Google Group Classes

Update:

I have been charged with teaching two Saturday classes. Since students are required to interact with the course outside of class, I decided to create google groups to facilitate this exchange. While this has never been done with a class at our school I encourage you to watch it from your home. The sites are:

http://groups.google.com/group/bhlcs-spring-2009-ushistory-saturday-school?hl=en

http://groups.google.com/group/bhlcs-spring-2009-globalstudies-saturday-school

Ice Skating

Today I had the opportunity to go with a group of students and colleagues to Rockefeller Center to ice-skate. It was an amazing trip. I really do love my kids .... They were hilarious as they begin to attempt to make me fall ..... I had to let you guys know I went so you could be JEALOUS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Updates

Parent Seminar
A few days ago my school hosted a parent seminar targeting 9th and 10th grade student's parents'. Each public school has a support organization -- my school's organization is New Visions. They presented the information on our behalf while teachers and administrators circulated to answer questions and pose critical questions on behalf of the parents and students. It was indeed a success notwithstanding a hidden audience advertising campaign that I will not address at the present time (Remind me in June:)).

Bowling
Thursday myself and a 3 other teachers took a group of students bowling to reward their participation in our school-wide inquiry team. This team is essentially a loose focus group where we practice research -- traditionally conducted in non-urban schools in our extremely urban school.

Saturday School/ PM School
This Saturday, I began teaching the first of several extra history courses that I will teach for the remainder of the school year. These classes are designed to give students the opportunity to recover previously failed course credits. Though it seems that the students are use to doing nothing as they were not happy when I greeted them at the door with a diagnostic test and their paper requirements for their first 4 page typed paper due April 30, 2009.

Research
I have begin an intense literature review into the academic achievement of foster-care youth.


Congrats
Congratulations to all my friends who have received job offers and graduate school admission acceptance. I look forward to hearing about other opportunities my friends receive in the near future. See You All SOON!

Updates

It has been a little while since I last wrote ..... my badness :)

First, Welcome to March Madness .... the school year is almost over {:) :(}

In this post I just want to say two things

1) Last Monday 3/2/2009 NYC Public Schools were canceled due to a "blizzard" for the first time in five years (yayayayyayayayyayay)

2) Last week one of my economics students observed I was not wearing my college ring ... he said "Mr. Cooper dang I knew times were hard but damn you selling your jewelry" {FYI I did not sell my ring}

Few Notes on Wednesday and Thursday

As many of you know I LOVE SOCIOLOGY! Yesterday, I had the opportunity to express my affection for sociology to my students as we finished our discussion of the progressive movement. They were really excited about the discipline considering many of the issues addressed are directly related to them.

We also hit on Marx .... and while a few students expressed they agreed with his basic tenets ... many disagreed on the grounds of fairness .... we will re-address this idea again next week for clarity.

The students hated SOCIAL DARWINISM ..... (I should record some of my class discussions and post them) .... kids are really funny when they get "frazzled"

----
Today my student requested I bake cookies for our next Research Symposium .... I have to decided if I want to put my cooking skills on display :)

A LESSON LEARNED ... A LESSON TO BE TAUGHT

I have learned that as we walk during the paths of life, we must keep our eyes on the prize. In the midst of reflecting upon our experiences, we must keep our eyes on the prize. In the midst of searching for ways to give back, we must keep our eyes on the prize. Last year, as I begin to reflect upon the mountains I had climbed -- strangely I begin to feel guilty -- I became distracted. I begin to think of how far I had come and contemplate my debt to society and the urgency to make a payment. However, today I'm glad to report I am re-focused -- and mine eyes are again on the same prize that has brought me thus far. I now know I must keep moving and give back simultaneously.

I teach this lesson to my students daily. They must decide to be better -- even when it hurts or they are forced to lose friends. I'm reminded of one of my students, 6V, he explained to me that each time he steps into the "streets" -- people are trying to kill him -- because of the poor decisions he made in life. I pleaded with 6V to make a decision. But 6V said any decision would include running -- and "we" don't run from our problems like punks.

Yet, this same lesson ... I just learned. Few understand the concept of having "guilt for making it" --

SUMMARY: YOU CAN'T FEEL GUILTY FOR MAKING IT!

