Recent events at Murry Bergtraum, where I have taught since 1986 (with a few leaves of absence), compelled me to speak out about how we can best save the school.
I published this opinion piece in the New York Times' School Book. Overall, I got sympathetic comments, except one person who argued that I was racist because I wanted Bergtraum to be a neighborhood school. This person assumed that it would mean only Chinese students would attend. I assured him that the school would be quite diverse with Chinese, Hispanic and Black students in close to equal proportion, like the school used to be. It's my belief that it's counterproductive to send academically and socially needy students half way across town to go to school, far from the families that are the missing link in their school success. These kids, which have come to make up an ever larger portion of our school population deserve quality schools close to home that provide their families with the necessary supports to reinforce their education. Anyway, the article goes into more detail.
Here's the piece:
When I came to Murry Bergtraum High School for Business Careers in Lower Manhattan as a teacher in 1986, I was amazed at the orderliness and serious focus on academics compared to the school in Brooklyn from which I had come. Click here to read on...
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