politics

Unless They Don’t Want To Give Kids an Education [This Means War]

by Jose 05.31.2010

A few months ago, I was privy to a conversation my fellow colleagues were having about the state of education, and how the government doesn’t evenly distribute funds to ensure a proper, equitable education for all. One of the colleagues then reasons, “Well, they may not really want to give certain kids an education. Someone [...]

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The Education Boogey-Men

by Jose 04.14.2010

Over the last few years, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting educational innovators and thought leaders from throughout the country, people who I either admire for their awesomeness or have pushed my thinking in ways I hadn’t thought of. People like the Teacher Leaders Network and my folks on Facebook and Twitter offer conversations I [...]

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Tearing The House Down pt. 2: Hands Up For Haiti

by Jose 01.12.2010

For many of us in the United States, independence means a ton. Even for the most marginalized of groups, we scream and kick for it because of the hypocritical nature of this hollow pursuit of happiness. For most of us in this country, we enjoy freedoms that we often take for granted. From the computers [...]

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At The End of the Day [The Letters Series]

by Jose 11.18.2009

This week, I’m writing a few more letters to different people, whose names shall be removed from the post, but who nonetheless are amalgamations of real characters. I won’t be mincing words this week, and in these letters, I hope to address some issues I find in education as a whole through these letters. If [...]

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Dennis Kucinich on Why He Voted No to Health Care Pt. 2

by Jose 11.08.2009

After reading this beautiful piece of work by Dennis Kucinich on why he voted ‘no’ to the House Bill on Health Care Reform, I went to his website and caught this little statement on his website as well: Following a statement on the Floor of the House of Representative, Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today made [...]

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King Bloomberg and My Unrepentant Contradictions

by Jose 11.03.2009

I’m living in a weird spot right now. I’m a die-hard Yankees fan who has a hard time supporting the construction of a stadium that, from within and without, stratified the rich and the poor and is supported by the one man who embraces that stratification like the millions of dollars he’s gained indirectly through [...]

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Just When Post-Racial Educators Thought It Was Safe

by Jose 09.23.2009

This is one of 2009′s most censored stories. I know race is such a touchy subject for some of the readers of my blog, but … just read: According to a new Civil Rights report published at the University of California, Los Angeles, schools in the US are 44 percent non-white, and minorities are rapidly [...]

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Dear Barack Obama: A Letter from an Urban Math Teacher to His President

by Jose 09.14.2009

Dear President Obama, First, I’d like to thank you for your speech on education last weekend in Arlington, VA to high schoolers. I actually found it rather informative and refreshing to hear a current President talk about topics such as responsibility and effort in school. Your life stories as they pertain to school give a [...]

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Short Notes: The Imperfect Death

by Jose 08.30.2009

A few notes: Following TeachPaperless’ blog has been a godsend of sorts. This is probably the best argument I’ve seen against using rubrics for student work. JD highlights a documentary about NYC teachers and unions, and how they relate to McCarthyism. Here are some talks from TED (Teaching, Entertainment, Design) that might inspire some of [...]

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

by Jose 08.06.2009

A few minutes ago, Al Franken, who himself went through a few months of struggle attaining his position as senator of Minnesota, confirmed Sonia Sotomayor as a Supreme Court Justice, 68-31. We all know the biography: products of hard-working Puerto-Rican parents, Bronx-native, came through Catholic education and through the Ivy Leagues, rose up the ranks [...]

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