The following letter was sent to Ms.Nyah Berg, Director of Integrated Schools Project for New York Appleseed, by Rocky Bonanno, a District 28 parent in response to “Integration jitters in Queens: We can’t lose sight of the ultimate goal here,” published by the NY Daily News on March 16, 2020. The letter has been edited… Continue reading Parent Responds to Queens D28 Integration ‘Daily News’ Editorial
(This is a guest post by Dana Kaplan. Dana has her MA in Early Childhood Education with an additional certification in Gifted Education. Dana joined PS 33, Chelsea Prep for the 2006-2007 school year. During Dana’s tenure at PS 33, she taught Pre-K for two years, launched the ICT-Kindergarten class, and independently created, piloted, and… Continue reading DEAR PARENTS, YOU ARE ROCK STARS!
All New York City public schools officially closed their doors on Monday, March 16, with online classes scheduled to commence on Monday, March 23 and continue at least through April 20, which would have marked the end of the Passover/Easter holiday break. Private schools began suspending in-person classes the week of March 9 in advance… Continue reading Parents Share Their Hopes, Fears – And Tips! – For Online Learning During Crises
(This is a guest post by Isis Spann, an educational coach determined to prove that “high poverty can equal high performance when we engage more with families.” She is a founding delegate of the National Parents Union, FUNdamentals of Learning owner, and author of “Taking the WORK Out Of Homework.”) In college, I had the… Continue reading You Can’t Teach Who You Don’t Know!
(The author of this guest post, a teacher at a New York City public high school, wishes to remain anonymous. Names and other identifying details have been changed.) “I can’t wait to come back to this school and throw money at everyone,” said Derek, an 11th grade boy in one of my classes. “Hit all… Continue reading So We Beat On, Boats Against the Current: A Teacher’s Take On Schools That Fail Students
It was supposed to have been a done deal. As covered in great detail here, on Wednesday, March 3, after a series of cryptic and downright nonsensical statements about how coronavirus absences would affect middle and high school admissions for September 2021, Mayor Bill De Blasio said at a press conference: “Attendance will be frozen… Continue reading A Matter Of Trust: Coronavirus, the Department of Ed & NYC Families
(This is a guest post by Dana Kaplan. Dana has her MA in Early Childhood Education with an additional certification in Gifted Education. Dana joined PS 33, Chelsea Prep for the 2006-2007 school year. During Dana’s tenure at PS 33, she taught Pre-K for two years, launched the ICT-Kindergarten class, and independently created, piloted, and… Continue reading Educator Shares Tips For Talking To Kids About Coronavirus Fears
(This is a guest post by Joseph S. Lento, a licensed Teacher of Orchestral Music and School District Administration. In 2014, President Obama named him a National Teacher of Arts and Humanities. Joseph also has commendations from Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. In 1999, he was named NYC Public Schools Bronx County… Continue reading Ending the School to Prison Pipeline…With a Trumpet!!
On Sunday, March 1, I posted NYC School Admissions… and Coronavirus? asserting that: At press time, there were no diagnosed cases of the novel coronavirus in New York City. A half-hour later, the first confirmed case was reported. (I never claimed to be clairvoyant.) My post discussed how several NYC schools had asked families who’d… Continue reading NYC School Admissions… and Coronavirus? How Parents Forced the Department of Ed To Take Action!
“Teachers get off at three o’clock. They don’t work a full day.” “Teachers get summers off and all those holidays.” These are the comments that teachers often hear that make our skin crawl. If our workdays are so cushy, why aren’t people lining up to take our place? Folks who make these remarks never seem… Continue reading Lets Talk About Days and Hours Worked
