One of the strange things about finding out about Eliezer was that the window by which I found out about him was very slim.
Let me explain.
They give the standardized tests (the New York State Regents exams – more about that another time) a number of times throughout the year. And grading them is a Herculean task especially during the school year when HUNDREDS of kids are taking it. Every English teacher is reading and grading… reading and grading… reading and grading for about 4 days after the initial test.
The test is given in the summer as well, but this time there were only about 150 kids that took it, as opposed to 700.
So I happened to call my Assistant Principal to see what things were looking like for next year. Of course he had nothing to tell me, but he did offer me two days of work grading the summer Regents exams.
Two days of “overtime” would amount to a tidy sum, so I decided to leave Maine for the two days and grade.
Grading can be tedious but it can be fun if you get the right group. It was me and three other English teachers doing the grading.
On the second day of grading, which I was determined to just finish grading and then be in the wind back to Maine, one of the other teachers asked me and the other teachers if we knew “Elijah Vazquez.”
“Elijah?” This teacher can be a bit of a dick.
“Oh, I don’t know how to say his name……” and he pulled the article out to show me.
I told him that indeed he was one of my students that last year.
“Yeah… I guess he died in a kayaking accident. You know sometimes they have good news in the paper… sometimes this.”
I felt very angry, it seemed he was carrying this article around - being kind of morose. As I said… a bit of a dick.
So that’s how I found out.
The thing that amazes me though is the article was in the paper on THAT day. (August 17.)
What were the chances that I would be back in NYC for such a small window of time, but in the same time that this article was printed. AND that some one would bring it in at the same time?
I guess I am alleging that some sort of cosmic force wanted me to see that article. Why, I have no idea. But the planets definitely aligned in order for me to know about Eliezer.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Tragedy
A first has happened to me this week. I found out a student of mine has died.
He died in a kayaking accident. He tried to swim across the Delaware River and the current took him under.
It is really a shame, he was quite bright. When school started last year, I decided that I was going to start the year by teaching one of my favorite books, “The Crucible.” Eliezer was our John Proctor - the "star" of the play.
He loved acting the part, especially when John Proctor had to call Abby a “whore.” He took special care to make that line as dramatic as he could.
What warmed my heart about the way the kids took to “The Crucible” was that MONTHS later, Eliezer and K., the girl who played Tituba the slave, had exchanged words, and Eliezer said to K., “Shut up, Tituba.” K. gave it right back to him, “Shut up John Proctor - you adulterer.”
It was one of those moments when you realize these kids did learn… something DID stick, and there’s no way to grade that.
I’m sorry he’s gone. He was a good kid.
He died in a kayaking accident. He tried to swim across the Delaware River and the current took him under.
It is really a shame, he was quite bright. When school started last year, I decided that I was going to start the year by teaching one of my favorite books, “The Crucible.” Eliezer was our John Proctor - the "star" of the play.
He loved acting the part, especially when John Proctor had to call Abby a “whore.” He took special care to make that line as dramatic as he could.
What warmed my heart about the way the kids took to “The Crucible” was that MONTHS later, Eliezer and K., the girl who played Tituba the slave, had exchanged words, and Eliezer said to K., “Shut up, Tituba.” K. gave it right back to him, “Shut up John Proctor - you adulterer.”
It was one of those moments when you realize these kids did learn… something DID stick, and there’s no way to grade that.
I’m sorry he’s gone. He was a good kid.
Bronx teen drowns on kayak trip BY BOB KAPPSTATTER and MAKI BECKER Originally published N.Y. Daily News on August 17, 2005
Jacqueline Rosario with brother Eliezer's photo. |
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Meeting a Fellow on the Train
The other day we were going downtown to see my friend’s movie he and some actor friends of his made. The movie was not bad... but an interesting thing happened on the train ride down.
Soon after we got on the train, a gaggle of young, wide eyed, tired looking, bewildered kids got on. They were all talking to one another, and it was obvious to me they were all NYC Teaching Fellows.
And of course, it was pointed out to me... they all had NYCTF bags, just like the one I got last year. But I could tell without seeing the bag.
I approached one of them and said, “You must be a Fellow.” She was stunned that I picked her out. I confessed... it was the bag – I didn’t want her to think I was stalking her.
We chatted for a couple of stops on what part of the program she was in (elementary ed.) and other things. Then she flat out asked me... “What do I need to know?”
I said... “Routine. Get your routines down for your own sanity. Bathroom logs. Late logs. Get in the habit of documenting everything you can. When grading time comes, you’ll have it all at your fingertips.”
It was her stop. As the train was coming to a halt, she asked me, almost pleadingly, “Does the Fellows program teach you everything you need to know?”
The door opened. She made her way out.
“Yes and no,” I said before the doors closed. “Good luck!”
The door closed and we were on our way. I’m sure she didn’t feel any better with my cryptic answer. But it is true. They teach you everything they can, but they can’t teach you everything. EVERY experience is unique. Every school, every principal, every assistant principal, every class, every teacher. Multiply all these factors and you come up with a near infinite number of permutations. (I need to stop right there, I’m obviously tired, I’m lapsing into math terms... )
Soon after we got on the train, a gaggle of young, wide eyed, tired looking, bewildered kids got on. They were all talking to one another, and it was obvious to me they were all NYC Teaching Fellows.
And of course, it was pointed out to me... they all had NYCTF bags, just like the one I got last year. But I could tell without seeing the bag.
