Class 325

The other day, I found two boys hanging out in a small alcove in front of our school health clinic. I can always relate when I see kids hanging out and not wanting to be bothered– as a teenager, this was all I wanted. But now is now, and I have a job to do. … Continue reading Hanging out

In the last unit of 12th grade English, our students write “100-word stories,â€� modeled after the New York Times column “Modern Love Stories.â€� At the end of the unit, each student submits their best story to the New York Times.  This year, one of our students, Oumou Sow, was published by the Times. Her piece … Continue reading Taking a risk

Years ago when I started this blog, a colleague asked me why I was writing it. She didn’t understand and for some reason, I felt embarrassed explaining. She kept asking, “But why?â€� and I kept giving reasons that were like bland, mushy oatmeal: “I like writingâ€�, “It’s just a thing I want to try.â€� It … Continue reading Why I write this blog

Delivering their speeches, the class of 2022 shined particularly bright at this year’s graduation.  Elira,* the class president from Albania, talked about “The breakfast club,â€� when her math teacher would open the classroom early and chat with the students over school muffins and yogurt.  Adam from Yemen joked about meeting “my first bald teacher,â€� who … Continue reading Graduation Day

In a diverse high school like ours, students’ clothing can fall at two ends of the spectrum: revealing, or very conservative. Students from Dominican Republic might see a crop top as normal school wear, while a student from Yemen might see a female’s bare arms or hair as taboo. It’s an interesting balance.  When I … Continue reading Showing skin

As a principal, I usually operate with generosity. That doesn’t mean my mind isn’t stingy. A student can enter the school system at any point in the year, September to June. As a Bronx public high school for newcomer immigrants, we take kids in at any time, no matter when they arrive. About half of … Continue reading Makeda from Panama

At our school this year, we do a “grab and go ” lunch in which students can grab a packaged hot lunch and take it home, or eat it in a classroom. We did this to avoid using the cafeteria due to COVID. To make sure students don’t get hungry earlier in the day, we … Continue reading A job I won’t delegate

It’s been a quiet year to work in a school building: 10 or fewer kids per class seated six feet apart, wearing masks, while the other 2/3 of our students did remote learning from home. No more interruptions or discipline problems. I felt almost like I had an office job, hopping onto Zoom meetings and … Continue reading A bird in the room

Like all public high schools in New York City, my school is operating remotely. Overall, it’s going well, yet it’s also easy for students to disappear.  To find these students, I’ve started to do home visits with my assistant principal Yan. We look up the addresses, create a route, and set off on our journey. … Continue reading My mother isn’t home

In my last blog, I wrote about a student who is thriving with online work. In this blog, I’ll write about a student who has struggled: Adam.* Adam has had his ups and down as a student. in 9th grade, he arrived in the United States from Yemen. 9th and 10th grade were successful years … Continue reading The lonely kid