The reality is that this program is right for some and not others. Some children need more intensive assistance and would not flourish in the nest program - As I said, evaluate and accept the issues of your child and it starts at home. Its is a long journey, but small daily victories, one day at a time.

As a parent, I’m more than willing to make changes to my schedule to get my kid to a school like Anderson. However, that kind of schedule for a 5 year old is troubling (wake at 6:30, subway at 7, in school by 8, after school until 6, home by 7:15).

The district programs pale in comparison to any of the city wide programs. It’s obvious the DOE doesn’t care - or if they do, they sure do have a funny way of showing it - can’t even bus a kid from a different borough to one of the city wide programs!

CommuniTree, Sounds like you are doing amazing work. The bottom line is that youth are engaged in a different type of culture than most teachers. We have to connect to them if we want to teach them…. seems like you’ve figured that out

Gigi, Thanks so much for coming to my session and posting here. I hope that you were able to walk away with something tangible that you can use in your classroom.
In regards to the hat issue, I didn’t intend to have the audience thinking that they should let all their students wear hats in school. My point was that punishing students for wearing hats, and letting that issue escalate into heated arguments and suspension issues (as is the case in many urban schools) is a pointless exercise. I would argue that it is better to let a student wear a hat if he/she is vehement about keeping it on, avoid a confrontation, and then use the tools I talked abut in the session (Reality Pedagogy) to ensure that the students understand why and how the rules are in place, and what the appropriate structures in the classroom are.
Just like you, I am a firm believer in preparing students for the “real world” .. teaching them to speak and dress appropriately, giving them the content matter they need, and introducing them to the inequities they will have to face on the path to success. However these goals can be reached without devaluing the complexities of who they are, and causing confrontations over trivial things like a hat.
I love the fact that you have risen from NYC public schools to be who you are today. You are a testament to the resilience of urban youth. I am sure you are a role model for your students.

Thanks for all your feedback. Looking forward to further conversation

Thanks to Thirteen/WNET for sponsoring this professional development experience for educators.
Bobby McFerrin’s music was fantastic.His interaction with the crowd speaks volume.
There were a few things that could have been managed better. Those of us who were interested in listening to the ‘Queen Latifah youth panel’ were made to stand in the hall way. It was a safety hazard. We certainly were not treated like the professionals we are. It it was not a professional group there would have been trouble. Secondly, why were there no white students represented on the panel. That population also represent youth voices. As educators we have to be sensitive to these issues.