Stow-Serge

Multimedia message

2008-11-06T06:11:00.000-08:00

My vote!

Multimedia message

2008-11-04T15:29:00.000-08:00

I love nola politics. The opposition is putting 'convict'stickers on bill jefferson signs :)

Teacher protests Kennedy’s move

2008-08-11T11:54:00.000-07:00

So appearently noticing political wrongs makes me an operative :)

This is from the Advocate and is being reported on the AP

"A New Orleans schoolteacher with Democratic Party ties has filed an ethics complaint against Republican state Treasurer John Kennedy.

Chris Stow-Serge, a civics teacher, said Kennedy is using his state office and its employees to further his U.S. Senate campaign against Democratic incumbent Mary Landrieu.

Stow-Serge said the treasurer promoted passage of legislation unrelated to his office responsibilities on the state Web site.
“It looked like a purely campaign move to me,” he said.

Stow-Serge earlier filed the ethics complaint that resulted in Gov. Bobby Jindal’s campaign paying a $1,000 fine for failing to report expenditures made on its behalf by the state Republican Party.

Kennedy last week called Stow-Serge “a Democratic operative.”

Obama comes to New Orleans!

2008-02-06T15:15:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow Barack Obama is coming to Tulane University's Fogelman area. This is huge. The last vist New Orleans got from a presidential candidate was in 2004 when John Kerry came down town. This promises to be much more intimate and hopely fun.

Christopher's Christmas

2008-01-07T17:21:00.000-08:00

Morgan and Andrew

The Golden Girls:

The family photo :0

Christmas Vacation

2008-01-07T17:18:00.000-08:00

monitor the Iowa results

2008-01-03T18:01:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don't need the network filter:

http://www.iowacaucusresults.com/

Iowa Election

2008-01-03T17:51:00.000-08:00

Mark the time.

I'm calling the election now for Obama in Iowa. Why? While Edwards is ahead right now I'm guessing these are mostly rural precincts reporting. Why does that matter? because Edwards campaigned in this rural precincts. I'm guessing these precincts are the first to report because they have less people and would thus make the complicated process of caucusing go more quickly.

While Edwards was a favorite 2nd choice. It is clear now that Richardson and Dennis both threw their supporters to Obama that Obama will be able to better close the second choice gap, and maybe even close it.

Here's my guess for the numbers at the end of the night

Obama: 34%
Edwards 33%
Hillary: 32%

Multimedia message

2007-12-26T02:12:00.001-08:00

Omg ... Alert lou dobbs there is amnesty for illeagal citruts !

Bobby Jindal - Above the Law, Below the table.

2007-09-05T16:25:00.000-07:00

I want to take a moment to blog about something I think is really important that I have been holding in for a while. Recently, with a group of my Tulane College Democrat friends as we were going over some campaign filings for the governor’s race I noticed some major “discrepancies” on the report of the campaign filing of Bobby Jindal for Governor.

It seems that despite all of his rhetoric about ethics and family values that he does not have the decency hold himself to the same standard.

He’s the deal. In the month of June the Republican Party of Louisiana spent $118,264.76 on the Jindal Campaign for direct mail. The Republican party openly admitted this support. As it should have. The Jindal campaign itself however did not. They chose to leave out this massive party kickback. They left it out when they filed their first report with the ethics board on July 25th. Then when they filed an amendment to their report on August 10th they left it out again.

Over looking 118 grand is once is enough, but to look it over two times, that’s intentional.

Below is a copy of the complaint I filed to the ethics board about Jindal. Forward it to your friends who want to cut this type of hypocrisy out of government.

“August 21, 2007

Louisiana Board of Ethics
2415 Quail Drive, Third Floor
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808

Dear Ethics Board:

I would like to bring a situation to your attention that needs to be investigated as a violation of Louisiana Campaign Finance Disclosure laws.

On July 25, 2007 the Republican Party of Louisiana filed a campaign finance report (LA-11826 - F202) which listed several expenditures that benefited the Bobby Jindal for Governor Campaign. More specifically, the report states that the Republican Party sent out several mailers on behalf of the Jindal Campaign that totaled $118,264.76.

The dates and amounts of the expenditures by the Louisiana Republican Party on behalf of the Jindal Campaign were as follows:

Majority Strategies135 Professional Dr Ste 104Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
06/04/2007
Direct mail Jindal Gov
75120.30

Majority Strategies135 Professional Dr Ste 104Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
06/13/2007
Direct mail Jindal Gov
10000.00

Majority Strategies135 Professional Dr Ste 104Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
06/13/2007
Direct mail Jindal Gov
10000.00

Majority Strategies135 Professional Dr Ste 104Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
06/13/2007
Direct mail Jindal Gov
5040.10

Majority Strategies135 Professional Dr Ste 104Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
06/28/2007
Direct mail Jindal Gov
10000.00

Majority Strategies135 Professional Dr Ste 104Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
06/28/2007
Direct mail Jindal Gov
8104.36

On July 23, 2007 the Bobby Jindal for Governor Campaign filed a campaign finance report (LA-11813 - F102) and on August 10, 2007 they made an amendment to that filing (LA-11870 - F102). Disclosure of the $118,264.76 in contributions from the Louisiana Republican Party is not evident in either of Mr. Jindal’s campaign finance reports

Failure to disclose $118,264.76 in contributions is a clear violation of Louisiana Campaign Finance Law.

Therefore, I respectfully ask the Louisiana Board of Ethics to commence an investigation of this matter and demand that Mr. Jindal disclose all contributions received by his campaign so the public can enjoy full disclosure of his campaign finance activities.

Respectfully,

Chris Stow-Serge
New Orleans, La.
(954) 913-0859”

First two days at Clark Sr. High

2007-09-05T16:24:00.000-07:00

So this closes out day two of being a Teacher. All I can say is that it is as hard as everybody says. I’m teaching 5 periods of Civics to 10th graders and then also 1 period of ACT test prep to a group of students that range in grades from sophomores to seniors.

While it is a tough job that is physically and mentally draining I have to thank all my fellow teachers and my principle. My co-teachers have been real supportive giving me tips and resources these past two days and Mr. Estrella, my principal, is coming at this with the tenacity of a bulldog. … by the way that’s our school’s mascot.

What makes it tough is the fact that the students who attend Clark are not used to this high level expectations for behavior we are pushing this year. Students who are acting out are, from what I can see, not being tolerated and are quickly being isolated. With that trend behavior should start to turn around very quickly.

One last note.

My classroom which was a mess when I first saw it was painted and for the first day of school looked really good. I also have not seen one instance of new graffiti pop up around the halls.

In Summary: We are going to get the job done.

RSD placement

2007-08-16T08:54:00.000-07:00

So I start teaching September 4t. My first day of training is next Monday. My week now however is almost totally free. Why? Because the Recovery School District which is hiring and placing me has not yet told me what subject I’m teaching! There is word that there are informational packets in the mail, which would be great, but none have showed up at my door yet.

I’m a new teacher so my skills aren’t as honed as the veterans. I need a little extra time to plan out my units and lessons and classroom. Am I getting this planning time? No.

I talked to administrators at my school and they said they weren’t sure when they would get a full schedule of student and teacher assignments. Not Sure?! We are weeks away from starting school and we don’t know who’s going where and who’s doing what?!

