i.c. will

One November day at recess…

Ayeli: “Hi, Sheena, can we talk for a minute.”

Sheena: “Yes. What’s up?”

Ayeli: “Yesterday at recess, after we raced, you jumped in my face and loudly said ‘Ha ha! I told you I was faster than you!’ I felt really sad because it felt like you didn’t think I was good at running. It also felt like you cared more about winning the race then being a nice friend to me.”

Sheena: (Nodding and listening) “I’m REALLY sorry Ayeli. I can see how you felt that way, and I did not mean to make you feel that way. I’m glad you told me, because I want to be a good friend to you…”

“One thing I like most about this school is that they let you fix your mistake like for example they send you to work hard academy and reflection.”

This was Derrick’s response to the culture survey question, What’s one thing that you like most about our school? And this is not the first time students have told us that the thing they love about our school is that we give them a chance to fix their mistakes by sending them to our version of detention...

A video to chronicle the opening of KIPP Washington Heights Middle School! 

Revolution- a dramatic and wide-reaching change in the way something works or is organized or in people's ideas about it.

A communal “Ooooooh” of impending doom fell across the math classroom last night as I stood in front of 60 families and introduced myself as the school’s dean. Typically a New York City dean is the stern, large and scary dealer of punishments to students who misbehave. So maybe I should have predicted the room’s reaction to my title. A few minutes later I opened my brief student culture presentation by telling our parents, siblings, grandmothers and cousins that at our school we believe in working hard AND being nice, and that my primary role is to ensure that our team supports every kid in continuous character growth. Families always seem to understand the importance of teaching character to kids, so this was a crowd pleaser. Heads nodded, and hopeful smiles returned.

We’re in the business of revolution... 

Performing Firefly w/ KIPP Infinity Chorus

My first sermon appearance

http://losrodriguezlife.com/2011/12/01/education-movement-music-i-c-will/

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/magazine/what-if-the-secret-to-success-is-failure.html?_r=1

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2011%2F03%2F17%2FMNQC1ID1OM.DTL

The 3rd tenet of his "Laser" philosophy is "a meaningful and universal education system." Not to mention in the kids in this video. He's definitely on to somethin. 

11,000 Teach for America Alum and John Legend (along with KIPP Academy's incredible String Orchestra) who's settin a precedent for impressive prioritization... 

My dream Reality TV Show will feature a high powered CEO trading places with a teacher in a public middle school in Harlem for one week. It'll be called "Eaten Alive."