**Below is something I wrote on February 4th, 2008 after substitute teaching at a charter school in Brooklyn, New York. I had originally sent it to my friends and family in an e-mail but I just realized that I never posted it on my blog.**
If the kids of today are our future, things sure do look grim. After substitute teaching at a charter school in Brooklyn today, I can honestly say that I'm scared and worried about our future!
I will attempt to describe to you the mayhem and absolute craziness that I experienced today. However, I know that whatever I write wont do my experience justice. Yes, I'm being a bit dramatic, but I feel that this issue needs to be expressed. PLEASE READ THE WHOLE THING...the education system needs to be reformed and I want to hear what your response is to my NY teaching experiences!
First off, let me just say that I am not a mean person. I do not get angry or have a temper. I do not yell. Normally, I'd say these are good characteristics. Today, they hindered me. Today, I had girls shake their fingers, suck their teeth (or whatever it is it's called when people are mad and make a sucking noise), tilt their head and curse at me. I heard, "Oh no you didn't," "Why you given me attitude?" "Why you aksing me to do that?" "I aint gonna try" The list goes on and on... Another favorite of the day "It's mad hot in here." and "Why we gotta do mad work?" Apparently mad is another word for "really" or "a lot?" Is that in a rap song or something???? *please make note of the grammar and spelling errors...I wrote it as they said it.
I only mentioned girls because they were the ones giving me the attitude you see in movies. The boys were just as terrible though. Today I yelled. I had to. The kids were talking and disrespecting me and not doing their work. Did it matter? NO! I yelled and they continued to talk as I yelled. At one point an administrator came in and yelled at them. For some reason that woman actually sounded really mean when she yelled. I noticed a meanness that was not present in my yell. I meant what I said and the kids could care less. Papers were being thrown across the room, little work was being done, and not once was there a whole minute of silence. I'm still in shock! The saddest part is that today, I "taught" 6th and 8th grades. The kids weren't even in high school yet and they're already acting like delinquents!!!!!!! TERRIBLE!
As terrible as it sounds...New Yorkers in the inner city are breeding delinquents. I realize that children are a product of their home life. Something must be done. I give "mad props" to the teachers and administrators who are putting their hearts into educating and bettering the lives of these kids. I realized today that I am not one of those people. I do not have the patience nor do I have the dedication. Well...I have it to some extent. I'm actually tutoring 7th and 8th graders in math up in Harlem Monday through Thursday. They're at a charter school but they are amazing kids! I know that not all children in the inner city are like the ones I had today. Today was the second time I've taught at a charter school in Brooklyn. What I saw today is not rare. It is the norm. I've heard that the students at public schools are even worse. I can't even begin to imagine. I'm not new to teaching. I've taught in Greece and I was a substitute teacher in Burbank. Both are completely different worlds than inner city teaching in New York!
Those of you that are teachers...I COMMEND YOU! I know how difficult it can be and that someone needs to do it! THANK YOU! Just don't move to NY. OR, move to NY and work your magic with these kids. They need it! Any desire I once had to be a teacher has been extinguished. And no, not simply from today. I know teaching isn't my passion.
Sorry if this post was long and harsh. I just felt like I had to share my experiences with you. I'd love to hear what you think about all of this!
~Yosefa
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Puerto Rico through my eyes...
**Quick update since it’s nearly impossible to be up-to-date with what I’m doing or where I am – NY was great but my career ambitions molded into something else and I moved back to California yesterday – I’ve got a summer job with EF (a company that does exchange programs) – I’ll be the Director of their international camp in Long Beach starting June 14!! At the end of August I’ll be moving to Vermont to attend SIT (School for International Training) Graduate Institute where I’ll be obtaining my Masters in Intercultural Management/International Education! I just returned from a trip to Puerto Rico so below is my travel blog!**
I firmly believe that the best way to experience a new place is to spend time with a local. When my friend Adam (I worked with him at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in NY) told me he was going to Puerto Rico for a week to visit his uncle, I jumped at the chance to go. The best way to experience another place is to live there. The second best way to explore a new place is to spend time with locals. I’ve never been a “tourist” and never will be.
Technically part of the United States, Puerto Rico is the most foreign-feeling place using the U.S. Dollar that I’ve ever visited. This marks the first year that citizens of Puerto Rico will be able to vote in the national election. And now, Puerto Rico as I saw it…
“La Isla del Encanto” – (The Island of Love) – as stated on the license plate of every vehicle in Puerto Rico.
I LOVED Pinones. I only spent an hour in the seaside village. However, that hour spent at a table of an outdoor café with a view of the water, an amazing chilled alcoholic beverage and a meal of fresh fish will forever be engrained in my memory. After waking up in New York City among the skyscrapers and starless sky, I had to pinch myself in order to ensure that I truly was sitting across from bright green and blue water and palm trees. Amazing what a 3.5 hr plane ride can do.
