Hello Memphis...

That is how President Barack Obama greeted the crowd at Booker T. Washington High School's graduation today. BTW was chosen last week by the president from the top three finalists of a video competition. It was another exciting event for Memphis. We've had just a few of those lately:) I love this fans sign from Friday night's round 2 game 6 that the Grizzlies won:

Today is the first time Obama has been to Memphis since becoming president. Although the news media covered excitement about his visit, a few of my students shared some apprehension about his visit. They were worried that he would get shot like MLK, Jr. did when he visited Memphis. Their fears confirm that race is still an issue in our city.

We watched Air Force One land live and then took the entire school across the street to a CBU auditorium to watch the ceremony. It was definitely a day that makes me proud to be a teacher in Memphis.

BTW senior, Christopher Dean, introduced the president and after joking that everyone knows the biography of the president said, "Maybe I should just tell what the president speaking here today means to me. Our president speaking here today means that someone who looks like me can go to Columbia, and to Harvard, and become the president of the United States of America."

Two things Obama shared that I want to share with students in the future:
1. Despite adversity, every single one of you stood tall and said, "Yes, we can. Yes we can learn, yes we can succeed. You decided you would not be defined by where you come from, but by where you want to go, by what you want to achieve, by the dreams you hope to fulfill."

2. You learn how to learn. How to think critically and find solutions though unexpected challenges. I remember we use to ask our teachers, "Why am I going to need Algebra?" You're not going to have to solve for x to get a good job or be a good parent, but you will need to think through tough problems..." Math teachers you can tell you students that the president says you need Algebra.

NOLA - Education Style

At the end of January, MTR traveled to New Orleans for our Mid-Year Retreat. I insisted that we make a trip to Cafe Du Monde so we walked from our hotel our first night in town. I broke my diet a few occasions and this was definitely one of them. My face tells you how happy I was to have some carbs-

 We spent the majority of one day observing at two high achieving charter schools. Since Katrina a majority of the public schools in NOLA have become charter schools. Not all of them are as successful as the two we visited, but we were impressed and brought lots of ideas back.

 There was lots of time for bonding within our group. It was really refreshing to lunch together four days in a row because we are used to being spread across Memphis for lunch during the week.

 We had a game night where we learned how competitive Dr. Counts really is.

We spent one afternoon at Audobon Park where the 2nd Annual Secondary vs. Elementary/Staff kickball game was held.The secondary zebras took the game very seriously with coordinated outfits and an organized warm-up. Our preparation combined with skill and plenty of silliness gave us an 11-0 victory.

 The Elementary/Staff team just doesn't look quite crazy enough to win:

Our last evening in town we went to Mulates for dinner and dancing. Bill is at Mulates every Friday and Saturday night to teach guests how to do some Cajun dancing. We loved his lobster shirt.

 By the end of the night, Joel had gotten on stage to sing Amazing Grace and MTR had a Soul Train Line going. It was a VERY fun night!

I didn't get any pictures, but before we came back we spent a morning at the WWII D-Day museum. I definitely recommend the museum and the interactive movie across the street.

Compassion

Tonight I completed a reflection for my Spiritual Life class. While reflecting, I thought about Henri Nouwen's explanation of compassion that I learned in college. I think it is completely relevant in the fight for justice in urban education. -----“The word compassion is derived from the Latin words pati and cum, which together mean “to suffer with.” Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish. Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears. Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless. Compassion means FULL IMMERSION in the condition of being human.”

Waiting for Superman

The last few weeks have been really tough for me. I knew it was coming as graduate school assignments increased and I am teaching more and more. This break for Thanksgiving has been great so far, even with the homework and planning mixed in. My mom had recorded Oprah the week that two shows were focused on Urban Education and the documentary, Waiting for Superman that came out this fall. Watching the clips from the movie again and the interviews helped me to regain focus in depths of fighting for justice in urban education.


I don't always agree with Oprah, but fully support this quote: "To everyone who thinks, 'Well my kids are doing okay...' Well this is your country. So when other kids in your country aren't doing okay, you have to have the vision to understand when other kids in your country don't do okay, eventually your country won't do okay."


In his “I’ve been to the Mountaintop” speech the night before his assassination, Martin Luther King reminds us of the point of the familiar story of the Good Samaritan.  The question we often ask (often in response to fear) is “what will happen to me if I stop and help him?”  The point of the parable, says MLK, is that Jesus wants us to ask “what will happen to him if I don’t stop and help?” (Thanks to David Montague for the reminder of the relevance of this quote)


Jason Kamras said in Teaching as Leadership, “We cannot rest until each of us would be satisfied with randomly assigning our own children to any public school in the nation."


On Oprah, Newark, NJ mayor Cory Booker says that when American school kids recite "liberty and justice for all" every morning, it is not true. "Democracy is not a spectator sport - everybody has to be in the game and making sacrifices."