This week I had the opportunity to visit four internship sites, which is undoubtedly one of the best parts of the job. It is always a joy to see students thoroughly engaged, doing something they love, working closely with a caring, nurturing adult, producing high quality work not motivated by a grade but motivated by interest and passion.
The following is a very brief synopsis of my site visits, I hope that students will submit some work for me to post that will better describe their internships and LTI projects.
On Tuesday I visited Ruth at her internship at Citadel Broadcasting, which broadcasts stations 92 Pro FM, Lite Rock 105, and Hot 106, among others. Her mentor, Deb Ruggiero, is the Director of Community Development and the host of her own radio show titled, “Amazing Women.” Ruth is just beginning a very cool project where she will be creating a 60 second radio spot for the East Bay Met. Among other things Ruth will be learning about demographics, how to identify and target a specific market, how to develop a media plan, and how to put together a budget.
On Thursday I met with Laura (pictured above) and her mentor, Laurelin Sitterly, who is the Director of Humane Education at RISPCA (the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). Currently, Laura is working on an amazing project, designing a humane education program which she will help to promote, recruit for, and facilitate. Additionally, Laura will be writing a grant to pay for her mentor, another RISPCA employee, and herself to attend an educational conference in Florida in the Spring.
I also visited Slater’s internship at Small Business Computers in Newport. The owner and his wife, Ned and Linda, are thrilled to have Slater interning there, where he is learning about computer troubleshooting, maintenance, and repair, as well as customer service and how to operate a business. Presently, Slater is building, from the ground up, a very cool looking clear-case computer, which the shop will eventually sell.
Additionally, I met with Gwen’s mentors from Head Start, who were all very pleased with her work at the Joel Peckham school. From the comments of her mentors, it is apparent that Gwen has made a big impact on the kids in her classroom, as they all look forward to her presence on LTI days. In the next week or two Gwen will be creating an LTI project.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Shout Outs - 1/26
To all students for their engagement and participation in Wednesday’s Social Reasoning workshop and debate.
Seana - Two LTI interviews next Tuesday, wow! One at a theater company and the other at the sports office at Salve, hopefully one of these will lead to an internship for you.
Lazandra - The interview you have next week with the Development Department at the Women’s Resource Center could open the door for some great opportunities. Congratulations!
To all the students whose LTI sites I visited this week, keep up the great work!
Seana - Two LTI interviews next Tuesday, wow! One at a theater company and the other at the sports office at Salve, hopefully one of these will lead to an internship for you.
Lazandra - The interview you have next week with the Development Department at the Women’s Resource Center could open the door for some great opportunities. Congratulations!
To all the students whose LTI sites I visited this week, keep up the great work!
Deconstructing the "N" Word
“Do I have to go to this workshop? I don’t use the ‘N’ word”
This is what one of my students asked me Wednesday morning when they realized that the workshop would last from 9:30 to 12:00. Of course, my answer was simply, “Yes.”
While the workshop was long it was certainly not a monologue but rather a guided conversation that included the entire school. The facilitator, Marco, was engaging and charismatic and his style of presentation created a very comfortable environment to discuss a very uncomfortable topic. The workshop was less about the “N” word and much more about the history of the word and its negative connotations that stem from America’s deep rooted racism. Marco talked about everything from the slave trade to the Black Power movement to the present, including slavery, segregation, lynching, and civil rights. He discussed culture. He discussed the power of words and language. He discussed anthropology. Needless to say it was a very informative presentation and though we only began to scratch the surface it was done so in a thought provoking way that helped foster dialogue throughout the day, which hopefully will continue.
On Wednesday afternoon we broke into small groups and debriefed the morning’s workshop. Each group was then assigned a position regarding the use of the “N” word, whether it should be used, by whom, and in what context. Each group read some articles related to the topic and tried to glean evidence that supported their assigned position. The school then reconvened in the Commons where students were asked to defend their position in a structured debate. After each student defended their position, many very passionately, a jury of students handed down the verdict: the “N” word should not be used by anyone, at any time, in any context.
It was an informative, interesting, and insightful day. The wonderful behavior and participation of all students made for an amazing learning experience.
This is what one of my students asked me Wednesday morning when they realized that the workshop would last from 9:30 to 12:00. Of course, my answer was simply, “Yes.”
While the workshop was long it was certainly not a monologue but rather a guided conversation that included the entire school. The facilitator, Marco, was engaging and charismatic and his style of presentation created a very comfortable environment to discuss a very uncomfortable topic. The workshop was less about the “N” word and much more about the history of the word and its negative connotations that stem from America’s deep rooted racism. Marco talked about everything from the slave trade to the Black Power movement to the present, including slavery, segregation, lynching, and civil rights. He discussed culture. He discussed the power of words and language. He discussed anthropology. Needless to say it was a very informative presentation and though we only began to scratch the surface it was done so in a thought provoking way that helped foster dialogue throughout the day, which hopefully will continue.