I doing everything I can now like making posters and rules and such... but something has to give.

UTNO and RSD, Better Together

2007-08-15T20:38:00.000-07:00

The United Teachers of New Orleans, UTNO, is needed now because it is the only post-Katrina organization that can bring together all of our public schools. Yes, Unions in general have this reputation of squabbling with management fighting for trivial benefits. Teachers Unions are also notorious for being anti-change. I’m a new Teacher to New Orleans and from what I can see, that changed.

UTNO is transforming. In a post-Katrina environment without a collective bargaining agreement they now have a more student betterment centered focus. This is the same focus that brought me to Teach For America.

I joined UTNO last week because with the division that exists between RSD, NOPS, BESE and everyone else in this city who has a hand in education I want to be part of a unifying force that promotes student achievement. Differences between charter schools and regular schools, state schools and local schools, and every degree in between allows no way to address common problems or benefit from our combinded strentgth.

Only UTNO is in a position to change that. As a teacher’s union they can work with school systems to make sure that the travesties of last year are not repeated and that our students do not have to again suffer.

Visiting my new high school last week I heard horror stories about the RSD and powerless school employees. I was told about a teacher who was told by state employees that she might get fired for trying to fix a paper jam in a state owned copier. I was also told about the concept of lampooning whereby two schools happen in one building, one school starting at 6:30 in the morning, the other starting after lunch. I was told about how text books and teaching supplies often did not arrive at school until well after the school year started. Giving UTNO the right to represent teachers in the RSD would help stop these absurdities and position our children to learn.

By granting the UTNO Union the right to collectively bargain with the RSD we let teachers take a stand on issues that affecting student education. That’s why I joined UTNO. I want my voice to be heard not just through the achievement of my students, but also with my peers that are fighting the same struggles.

My peers last year quit the profession of teaching, opted for early retirement, rather than be a part of a new system where the needs of special needs high school students could not be cared for. Teachers quit because they were forced to tell students over half way through the school year about an attendance policy that would count absences retroactively thereby automatically failing some students. A policy put in place without written notification being sent to the parents before hand. Many of those who choose not to quit choose to stay in their evacuated regions where they are being paid more and treated with more respect. This cannot be allowed to stand.

In the words of Superintendent Paul Vallas, we’ve only got two years to make it right before rigitty starts to set in again. We have to push forward.

UTNO has to be part of this push forward. As the only common tread for teachers around this city we cannot afford to throw away the opportunity to pool resources, knowledge and advocacy. Denying UTNO a way to advocate for change with the RSD is a loss for the children of New Orleans. With a RSD – UTNO partnership teachers could do enact powerful positive change. We could hold more than immunization drives such as the one on August 18th. We could better cut the confusion for parents on how to navigate the new schools systems. We could communicate and resolve real problems that our students face in the classrooms proactively.

Everyone agreed that for the New Orleans school system Katrina wiped the slate clean. The community for the first time saw the opportunity to break the stagnation that had corroded educational achievement. Now UTNO and RSD must partner to use this unique opportunity to excel for our children and our city.

Multimedia message

2007-08-11T14:00:00.001-07:00

Where i an right now

Multimedia message

2007-08-03T11:09:00.001-07:00

This is my first try at mobile blogging... Above is my camera phone pic of the afl fireworks show

NOLA Hope

2007-08-03T10:47:00.000-07:00

I put a new link on my blog roll today. NOLA Hope. It’s a music blog by a friend of mine Ben Brubaker. Its all about the Up and coming Hip Hop scene in New Orleans. Good Stuff, Check it out.

Also check out the Hip Hop for Hope pages. It’s a charity concert we will be put on again to benefit public schools in New Orleans. With all the negativity that Hip Hop receives from mainstream press, Hip Hop for Hope is a way to change that. HH4H uses Hip Hop’s powerful cultural status and channels it into a positive expression. It was an awesome show last year and will be again this fall. Be a part of it.

A First Look at a New School

2007-08-03T10:19:00.000-07:00

So Yesterday I went down to my High School, Joseph Clark and found out some interesting news. The state standardized tests scores have come back in and Joseph Clark ranked Dead Last in educational achievement. Last. Out of all the High Schools the one I’m at came last… this blew me off my feet. Not because I’m at all nervous about this. But because honestly going into this Teach For America thing I knew I was going into a underperforming schools but to get the worst… that is a challenge. I love that.

Vince Lombardi –

“If you can hit the other people where they're strongest and break them there…if you can bring down their best … it's all over”

If I show achievement at the lowest achieving school in this city it will really be something noteworthy.

The Challenge.

The above sounds inspirational and all but there are legitimate challenges that I’m going to face going into this school.

- 30% of the students are legally defined at Special Education, a very high percentage. By the law I as the teacher am required to accommodate all of these students in a way that aligns with whatever their need is.
- Walking into my classroom that I will teach I discovered a room that not only was covered with various sharpe graffti tags representing the 6th and 7th Wards, but also a hole in my wall. I asked an administrator what the hole was from… she didn’t know.

- Lack of Leadership. One critical aspect of a strong institution, which a high school is a institution, is a sense of vision. The trouble is that our school as of right now, like most high schools in New Orleans, does not have a principal. With a month and a day left to when my school starts there is no clear vision setter. This could prove to be the makings of a disaster. The new principle and other administrative officials will supposedly be transplanted into the school on Monday. We as an entire school staff are really going to have to hit the ground running to make this work.

- Lack of Continuity – Even transplanting the best principle in the world into a new school has its disadvantages. Its hard for so many new factors to come together and get established in a quick and meaningful way. Students who have been at the school are going to fight a sweepingly new administration. It will be an uphill battle. It’s a battle that needs to be fought because the previous status quo was simply unacceptable, however, its going to be tough. That and at the school we are again expected to have a high number of new students. Adjusting new students away from other cultures or traditions that they may have been used to and putting them into a culture of success is also a challenge

Opportunity:

Openness and Change: Everything is up in the air right now. There are no clear subject area assignments, no clear leadership, no clear school schedule, no clear definition of student body.

Awesome. From this much openness we can really push to build a culture of success. We can pick up these pieces and make something out of them. The students when they walk in my classroom will for the most part be fresh. We have a legitimate opportunity to set a new culture and level of achievement.

Wolf team in the community

2007-08-01T10:02:00.000-07:00

Roxy and Scott ...

Evan... this not what I meant when I told you to go out and canvass... although I do actually like that your doing good.

Evan Wolf... never turns his back on the real issues

Mulch Madness

And despite the dirty work of getting this all done the finished job looks amazing!

Kaboom, Wolf Campaign makes small children happy

2007-08-01T09:55:00.000-07:00

Here is a couple of pics from the Evan Wolf campaign...
This is Roxy. All around campaign master and playground building master.

The distribution of Duck Tape was key.

All of this was sponsored by Kaboom.

Stuckey's

2007-07-25T07:22:00.000-07:00

Alright so I’ve wanted to blog about this for a while. The day I drove into Texas I stopped at this just extremely rural gas station named Stukey’s. It was amazing. And by that, I mean it was country awful.
Placed in the middle of nowhere this Gas station / Tourist Shop / Supply Shop / Restaurant offered “coon-skin” caps and glossy picture clocks around the room. Notice in the picture the Elvis clock, oh yeah that’s amazing.

