Set Big Goals

As I stapled and re-stapled Set Big Goals around the boards of the bulletin boards that lined the halls of middle school 331 of the Bronx today, I looked around at an empty shell.

NY public schools were released for summer yesterday and what was yesterday a working machine comprised of teachers, students, staff, and parents; was now just empty rooms with empty desk, stacked up books and old poster boards today.

In one weeks time the school will once again be transformed, and students again will fill the school for summer school.

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Driving in from Queens to the Bronx today to get to the school (yes I was driving, scary I know), after getting over the fact that there is so much water in NY, and i crossed one F'n large bridge today in slow traffic, I got to see my first glimpse of the different boroughs since I arrived here last Saturday.

I don't know how to describe it. I didn't see much to be honest.

As for the school, you can read about a pretty accurate description about it here. The coolest thing about the day, I think was seeing some of the amazing resources this school had!! The two classes i was setting up had Smart Boards for chalk/white boards.

Slowly discovering the capabilities of a smart board felt like opening a present wrapped in many different layers of tissue paper.

First I obviously was drawn to the speakers attached to the sides, then the USB ports, then the projection screen.

Then came the real goodies.

The interactive smart markers and erasers that allow students and teachers to 'draw' on the board as you would a normal white board, but with electronic ink that shows up on the screen, just as if you were drawing on a blackberry. The smart makers make the lines magically disappear, and with the simple press of a marker tip on a projected web page- links can be followed.

Its probably the coolest thing I've ever seen in a class room in my life.

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As for Institute. Its pretty amazing being living and working with hundreds of smart, motivated, and inspirational people who all share a common interest of education.

Dinner conversation on education policies is not uncommon and tonight i found out my roommates professor last spring was Richard Rothstein, author of Class and Schools. I saw him speak when he came to Madison at the end of January, and he shook up my thoughts big time.

I also saw the founder of Teach For America, Wendy Kopp, speak last night. She proposed this grand idea in her undergraduate senior thesis.

Here I sit 21 years old...