Basking in the obnoxiously perfect Southern California weather, I stopped by UCLA’s main commencement ceremony on Friday…and couldn’t help but think of my own college graduation at UCLA 2 years ago. Back when it was June 11, 2010: I sat in one of those oh-so-elite seats reserved for graduating seniors, and listened to those oh-so-cheesy…
read more »My TFA censorship drama ended yesterday. The administrator of the facebook page who had censored my posts and banned me from the page, expressed to me in an email that he had gone against his own values and felt very guilty for having done so. He told me that my voice was welcome and necessary…
read more »On my list of books that have defined the way I think about education, Diane Ravitch’s “The Death and Life of the Great American School System” is high up. She effectively eviscerates No Child Left Behind and the movement to base teacher evaluations and compensation on student test scores. It was therefore no small joy…
read more »I received an email this morning from the TFA recruiting director at my alma mater. He wanted alums to like the university’s TFA page on Facebook and give advice to new corps members about to start institute. I was excited to give any advice to help new corps members avoid the disasters of my first…
read more »Institute is beginning soon for 2012 corps members, and I want to wish all new CMs good luck. I’d like to offer some quick thoughts on how TFA can improve its institutes, and brief suggestions on where corps members can turn if they don’t feel like they are getting what they need out of the…
read more »In 2007, I began teaching elementary school in Los Angeles, in what I expected to be the beginning of a long career. I had always intended to go far beyond the two year commitment, and joined TFA primarily to be a part of the community, or the “movement” as it’s often called. I never expected…
read more »Today I asked my students to write me a haiku for their warm up about their goal as they are working towards 80% or higher on their final exams. Below are the ones that worked (or almost got the syllables right). To give some context: Any student that achieves the big goal will be invited…
read more »Sometimes I find myself drawn to the homicide reports in the LAtimes. I zoom in on the area where my school is located. It has the largest red circle of the LA metropolitan area (denoting the most homicides this year). I search the list for names I know, or deaths that are between 12 and…
read more »It has been over 6 months since I last posted, and in those 6 months, my entire life has changed. First, I was laid off 2 days after Christmas due to budget cuts. I spent 4 weeks on unemployment feeling like I had hit rock bottom. How was it that I left a well paying…
read more »One morning of my first year teaching I walked into my classroom and my heart froze. All I could think was some one had done this out of spite. My desks and chairs were strewn everywhere, files and papers that were (somewhat) organized for grading or lessons were in heaps thrown everywhere. And what truly…
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