I LOVED Old San Juan. The oldest city in the United States, San Juan is rife with charm, beauty and history. Blue brick roads wind throughout the city. Lined with brightly-colored houses and stores adorned with ornate iron, archways, custom tiles and courtyards, the streets give off a European feel. I took countless pictures of doorways and windows. If I ever have enough money to design my own home, I’ll be sure to give my photos of Old San Juan to the architect! The fort at the outskirts of the city was beautiful. The history was overwhelming. So were the ocean views.
I LOVED El Yunque (the rainforest). As I was driving up the 1.5 lane road through the rainforest, I kept saying how much the surroundings resembled that of the jungle cruise ride at Disneyland. Crazy to compare the Puerto Rican rainforest to a ride at an amusement park, but it’s all I had to reference. Colorful flowers, wide leaves, waterfalls, pools and tropical plants abounded. I heard the calls of tropical birds but they were only heard, not seen. The only things that prevented me from feeling as though I was trekking through the middle of the rainforest were the paved paths that marked the trails, concrete signs that stated “Forest Service US Department of Agriculture” and the concrete huts with fire pits interspersed along the trail.
I LOVED that the locals were friendly.
I LOVED that the speed limit on the main highway I drove on was 50 mph. With gas prices as high as they are, you can imagine my excitement when I had only used a half a tank of gas when it came time to return the rental car.
I LOVED that people rode horses bareback along the side of my car in Fajardo.
I LOVED that the people spoke Spanish and were as colorful as the houses in Old San Juan.
I LOVED Adam’s gun-toting, dual cell phone carrying, BMW driving, clean freak, charismatic, businessman, generous and comical uncle. Yes, he carries a gun. In his pocket. All the time. Well, if it’s not in his pocket, it’s sitting next to his leg in the car, or on the counter in his kitchen, or on his desk. I tried to ignore the fact that he carried a concealed weapon but my curiosity and fear took over and I asked him why he had the gun. He informed me that there are many poor people and fewer rich.
“We’re in a recession right now,” he said. “People want money and they rob those that have it. I have the gun for protection.”
He has never used it and hopes he never has to. He claimed that Puerto Rico is very strict when it comes to weapon licenses. I think he told me this to reassure me that Puerto Rico has good laws. Instead, it made me wonder how many people are walking the streets of Puerto Rico with illegal guns in their pocket. I never got used to the gun.
Guns aside, Tio Edward was extremely hospitable. In spite of his busy work schedule, he made time to pick us up and drop us off at places. His five bedroom house in Carolina with an immaculately stocked fridge (all beverages were lined up in rows), state-of-the-art entertainment system, pool, jacuzzi, palm trees and bbq, was a welcoming addition to my care-free vacation.
I LOVED that the temperature in the morning was the same as when I went to sleep.
I LOVED riding the bus from Isla Verde to Old San Juan. The 45 minute ride only cost $.75. It felt good to venture out of the air conditioned BMW that Tio Edward drove. Puerto Rico looked different through the windows of an overcrowded city bus.
I LOVED the middle-aged American women that Adam and I “rescued.” On our way down from the rainforest, we saw two distraught women arguing on the road. I pulled over and asked if they needed help. The calmer of the two explained that they had been hiking for two hours and ended up emerging from the forest in a different place from where they started. Between explaining their predicament to me and them getting into my car, they bickered about whether or not the other one was hysterical. In my opinion, one was semi calm and the other was slightly hysterical. But of course, the hysterical one refused to accept it and the other one kept telling her she needed to calm down. After driving in two different directions, we finally found their car. The entire event could have been prevented if there was a sign notifying people that the trails did not loop. Those ladies belong on The Amazing Race; they won’t win but they’ll definitely be entertaining.
I LOVED lying on the white-sand beach with palm trees on either side of me, crystal blue water in front of me and a book in my hand. The transformation of my skin from light brown to dark brown was great as well.
My one beef with Puerto Rico was that the humidity caused my curly hair to uncontrollably frizz and the mosquitoes ate me alive. In spite of those two issues, I fell in love with Puerto Rico!
I firmly believe that the best way to experience a new place is to spend time with a local. When my friend Adam (I worked with him at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in NY) told me he was going to Puerto Rico for a week to visit his uncle, I jumped at the chance to go. The best way to experience another place is to live there. The second best way to explore a new place is to spend time with locals. I’ve never been a “tourist” and never will be.
