2025: Because We Had To Do Something About It How did a bad encounter with two wayward teenagers after Trump’s inauguration transformed my outlook for the rest of the year? Read more here and let me know what you…
So Close I Can Taste ItI got some updates on Penny Harvest at my school: So far, the 8th grade has collected a good 150+ pounds of pennies. The 7th
Why My Kids Can’t Count To A MillionAs some of you know, I had an assignment in which we wanted to make 1 million stars and fill up the wall with that
Makes Me Wanna HollaBefore I continue, a big shout out to Right Wing Nation, for linking me on the Carnival of Education. And a special shout-out to Dan,
Mars and Venus Are in the Same Damn UniverseThis week, I’ve decided to focus on my girls because, 1) I’ve been reading Pandagon far too much and 2) sexism is still alive, simple
Tan JovenHonestly, today’s professional development didn’t do anything to make me a better teacher, and I’m pretty sure I have a ways to go before I
Student of the MonthI have this one girl in one of my classes who’s awesome. She’s one of the sharpest students I’ve ever had as far as math.
Short Notes: Live From DCA few notes of interest: – I love e-mails, especially the hate mail. It usually makes me laugh, but this one really made me shake
2007 Weblog Award FinalistIt looks like all the nominations and votes worked. I’m one of the finalists for Best Education Blog for the 2007 Weblog Awards. Pretty cool
A Tale of Two Lower East SidersI’m a resident Lower East Sider. I don’t teach around here, but my heart, soul, and body still resides here. So when news from this
Take a BowI’m not sure if I still have a couple of sports fans reading, but notice how as soon as the Red Sox won the World
Everyone’s Got Their Doctorate NowBefore I continue, I’d like to thank Tia (not sure who she is, but she likes my blog) for nominating me for the Best Education
Penny Harvest ManiaTomorrow’s the first Weigh-in at my school for Penny Harvest, the annual system-wide fundraising event for charities across the US sponsored by Common Cents. I’m
Our Own Conductorless OrchestraFirst off, shout-outs to History is Elementary for the latest Carnival of Education, which I participated in. I need to get with the program and
Having Your Cake and Eating It Too, Workshop Model StyleAfter an intense review of the test that my kids bombed, and running around the school trying to get the school ready for Penny Harvest,
Raindrops Falling On My HeadOn Friday, a fellow teacher and I took 2 of my classes on a trip to the Central Park Zoo, and I have to tell
Not Your Average JoeI became a baseball fan when I was around 9 years old, when the Yankees were getting their butts beat in the division by the
Penny Harvest MathAh, I’m taking a breather from politics. Not that I don’t like duking it out with different individuals on my beliefs, but because I like
A Synopsis of The Road Less WantedLast week, I spoke extensively about one student who had some serious behavioral problems in his classroom, and how that’s a microcosm of what he’s
After Notes from the AfroLatino Immigration DiscussionYesterday afternoon, I attended a panel discussion entitled “Black, Latino, Both” sponsored by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (of which I am
IncalculableEvery year, sometime in September, teachers and administrators get a huge stack of papers describing to us exactly how our kids performed in the 2-3
Who’s The Savage?This kid in my school’s about 5’10, Black Latino, raspy voice, and a good 225-235 pounds easily. The first time I ever observed him, I
Let It BeWhen I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be … While everyone’s been hitting
ImagineImagine there’s no HeavenIt’s easy if you tryNo hell below usAbove us only skyImagine all the peopleLiving for today … Field Negro’s contemplations about religion,
Lucy in the Sky With DiamondsBefore college, I was never much into drugs. The closest I ever came to actually having drugs were the moments of secondhand contact and at
Helter SkelterThose that need an explanation as to why people made a big uproar over the Jena 6 need no further comment from me after this:
We Can Work It OutLife is very short, and there’s no time for fussing and fighting, my friend. I have always thought that it’s a crime, so I will
RevolutionYou say you want a revolution, well you know we all want to change the world. My annoyance right now stems from the idea of
Across The UniverseI finally settled on a new layout. Though it’s not exactly the one I wanted, it’s the only one that works for both Internet Explorer
Leave Fame AloneI recently saw one of the most disturbing videos of the year when I saw Chris Crocker (a.k.a. “Leave Britney Alone” guy) on MySpace, sobbing
Ms. B Does Her F*(k!n Job!Today, I had the grand opportunity of observing a “veteran” teacher, and I hate to go into details, but let’s just say that this person’s
The Common Factor“The mediocre teachers tell. The good teachers explain. The superior teachers demonstrate. The great teachers inspire.” – my good friend Indira, who quoted someone else,
Black, White, and Read All Over? Terrorism!I recently read on Slate.com that not only is Big Brother watching, but he’s also trying to get into my library, keeping records of the
Color CommentaryThe problem / blessing with being a blogger of “color” is that, because of our natural tendency to discuss politics, we’re instantly labeled and constricted
Do Your F*ck!n JobMayor Bloomberg’s latest ideas on creating incentives for people doing what they’re supposed to do annoys the shit out of me. I hate to curse
And The Crowd Goes WildBy the way, I didn’t know my last blog was blocked from comments, but that’s fine. It was a post I just needed to exhale.
The Traveling Prayer Thanks everyone for your prayers and thoughts. I finally arrived to Florida after a somewhat long trip here. I had a…
And I Wonder … “Find your dreams come trueAnd I wonder if you knowWhat it meansTo find your dreams …” I’ve been forced to…
A Dish Best Served Well Man, it’s been a crazy weekend. Unfortunately, I can’t go into specifics, but it’s all accumulating with my father’s worsening…
Flash Flood Warning The G_d around me and not the G_d I amtapped twice on my shoulder before the storm hitIn rumbles calling…
Look, I’m In A Nutshell Did you ever get someone or a group of people just stare at you for no good reason? I don’t…
Walk On Water When it comes to my principles, I didn’t tell them who I quoted from, but I had a discussion around…
Give It All You Got My second day started off with a huge group hug from some of my former 8th graders, and a lot…
I Do This In My Sleep, True Story … Before I begin, let me just say that when people make absurd comments, it doesn’t bother me much. It’s a…
Welcome to the Jungle Less than a month ago, The Village Voice published an article about the NYC Teaching Fellows entitled “Your Own Personal…
I Slipped, Fell, and Landed On Your Blog Ever since I started typing opinionated blogs in my last venue, I’ve always had interesting search strings attached to my…
Under All These Clothes, I Too Am Naked I’ve been reading a few books here and there about education, from The First Days of School by Harry K.…
The Not-So-Reluctant Disciplinarian For any new teacher, I would recommend Gary Rubenstein’s The Reluctant Disciplinarian, a book of one teacher’s journey towards becoming…