Robobaby

The words every mom of a teen is fearful to see in a text, "I got the baby!" These were not so ominous because she only had it for 24 hours, so I texted back, "awesome!" and waited for Robobaby to arrive.

My daughter, as a sophomore, has had "Health" this year instead of gym. It has been a terrific class, which the teacher gleefully describes as having one goal - making sure that none of them gets pregnant. It is much more than that. This class has been so enlightening that I think of it akin to the salad making scene in "To Sir, With Love". Ms. B. is getting them ready for the real world; they rolled the dice to get a job or career (so far, so good), they planned their weddings, wrote vows, made a yearly budget ("why do I have to pay for my husband's deodorant?!"), watched videos of real births ("like, 15 times! disgusting!") assembled their layettes, and finally she brought Robobaby home for a sleepover.

First the school had us sign a paper saying that if anything happens to Robobaby we are responsible for the cost, $350. (I imagine my husband at 2am going at Robobaby with a phillips-head, trying to disarm its crying mechanism.) The kids get the baby for a day (no raw eggs or bags of flour for Murrow!) They have a key that is attached to their wrists with the kind of unbreakable tag that you get at amusement parks so that you can't hand responsibility over to someone else. The key disarms the crying mechanism. The baby records how many times you neglect it or don't support its head. My daughter had to get special permission to delay her baby because she was in a play. For a split second she could tell, Ms. B was thinking, "well, what are you going to do if you had a REAL baby?" and she thought better of it. (Nobody crosses the Murrow Drama Dept.)

So, yesterday afternoon she arrived and was promptly placed in the darling hand painted cradle that held the stuffies and cowbaby. Of course as a new mother, my daughter checked her every 10 minutes because the baby wasn't doing anything. (She had been told it was programed "colicky"). I said, "just wait", and yes, at midnight Robobaby started to cry at irregular intervals until the three of us made my daughter and her progeny sleep on the sofa where we couldn't hear them scream. I am sure that she will get a good grade. She is a very attentive mother. Mostly, I am thankful that she can now stick to a budget, that she knows how much her cell phone costs, that she is thinking about her 401K and that she will make her husband buy his own deodorant.

NUTS again

This was one of my earliest posts, but I went to parent/teacher conferences last night and I think that it is still relevant.

I invented a new sport in my mind tonight. “In my mind” is my favorite kind of sport because I always win. I went to Parent/Teacher conferences at Murrow. We are blessed with a “Type A” perfectionist. I have nothing to complain to her teachers about and it is usually a 3-minute love fest. (Hey, I like my compliments cheap and often) The trick is to see all of the teachers in the 2 hours allotted. I need my teacher face time.

Let me explain the rules. You wait with hundreds of other parents in a giant shivering mass outside the school doors like it’s a Who concert with festival seating. (Imagine how those teachers feel, trapped inside with only an endless line of “issues” before them) If you are an “elite” NUTS player like myself, you have a list of teachers and room numbers coded by location. In a school the size of Murrow, this is key. You race to the farthest room, sign your name on the list outside the door and repeat on all lists in the near vicinity. Then you send your husband who is having trouble reading the map to sign up on other floors. (This may be a tactical error) If you are positioned outside the door when your name comes up on the list, you may go in and have your 3 minutes. If you arrive back to the classroom after your name has already been called you go to the end of the now endless list. The art of it is to fit in a couple of the less popular teachers between the majors. The team who finishes all their conferences in the least amount of time gets to go home and have a stiff drink.

10pts off for brow beating the poor student organizing the list outside the door.
5pts for doing the quick switch with the team right behind you on the list when you arrive just a minute too late.
2pts off for getting cornered by the candy sellers
10pts for giving them a $5 and not taking any candy
5pts for snagging a chair
10pts off for erasing names ahead of you on the list
10pts for visiting the phys ed. Teacher
Good Luck and may the GAMES BEGIN!

