The End...

As the year is coming to an end...it's time for my final blog. I will be completing my program this summer with three electives and completing my final portfolio due May 6th! This year has been an exciting and intense experience...from taking four classes per semester...to being a GA in Admissions...work-study @ Children's Hospital of Philadelphia..and fieldwork in three of Philadelphia's public schools Its truly been a amazing experience...one I'll never forget. I've grown so much...be exposed to a lot...and have meet a lot of people. Looking towards the future...I plan to stay and work in Philly as a literacy specialist for a year or so, while looking for a position overseas at an international school, or teaching English. I would like to live and work in Brazil, Japan, East Asia, London, or West Africa. I think starting my teaching experience abroad will be a priceless experience!
While this is my final blog...feel free to contact me @ mrobi@dolphin.upenn.edu with any questions or concerns...anytime!
I wish all my readers good luck in your future endeavours!
Peacccccccce
Monique

2nd Annual Diversity Weekend

This weekend the Graduate School of Education (GSE) held its 2nd Annual Diversity Weekend. The purpose of the weekend was to invite students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges, to UPennGSE to give them a taste of graduate school. The 13 students came from various schools such as, Spelman College, Philander Smith College, University of Mass-Boston, Morehouse College, and Lincoln University-PA. The students were flown in and stayed at the Inn at Penn. The first day, Friday, we had an icebreaker and mingle, reception and dinner, and then a no faculty/staff allowed student panel (made up of current students of color from various programs in GSE), where the student's asked any questions they liked. Saturday started off with breakfast, tips for applying to graduate school (admissions process, financial aid etc), two mock classes, a tour of Penn's campus, a tour of Philly, we visited the Frida Kahlo exhibit at the art museum and then topped it off with dinner downtown at Maggiano's.
The weekend was grreat! The students were clearly good students, juniors and seniors, who had deeply thought about the next step of their lives, and had come with good questions and intentions. We had fun during our time out in the city, and later that night went to the infamous South Street. I honestly connected and bonded with many of the students and was quite sad to see them go. I look forward to keeping in contact with them..and helping out at the next Diversity Weekend!

Working on the portfolio

I'm currently working on the my portfolio, with is the equivalent of a final comprehensive exam in most other masters programs. Just when I get frustrated by the work...I have an aha moment, which leads to a deep appreciation for my program and faculty. The purpose of the portfolio is to provide a holistic lens on the experience of the student through various works, very parallel to the very theories and ideologies of my program, Reading/Writing/Literacy. The fact that a student should not be assessed or "seen" solely on an exam, or test is an essential belief of myself, and the programs focus. As a future reading specialist, I believe and have been taught, not to view, approach, or assess my students, their abilities or experience through a narrow, standardized approach. In that, all students have unique experiences, beliefs, etc, so why not let the final "exam" be a portfolio of their reflections, essays of selected topics and conceptual territories, as well as, what the portfolio means for them.
While I am still a bit stressed, I know have a deeper appreciation for my program and the idea of holistic approach to learning.

Some Facts about Philly Philly!

Population: 5, 400,000

5th Largest City in the United States.

In 1800 Philadelphia was our country’s largest city, a distinction it held until 1830.

International reputation for rowing competitions.

Pennsylvania was the first state of the 50 U.S. states to list their website URL on a license plate.

The world’s first computer, ENICA, was built at the University of Pennsylvania in 1946.

The first daily newspaper was published in Philadelphia on September 21, 1784.

Fairmont Park in Philadelphia is the largest city-park with 9,200 acres.

Philadelphia is the home of the first public library. (1773).

First U.S. mint is located in Philadelphia (1782).

Home of the first department store to open- Wannamaker’s- (1877)

Oldest continuously used theater- Walnut Street Theater (1809)

The first University in America, The University of Pennsylvania was founded in 1779.

Philadelphia is home to the nations first medical school, first children’s hospital, first cancer hospital, first eye hospital, first nursing school and first dental school.

