Gregory Wickham

Gregory Wickham was a student at Stuyvesant High School. He runs NYC School Tech, a site where people can donate spare laptops and tablets to students in need. He was a quarter-finalist in the 2014 Young Rewired State Festival of Code.
Teachers Have a Union… Why Don’t Students: How They Can Help Each Other When the DOE Fails
DOE Fails · NYC Schools · student voices · UFT

Teachers Have a Union… Why Don’t Students: How They Can Help Each Other When the DOE Fails

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Every adult in a school building gets a union. Most are members of the United Federation of Teachers, and together they are incredibly powerful and effective. They negotiate all the rules. They can influence hiring and firing procedures, and everything about teaching. They have negotiated an incredible list of policies and rights for their members,… Continue reading Teachers Have a Union… Why Don’t Students: How They Can Help Each Other When the DOE Fails

No Retakes, No Extensions: A Student’s Open Letter To Incoming Education Secretary Miguel Cardona
Educational Equity · School Budget · student voices

No Retakes, No Extensions: A Student’s Open Letter To Incoming Education Secretary Miguel Cardona

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Dear Mr. Secretary, Congratulations on your promotion. You have a lot of work ahead of you. During your time in office, there are a few things that I ask you to do: Firstly, and most importantly, always listen to students. Every aspect of education should be student-centered and student-directed. In any educational question, the needs… Continue reading No Retakes, No Extensions: A Student’s Open Letter To Incoming Education Secretary Miguel Cardona

COVID Rates Rise, Remote Learning Continues: How You Can Help
achievement gap · coronavirus · DOE Fails · Educational Equity · Hybrid Learning · online learning · remote learning · student voices

COVID Rates Rise, Remote Learning Continues: How You Can Help

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Most of NYC’s 1.1 million public school students are doing remote learning. Every student needs an internet-connected device. As of mid-October, 77,000 students were still missing devices necessary for distance learning. I don’t doubt that 77,000 devices can be distributed in ten weeks, but I do doubt that they have been. Mostly because thousands of… Continue reading COVID Rates Rise, Remote Learning Continues: How You Can Help

NYC Teen Says: Those Who Benefit Most From the School System Are Those Who Are Lucky Enough Not To Need It
Educational Equity · homeschooling · NYC Schools · student voices

NYC Teen Says: Those Who Benefit Most From the School System Are Those Who Are Lucky Enough Not To Need It

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It wasn’t individual willpower or any unique rebellious tendencies that allowed me to escape my junior year at Stuyvesant High School and begin homeschooling myself. Instead, it was that many students were pushed out of my way in order for me to reach this exit. I hope my writing about my experience will offer some… Continue reading NYC Teen Says: Those Who Benefit Most From the School System Are Those Who Are Lucky Enough Not To Need It

So You Want To Homeschool? How To File the Paperwork You Need & Register for AP Exams, Too!
Advanced Placement · homeschooling · NYC high school · online learning · remote learning · student voices

So You Want To Homeschool? How To File the Paperwork You Need & Register for AP Exams, Too!

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I started homeschooling myself in November, but before I could begin that endeavor, I had to complete two tedious tasks. Firstly, I had to register for AP exams. Secondly, I had to submit an Individualized Home Instruction Plan and Letter of Intent to the NYC Department of Education. Registering for AP exams took the longest… Continue reading So You Want To Homeschool? How To File the Paperwork You Need & Register for AP Exams, Too!

Exceeding Expectations: How I Chose My Homeschooling Classes
Advanced Placement · Computer Science · homeschooling · NYC high school · student voices

Exceeding Expectations: How I Chose My Homeschooling Classes

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At the beginning of November, I left 11th grade at Stuyvesant High School, and started homeschooling myself. One of the primary benefits of homeschooling is that it freed me to select my courses of study. Had I stayed at Stuyvesant, this year I would have taken American Literature, Spanish 3, US History, Health, Regents Physics,… Continue reading Exceeding Expectations: How I Chose My Homeschooling Classes

From Stuyvesant HS to Homeschooling in One Marking Period
Advanced Placement · Educational Equity · Finding the Right School · homeschooling · NYC high school · online learning · School Choice · student voices

From Stuyvesant HS to Homeschooling in One Marking Period

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Two Mondays ago I began to homeschool myself in lieu of completing my tenure as a Stuyvesant High School student. There are many reasons I did this, including greater educational and temporal freedom, but it is important that I share not only why, but also how I homeschool, so that others may find it easier… Continue reading From Stuyvesant HS to Homeschooling in One Marking Period

3 Things Teachers Need to Let go of For Distance Learning to Work
Blog · coronavirus · NYC Teacher · remote learning

3 Things Teachers Need to Let go of For Distance Learning to Work

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Distance learning is an opportunity. Many teachers are frustrated that all the work they’ve done, which was preparing to teach students in a classroom, is now irrelevant. I suggest they mourn the loss and move on. If they try to continue to hold on to their old methods, the ghost of the classroom will haunt… Continue reading 3 Things Teachers Need to Let go of For Distance Learning to Work

What Still Needs Work: An NYC Student’s Take On the Problems With Online Learning
coronavirus · online learning · remote learning

What Still Needs Work: An NYC Student’s Take On the Problems With Online Learning

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While online school is wonderful overall, there are still some issues with it. I’m not talking about technical or logistical concerns. Those are all fairly straightforward to fix.  I’m talking about those issues which will take more time, flexibility, and cooperation on both the students’ and teachers’ parts if we wish to make the transition… Continue reading What Still Needs Work: An NYC Student’s Take On the Problems With Online Learning

Pausing My Teacher: An NYC Student’s Take On the Pros of Remote Learning
Blog · coronavirus · online learning · remote learning

Pausing My Teacher: An NYC Student’s Take On the Pros of Remote Learning

Gregory Wickham1 Comment

I, like many of my fellow students in New York City, have been doing school online for over a week now. Online school is preferable to in-school school for many reasons, a few of which I will explain here: YouTube > Teachers Many of my teachers have assigned YouTube videos as part of daily lessons… Continue reading Pausing My Teacher: An NYC Student’s Take On the Pros of Remote Learning