Last night I had the wonderful opportunity to spend time with Philly CORE Leaders and others at Impact Hub Philly, a new co-working space in the city. This was an education event highlighting positive steps that individuals are taking to effect change in the city's educational system, including Alejandro Gac-Artigas' Springboard Collaborative and Trey Smith's Engineering and Math Challenge. It was a wonderful event and great to see colleagues and friends working in the Philadelphia area. 

In the background of all this is the current political situation: former City Councilman Bill Green has been tapped to become the leader of the School Reform Commission (the state-created body in control of the school system) and was sworn in yesterday. Superintendent Hite also released his updated version of the Action Plan, which has many ramifications for upcoming years in the city. And just today he announced the need for $320 million for schools to open well next year. Obviously, this hearkens back to last year's request for a similar amount and the reliance on negotiations with the teacher's union to concede certain benefits and save money over time. Meanwhile, some citizens are pushing for a replacement of the SRC with an elected school board.

What is more important to recognize and realize here is that the locus of power in Philadelphia's education system is in flux right now and there is some uncertainty in where it could go. Will the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers concede and reduce its benefits to its members? Will the SRC be abolished and replaced with more local control? What does this new Action Plan mean for the city? 

All these questions are important ones and Philadelphia will continue to be an important battleground in the conflicts surrounding the corporate reform movement. I look forward to seeing teachers and local citizens get more involved to make their city better.

This past weekend I attended a Jewish learning conference called Limmud NY. Over the course of several days I attended workshops, meals, panels, discussion groups, and more - all on a variety of topics ranging from Rabbi behavior in the 3rd century to the current status of American Jewry as discussed in the Pew Study. All the while I was being confronted by people from a variety of different backgrounds of Judaism: from all religious streams to those who are often relegated to the "fringe" of our inclusiveness. Upon leaving, my fiancee had quite a visceral reaction in how the Jewish community in general treats this latter group - consisting of Jews of patrilineal descent or non-Caucasian ethnic backgrounds - and it got me thinking about how important it is to live in a diverse world yet how difficult it is to maintain it. 

As a teacher in a school that strives for this diversity, I wonder about it much of the time. It only takes one glance around an urban classroom to recognize that there is a disparity between the teaching staff and the student population. This is to such a large extent that the National Education Association (one of the two countrywide teacher's unions) has analysis and suggestions of what to do about it. Yes, we need to train more minority teachers so that demographics match; but we also need to work with our current population to make sure everyone is sensitive to other's needs. 

As the country reels from the decisions made in the Jordan Davis murder case, it behooves us to ask how we can make sure people of different backgrounds understand each other better so that we are not so afraid of the "other" in everyday interactions. 

It is much easier to live in a world where people around you are of similar color, background, and education. But the true interaction of American society comes when differences are shared and celebrated. That does not necessarily mean pandering to one group or another; it means asking questions and being curious for the purpose of inclusiveness. If we all do that, perhaps our next generation will be more peaceful than our wildest dreams.

As a member of the Expeditionary Learning network my school (the Brooklyn School for Collaborative Studies) takes pride in the values espoused in its mission. One of the major components of this is in the "What We Do" section of their website. They:

• Create a school culture based on strong adult-student relationships and positive character, with rigorous expectations for behavior and achievement.

Interpersonal relationships are at the core of teaching and learning despite what many in education policy think. The emphasis on standardized testing across the country has shifted funding from developing these relationships toward test preparation and implementation. As an EL school we try to counter that by holding one class per day simply Crew that is meant to help develop social and emotional health in our student body.

The major motto of this class is "We are Crew, not passengers." While passengers are passive participants in a given situation (be it traveling on a bus or sitting in a classroom), the Crew are the people in charge of the directional heading, whether physical or metaphorical. Every day we work with 20-25 students in a classroom, providing time for them to talk to one another about issues of home, family, identity, and more while also giving space for games (known as initiatives) that provide a context for fun, joy, and trust. This document explains some of the ins and outs of being a Crew as part of an EL School.

While I have only been a part of the school for five months I can already tell how much this class affects the longterm success of the student body. Numerous seniors have described Crew as "their family" and told me a story about an individual or group in Crew that has supported them through a personal struggle. It is quite amazing to see or hear such a thing taking place and I am proud to be a part of school that does this. I only wish other schools would join in.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend an annual field trip my school runs to go skiing or snowboarding at Jack Frost Big Boulder in the Pocono Mountains. We took about 100 students and 12 chaperones on this day trip where every had the chance to practice the winter sport of their choice while hanging out with peers and getting to know each other better. I was asked to join the trip last week and was happy to since a few of my students were going to be there and I wanted to make sure to further develop our relationships. 

These relationships are a critical component to the role of an educator. Without them, students will most likely not perform as well longterm. In fact, according to Dr. Sara Rimm-Kaufman of UVA, they are necessary for better learning to take place.

By my participation in this trip I have become more vulnerable to the students, allowing them to better trust my intentions and increasing their willingness to strive more for themselves. There were a number of small interactions I had yesterday that were funny, slightly embarrassing (especially when I fell down a few times) that make my students seen me as a human being and not just a teacher. These relationships are solidified in our school by continued reference to the actions and will benefit me more in the future.

I hope more teachers take the time out of their academic schedules to spend with students on field trips. It is a great way of learning more about our student body and ensure they learn about us as more than just teachers.