Also an abundance of Confederate Flags… and somehow yet lots of union flags as well. It freaked me out.

And the most comfortable seats ever.

Back in the NO!

2007-07-23T18:24:00.000-07:00

The ‘tute is done! I just had a beautiful weekend in FL with my family and girlfriend, and no I’m back to Big Easy to get cracking on the work that lies ahead of me for the next two years.

For the next week I will be going through “Orientation” for TFA New Orleans. I’m not exactly sure of what it will entail but today we talked about leadership in a couple of different ways.

We talked about how leadership in the classroom in the most important thing you can do as a teacher to bring about results for your students. This seems self obvious but went you stop to look at the natural tendency of people to blame others when the results that are wanted to not materialize it is plan to see that leadership and taking total responsibility for the results of your students may be logical, but it is not natural.

As an exercise we had to write down what one thought would keep up going in the most frustrating moments of teaching. I wrote this:

“I am creating citizens that will prevent another Katrina-like massive government failure.”

More later, my battery is going dead.

The ‘Tute: Day 8

2007-06-17T09:56:00.001-07:00

(Sunday)

Still got up late this morning (10:30a) but I’m going to spend today doing work. It’ll be relaxed work but I do need to get my stuff together of the on coming week.

The ‘Tute: Day 7

2007-06-17T09:55:00.000-07:00

(Saturday)

I did laundry today and watched Air Force One on my computer. I was a complete waste of space for the daylight hours. And it was amazing.

The ‘Tute: Day Six

2007-06-17T09:54:00.000-07:00

(Friday)

Its getting so real. Our sessions today were very interactive. We started off the day with a diversity training where we all sat in a circle and talked about what issues we need to be aware of when teaching. It was a good talk because it always needs to be said that each of us has at some level preconceived notions. Our facilitator gave us a personal example of this when he told us how he was surprised to learn how smart his student were in his school. He checked himself by asking, why am I surprised?

After that we did some role playing practicing things we will do on Monday. It was a fun exercise because when we were sitting down we got to play the role of the rowdy student. I was personally great at this.

The most exciting part of the school day however came when we got to decorate our classrooms. With my collaborative group we rearranged the desks, moved the projector, put up posters and practiced writing on the board. This classroom is going to be a pleasure to teach in.

We closed our week of Institute with a little session to get us pumped up to be teachers. They handed us out name tags that gave us our official teacher names. It’s a little bit corny but seeing my official school name tag “Mr. Stow-Serge” really made me happy. After a week of putting in super long days I felt like I had something to show for it.

There were social events to go to later in the night. Both my school and my region held happy hours were we could unwind and unload what happened in the last week.

I felt the conversations were a lot more interesting however when they were forcibly steered away from all things TFA.

The ‘Tute: Day Five

2007-06-17T09:53:00.000-07:00

(Thursday)

Long. Our bus had to turn around a pick up corps members who where left behind at our school. This added an extra ½ hour on to the commute and thus kind of throwing off my “downtime” plans. Also we had a fire drill at 9:30pm. Not the best timing when people are tiered/working. Oh well

The ‘Tute Day 4:

2007-06-16T16:21:00.000-07:00

(Wednesday) I learned an incredible amount today about lesson planning. Before coming to TFA I had heard of a lesson plan but had no real concept of what it entailed. The speakers here are extremely captivating and make sense of everything.

The ‘Tute: Day 3

2007-06-13T05:25:00.000-07:00

(This was written on a bus on the way to school reflecting about yesterday, please forgive the errors.)

Today we really dived into what it takes to plan an effective lesson. Like anything else it requires the essential qualities of leadership (e.g. envisioning success, backwards planning, etc…) Unlike other sessions for other jobs/clubs I have been involved in the sessions gave me answers that were not evident. TFA gave me processes I started using today to make sure that I am the most effective teacher possible.

The essential core points to lesson planning were this:
- Do an opening – hook your students into a lesson
- Introduce new material – this is were you would lecture
- Guided Practice – We do it together
- Independent Practice – You do it
- Got it? – make sure that your students understand the material

Again this seems evident but as I reflected yesterday I realized how many courses I had taken over the course of my life that did not hit all of these principles.

We also went over unit planning which is the broad overarching plan to teach what lesson on what day. I can tell you have many teachers that I thought of today that I could have dragged into this part of the session who never seemed to get to a desired goal.

Aside from the academic side of the TFA sessions we did sessions in the evenings that helped us apply concepts we learned during the day with people that will be teaching in our same subject area. Then our next session was called “life maps.” Basically it was tell your life story in 5 minutes and end with “I Teach For America Because….” This sounds corny but the people here are incredibly diverse and all have extremely powerful message of why they signed up to close the achievement gap.

I’ll close with this piece of good news. I got an email today from New Orleans confirming that I had been placed at Joseph A. Clark HS. I’m Happy. Its right by Esplanade and I-10 and has about 539 students according to the government statistics. It is by no means as nice of a facility as New Orleans Center for Math and Science which I had applied to before (where I saw Laura Bush speak), but its much more of an opportunity. Reflecting on it I see that I can make a huge difference here. I snuck out from my interview there to go wonder around the school. I saw two things that I can change. One – there is a prevalence of grafftti on the walls. This to me is unexceptable. If I have to have a bucket of paint in my class I will not put up with that. Second – Teacher moral seemed to be low. As a brand new (i.e. not YET jaded) teacher I will work to inspire some life into the institution.

I know I won’t be able to change everything at this school. I wouldn’t want to the school has a unique character, I do know however that this is exactly the opportunity I had hoped for when apply to Teach For America. As much as I gripe about Institute work TFA is giving me everything I need to be a phenomenal teacher. This Fall it will be all up to me.

The 'Tute: Day 2

2007-06-12T05:17:00.001-07:00

(Sorry no time for Instit...)

At 5:45am this morning I lied awake in my bed. My alarm was not set to go off for another 15 minutes but the constant open and close of the adjacent bathroom door already had me awake. Keeping in mind a conversation I had Sunday about REM vs. Deep sleep I decided fighting it for another 15 minutes probably wasn’t going to be worth it. So it began.

I stumbled into the bathroom to see every sink in the row taken up with males shaving beards, applying deodorant, brushing teeth, gelling hair, combing hair and one guy who was straight up just shaving his head. This was far more close male bonding than I had ever experienced during my days as a Sharp Hall RA at Tulane. After dressing, getting some breakfast and engaging in light chit chat I boarded the bus to my school, John Reagan HS at 6:35am.

I don’t know if I’ve ever had two paragraphs of material to write about my life in a day that occurred before 6:35am.

Later, at the school I will be teaching at we went over more of an introduction to what we will be taught as well as some of the big lessons that we will need to be applying. Although I was exhausted the professionalism kept me engaged.

I also feel like every presenter is really caffeinated.

TFA Institute: Day 1

2007-06-10T21:46:00.000-07:00

The check in process today for institute was crazy. After 5 hours alone in the car by myself I pull up the University of Houston Moody Towers and was swarmed by smiling energetic people. To be honest it was a bit over whelming. I got into my room ok but its going to be a big adjustment living with another person again. Kinda begs the question, so I graduated college and I’m moving back in with a roommate?! Aghh what’d I do wrong… Seriously though I think it will be okay.

