I did manage to get into the city today. The thought of not doing anything all week didn't sit well with me. I even took a few pictures.
Pictured above is the Julia Richman Education Complex. I began my teaching career here. This was one of the first schools the city closed down years ago in an effort to improve education. (I was at Packemin by then.) Notice the phone booth on the corner. The kids used to set that on fire whenever there was a fire drill in the building.
When Julia Richman was closed, the teachers were not blamed. In fact, it was just he opposite. Every teacher was given a choice of three schools and they were guaranteed placement in one of those. Several teachers chose to remain. The school was broken down into mini schools and only the best kids were allowed to remain. The others were shipped out, shipped to schools that have now been closed down.
(More pictures here, on Facebook.)
2 comments:
Your description of the kids setting the phone booth on fire during a fire drill made me laugh. I worked in a school in Morrisania, the Bronx. The kids were very discriminating art critics in that school. If they didn't like your bulletin board, it was set on fire. I always included some rap artist somehow on my bulletin boards and escaped the fire squad.
Just curious, the week off, is this your "Winter Break?" Or is this your "Spring Break?" I know our break is in a week, and even though we have had weather near 80F this week, Accuweather is saying cold weather for our "Break."
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