Technically part of the United States, Puerto Rico is the most foreign-feeling place using the U.S. Dollar that I’ve ever visited. This marks the first year that citizens of Puerto Rico will be able to vote in the national election. And now, Puerto Rico as I saw it…
“La Isla del Encanto” – (The Island of Love) – as stated on the license plate of every vehicle in Puerto Rico.
I LOVED Pinones. I only spent an hour in the seaside village. However, that hour spent at a table of an outdoor café with a view of the water, an amazing chilled alcoholic beverage and a meal of fresh fish will forever be engrained in my memory. After waking up in New York City among the skyscrapers and starless sky, I had to pinch myself in order to ensure that I truly was sitting across from bright green and blue water and palm trees. Amazing what a 3.5 hr plane ride can do.
I LOVED Old San Juan. The oldest city in the United States, San Juan is rife with charm, beauty and history. Blue brick roads wind throughout the city. Lined with brightly-colored houses and stores adorned with ornate iron, archways, custom tiles and courtyards, the streets give off a European feel. I took countless pictures of doorways and windows. If I ever have enough money to design my own home, I’ll be sure to give my photos of Old San Juan to the architect! The fort at the outskirts of the city was beautiful. The history was overwhelming. So were the ocean views.
I LOVED El Yunque (the rainforest). As I was driving up the 1.5 lane road through the rainforest, I kept saying how much the surroundings resembled that of the jungle cruise ride at Disneyland. Crazy to compare the Puerto Rican rainforest to a ride at an amusement park, but it’s all I had to reference. Colorful flowers, wide leaves, waterfalls, pools and tropical plants abounded. I heard the calls of tropical birds but they were only heard, not seen. The only things that prevented me from feeling as though I was trekking through the middle of the rainforest were the paved paths that marked the trails, concrete signs that stated “Forest Service US Department of Agriculture” and the concrete huts with fire pits interspersed along the trail.
I LOVED that the locals were friendly.
I LOVED that the speed limit on the main highway I drove on was 50 mph. With gas prices as high as they are, you can imagine my excitement when I had only used a half a tank of gas when it came time to return the rental car.
I LOVED that people rode horses bareback along the side of my car in Fajardo.
I LOVED that the people spoke Spanish and were as colorful as the houses in Old San Juan.
I LOVED Adam’s gun-toting, dual cell phone carrying, BMW driving, clean freak, charismatic, businessman, generous and comical uncle. Yes, he carries a gun. In his pocket. All the time. Well, if it’s not in his pocket, it’s sitting next to his leg in the car, or on the counter in his kitchen, or on his desk. I tried to ignore the fact that he carried a concealed weapon but my curiosity and fear took over and I asked him why he had the gun. He informed me that there are many poor people and fewer rich.
“We’re in a recession right now,” he said. “People want money and they rob those that have it. I have the gun for protection.”
He has never used it and hopes he never has to. He claimed that Puerto Rico is very strict when it comes to weapon licenses. I think he told me this to reassure me that Puerto Rico has good laws. Instead, it made me wonder how many people are walking the streets of Puerto Rico with illegal guns in their pocket. I never got used to the gun.
Guns aside, Tio Edward was extremely hospitable. In spite of his busy work schedule, he made time to pick us up and drop us off at places. His five bedroom house in Carolina with an immaculately stocked fridge (all beverages were lined up in rows), state-of-the-art entertainment system, pool, jacuzzi, palm trees and bbq, was a welcoming addition to my care-free vacation.
I LOVED that the temperature in the morning was the same as when I went to sleep.
I LOVED riding the bus from Isla Verde to Old San Juan. The 45 minute ride only cost $.75. It felt good to venture out of the air conditioned BMW that Tio Edward drove. Puerto Rico looked different through the windows of an overcrowded city bus.
I LOVED the middle-aged American women that Adam and I “rescued.” On our way down from the rainforest, we saw two distraught women arguing on the road. I pulled over and asked if they needed help. The calmer of the two explained that they had been hiking for two hours and ended up emerging from the forest in a different place from where they started. Between explaining their predicament to me and them getting into my car, they bickered about whether or not the other one was hysterical. In my opinion, one was semi calm and the other was slightly hysterical. But of course, the hysterical one refused to accept it and the other one kept telling her she needed to calm down. After driving in two different directions, we finally found their car. The entire event could have been prevented if there was a sign notifying people that the trails did not loop. Those ladies belong on The Amazing Race; they won’t win but they’ll definitely be entertaining.
I LOVED lying on the white-sand beach with palm trees on either side of me, crystal blue water in front of me and a book in my hand. The transformation of my skin from light brown to dark brown was great as well.
My one beef with Puerto Rico was that the humidity caused my curly hair to uncontrollably frizz and the mosquitoes ate me alive. In spite of those two issues, I fell in love with Puerto Rico!
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