Babes in Tweedland

On Friday afternoon with the golden angel atop the Municipal Building shining down on 30 or so of the City's best and brightest from Stuyvesant and Edward R. Murrow High Schools, Chambers St. was an avenue of solidarity against the school budget cuts. Students read from their 100 letters in protest of the cuts. City buses, SUVs, school buses and motorcyles honked their encouragement. Bicycles bells tinkled and FDNY ambulances played their sirens as the students let out a cheer and did the wave. It was a tremendously positive experience for the protesters and the supporters who were encouraged by the optimism and energy of the crowd. If your school would like to participate in this very worthy protest contact the Kids Protest Project. The students only worry was that their letters wouldn't be read. So I have included a few more excerpts here.
Celia from Murrow ..." I am a part of the first screened theater program at Murrow and am very dedicated to the arts. Not only do I spend a period everyday in school but I also take part in our school productions. For three months, every single afternoon, from 3pm to about 6:30, I spent working on a show. We all put so much effort in to it and it came out wonderful. I made more than half my friends there and also gained a love of my school that I never thought I would.
I feel at home at Murrow and exceptional in the theater department. To lose this would be horrible for not only me but also the 200 other kids who help put our shows on."














Melissa from Murrow..."Perhaps the Department of Education can consider using money to fund classes that actually educate students, rather than giving it to them in form of cellular phones in order to entice them to pass tests. Frankly, throwing money at our city’s youth does not seem like the best way to instill within them work ethic and integrity. I can see no better use of money than to create programs and classes that might interest students (such as photography and astronomy, just to name a few that my school will no longer be able to provide), so that they have a desire to learn. Instead, this money is being used for standardized testing. It seems counterintuitive that we are losing the option to be taught subjects, so that we can be evaluated on how much we have learned."
Tamara from Murrow..."I am writing to beg you to re-think the school budget cuts. I am an 11th grade resource room student at Edward R. Murrow High School. I have held an 84 average with the help of my resource room teacher. If there are budget cuts another student may not get the same opportunity that I have gotten. Also I am in an after school program “The Jewish Heritage Club.” I am very interested in my club and therefore my friends and I are not with peer groups that hang around the streets and get into trouble."
Andrew from Stuy..."I go to Stuyvesant High School and I am an aspiring musician and journalist. I play piano for the jazz band, write for the school newspaper and am planning to take an extra writing class next year to help me become a better and more confident writer. With the proposed budget cuts looming, it is possible that all three of these things will be cut."
Elizabeth from Stuy..."I am a member of the JV Volleyball team (captain next year) and on the Varsity Fencing Team. I know that doesn't seem like a lot but that's just a start. Both of those teams were undefeated this year. Undefeated Volleyball team because we had nets and balls available to practice. Undefeated Fencing because body chords, foils, and strips were all available. Not to say that all of this was just given to us. I can easily list numerous days that I got home at 9 or 9:30 because of a late practice or a game in Bronx. I can also show anyone who asks 10 or 20 scars on my ankles, scars that I received from sliding across the gymnasium floor.
Those stories come with hundreds of others. Thousands of public school kids with a hundred stories each. The only reason that we have those stories are because our coaches were able to teach us new skills.
I don't know if you attended public school, or when you did. In all honesty, I didn't even know your name until 10 minutes ago when my friend instant messaged me and asked me to write a letter. Maybe, I shouldn't be doing this, but if I don't can I guarantee that someone else will? One thing that I can assure you I learned from the teachers at Stuy is to take action. Hopefully, you will realize how much is being taken away."
Diana from Stuy..." Getting down to a personal level, such intense budget cuts would affect my education greatly. One evening my parents and I sat down and looked over every course that is currently being offered at Stuyvesant. I am a freshman, so we literally planned out all the classes I want to take in my next three years. I have high aspirations for my future in education, and I am definitely ready and able to fulfill them. Imagine the disappointment I felt upon the realization that my hopes and ambitions are wavering in the face of a petty issue called money. I am probably not the only one who is suffering from this danger. The students who will be juniors next year would not be able to take those AP and elective classes if the budget cuts are severe enough to reduce us to an eight-period day. In addition, it is not only classes, but also extracurriculars, that are at risk.
Donna from Stuy..."Here at Stuyvesant, we take advantage of all the classes offered to us. Most students use their two free periods to take electives and AP classes to further their knowledge in an area of interest. I, for example, have taken three science electives during my two years at Stuyvesant: Genetics Research, Human Genetics, and Human Disease. Through my experiences in these electives, I have found out the subject I am best at and have discovered new career options available to me. If it weren't for these electives, I would still be confused about the direction I want my life to take. To me, taking electives in high school gives me a chance to try out everything I'm interested in, so I won't have to switch majors in college and waste both my money and my life.
High school is all about trying out new experiences and experimenting to figure out your interests. If we are not given the opportunity to try out new things, we will never be able to realize our full potential."
Kathy from Stuy..."Although taking 5% from Stuyvesant's school budget may not seem like a big deal to many people, it will truly affect our school and its community. How? you may ask. At Stuy our budget isn't used for random classes such as underwater basketweaving. It is used to sponsor over 32 varsity teams; providing funding for our own Student Union (run by a group of appointed students) that manages our clubs and publications, several literary publications to inspire our students and share unknown talent such as The Caliper (the oldest high school publications in the nation). But most importantly, our budget is used to provide a well developed curriculum and supply of teachers to educate this generation.
It is possible that with these budget cuts, students will no longer be able to many electives-those that could possibly spark interests in fields such as biology when it comes to human disease, anthropology, or history- existentialism, debate etc. Also, many teachers that are retiring or leaving Stuyvesant for whatever reason, may not be replaced due to the shortage in funding for our school."
Kenny from Stuy..."The students that have been involved in school activities will suffer the most. As a dedicated member of the Stuyvesant Math Team, I may have to face the possibility that my school may no longer be able to fund this class. The Stuyvesant Math Team has a strong and very successful legacy not only in New York City but also in the nation. To cancel such a rich and academic-promoting activity because of these budget cuts is an absolute shame and a complete atrocity on the Department of Education’s behalf."
Libby from Stuy..."Speaking with others students about the budget cuts proved that this means something different to everyone. I for instance, am interested in biology, and many of the biology elective courses are being cut next year. When we were sent to sign up for electives, all but three were in jeopardy of being cut if we loose money. This included many of the intro language courses that many sophomores wanted to take. It’s important that in the melting pot that is New York, we learn about each other’s cultures and language."