I’ve been a bit nervous with anticipation the whole day. Tomorrow for the first time we visit the schools that we will be teaching at. Crazy. We will be meeting some of the students that we will be teaching. Crazy.

The busses leave at 6:35am so I’m going to get going.

The ‘tute begins!

Teach For America Induction

2007-06-08T11:24:00.000-07:00

This is the Friday of my Teach For America Induction and it is dawning on me yet again just how challenging this whole teaching process will be. We have heard from a number of different second year corps members who all have been saying they feel like they failed. They really wanted to close the achievement gap and they didn’t get to do it for everyone of their students. These were not failures in the paradigm of the regular school system. These are failures in the paradigm of Teach For America. One special education teacher spoke about his class of high school senior’s graduation rates. He said that while the state average for graduating special needs students was 13%, 15 of the 23 students in his class graduated. There was brief applause. Glaring back into the crowd this teacher proclaimed this a failure. He asked about the other 8 students. Why didn’t they graduate? What will become of them.

These incredibly high standards for Teach For America teachers is something that will no doubt be challenging. In my head I keep bouncing around the question of what makes me able to do this job why so many others cannot. I have heard the saying that “Teach For America recruits leaders, not teachers.” The phrase in context usually was a criticism of TFA for focusing on the larger mission of closing the achievement gap globally rather than caring for individual students. I agree with the statement that Teach For America recruits leaders. Ever since being accepted however the focus has shifted away from me. It is very clear from the training that TFA training is not about your expirence but rather results for your students. Every presentation, every conversation, every sentence is in some way geared towards student achievement.

To sum up the message of induction I will repeat this quote from yesterday: “This is Teach For America, not Social Justice For America, not Counseling For America, we are hear to close the achievement gap of our students.”

Pelosi and Reed must listen

2007-05-25T08:55:00.001-07:00

Three Brazillian Soldiers

2007-05-25T07:20:00.000-07:00

6 on your side video

2007-04-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

I found the web clip. http://www.wdsu.com/video/12667486/index.html

6 on your side

2007-04-19T09:53:00.000-07:00

I'll be on WDSU's 6 on your side tonight live at 10:30pm. We'll be talking about Teach For America's role in helping rebuild the Orleans area schools. Tune in.

I'm off to see Laura now.

Sex-ed in Louisiana Schools

2007-04-18T10:49:00.001-07:00

Amongst the revitalization effort aimed at storm affected school everyone is talking about what we can do to ensure that we change our schools for the good in the long haul. We recognize that at this moment of opportunity that we cannot let our schools slip back into the cycle of failure that we saw before August 2005.

A big part of the necessary change that needs to be made for a long term improvement in public schools is the teaching of a real sex-ed course for all of our students. In the hurry of rebuilding lives and the commotion of moving back into the city it is easy to see where we could loose sight of the basic life lessons that need to be taught. If we are really serious about ending the cycle of poverty and failure amongst our most disadvantaged New Orleanians we must stop our children from having children.

Louisiana leads the nation in teen pregnancies with an average of over 58 babies born to every thousand teenagers each year. Compared to the rest of the country, with Louisiana’s abstinence only programs, being born into this state makes our daughters 1/3 more likely to become teen mothers. (http://www.ccsso.org/content/pdfs/SPLOUISIANA.pdf ) Every time there is another unwanted and unplanned pregnancy we are exposing our children to the dangers of abortion and a life doomed by lack of education. 60% of teens who have children in High School drop out. Only 2% of minors who become pregnant get a college degree. (http://www.teenpregnancy.org/wim/pdf/education.pdf)In an increasingly knowledge based economy teen pregnancy amounts to a life time sentence of poverty. The difference in lifetime income between a college graduate and a High school drop out is well over a million dollars and the social returns are even greater. We cannot afford to be potentially throwing away our human capital because we are too scared to talk realistically about sex.

Our Governor’s current effort at sex-ed that focuses on abstinence only is encouraging this cycle of poverty, disease, and disbelief. In the curriculum guide that is distributed to teachers for abstinence only training she claims that condoms my increase the risk of HIV and that they are only 80% effective. Our children do not live in caves. They know enough to know these statements are absurdly false. What they need are the real facts. When the governor attempts to use misleading information to make the case for abstinence she ruins the entire argument. Teen sex is risky enough. By continuing to feed our children deceptive information we are not only hindering their knowledge about sexual health related issues, we are destroying our own credibility to give life saving guidance.

The current GPA program not only makes misleading arguments about condoms, but it actively endangers the health of our teens by denying them information on the HPV vaccine. In an effort to tear down the argument for condoms the curriculum guide contains a “fact sheet” on different STI’s. This goes out of its way to mention that condoms don’t protect against HPV. Then it goes out of its way to tell students that there is no vaccine for HIV, Chlamydia, or Syphilis. The report denies students the knowledge that they can protect themselves from most forms of HPV by a vaccine. Why not mention that there is a vaccine against HPV, because this scientific fact counteracts her political agenda of tearing down condoms. In an effort to show how “dangerous” the sterile latex of condoms is then the governor has completely side stepped an important vaccine that can help prevent cervical cancer.

If Katrina has taught us anything here in New Orleans it is that an ounce of prevention (Levees) is worth thousands of lives, billions of dollars in damage, and a tarnished national image. (Sorry “pound of cure” didn’t seem to cut it) Sex education today offers us the same choice. Will we educate our children about measures they can take to protect themselves from diseases such as HPV (the leading cause of cervical cancer)? Will we give our teen the information to delay child birth until a healthy age to saving both individuals and our community’s social and economic future?

We owe it to ourselves to reject the governor’s abstinence only program in favor of real sex education. Lets make our teens aware of the real consequences of their actions. Everyday teens are exposed to the sexually hyper-charged media, lets counter not with more hype but with the truth that will save lives.

Me & Laura Bush

2007-04-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

If you are reading this blog you are probably liberal. I want to pose a question to you all. Next Thursday I will have the opportunity to meet with Laura Bush who is coming to speak in New Orleans about the need for quality teachers. I'll probably have an opportunity for one question. What should it be? Leave a comment and let me know.

JFK

2007-04-16T16:09:00.000-07:00

We need a return to honest debate. Cool headed people debating the facts and merits of arguments will benefit Americans. Neither Democrats of Republicans have all the answers right and the American people know it. This why they are turned off by line-in-the-sand partisan politics. Perhaps with a return to real debate, we can have a return to competence.

More distorted facts

2007-04-15T23:30:00.000-07:00

Also the governors GPA curriculum guide goes out of its way to mention that there are not vaccines against:

HIV
CHLAMYDIA
SYPHILIS

But never informs its students that there is a vaccine against the majority of the forms of HPV. Why you ask? Because the curriculum guide uses condoms’ uselessness against HPV as a way to tear down the value of using condoms. Well governor, are condoms effective against HIV? And HPV what about that vaccine? Lets be honest with our students. The world of STI’s and pregnancy is scary enough without distorting the facts.

Trojan shouldn't you be defending your product?

2007-04-15T23:07:00.000-07:00

Same source as below, another quote I have to believe is fabricated:

"Condoms and diaphragms are only about 80% effective at preventing pregnancy,which leaves a 1 in 5 chance of becoming pregnant (something like Russianroulette)."