** EXCUSE GRAMMAR AND SPELLING AS IM SLEEEEEEEEEEEEPY

Foster Care Data

The below chart begs for additional research. I can not wait to return to graduate school to write on this topic among others. It is baffling to look at the data -- my life -- then my current students.







Source: http://www.fostercarealumni.org/userfiles/file/FCM07_Fact_Sheet_(national).pdf

Black History Short Paper Assignment

2009 Black History Report
Mr. Cooper
TASK
Due February 23, 2009 (NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED)


Directions
Choose one significant black figure, and then write a 2-page report outlining the following:

 Date of Birth
 Place of Birth
 Date of Death (if applicable)
 Spouse
 Occupation (i.e. Job)
 Family Information
 Honors/Legacy
 Education
 Why it is important to study this person?


Paper Requirements
2 pages Double Spaced
Bibliography
12 font
Times New Roman

Cover Page (this is not one of the two required pages) that includes picture
Paper must be submitted hard-copy and electronically to blcooperjr@gmail.com by 11:59P Feb. 23
DO NOT PLAGIARIZE!! (Write the report in your OWN words!)

Quick Tip: How to Double Space
 Highlight your text then Press CTRL and 2
 To return to single-spacing, select all the text again and press CTRL and 1

Suggested Paper Topics (You must have permission to research another person)

 Maya Angelou
 Harry Belafonte
 Charles Drew
 Ben Carson
 George Washington Carver
 Nat “King” Cole
 Angela Davis
 Ruby Dee
 W.E.B. Du Bois
 Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
 Coretta Scott King
 Fred Shuttlesworth
 August Wilson
 Thurgood Marshall
 Alice Walker
 Nelson Mandela
 Kwame Nkrumah
 Kofi Annan
 Shirley Chisholm
 Louis Farrakhan
 Langston Hughes
 Desmond Tutu


Recommended Websites
 http://www.infoplease.com/spot/bhmbios1.html
 http://encarta.msn.com/
 http://www.britannica.com/
 http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/
 http://www.aresearchguide.com/12biblio.html {**How to write a Bibliography**}

Other Important Dates
 Tuesday, February 10th: Submit name and why person is important using provided form
 Wednesday, February 11th: Work on Report Checklist
 Thursday, February 12th: Submit Report Checklist (I will give it back before the end of the class)
 Friday, February 13th: Submit your Intro Paragraph (I will give it back before the end of the class)
 Monday, February 23rd: PAPER DUE ELECTRONICALLY AND HARD-COPY FORM

Extra Credit
o For extra credit you can choose to draw or construct a stamp for your historical figure
o You may use the attached template or come up with your own “thing”

Thursday, February 05, 2009

I just wanted to update you all briefly… This semester I am teaching Economics, US History II, and Global Studies 4. I am also taking four courses at City College to meet the requirements of my teaching certificate.


Some research questions:
Counseling effectiveness doing school versus after school
Transitions of the general education versus special education population
Academic achievement of foster-care youth vs. non- foster-care youth
Positive Parental Involvement vs. Negative Parental Involvement

Education research cannot be merely subjugated to reviewing data of schools that perform well to those who perform poorly, without context. These research efforts will only further perpetuate educational inequalities and hurt those it intends to help. For this reason, we must recruit experienced practitioners from the field along with persons who have experience adversity first hand. Without this, any research initiative lacks a critical perspective.

Inauguration Day

My school made arrangements for the entire school to watch the inauguration of President B. Obama in the gymnasium. While Obama's speech was well received by the students. I immediately saw a digression or deviation in regards to progress, once the speech ended with the benediction by Dr. Joseph Lowery.

My school is composed of all Hispanic and Black students. After the election many black students begin to celebrate at the expense of the Hispanic students. Asking questions like "What have Hispanics done?" followed by "we have a Black President, and yall are wack" ..... I was deeply disturbed by these comments! The interesting part is that several Black adults in the school behaved the same way ... celebrating in isolation as opposed to celebrating a major breakthrough on behalf of all minority groups.

In conclusion, I think the election of Barack Obama coupled with the sentiments of many demand that we review the definitions of racism and inequality in their most basic forms.