GothamSchools — daily independent reporting on NYC public schools

Maxwell Ericson, an 8th grader at a demanding Manhattan middle school, effortlessly argues in a fashion fit for a president, has ample knowledge of the Roman art of war, and believes that Dante’s “Inferno” would be the best horror movie yet. Almost every aspect of Maxwell’s demeanor screams, “I am a smart and interesting person.” And yet his report card is screaming in mediocrity. 

Maxwell’s case is not uncommon. Many of those whose intelligence is not reflected perfectly in the way schools grade students go unrecognized, at least in school. Historians say that Einstein was a moderate student, with the average mark on his report cards corresponding to the grade “good,” not excellent. This makes an appealing story for all misunderstood geniuses, but not every Einstein gets acknowledged eventually. 

We automatically assume that gifted students will eventually find their way, on their own — they’re smart, right? But unrefined intelligence is like a muscle. If it’s not used often, it will have trouble emerging to its full power. So when schools don’t sufficiently encourage personal curiosity, students lose out in the long run, because they will be less able to start using their potential later. (more…)

On Tuesday morning, the 98 students at NYCiSchool gathered in their school’s common room to watch the inauguration of President Barack Obama. This is a report about that experience from Raquel and Angelica, two students who are writing occasional columns for GothamSchools on their experiences attending a New York City public school.

Raquel: Returning to school after a 3-day weekend to sit in front of two flatscreen televisions and watch Obama’s inauguration was nothing short of amazing, because we were glued to something more than a television screen. We were glued into history.

We also created historical artifacts of our own. A school-wide assignment required each student to write a list of the topics we wanted to hear Obama address in his speech. As the speech progressed, we recorded what topics he actually covered. This way, we were able to document not only what we heard, but what it meant to us.

I predict that unlike many school assignments, we’ll remember this one as not just one more piece of paper. Instead, we will be able to use this assignment as a tool to evaluate whether Obama has kept his word to America, and to us.

Angelica: We are teenagers, a rowdy group to tame, especially when concentrated all in one room — and yet the sound of Barack Obama’s even voice, fierce and calm, muted us. (more…)

Angelica is one of two students who are writing occasional columns for GothamSchools on their experiences attending a New York City public school. Read her previous post.

Roland Fryer, a Harvard economist who is set to change schools as we know them in NYC, claims that every student could be an A-student. That is, as long the right incentive is applied.

Fryer plans to pay students for every A they get. He thinks they would work more diligently if they were paid for good performance. He is presently testing the idea in some schools in New York City.

Honestly, would I work harder at school if I were getting paid? Duh.

That basically goes unsaid. When I asked my classmate at NYCiSchool, Kyjah Coryat, if she would put more effort into her grades if given money, she was quick to say she would. “Obviously. That would give me something more to strive for,” she said. Realistically, few teenagers would refuse the money given the chance; it’s common logic.

Undoubtedly, Fryer’s method could be effective. However, whether it is ethical is another issue. (more…)

Angelica is one of two students who will be writing occasional columns for GothamSchools on their experiences attending a New York City public school.

I’m Angelica Modabber, a freshman at NYCiSchool. Unlike most schools, the iSchool is very technology-based, and students take many online courses.  Visitors to the iSchool often question this initiative, since at many other schools, lessons are still taught with a chalkboard and a teacher at the front of the room. Here’s how I came to embrace this style of learning.

When first presented with the “moodle,” (the website on which the courses are found) I was asked to sign in to my personal account and enroll myself in all the classes I would be taking that quarter. Once enrolled, I had access to all the exams, information, questionnaire sheets, and overall assignments.  I was bewildered by all the links, texts, and videos the site possessed.  I shrugged off the confusion; after all, how difficult could it be to sit in a classroom and simply read all the passages and paste them to memory?

In reality, though, like the other students, I was blown away by all the music playlists, YouTube videos, and infinite other distractions. The possibilities were endless. Although the school had done its best to block these diversions, there was always a distracting website left unguarded. (more…)