Taking a quick cruise around the internet I found a site Justrubbers.com which offers this counter claim:

"Latex condoms can provide up to 98-99 percent protection against pregnancy and most STDs, including HIV infection, but only if they are used consistently and correctly."

Governor Blanco, maybe the condom experiences you are citing from your 80% effectiveness study are from young people who, because of programs like GPA, never learned to use a condom. If that is the case governor by denying them the necessary knowledge to prevent pregnancy and STI's you are causing more harm than good.

Really?! HIV from condoms...only in LA

2007-04-15T22:47:00.000-07:00

"Condoms are no guarantee of safety from HIV (under somecircumstances they increase the risk of infection)"
-http://www.dynasite.net/site100-01/1001731/docs/gpa_teacher_guide_05-06_final.pdf

This is a quote from the Louisiana Governor's Program on Abstinence. This is deceitful language that must be retracted and apologized for. There is no possible way that a sterile piece of latex can cause HIV. If I am wrong then I am missing something profound. Please tell me via comment if you can think of anything to justify this line in an official LA government document.

Furthermore please email the governor right now to ask her to explain. .

Schooling's future in Orleans

2007-04-15T20:38:00.000-07:00

“The school system needs to get out of triage mode”

This was a sentiment echoed at last Saturday’s meeting of educational stakeholders at Tulane University. 19 months after Katrina this argument has grown legs and needs to be addressed. Yes our school system is burdened with incredible problems, but there needs to be a plan and vision for what we want the schools to look like and how we are going to get there.

In the fall of last year with failing schools Karen Carter and other legislators advocated the state’s take over of Orleans area schools instituting a vision of a charter school network. It was thought this would give parents choice and force schools to compete. What we see now is a perversion of that vision that has caused many including Rep. Carter to now fight for reform of the system. Yes, New Orleans has many charter schools, but we also have other schools that are not coordinating or working within the same vision. Furthermore the reputation of charter schools many communities is for being exclusive, and recreating the have versus have-not system that has plagued our schools since Jim Crow. These drawbacks make the case for a full fledged charter school system difficult.

While the vision of a system allowing choice for parents and competition amongst schools ought to be preserved, we cannot allow any school system that to be out of step with what the state expects. Under our system’s current confusion it is simply unfair to ask students to take a state-wide standardized test such as the LEAP because we have no guarantee of standards as to how and what our children are learning. As a result of this disjointed system parent’s heads are left spinning and we give the impression that New Orleans has no clear path forward.

We must not allow this to be the case. We have too valuable of an experiment happening in New Orleans with the dramatic shift to charter schools to loose the new insights we are gaining in education. No other school system in the country has expanded as quickly or ever relied as heavily on charter schools. Without a long term plan and communication mechanisms this new frontier will be a vehicle for continued confusion and duplication rather than the dramatic force for change that it could be.

The new LEAP scores for this year will be a critical planning tool to bring to fruition a network of schools that can give every student an equal shot at success. These scores will give us the opportunity to find and expand those programs that are working for our children and eliminate those that are not.

This opportunity cannot be ceased however without collective planning and communication by all schools. Right now there is no formal mechanism for communication between schools. The closest our school system has to this is the current study that is being conducted now by the Greater New Orleans Educational Foundation which is trying to isolate the community’s biggest complaints and most common suggestions. This is great study in its own right, and combined with LEAP score information will make this summer an eye-opener for the education system. Once this report is issued and worked upon however we have the danger of such communication dying. Because know no one report will be fitting for every change in situation we need formal mechanisms of communication so that our schools can grow together. We need the OPSB and RSD and everyone who has an interest in education to really work together at this critical time to hammer out a system that works. When we put our educational systems into completely s silo’s of state and Orleans, Private and Public and don’t set up methods for interaction loose our largest asset - a free market of education ideas.

I would encourage all stake holders in public education to make their voices heard in the Cowen Institute study that is due this may. Send a message to our educational institutions asking them to continue working together so we can close the achievement gap amongst our students and raise our national education standing.

If we fail to address and take action towards long term strategic goals and communication plans instances of hope that emerge from our new schools will be viewed as isolated incidents rather than growing trends. Capturing and recreating our successes is vital. Allowing a new dismal perception of school recovery to grow will doom our schools reinforcing to a negative cycle of recruiting problems and vanishing hope. If we don’t spend the effort on education now, our children will pay for decades.

Jimmy Jones

2007-04-15T20:36:00.000-07:00

Best ad ever...

Oh and the punch back...

Nuns with Guns

2007-04-15T17:51:00.000-07:00

A little fun :)

Iraq War PBS Program

2007-04-14T11:53:00.001-07:00

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/21146

This sounds like an excellent show to watch on the Iraq War build up, hopefully it will educate more of our population about the lies we were told.

First Focus Group

2007-04-13T12:24:00.000-07:00

I went to a neighborhood association meeting in Algeries the other day to run a focus group finding out what is wrong with the New Orleans public schools. I’m being paid by the Greater New Orleans Educational Foundation and the Scott Cowen Institute, and it is run by the Boston Consulting Group.

This was my first on the ground experience with the frustration that is plaguing New Orleans Public Schools. Everyone of the dozen or so members of the community that had shown up for the meeting had pulled their own children out of the public school system because of the confusion and irreliability of the school system. To give a snap shot here were some of the questions that were asked:

“Why should I send my child to a school that might not prepare him for college?”

“How do I know where to send my children?”

“Some Charter Schools work, some don’t, how can I know the difference to avoid the bad ones?”

“Isn’t this network of charter school just creating a new school board beurocracy? Won’t that have the same problems as last time?

My job in this focus group is to capture the perceived inadequacies of the current system. Not really to find solutions. This first dip in the water shows that there is a lot of work to be done.

Quote of the Day!

2007-04-01T22:26:00.000-07:00

"You don't see the crib on fire then speculate that the baby is flame retardant" - Al Gore

That was Al Gore testifying in front of Congress about the dangers of global warming. While I realize there are specifics about the global warming argument that we would not be able to know until its too late, we must look at the evidence. When you come across people who deny the global warming problem, confront them. Ask them specifically what parts they don’t believe. This can be done politely. But it must be done. As we each talk to individuals, making proactive steps and not silencing your opinion minds can be changed. In the end remind that person you talk to that if you accept the science, there is a moral imperative to take action to prevent it. When Jesus said do to others as you would have done to you, it applies to your children and your grandchildren.

A New Growth

2007-03-31T16:50:00.000-07:00

“You cannot have limitless exponential growth on a finite planet.”
- Franklin A. Kalinowski
Professor of Environmental Politics, Tulane University

“A New Growth”

Many radical environmentalists claim that we on earth must face a limit to our growth. They claim that at some point nature will not be able to supply us with the needs for building those additional items for consumption. The claim seems logical. With only so many trees on earth there is a limit to how many houses and boats one can build. With only so much oil in the ground there is a limit to how many miles one can drive. These numerical limits on our industries while large, exist.. How then, did we consume for thousands of years without slamming into this apparent brick wall on the highway of growth?

One school of thought lead by modern inside-the-box economists such as those at the World Bank (and anyone you see on cable news) would argue that growth of our technology will be the savior of the planet. They are trapped thinking inside the current economic paradigm. What has happened to avoid the brick wall growth limits has not been change in the degree of the economy ( GDP growth, technological advances) but rather changes in the very nature of the economy. Avoiding future ecological & economic calamities can only be done once again by not manipulating the current economy, but by changing the economic game being played.

