What’s Good in the Neighborhood, November 19, 2018

 Week 12

One evening, when I lived in New York City, I was sitting on the 1 train heading home after meeting up with friends after work on Friday evening.  Fridays were usually a night I didn’t go anywhere after a week of teaching; they were usually used to collapse and recuperate! This had been a particularly challenging week — one of those weeks when you question your effectiveness as an educator. So there I sat, eyes half closed, on the expressway uptown, when a man approached me.  “Um, excuse me,” he said.  With a long blink and hesitant breath, I looked up. “Did you used to teach in Baltimore?”

It’s amazing how the world works sometimes.  At that time, I was working in a high school in East Harlem. We were having a ball making clothing out of donated t-shirts, partnering with the Apollo Theater and el Museo del Barrio, creating an arts-integrated credit recovery program for struggling learners.  It was all good work.  At the same time, I wondered if all of this actually made a difference in the lives of young people, or if it was just a pit stop along their life with questionable relevancy and limited impact. I questioned the impact. And then, Evan showed up, towering over me on the 1 train.

I remember Evan.  He was a happy kid and a good student.  I taught him in the 8th grade in Baltimore.  He told me about going to a magnet high school and then to college.  He described falling in love with writing and moving to New York to pursue his Master’s Degree.  He reminisced about particular lessons in my classroom some 15 or so years prior, one including poetry.  His eagerness to reconnect and share his accomplishments made me realize that a teacher’s impact may not surface for a while. You may not hear about it for a decade or two, or ever.  And, at that moment, when I got up to transfer to the 2 train at 96th Street, while he continued uptown, I was filled with gratitude for this boy turned man and his enthusiastic pursuit of the creative arts.

And, at this moment today, I am filled with gratitude for the future Excuse me’s I’ll get on the proverbial 1 train from today’s City Neighbors children-turned-adults, hearing about all of their accomplishments.  Education is funny that way — you live today for what will be tomorrow.

~Shyla~

City Neighbors Night of Code: November 29!

Join us in the CNHS Cafe at 6 PM on Thursday, November 29 for our first-ever Night of COde.  This family event will serve as a kick-off for the Hour of Code activities which will be taking place at all three City Neighbors school the week of December 3-7.   Come learn about computer science, see a demo from actual video game developers, and even make some new robotic friends!  Our goal is to get everyone excited about Computer Science, so students must be accompanied by an adult.

If you’re planning to attend, please take a moment to RSVP at http://bit.ly/nightofcode

Just in Time for the Holidays:  Our Annual Zeke’s Coffee Fundraiser

Does Your Company Contribute to the United Way Campaign 

(or Combined Charities Campaign)?

Did you know City Neighbors Hamilton is a registered Charity with United Way of Central Maryland?  Follow the company directions to access your United Way Campaign. When selecting where your funds are to go, select “Direct Gift through United Way of Central Maryland.” Search for City Neighbors Hamilton or use code 43909.  Thank you!

              Open House Dates Set for City Neighbors High School

CNH Enrollment 2019-2020

We are currently accepting enrollment applications for 2019-2020.  If you wish to enroll a sibling of a current CNH student, you MUST submit an application by January 28, 2019.  Current CNH students do not have to reapply.  Enrollment Applications can be found at www.cityneighborshamilton.org or in  the office.

8th Annual Progressive Education Summit Registration is Open!  

The Summit will take place on Saturday, January 26 at the City Neighbors Hamilton campus from 8:30 – 3:45, including breakfast and a wine and cheese reception to cap off the day. As you know, we offer all of this free! Register here.

The Progressive Education Summit brings together hundreds of educators from around the region and the country to share best practices, work with great educational thinkers and practitioners, connect with other educators, and work to bring alive the child-centered, democratic ideals of progressive education.

This year, we welcome David Sobel, author of Place-based Education: Connecting Classrooms and Communities, as our Keynote Speaker.     And, as we consider how to use our place as the context for learning, we introduce new Summit experiences, including a Baltimore Storyteller series and a Baltimore Resource Fair. Of course, the day will still have great workshops, complimentary breakfast and lunch, master classes and the wine and cheese reception at the end of the day.