I recently testified about middle school integration at City Hall as a newly elected member of District 15’s Community Education Council, a.k.a. CEC15. My comments elicited a mildly humorous response from Councilmember Daniel Dromm, then the Education Committee Chair. I had just ended my speech with, “I am hopeful WXY can deliver a streamlined middle school process, with fewer forums… Read more →
I’ll cut to the chase. I was sexually harassed and groomed over the course of a week by James Toback, but not sexually assaulted, battered or threatened, as many others were, because I did not accompany him to a hotel room or Central Park. Listening to the news over the past week, I now realize what awaited me if I’d… Read more →
I recently spoke to parent-teacher coordinators and guidance counselors from various elementary schools and discovered a promising opportunity for District 15 parents. This year there has been a shift in 5th-grade students placed at several schools I term “Options for All.” Such schools offer parents a chance both to reform our segregated middle schools and create more “choice.” But I’m… Read more →
(Video compatible with Safari and Chrome.) It was quite a seen today at Carroll Park. After many rainy days, the sun peeked out for a few hours on one of the first warm days of springs, attracting more than kids to the park. As children were being dismissed from nearby schools, a raccoon with spring fever was foraging for an… Read more →
Isn’t this fun? We stared into a juggernaut of wars, corruption, discrimination and propaganda to create a Resistance and look how far it has come in 5 months! We have a name. We had the largest demonstration in US history. We were effective screaming in town halls, airports and courthouses. We joined Sister District, Flippable, or SwingLeft and managed to… Read more →
Signs of the resistance are everywhere including The Coal Shop: Brooklyn Workshop Gallery. I strolled in on the first spring-like Sunday and was caught off guard by Spring A.I.R., new works and works-in-progress by artists-in-residence Signe Bresling Rudolfsen and William Storms. Rudolfsen, a painter, and Storms, a weaver, working both individually and collaboratively captured the crucial interweaving of humanity. The… Read more →
Oh, give me a home where the streetcars roam. Where the children vote on participatory budgeting projects all week. Where seldom is heard a discouraging word on new school construction and the skies are not cloudy all day. It might come as a surprise to hear there are exciting government projects underway in our own backyard! I thought you might… Read more →
According to Cindy Gallop, “You cannot begin talking about sex too early,” and porn must be part of that discussion. She offered this bit of unexpected parenting advice while speaking to Julie Scelfo, author of The Women Who Made New York at the Brooklyn Historical Society. Gallop is the Founder of Make Love Not Porn TV, a sort of Facebook… Read more →
Public school parents recently received a message announcing, “Learning Leaders Closing After 60 Years.” The organization trains and manages 4,500 classroom volunteers citywide with only 20 full-time employees and will dissolve on March 15th. The letter explained that despite increasing private funding, the NYC Department of Education would not provide reliable or adequate support. As a result, “we cannot leverage… Read more →
Protest is not the New Brunch. Brunch is generally a comfortable affair that requires two hours of a lovely Sunday. There is usually warmth, seating and napkins. Typically brunch does not involve shouting in the rain. Brunch does not make you angry—usually. I know I’ve never been arrested at brunch. Brunch doesn’t feel like a second job. Brunch is not… Read more →