The clearest historical example of a change in the kind of economy pursued to avoiding ecological growth limits was the European invasion of America. The Native American population was limited in its growth because of its hunter-gatherer economy. It has been estimated that Europeans when they moved to the America’s and introduced “advanced” farming techniques needed only 1/10th of the land space to sustain a single person compared to the Native American population. This was because instead of hunting the Europeans, when not distracted by gold exploration, concentrated their survival efforts on farming. Suddenly the measure of economic growth was not how many boors one could kill in a year (a number that is clearly limited by the environment), but rather how much one could farm in a year (a number that is also limited, but on a much larger scale).

This complete change of the economic paradigm allowed the Europeans’ domination over America’s indigenous people.

We are on the verge today of a similar shift in the economic paradigm. The evidence of our unsustainable current economic game is all encompassing. America is importing an increasing amount of oil for energy. We have also seen for decades a sharp decline in our manufacturing sector as the price of American wage labor has risen above that of other countries that can manufacture similar goods. Under our current economic paradigm American economic growth has been lackluster and our government has fallen deeper and deeper into debt.

The solution for America must be refocusing away from the current paradigm of industrial consumption to a full-blown service consuming economy. We must transition again away from our reliance on the natural land to a higher person to person service economy. This will allow our continued exponential growth to continue without burdening our planet.

Such an economic shift will likely not able to strictly be created through corporate, civic, or political means. It is likely that the shift will be unintentional yet rewarded by an economic Darwinism. The economy that has moved the most towards consuming the most lower level food (not higher level meat) and the most services (movies and games instead of SUVs and Powerboats) will be the one that benefits the most when the price of consuming the earth reliant products sky rockets.

Will America be protected? Is our world dominance assured through the future? There are steps we as individuals and collectively though our government can take to increase our independence and sustainability through the coming economic paradigm shift.

You Tube this election

2007-03-30T14:14:00.000-07:00

The guy who made the "vote different" ad for Obama that was a play off on the 1984 Apple ad has releaved himself. The commentary is interesting.

The important thing to remember about this is that by his own admission the person who created the ad was not important. Perhaps along with the standard clip board and pencil this campaign season, we will see volunteers with cameras.

It seeems campaigns that embrace the openness of Blogging, YouTubin, and general peer to peer comunication they will gain in exposure far more than they will loose in message control.

Rappin Rove

2007-03-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

Def Jam, I have a new protegee...

Teach For America pre-readings

2007-03-30T12:50:00.001-07:00

I just received my reading packet from Teach For America. It’s about 2,000 pages of type much smaller than this. Skimming over it I began to wonder; What are people talking about saying that Teach For America graduates aren’t prepared to teach as are teaching college graduates? I feel like if I was given now the same set of materials about political science and two months of intensive course work, I would have the same knowledge as I have now from my Tulane BA in the subject. Between this pre-institute work and the 12+ hour days for two months I’ll be a pretty good teacher.

Before getting this packet I was proud of myself for reaching page 200 of 400 in my Praxis study manual. Now I feel like I’m once again behind a box load of reading. When they said this was going to be a challenge, I don’t think they were kidding.

My Summer

2007-03-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

So I just set up my summer calendar with all of my Teach For America dates. And its full. I graduate May 19th, At which point I have approximately two weeks “off”. Then I have to be back in New Orleans on June 5th through 9th. Then I will have to drive off to Houston for the Institute which begins June 10th. I am at the institute from then until July 14th at which point I am released again into the abyss until July 23rd through 27th when I have to be back in New Orleans for orientation. After the 27th I’m pretty sure I’m not allowed to leave NOLA because of various other commitments such as interviews and such.

Now if that doesn’t make your head spin ad this to the mix. In reading about the institute apparently they want us to take our ride to work at 6am and expect to return back to our dorm room around 6pm. That is a 12 hour work day. For no pay. Aghh. This is going to be rough. Add to this that it is a 5 day work week with homework and meetings at night, as well as on the weekends… Wow.

So I’m guessing these college days where I can sleep till 11 and if I want to go out multiple nights a week really are numbered. Adding all of this to my Google Calendar made me once again realize that the real world, with its real jobs, and real commitments might suck.

I know I’m just moaning now. And I know everything will work out okay. I just really think that teaching is going to be less stressful than this summer with all of its moving and traveling around the country. I really wanted to make my way down to South Florida this summer to hang out with the family and go to the keys for a little while, as well as make a trip to Denver, see my girlfriend (either STL, NOLA, or Houston) and help out my buddy Evan Wolf who is running for State Rep. here in NOLA.

My Calendar however may dictate otherwise.

Blood Diamond and the Media

2007-03-26T18:12:00.000-07:00

As a last hurrah for spring break last night I watched “Blood Diamond” a terrific film chronicling the plight of one African man, Solomon, forced to work in a diamond mine after being abducted by Sierra Leone rebels. Set in 1999, the movie depicts his struggle to reclaim his freedom and family. While working in the diamond mine he finds a 100kt. diamond which he manages to hide by burying. Immediately conflict erupts however and he is separated from the buried diamond. He knows this diamond, and the demand that follows it, is the only tool for getting what he needs. The underside of this struggle and what Solomon uses to his advantage is the demand created by the global trade in conflict diamonds. Conflict diamonds being diamonds bought from warring regions whose price is used to fund further destruction.

At one point in this film, amongst all the terrible human anguish that is happening, a news report is seen of the Clinton impeachment. This struck me again as to absurdity of what is considered news in America. This movie and this real life conflict set in 1999 was, as I remember it, not a time when Americans were paying attention to this African problem. It disgusted me that we did not pay more attention to this crisis, rathering instead to focus on White House oral sex. How do these “crimes” even compare. The movie screamed to me that despite any elephants that may be in the global room all our media can seem to focus on is the most trivial and entertaining of stories.

1999 is not that that far away. Ask yourself now, what global stories, that really matter to millions of people is our media blinding us to? A look at any of the major 24 hour news channels today will reveal a focus on the death of Anna Nicole Smith. I beg the question, does she matter at all. How many viewers will be directly affected by a drug overdose of an ex-stripper? How many viewers can take that information into account for their daily lives and actions so that they might be better both morally and mentally?

In my opinion the news has the duty to inform about the relevant. This is clearly not being done. Now it is up to each of us to challenge ourselves to find what really matters. Here’s a hint, you won’t find it on Entertainment Tonight.
---

I encourage everyone to see Blood Diamond. You can watch it now for free at www.peekvid.com or buy it at Amazon.com

irack...so amazing

2007-03-16T20:07:00.000-07:00

Damn Curry is Hot

2007-03-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

Bill Gates on America's Global Competitiveness

2007-03-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

Bill Gates recently wrote an open letter to congress that practically screamed the need more highly educated workers in America. In the interest of full disclosure I think this guy is great. Gates is an American icon and is leading the charge to keep America great in the 21st century. The letter outlined two solutions for keeping America competitive. The first is a better domestic education system, the second is a more open immigration policy for those coming from abroad with advanced degrees.