I approached one of them and said, “You must be a Fellow.” She was stunned that I picked her out. I confessed... it was the bag – I didn’t want her to think I was stalking her.
We chatted for a couple of stops on what part of the program she was in (elementary ed.) and other things. Then she flat out asked me... “What do I need to know?”
I said... “Routine. Get your routines down for your own sanity. Bathroom logs. Late logs. Get in the habit of documenting everything you can. When grading time comes, you’ll have it all at your fingertips.”
It was her stop. As the train was coming to a halt, she asked me, almost pleadingly, “Does the Fellows program teach you everything you need to know?”
The door opened. She made her way out.
“Yes and no,” I said before the doors closed. “Good luck!”
The door closed and we were on our way. I’m sure she didn’t feel any better with my cryptic answer. But it is true. They teach you everything they can, but they can’t teach you everything. EVERY experience is unique. Every school, every principal, every assistant principal, every class, every teacher. Multiply all these factors and you come up with a near infinite number of permutations. (I need to stop right there, I’m obviously tired, I’m lapsing into math terms... )
Monday, August 01, 2005
Lambs and Wolves
Three more days and my summer program is over. It’s been a fun few weeks. It sucks that I’m not going to see these guys anymore... their regular teachers are very lucky to have them in class, they are great kids.
When I was explaining to my father the program, he very simply broke it down for me. “It's Lambs vs. Wolves.”
Wow. That blew me away. With those four words he summed up the entire reason for the existence of this summer program.
In NYC there are probably five to seven or so “specialized” high schools. These schools are where you want to go when you DON'T WANT to go to my school. Bronx High School of Science is the “best” and most well known. Brooklyn Tech and Stuyvesant are two other schools.
As he was talking about it he mentioned two schools mere blocks from one another. Both are in the area of Lincoln Center. One is Martin Luther King Jr. High School... the other is the LaGuardia Arts High School. If this means nothing to you, LaGuardia Arts is the “Fame” school. You know... the one where the kids burst out of the school and dance in the streets and on cars, etc. Well, this doesn’t really happen. Why? Because the MLK kids would kick the crap out of them, and according to my dad, they do it anyway quite frequently. In fact, the ass kickery has been such a problem, that they have had to stagger the release times of the two schools.
But that pretty much sums it up. These specialized schools are parents’ last hope of keeping their kids “lambs” for just a little while longer. Otherwise they HAVE to become wolves. It's a matter of survival.
Towards the end of the year, my school had an orientation for 9th graders. I happened to be kicking around when the parents and kids were filing in. (Actually, one batch of orientation was happening in my room, and of course, my room being a mess, I didn’t know about it.) While the parents and kids were coming in, I noticed a good number of white kids. When I talked to a co-worker about how many white faces I saw, he said bluntly, “Oh yeah? They won’t be here next year.”
For as decent as I think it is, I guess my school is a school of wolves.
The white parents will more than likely send their kids to private/Catholic schools if their kids don’t get into these specialized schools.
So it’s legalized segregation. White kids "escape" and the black/Spanish kids feel crappy about their schools. Of course there are black/Spanish kids in the catholic schools, but they are still “minorities” there. Basically, according to my students, they have said in so many words, if white people (kids) don’t like it, it’s shit. Which is depressing to me, because I do like my school. I want all my kids to feel safe enough to remain lambs for as long as they want.
When I was explaining to my father the program, he very simply broke it down for me. “It's Lambs vs. Wolves.”
Wow. That blew me away. With those four words he summed up the entire reason for the existence of this summer program.
In NYC there are probably five to seven or so “specialized” high schools. These schools are where you want to go when you DON'T WANT to go to my school. Bronx High School of Science is the “best” and most well known. Brooklyn Tech and Stuyvesant are two other schools.
As he was talking about it he mentioned two schools mere blocks from one another. Both are in the area of Lincoln Center. One is Martin Luther King Jr. High School... the other is the LaGuardia Arts High School. If this means nothing to you, LaGuardia Arts is the “Fame” school. You know... the one where the kids burst out of the school and dance in the streets and on cars, etc. Well, this doesn’t really happen. Why? Because the MLK kids would kick the crap out of them, and according to my dad, they do it anyway quite frequently. In fact, the ass kickery has been such a problem, that they have had to stagger the release times of the two schools.
But that pretty much sums it up. These specialized schools are parents’ last hope of keeping their kids “lambs” for just a little while longer. Otherwise they HAVE to become wolves. It's a matter of survival.
Towards the end of the year, my school had an orientation for 9th graders. I happened to be kicking around when the parents and kids were filing in. (Actually, one batch of orientation was happening in my room, and of course, my room being a mess, I didn’t know about it.) While the parents and kids were coming in, I noticed a good number of white kids. When I talked to a co-worker about how many white faces I saw, he said bluntly, “Oh yeah? They won’t be here next year.”
For as decent as I think it is, I guess my school is a school of wolves.
The white parents will more than likely send their kids to private/Catholic schools if their kids don’t get into these specialized schools.
So it’s legalized segregation. White kids "escape" and the black/Spanish kids feel crappy about their schools. Of course there are black/Spanish kids in the catholic schools, but they are still “minorities” there. Basically, according to my students, they have said in so many words, if white people (kids) don’t like it, it’s shit. Which is depressing to me, because I do like my school. I want all my kids to feel safe enough to remain lambs for as long as they want.
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