Movies filmed in Philadelphia
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Philadelphia (1993)
The Age of Innocence (1993)
Signs (2002)
Unbreakable (2000)
12 Monkeys (1995)
National Treasure (2004)
Beloved (1998)
The Village (2004)
Other Facts and Information

African Rhythms show

Last Saturday night, my mom and I attended African Rhythms 15th Anniversary show. It was all that! The constumes were beautiful and the drummers where amazing! African Rhythms is a student-run African Drum and Dance Troupe at the University of Pennsylvania, African Rhythms, affectionately known as "AR", represents the strength and beauty of African culture. Established in 1993 by College of Arts and Sciences senior Raqiba Sealy, the company serves to educate and entertain the University of Pennsylvania and surrounding community through the richness and diversity of the black cultural experience. Ultimately, the group aims to perform dances from Africa and the African Diaspora, specifically: West Africa, the Caribbean, and South America. African Rhythms performs a number of dances which are beautiful, energetic, and exemplify the history and culture of the people and land of Africa and the African Diaspora. The drum is the focal point and serves various functions, such as a voice, telling the story of the dance or a signal to bring the community together.

I sincerely wish I had enough time to be apart of the group.

Interview with a Reading Specialist at Center for Literacy

For the requirements for one of my courses, I interview a lady named Sunday, who is a reading specialist for the Center of Literacy.Sunday is also a current student in the Reading/Writing/Literacy program at the Graduate School of Education at UPenn. Since 1968, The Center for Literacy has been the nation's largest community-based nonprofit literacy provider, and the first in Pennsylvania. The main building in Philadelphia is located on 48th and Baltimore. Its mission is to provide a range of literacy services, including reading, writing, math, life and work skills, to help a diverse population of learners meet their needs and achieve their personal and employment-related goals. Although, Sunday’s direct employer is the Center for Literacy, she is subcontracted to teach in an “E3 center” in North Philadelphia. The expanding E3 Power Centers, which stands for Empowerment, Education, and Employment, are in response to the rising numbers of out-of-school youth. Currently, there are five sites located throughout the city. The centers are community-based programs currently serving both at-risk-in-school youth and out-of-school youth between the ages of 14-21. The E3 model is designed to promote self-sufficiency through advancement opportunities for education, employment and/or skills training. Depending on the E3 site, there are a range of activities and classes offered (e.g. Pre GED, GED, tutoring, Mural Arts, Work Readiness Training, Work Exposure, etc.).Since they are community-based, different reputable organizations are responsible for operating the Centers, while the Philadelphia Youth Network (PYN) is considered the ‘funder.’ Sunday shares with me, that the contract is granted through DHS, and other funding sources (including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation). Her primary responsibility as the Literacy Specialist is to support learners who are reading below a fourth grade reading level, among other functions. The academic goal for out-of-school youth is obtaining a GED, while in-school youth seek support in obtaining a high school diploma. Sunday suggests that there are various definitions of out-of-school-youth, as many students may have left school due to personal reasons, or, adjudicated youth, for example. She also shared with me, that there are generally more out-of-school youth than in school youth served in a fiscal year.

Leadership at Parkway Northwest Peace High School

For my fieldwork and tutorial experiences for three of my courses this semester...I have been placed at Parkway NW Peace High School, a very unqiue public high school in the city of Philadelphia. The schools framework is surrounded by social justice and peace, with classes such as, "social justice and leadership"Parkway Northwest Peace High School itself advocates for peace and justice in society through education, and thus, its very existence, shows leadership in advocating for students in education and society. It is Philadelphia's first college preparatory public high school committed to the principles of peace, social justice and conflict resolution. However, I feel that the very principles the school chose to create its framework and missions upon: peace and social justice, which is infused into the curriculum and instruction, highlights the very definition of leadership, specifically in the education culture and mainstream society. Parkway Northwest Peace High School has seminar days where they invite local and national speakers and programs, peer mediation program, as well as, mentors for all incoming students. My teacher, Mr. Winocur, plays a very intricate role in leadership and change within the school. His very liberal instructional and curriculum practices speak to the change necessary in the education field. He allows students to express themselves and engage in activities often rejected, unconsidered, and excluded by traditional schools and standards. For instance, he brings in African films (by African producers and directors, filmed in Africa) and literature so that students are exposed to ‘Africa’ in a context that debates to biased, and very often, racial context that Africa is seen in America or the Western world.