As for the raising the domestic education side of this argument I was once again reinforced in my belief that doing Teach For America is a solid decision that will benefit my country. It also made me wonder a little bit if I will have the opportunity to be creative in the school I get placed at in creating new programs? I don’t have the world’s best technical skills, but I think I could organize a computer club, or get students to integrate technology into the social studies that I will be teaching. At the very least through my social studies class I hope I will be able to give a sense of the great challenges that are facing us in the future.

For the open immigration policy it seems like Gates is not advocating a radical enough solution. If you look at the cost of educating a student from birth through the doctoral level it is a major cost to that student’s home country. If we are able to convince some of these students after they are done with their education to come and be citizens here in America that is a huge cost savings for our government. Not only should our immigration policy welcome those with advanced degrees openly, but we should also be giving them an incentive to come over here. One of the most profitable things our government could do for this country (looking at the big picture) is to pay for the flights of new doctors to America. Lets put their knowledge to work for us!

Increasing Marginal Utility of Education

2007-03-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

Monday Journal –

So I told my mom about the grand plan to do Teach for America. She was not happy. She is now convinced that I am never going to law school and that I will spend my life in abject poverty at some inner city school. She called back after I hung up on her and left I voicemail that just said repeatedly, “Do whatever YOU want, I’m just personally disappointed” Ugh, sorry this guilt may have worked in middle school, but not now. I have a good idea of how I want to live my life and this is a decision that is part of that vision. I haven’t exactly spoken to my mom since that one conversation (more a function of pressing academic matters than anything else, I’m not mad at her), but it got me thinking about long term planning and financing life/education.

Through a couple of Google searches I found out an interesting fact about education, its marginal utility increases with quantity. This defies the “common sense” economic principal economics of decreasing marginal utility. This says that as one gets more of a product (education) they value it less with every additional increment (marginal utility). This makes sense if one thinks of chocolate. Yes, the first chocolate bar of your life is amazing, but if you were forced to sit down and east 50 in a row you would start to hate them more and more causing you to vomit or become morbidly obese

However if you measure the utility of a certain level of education as the average salary of a individual with that level of education one finds that with the increase in educational level a result of a bigger increase in salary will occur. I figured this through a U.S. Census Press Release, here are the numbers:

(error in posting the picture, I'll try putting it up again later tonight)

This graph shows the additional money earned for completing a particular educational level rather than not. For the high school graduate level I looked at the difference in salary of a high school graduate versus a high school drop out. I went on to compare the salary of someone who had a college education versus someone who had simply graduated high school, and so on through out the educational levels. I then divided the marginal increase in earnings by the years spent attaining that education. As you can see even in factoring the additional time it still pays to get as much education as you possibly can.

Education, Education, Education

2007-03-05T16:29:00.000-08:00

There was a NYTimes op-ed column entitled, "Education, Education, Education" by Bob Herbert. It was about the prospects of African American males in the job market given their level of education. Appearently earnings differences between races closes given higher levels of education. Very intersting NYTimes, very interesting.

Levee Petition

2007-03-05T16:15:00.000-08:00

I signed this. I think you should to.

Dear Members of 110th Congress and the President,

I support calling for an independent bipartisan investigation into the failure of the Federal Levees on August 29, 2005 that flooded 80% of New Orleans and the surrounding region including St. Bernard, Jefferson, Orleans, St. Charles and Plaquemines Parishes .

The federally led investigation established in late 2005 was inadequate.

That investigation was established and managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Since the Corps of Engineers is the sole agency responsible for the design and construction of metro New Orleans' levee system, such an investigation is a conflict of interest. The Corps of Engineers investigated itself.

Additionally, since this investigation's findings were released on June 1, 2006, two independent levee investigation teams (the National Science Foundation/U.C. Berkeley and Team Louisiana) have criticized the Corps of Engineers' report as incomplete and technically inaccurate.

Despite this unanimous criticism, the Corps' potentially flawed findings are being used to repair and fortify the south Louisiana flood protection system which protects the lives and property of 1.5 million people.

Clearly, an objective analysis is needed to assure that critical vulnerabilities in the levee system are addressed and all possible opportunities for improvement are considered. Taxpayers need a full return on the investment dollars that Congress authorizes and the citizens of south Louisiana need the best protection possible.

Sincerely,

Me & You

2007-03-04T14:46:00.000-08:00

What Teach for America Teaches You (Issue date: 11/27/06 Section: Opinion) is a great counter point to the essay I refuted just a minute ago. Written by a Columbia student there was a quote that hit me:

"As a young teacher, I am a trade-off. I do not bring a wealth of experience, but I do bring other qualities needed in our city's public schools. When experienced teachers share their expertise with me, I hope I share my optimism with them. It is perhaps an uneven trade, but by now I know that even when I am lost, even when I stumble, even when I am at my wits' end, I am valuable to my students and to my school. "

The Orbis

2007-03-04T14:31:00.000-08:00

The Orbis published an article a few days ago that I just had to comment on. Its thesis was that Teach For America was not a solution to the educational crisis facing America because its teachers were not trained as teachers throughout their college careers.

Here is my response:

"As a newly hired Teach for America corps member I agree with the author's point that there is a technical skill to teaching. And NO, I will probably not learn all I need to know about teaching in my month of training.

The author however fails to take into account any measure of results from Teach for America teachers. Can I as a fresh teach for America recruit teach better than someone who has spent four years learning the pedagogy? Maybe not, but there is no denying the value that a fresh perspective and enthusiasm can bring. Every year Teach for America corps members help bring marginalized students back to grade level and beyond. The quintessential question becomes then; can an extra person simply willing to help, who is working for a purpose, make a net positive effect with students?

My answer is yes, and I'm betting the next two years of my life on it. "

Evan Wolf for State House Gala: The Campaign Begins!

2007-03-03T19:42:00.000-08:00

One week from today I, and hopefully you, will be attending the Evan Wolf for State House Gala. Its $25 which is a lot for a college student such as myself, but there are two great reasons to attend:

1) Evan Wolf is one of the rare politicians that is actually running to make a real change. If elected he will be a smart progressive voice for New Orleans. He is smart, he is accessible. He is someone I'll work for proudly.

2) Its an open bar. That just means good times.

got to go to a Hillel party now, also free drinks, also should be a good time

Happy Purim All !!!!!

TFA: I'm in

2007-03-01T23:18:00.000-08:00

I got a call today from the program coordinator for New Orleans Teach for America. We had a 15 minute conversation where she answered a whole bunch of my questions regarding the program. It was all good news. For one she says there is a possibility that I might get to teach high school history or social studies. She also said that I can get a school close to Tulane's campus. We discussed organizational support.

It was good. I needed that follow up phone call to put some of those nagging detail questions to rest. Throughout our conversation however she kept bringing up a FedEx package that I was meant to receive that day. I hadn't checked my mail yet so I rushed over to the mail room after I was off the phone with her and got this package.

The contents of that package sold me on Teach for America.

There was a handwritten note by a 10th grade student describing the need for Teachers here in Louisiana as well as all the things I could look forward to by "coming here." He talked about how his school had lost a lot of teachers after the storm and spoke with a genuine enthusiasm for the place he lived. Yes, I know this writing was staged, and No, I'm not usually one to fall for the cheesy stuff. But reading this letter my heart sank. This was real.

I have been given an opportunity to do something incredible over the next two years.

