Rethink Learning Now

My wall is decorated with handmade drawings and cards, mementos from the Family Giving Tree, a holiday event I host every December with my Youth Advisory Council for the 250 underprivileged kids at the Starbird Youth Center. The kids used to receive holiday presents through the city. Now, despite city budget cuts, I wanted the kids to continue to have the opportunity to experience a spirited holiday season. I spent months finding adults and corporations to donate the sweatshirts, roller...

During my junior and senior year of high school, I took a class called Peer Assistance and Leadership, also known as PALs. The class was taught by an amazing teacher named Richard Lazarou. He not only taught everyone the fundamentals of leadership and service, but he inspired each and everyone of us to go out into the community and make something good happen by taking the time to get to know us individually. By encouraging us to start with our high school, he motivated each of us to invest...

I think my most powerful learning experience occurred just this year, as a freshman at the University of California at Davis. For my fall quarter, I was in a class called Community and Regional Development 20. In here we focused on the food system, the issues within the system, and what we can do to make a difference in food sustainability. However, what made this such a special experience was that we were asked what we wanted to learn about. I don't think I've ever been so interested and...

One might wonder how a hair dresser for 20 years becomes a teacher after all of those years. 29 years ago I was entering high school as a freshman. Things were pretty bleak; my family did not have a lot of money. We received every free service that was offered. I have two brothers and one sister all high school drop outs. The odd of me graduating did not look good. You might think to yourself "parents" where they are. Well both my parents are high school drop outs. They were busy working...

My senior year in high school our school district did several different things. For one, we moved into a brand new high school halfway through the school year. Another major change was that we went from a 7 period day to block scheduling in which we had 4 blocks the first semester and then switched to a different 4 blocks the second semester. I thought this was a great idea, until I realized I would be in each class for 88 minutes. Most of the teachers were new to this concept and didn't do...

I cannot choose just one teacher because I was blessed with many who inspired me to be what I am today. There is an old adage that says 'they don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.' I think this sums up the totality of a great teacher...caring...knowing a child as a person, not a test score. Each child is an individual and needs to be treated as such. Today, teachers are forced to see them as a test score to be raised. Perhaps this is why we are losing so many...

I used to be the kind of girl that done a lot of drugs and had slept with a lot of people. I used to be the kind of girl that parents would warn their kids to stay away from. That was the old me. I met this guy one day who I thought would just add on to the collection of guys I slept with. I used him just like I wanted to but, after seeing him every day at work and hanging out with him after, I started falling in love with him. We started dating and I started changing my ways. He moved...

A large sheet of blank paper hung on the chalk board in my middle school art room. On top of the paper, in front of my quietly puzzled 8th graders, I wrote ISLAM/ISLAMIC ART. When I asked them what words came to mind when they read the paper, they barely paused before calling out in torrents, "Suicide bomber! Twin Towers! Terrorist! Habib! Plane! Hijacking! Turban! Caves! Osama! Jihad!" With fewer than 5 minutes of class gone, the diverse group was in chaos. Kids were leaping from their...

I walked into Dr. Jacob's 10th grade chemistry classroom with a huge chip on my shoulder and a snotty attitude to match. I wasted no time letting him know that I was an arts-and-humanities gal with no use for nerdy lab coats, fancy number crunching or wanna-be-profound scientific theories. With a telepathic squint from under his bushy brows, he assured me that he wouldn't embarrass me with the truth he'd sniffed out through my bravura, which was that I was bad at math, plain and simple, and...

Schaumburg School District 54 is the largest elementary school district in the state of Illinois. Located in Chicago's northwest suburbs, District 54 is composed of 27 diverse schools and services over 13,800 students in grades PreK-8th grade. Over the course of the past five years, District 54 has witnessed unprecedented gains in academic achievement. Specifically, the District has increased its percentage of students meeting state proficiency standards in reading from 76% in 2005 to...

It relieved the usual routine of high school. It was engaging. It made me feel special. This memorable learning event took place over 45 years ago, but it still stands out in my mind. It was a learning community that came together for the purpose of discussing a stimulating topic. One or two students from each high school in the region surrounding the University of Rochester (upstate New York) were invited to attend a series of monthly discussions on interesting topics, led by...

My story that has influenced and changed my life is not one particular event but a series of events. These involved a number of business mentors I have come in contact during a span of several years. What they have given me is that you are in charge of your attitude. A positive attitude can benefit everyone in a positive way. Before having contact with these business mentors I lacked a lot of confidence in myself and had low self-esteem. I have turned both of these around because...