On Wednesday afternoon we broke into small groups and debriefed the morning’s workshop. Each group was then assigned a position regarding the use of the “N” word, whether it should be used, by whom, and in what context. Each group read some articles related to the topic and tried to glean evidence that supported their assigned position. The school then reconvened in the Commons where students were asked to defend their position in a structured debate. After each student defended their position, many very passionately, a jury of students handed down the verdict: the “N” word should not be used by anyone, at any time, in any context.
It was an informative, interesting, and insightful day. The wonderful behavior and participation of all students made for an amazing learning experience.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Week of January 21st
Our upcoming week will be very short.
No school on Monday as we observe Martin Luther King day. Also, Friday is a staff development day so there will be no school for students.
Tuesday and Thursday will be normal internship days.
On Wednesday the whole school will participate in an all school SR (Social Reasoning) activity. In the morning students will be engaged in a well-received workshop on the use of the “N-word.” As most of us know this word has a long history in our country, it signifies racism and hate, though more recently has been adopted by some communities as a term of affection. The word’s controversial prevalence in hip-hop culture and its recent media coverage (due in large part to a tirade by Michael Richards aka Kramer) make the debate around the use of the word both timely and relevant. In the afternoon students will participate in staff led workshops around the Civil Rights Movement and the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It should be a very insightful day.
No school on Monday as we observe Martin Luther King day. Also, Friday is a staff development day so there will be no school for students.
Tuesday and Thursday will be normal internship days.
On Wednesday the whole school will participate in an all school SR (Social Reasoning) activity. In the morning students will be engaged in a well-received workshop on the use of the “N-word.” As most of us know this word has a long history in our country, it signifies racism and hate, though more recently has been adopted by some communities as a term of affection. The word’s controversial prevalence in hip-hop culture and its recent media coverage (due in large part to a tirade by Michael Richards aka Kramer) make the debate around the use of the word both timely and relevant. In the afternoon students will participate in staff led workshops around the Civil Rights Movement and the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It should be a very insightful day.
Shout Outs - 1/19
Ruth - Tremendous job documenting and reflecting upon your LTI experience. Reading your journal entries, I almost feel as though I have been shadowing you at your internship. Your work ethic and enthusiasm are refreshing, keep it up.
Josh - Congratulations on landing an internship at Newport Daily News! I’m very excited for you. Though you may not be able to tell through my writing, I’m giddy right now.
Slater - The LTI journal and NYC reflection that you submitted for your digital portfolio were excellent artifacts for the reflective writing standard. Your effort in both pieces shows great progress, nice work!
Steve and Marie Heilborn - Thanks so much for your assistance with our petition regarding funding and the state budget. Your efforts are sincerely appreciated!
Josh - Congratulations on landing an internship at Newport Daily News! I’m very excited for you. Though you may not be able to tell through my writing, I’m giddy right now.
Slater - The LTI journal and NYC reflection that you submitted for your digital portfolio were excellent artifacts for the reflective writing standard. Your effort in both pieces shows great progress, nice work!
Steve and Marie Heilborn - Thanks so much for your assistance with our petition regarding funding and the state budget. Your efforts are sincerely appreciated!
Digital Portfolios
As students went through the process of choosing work to submit, uploading it to richerpicture, identifying the standards the work met, and creating a tour of their best work, I became somewhat disenchanted and frustrated with the amount of time and effort that was being dedicated to the digital portfolio. However, after participating in a week-long assessment of these portfolios I feel invigorated. Although there are flaws in the system, I feel that digital portfolio assessment week presented an amazing opportunity for us to talk about the quality of student work, with colleagues and students, in a very structured, comfortable format with tangible standards from where to initiate our constructive criticism and positive comments. This forum forced staff and students into a candid conversation about what constitutes proficiency, what is quality, and what the student needs to do to improve their work in the future. I strongly believe that the time dedicated to digital portfolios was well spent as students now have more clarity around our academic expectations.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Week of January 14th
This week every student from the East Bay Met will have their digital portfolio assessed. The digital portfolio is a state requirement which allows students to upload and archive their best work to a web based portfolio hosted by www.richerpicture.com. The websites interface allows students to digitally archive their best work and for each piece of work that the students upload they can identify whether or not it meets the proficiency standards for the New Diploma requirements. Students’ work will also be assessed by two advisors from the school to see if in fact the student has demonstrated that they are proficient in the skills that they identify. The digital portfolio should become a useful tool for students to organize work and for our school community to develop some consensus around what is high quality, proficient work.
During the week students will be participating in six workshops. They will also have independent work time (iwt) for journaling, catching up on work, writing project proposals, and literacy. Every student in my advisory will be going to the YMCA in the afternoon on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Additionally every student that has an internship will be expected to be at their LTI on Tuesday and Thursday.
