhaul in the way it’s worked. Sitting there doing nothing doesn’t cut it for me.
I found myself on RateMyTeachers.com. No students commented, but someone definitely did. It’s all good to me.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but on November 4th (or 5th, depending on how rigged the votes are), we could be looking at the first Black president of the United States. It was only 11 years ago that 2Pac stated boldly, “And even though it seems heaven-sent, we ain’t ready to have a Black president” on his first post-humous single, “I Wonder If Heaven Got A Ghetto.” We would still repeat that mantra well into this century.

Now, it’s a large possibility. And it’s going to be Barack. (Apologies to Cynthia and Rosa). My girlfriend and I have decided that, while we’re not enamored with his education policy, nor his health care plan, we also know that strategically, this vote will benefit the majority of us. We need a candidate who actually discusses the issues at hand, not just one who babbles on about a whole lot of nothing.

We need a new agenda, one that prioritizes domestic issues while understanding our global position economically and diplomatically. We don’t need the expansion of presidential powers, but a government truly representative of the needs of this country. John McCain (and by default, Sarah Palin) truly don’t represent that for me.

Vote Barack.

I am Jose and I approve this message …

Links for 2008-09-22 [Digg]

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Laws of Power Revisited
How to use The 48 Laws of Power in the classroom and in any workspace ...

Links for 2008-07-25 [Digg]

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0500

The Jose Vilson - Me Sube La Bilirrubina
A personal response to the 2 day special Black in America by CNN. Explores topics of Black and Latino identity, solution-developing, community-orienting, and the divisions we see in the blogosphere.

The Jose Vilson: The Blog

From a Teacher to an Educational Leader

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I Didn’t Vote

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Because of Love

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