Don't let these efforts end! Go to the Hands Across NYC protest to end the school budget cuts this afternoon, Monday June 16 at City Hall Park. 4:30-6pm

Out of the Mouths of Babes

I am delivering letters from High School students to the Tweed Courthouse today for the Kid’s Protest Project. They speak eloquently about the harm the $428 million budget cuts will have on their schools and their lives. Over 100 Stuyvesant and Edward R. Murrow High School students participated. We received this flood of letters in only one week, during which the students also had exams, Regents, APs and SATs as well as final projects and performances. New York City should be proud of its children. The students organized the protest themselves and communicated the need to write letters over Facebook.

Here is a sample of a couple of letters (remember these are 14 – 17 year olds):
From Julia at Stuy:
"…In reading up on these Public School Budget Cuts through a variety of sources I have heard many explanations, excuses, and possible reasons. The one thing that strikes me, again and again, is that, regardless of who needs or who deserves or who we didn't help enough in the past, the LAST thing this city needs right now is to lessen the emphasis on quality education. It should be the frontrunner, the all important, the vital key to the very continuation of our city. Children are the future - do you want an intelligent future, or the one you are creating?..."
from Jack at Stuy:
"…. I personally believe that while the first impression a school makes upon someone will always be its academic integrity, the true soul of the school is lies within what else it has available for its students; the clubs, the teams, the government, etc. By taking away a school’s funds, you are also taking away from its soul, which, no matter what their level of involvement, is felt by each and every student to pass through the halls each day…"
from Matthew at Stuy:
"… the city is planning on cutting an additional $955,000 (from Stuyvesant’s budget). Mayor Bloomberg said that this was beneficial, as schools would have to consider what to keep and what to cut. That’s actually a smart plan in a big company or business that wants to maximize profits. However, the education system is not a business. If courses and extracurricular activities are cut, then we will have a huge loss, as would be put in business terms…"
Tasfia from Stuy:
"…Please don't take away the things that make people like me want to go to school. The things that make us want to learn, to enrich our minds, and content our thirst for knowledge. The people at Stuyvesant are exceptional. We take advantage of all we possibly can. From full period days and afterschool classes, almost everyone I know will do anything to fulfill their want of more. Almost every student in our high school is in numerous clubs or teams which they manage to stay dedicated to even with their immense workload. It can be fairly easy to slack off, to not apply yourself, but everyone at our school, and probably many people in schools all around, just want to be the most intelligent us we can possibly be. Please don't take our drive to learn away from us…"
Amal at Stuy:
"… If the education level goes down, people will be leaving New York City like crazy. No one wants to live in a city where their kids cannot get the best education possible, especially in a city like New York. Budget cuts will affect not only schools but the entire state and possibly even the whole country…"
and at Murrow, Matthew writes:
"… Programs like Murrow’s drama program, as well as its great art and music programs, gives students the chance to do something besides sitting on their couch after school watching MTV. They’re able to use their free time to not only do something productive yet they are able to do things they love, things that might not even be available for them to do if their school weren’t able to offer it.
Yet with the large budget cuts that NYC schools are receiving, programs, clubs, afterschool activities, and electives will be negatively affected if not altogether cut. While one could easily shrug this off and say there are other places where students can further pursue acting, dance, art, etc, there are many students who are unable to afford the high tuition fees of an acting studio or a dancing school. That is why free classes and programs offered by schools are such a great thing. They give every student the chance to do things they love…"
Ashley at Murrow:
... I am also a member of one of the about one hundred clubs that Murrow offers. If the budget cuts occur, clubs will not be able to have funding so we could do good things, such as the environmental corps. Who had started a school-wide recycling plan in January, which has been working successfully, if the budget cuts occur, we won't be able to do good things for the world and ourselves…"
Hannah at Murrow:
"… I love Italian. I am going to Italian III next year. When I heard that you were going to cut AP Italian, my heart broke…"

