Biodiversity Mapping

Ever since discovering Edward Tufte's Envisioning Information came out I've rekindled my fascination with cartography, generally, and mapping, specifically. This illustration of global biodiversity really caught my eye. Keith Basso's Wisdom Sits In Places also has had a huge impact on my thinking and teaching, and this fall I'll revive the practice, myself, with a new group of newly arrived English Learners and seniors who've scarcely left the comforts of the Peninsula. As always, it'll be a treat and teach me as much as it does my students.

estamos empatar juntos

hay photos desde el viaje con el grupo se llama The Hillsdale Effect. los alumnos collectan fundos para hacer microprestamos por mujeres guatemaltecas quien estan empazando negocios en sus pueblitos cerca Antigua, Guatemala. era un gran aventura para los chicos y yo.

Micro-finance Study Tour

Dear friends,
      As many of you know I have been advising The Hillsdale Effect, a group of high school students who raise money to make micro-loans to women in Guatemala. Over the past four years we have raised nearly $50,000 in loans that transform not only the life of individual women, but the entire community. This summer we will travel to Guatemala to visit villages and the women themselves. We've reached all but $5,000 of our travel expenses and need your help.
     Imagine how this study tour will influence their worldview and what they can do with this new perspective. Put a monetary figure to that vision, and double it. Your contribution can make this trip happen.
     You can use PayPal (username: donation@thehillsdaleeffect.org) or send a check to The Hillsdale Effect c/o Greg Lance, 3115 Del Monte Street, San Mateo, CA 94403.
     Help make our vision of a world without poverty a reality!
     Sincerely,
Marty

To watch a short segment on T.H.E that ran on Univision, click here.

Unique, Unprecedented, Unrepeatable

Room 122.

One year ago, my school was hailed as one of America's 100 best. This past week, it was the site of a frightening attack by a former student. I'm taking a year's leave and wasn't there but I know that as the community makes sense of what happened, teachers, students, and families will continue to place kids' emotional well-being and needs at the center of attention.

Xavier, Ali, Julio, Matey, Haruka, Hatibe, Karl.

Teaching high school language development classes and advising a cohort of 25 students is without a doubt the hardest, most intellectually demanding, physically exhausting work I've ever done. Fifty hour weeks aren't unheard of and for all of my experience in education and leadership, the work does truly unfold one day at a time.

My fortress of solitude in a classroom that never sleeps.

Maria and Gabi.

Fourth period Transitional ELD.

I was a decent student who hated school but in the wake of Columbine, I found a community that supported kids with as they were, not how teachers imagined them to be. It wasn't easy for me to make the transition into education and I stumbled more often than I excelled, but with an incredible network of mentors and support, I've come find my calling. 

Golden Apple Award.

The challenges of education reform in America are enormous. Working to undo the legacies of institutional racism and structures that perpetuate social inequality for students of color is daunting. These past five years I've found a home in Hillsdale's smaller learning communities and look forward to returning in a year to continue the work we've begun. 

Learning to learn. Periods 2 and 3, Intermediate ELD, in front of 'Speak Memory', Fall 2008.

'Speak Memory' memorial project, fall 2008.

Afghans for Tomorrow students, Afghanistan.

Related projects:

Letters to Obama Project

Hillsdale Effect (micro-lending in Guatemala)

New York Times article on education and immigration and my students' responses.

Jakarta and Cusco House Kite Festival

After this mountain, more mountains...

Bill Ayers: A Call to Teach

I'd like a president to know "radicals" like Ayers.

Speak Memory

People, young and old, need a way to grieve and honor the memory of loved ones who've passed away. The best part of my first semester is a memorial installation my ELD students create called "Speak Memory."



My current class consists of 31 kids from 12 different countries who speak eight different languages* (40 separate languages are spoken on campus!) Each person brings a unique perspective to the process and for several beautiful months they transform the library into an interactive space filled with art, poetry, sayings from their languages, and tributes they've written.



The beauty of project-based instruction is that authenticity brings out the greatest work from kids, regardless of language ability or educational background. Everyone one can be an expert and nothing motivates like success.



(*Spanish, Chinese, Farsi, Arabic, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Bulgarian, Tongan)