January 24, 2009 -- I navigated my way through the Bronx to conduct several visitations to student's homes. Each home I visited was located in a Public Housing Complex. I am a firm believer that teachers MUST holistically understand their student's backgrounds to be the most effective. My experience during these home visitations further substantiated my claim.
A few Notable Observations:
1) The crime that students are surrounded by in HUD Public Housing Complexes
2) The dilapidation and filthiness of the buildings that many students reside in (ex. Standing urination in elevators, trash spread through halls, etc.)
3) I went to one home which was filled with children, and one little boy ran up to me and insisted I pick him up (DAD DA ... DAD DA). "I ain't your daddy"
4) Several parents were shocked that I (and the other two colleagues who accompanied me) cared enough to make a visitation.
Stay Tuned ....
Side Bar: I'm positive that I will not live in NYC longer than two years ... perhaps this will be the last year ... this weather (and something about the overall ambiance) is killing me and my brain is crying out for intellectual stimulation
Also budget cuts have in question the job of every teacher without tenure :(
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