I know me. I'm an ambitious guy. I don't like leaving problems unsolved. I know that with a consolidated effort on my part I will make a tremendous difference.

Its funny how things like Teach for America go from idle a curiosity to personal passion. Yes it had a lot to do with recruiting, but that wasn't all of it. All the things TFA says about educational equity are really happening. Reading that hand written note today for me was the same as if I saw someone bleeding on the street. Of course I'm going to help. How could I not.

So yeah, TFA, The last post I was justifying the job to myself. This time I'm saying with full heart.

I'm in.

"We are pleased to invite you to join the 2007 Teach For America corps"

2007-02-28T17:10:00.000-08:00

Sitting in Tuesday’s American Political thought class I let out an audible giggle as I clicked away at my computer. I couldn’t help but have the most obnoxious smile plastered to my face. I found out I got offer a position with Teach for America. This is outstanding news. I no longer have to worry about getting to graduation with nothing to do afterwards. I know I’m taking it, but I’m a little worried.

For starters my family is not going approve of this decision. Don’t get me wrong they like the whole civic virtue thing, but they like to do it politely. Teach for America is going to be hard work for little pay. The reward will not be financial. They get that, I get that.

Then why am I doing it?

Well frankly because it seems awesome. I feel like while there are people who would emphasize making money now, or going to law school immediately, that I’m siding with Thoreau here and really making a decision to lead a purposeful life. I want to be the man Thoreau talks about when he says:
“There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root...” – Henry David Thoreau
No, I’m not going to make a whole lot of money in the next two and half years, nor will I solve the education crisis facing our country, but I will be doing meaningful work. And I will be a better, more interesting person at the because of it.

For a while now I’ve expressed how I would like to go to law school there is tremendous value in a law degree. I still think that. But I have always followed that with the concern that I do not want to become another run of the mill lawyer that I’m so used to seeing in the Broward County Courthouse. These are old, fat, ugly men who just have a look about them like they hate their lives and everyone in it. That is not who I want to be. And that is certainly not who I am trying to be at 22.

So for now yes I’m going to sacrifice money for ideals. Status for substance, blah for blah,… yada yada yada you get the point.

In addition to being a better person because of it Teach for America gives me the opportunity to really learn something about the biggest long term problem the country is facing. I want to pursue a life in the public arena. I want to make this country better. Having a real first hand experience with this big, BIG, issue is only going to help me have a better grasp of the problem and possible solutions for it.

Oh and I got assigned to New Orleans so I get to be a part of the rebuilding of a great American city. Also, there is that little thing about my girlfriend being in New Orleans for the foreseeable future. (: She's real cute :) She has a blog to, you should check it out.

A New Orleans Youth Council

2007-02-28T12:46:00.000-08:00

A group of Tulane University students, myself included, are working to build a Youth Council in New Orleans to represent the interests of the young people in New Orleans. Yes Katrina was a horrible disaster, but what is really hurting the city now are residual affects such as crime and bureaucratic buffoonery that are leading to an exodus of young talent from the city. The goal of the New Orleans Youth Council (NOYC) will be to improve the conditions in the city that most affect our young people. We will do this through a variety of initiatives:

- City Wide Programming – The NOYC will expand existing programs to bring together different populations within the city as well of New Orleanians that they are not only this city’s future, but they are also its as create new programs. All programs will be fun and safe events that encourage civic unity and pride.

- Leadership Development Trainings – This city is hemorrhaging from a lack of strong leadership. We will train a generation of New Orleanians to believe that they are not only this city’s future, they are its present. The NOYC will hold regular seminars on how to be proactive in taking on the great challenges this city faces.

- A Voice for the Youth – In a city where politics is often an insider’s game the NOYC will give a voice to young people with civic interest. In bringing our youth to the collective decision making table one invests the youth into the city. The NOYC will regularly pass resolutions stating its opinion on governmental affairs, as well as market its voice to the people of the Greater New Orleans community.

Accomplishing these goals will mean partnering with important institutions that are already working on the ground such as schools, churches, and government agencies. The NOYC needs talented people who can work across these groups to create unity and meaning from clutter. Think for a minute of a young person who would be interested in shaping this city’s policies and future. Is it yourself? Is it a student of yours? Is it a child of yours? At the current time we are structuring the organization of the council as well as recruiting members. Please tell that someone you thought of to get involved with the council by joining our group at http://www.thefacebook.com/. There, with membership, you can have an active voice in the formation of the council, as well as meet other interesting, interested people.

Homer Plessy: A man of mystery, A paper in waiting

2007-02-26T12:34:00.000-08:00

I’m working on a “Biographical Sketch” paper of Homer Plessy for my History of the Civil Rights Movement class. The trouble is however that there is not a whole lot of Biography on this Homer Plessy guy. He is famous for being the plaintiff in Plessy v. Ferguson in which the Supreme Court ruled that blacks in this country could be segregated as long as they were treated equally (“Separate, but equal”). Beyond that however there is not much knowledge of who he was as a person. Homer Plessy lived and died in New Orleans. From city records we know that he held jobs as both a carpenter and a shoemaker. We know Plessy was Creole in dissent and looked almost completely white. We know Plessy was active in the social action group “Comite des citoyens” through which his arrest and trail were set up. We know Homer Plessy was black.

What do those brief facts tell us about a man? He, unlike Rosa Parks who would challenge segregation over a half century later, never gained critical fame and praise for his actions of civil disobedience. Comparing the two we know that Parks, while heavily committed to the Civil Rights Movement was not a planted test case. Homer Plessy’s case was. But we never got to know the intimate details of Plessy’s life like we know the details of Parks’ life. It is a paradox then that in one case Plessy’s anonymity and in the other Parks’ global personification can make both these individuals into icons.

It is important that we know close to nothing about Plessy because he symbolized the broader African American struggle. He was on the loosing end of the battle. He was pushed back into an American 2nd class not worth knowing. Parks was a triumphant victory who changed the landscape. She is a hero in the story and heroes are always individualistic.

We view as Homer Plessy a man of his times precisely because of our lack of information about him. Without the details of his schooling, loves and personal tragedies we can focus more on Plessy in his societal context.

That’s where I think I’m going with it.

Teach for America: To Teach or not to Teach, that is the question

2007-02-25T23:54:00.000-08:00

I applied for Teach for in early January and Tuesday is the day when I will supposedly find out whether or not I’ve been accepted into the program or not. I’m starting to feel a little bit anxious about the situation because the more I think about it the more I want the position. There are so many people in this country who are just not getting a chance because of their lack of education. That’s just not fair.

Faith Caucus New Orleans Event

2007-02-25T20:05:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine, Jay Hazen, is organizing a community service trip through College Democrat’s Faith Caucus to New Orleans. http://tulane.facebook.com/event.php?eid=2249120150 Yet again College Democrats will show their support for Katrina victims through sweat and blood rather than words. (And yes I said blood, the last time I did this with Democrats Lewis Lowe stepped on a nail) I don’t want to get all preachy about how great the Faith Caucus is, but ,… I haven’t heard of College Republicans doing any sort of work like this. Immediately after Katrina they put a link on their state website asking people to donate to the Red Cross but that was it. Why are they so damn lacking!

Katrina was a crucible moment in my life where I learned the importance of good government. I am proud to be part of an institution that is training its future leaders with this hands on method.