Also, on Friday students were given a packet of information to bring home regarding the budget for next year. The packet includes a cover letter, a letter to Gov. Carcieri, a petition form, and a list of e-mail addresses for RI elected officials. Please read the information and help us keep our funding so that the school can continue to grow over the next two years. Thanks!
During the week students will be participating in six workshops. They will also have independent work time (iwt) for journaling, catching up on work, writing project proposals, and literacy. Every student in my advisory will be going to the YMCA in the afternoon on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Additionally every student that has an internship will be expected to be at their LTI on Tuesday and Thursday.
Also, on Friday students were given a packet of information to bring home regarding the budget for next year. The packet includes a cover letter, a letter to Gov. Carcieri, a petition form, and a list of e-mail addresses for RI elected officials. Please read the information and help us keep our funding so that the school can continue to grow over the next two years. Thanks!
Shout Outs 1-11
Shout outs for the week:
Seana - great job putting together the pick me up for Friday. It’s too bad that you didn’t have time for the other activity but maybe you can do it the next time that our advisory is scheduled to do PMU.
Josh - good meeting with Manny, hopefully this will work out as an LTI site for you.
Ruth - congratulations on your first two days at the radio station, I’m glad you’re enjoying it and I’m sure it won’t be too long before we hear your voice on the airwaves.
Jeramie - Happy 16th birthday!!! Keep up the great work on your house design, maybe you should include a guest house for when Darthula and I come to visit.
Cat - Awesome job at your LTI, I can tell that your mentors and the kids love you. It is easy to see that you are already making a significant contribution there and it is apparent that you really are enjoying what you do.
Will - Keep up the good work planning your “Crank Dat” event. Your hard work will pay off. I’m looking forward to a very successful, “poppin’” event, rep East Bay well son.
Laura, David, and Ruth - Thanks for helping your classmates get their digital portfolios prepared for assessment week, nice teamwork!
Bill Harnett - Thanks for your generous donation to the Kenya project, your support is greatly appreciated.
Seana - great job putting together the pick me up for Friday. It’s too bad that you didn’t have time for the other activity but maybe you can do it the next time that our advisory is scheduled to do PMU.
Josh - good meeting with Manny, hopefully this will work out as an LTI site for you.
Ruth - congratulations on your first two days at the radio station, I’m glad you’re enjoying it and I’m sure it won’t be too long before we hear your voice on the airwaves.
Jeramie - Happy 16th birthday!!! Keep up the great work on your house design, maybe you should include a guest house for when Darthula and I come to visit.
Cat - Awesome job at your LTI, I can tell that your mentors and the kids love you. It is easy to see that you are already making a significant contribution there and it is apparent that you really are enjoying what you do.
Will - Keep up the good work planning your “Crank Dat” event. Your hard work will pay off. I’m looking forward to a very successful, “poppin’” event, rep East Bay well son.
Laura, David, and Ruth - Thanks for helping your classmates get their digital portfolios prepared for assessment week, nice teamwork!
Bill Harnett - Thanks for your generous donation to the Kenya project, your support is greatly appreciated.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Paternity Leave
Greetings,
The past few months have been extremely eventful, the highlight of course being the birth of my daughter, Adequoyah Kamali Josephine Mathews. I have always considered being a father to be my most important, rewarding, and satisfying role in life, so to welcome another child into this world has been a blessing and a joy. It was wonderful to have six weeks to be at home with Darthula and the baby during these first moments of life and I can’t begin to express the magnitude of my appreciation to Charlie, the East Bay Met, and the students and their families for their flexibility, support, and generosity. The time I had with my family was precious and necessary and had I missed out on it would have been irretrievable. I especially want to thank Denise for taking the reins in my absence, her relationships with the students and her presence in the school are magnificent. We are all extremely lucky that she will continue to have a significant role at the school for the duration of the year.
I am looking forward to the year to come, 2008 promises to be exciting!
Best,
Justin
The past few months have been extremely eventful, the highlight of course being the birth of my daughter, Adequoyah Kamali Josephine Mathews. I have always considered being a father to be my most important, rewarding, and satisfying role in life, so to welcome another child into this world has been a blessing and a joy. It was wonderful to have six weeks to be at home with Darthula and the baby during these first moments of life and I can’t begin to express the magnitude of my appreciation to Charlie, the East Bay Met, and the students and their families for their flexibility, support, and generosity. The time I had with my family was precious and necessary and had I missed out on it would have been irretrievable. I especially want to thank Denise for taking the reins in my absence, her relationships with the students and her presence in the school are magnificent. We are all extremely lucky that she will continue to have a significant role at the school for the duration of the year.
I am looking forward to the year to come, 2008 promises to be exciting!
Best,
Justin
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