and read the full letter from Vicky, a freshman at Murrow who is 14,
“I am currently a freshman at Edward R. Murrow High School, and I am one of the many students concerned about the budget cuts that will be taking a real toll on our schools next fall.
Not only are we given fewer opportunities, but also the money that is being taken away from our education is going towards giving us standardized tests and grades for our school. Growing up in this generation, “scantron” is unfortunately part of my vocabulary. I have more boxes of number two pencils in my drawer than I do art projects. During the course of my school career I have learned one thing. My amazing teachers have taught me more than any 60-question test ever could. These people work for almost no money, but take on the largest responsibility for the future of the world. If budget cuts take away teachers in order to have enough money to give us tests I feel that is the biggest mistake that can ever be made. One of the students in our country now will be the President one day. I would feel more comfortable knowing I had a president who once ran a fundraiser in their school for an after school club or one that was in a business class and in Advanced Placement History, than a president that knows “which of the following sentences is an example of personification.” A, B, C and D is not a large enough vocabulary for a UN ambassador or scientist that will find a new eco-friendly energy source. If it’s a choice between our classes and teachers or a test? I think the answer that will benefit the students and our future is most definitely answer A –give us back our classes, clubs and sports.”

New Urban Team Sport (NUTS)

I invented a new sport in my mind tonight. “In my mind” is my favorite kind sport because I always win. I went to Parent/Teacher conferences at Murrow. We are blessed with a “Type A” perfectionist. I have nothing to complain to her teachers about and it is usually a 3-minute love fest. (Hey, I like my complements cheap and often) The trick is to see all of the teachers in the 2 hours allotted. I need my teacher face time.

Let me explain the rules. You wait with hundreds of other parents in a giant shivering mass outside the school doors like it’s a Who concert with festival seating. (Imagine how those teachers feel, trapped inside with only an endless line of “issues” before them) If you are an “elite” NUTS player like myself, you have a list of teachers and room numbers coded by location. In a school the size of Murrow, this is key. You race to the farthest room, sign your name on the list outside the door and repeat on all lists in the near vicinity. Then you send your husband who is having trouble reading the map to sign up on other floors. (This may be a tactical error) If you are positioned outside the door when your name comes up on the list, you may go in and have your 3 minutes. If you arrive back to the classroom after your name has already been called you go to the end of the now endless list. The art of it is to fit in a couple of the less popular teachers between the majors. The team who finishes all their conferences in the least amount of time gets to go home and have a stiff drink.

10pts off for brow beating the poor student organizing the list outside the door.
5pts for doing the quick switch with the team right behind you on the list when you arrive just a minute too late.
2pts off for getting cornered by the candy sellers
10pts for giving them a $5 and not taking any candy
5pts for snagging a chair
10pts off for erasing names ahead of you on the list
10pts for visiting the phys ed. Teacher
Good Luck and may the GAMES BEGIN!