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 →
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 →
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 →
Oberlin students are serious about social justice. So much that they’ve taken the fight to their cafeteria. Are they demanding better wages for Campus Dining Service workers? No! They have been battling what they perceive as cultural appropriation in the form of substandard sushi, not sticky enough rice, and “inauthentic” non-fried General Tso’s chicken. Some students demanded more fried chicken… Read more →
Are your date nights stale? Does conversation lull as you come face to face with a wall of work week exhaustion heightened by the effects of wine and digestion only to realize every topic has been covered over the last 20 years? Are your date nights so predictable your husband resorts to a State of the Fridge address on… Read more →
(Video Compatible with Safari and Chrome) I happened upon this endearing moment at MS 88 recently. It was lunch hour. Officer Bill Bales, school safety agent, was volunteering his time to help rehearse an eighth grader for high school auditions. The student regularly eats his lunch quickly in order to use the rest of his time practicing with Bales in the auditorium. The… Read more →
I recently had the pleasure of “chaperoning” a virtual reality class trip at PS 261 through Google Expeditions Pioneer Program and it was a blast! If you have a subscription to the New York Times, you’ve already received Google Cardboard, the virtual reality viewer for use with various phone apps. Google Expeditions is an app designed specifically for the classroom to immerse students in a… Read more →
Every September, the parents of New York City fifth graders begin the dreaded middle school process. The process is commonly likened to “The Hunger Games” by disillusioned parents for its Darwinian system of reshuffling and categorizing 10-year-olds. Even in District 15, which has many “choice” schools, the middle school application process is truly grim. The Brooklyn Middle School “Hunger Games” – Part 1 explored those grim aspects, while Part 2,… Read more →
Every September, the parents of New York City fifth graders begin the dreaded middle school process. The process is commonly likened to “The Hunger Games” by disillusioned parents for its Darwinian system of reshuffling and categorizing 10-year-olds. If you read The Brooklyn Middle School “Hunger Games”, Part 1, you understand that this application process is truly grim. Now, I will introduce you to District 15 Parents for Middle School Equity… Read more →
Every September, the parents of New York City fifth graders begin the dreaded middle school process. I know many of you are going through this process right now. As the mom of a 6th grader, I get lots of questions on the street. I wanted to write a piece entitled, “What to Expect When You’re Expecting a 6th Grader,” but it’s not… Read more →