CEP Update

There are only 2 days left in March but D.C. is still freezing. I bring this up only because it's the only thing people seem to be talking about--- my coworkers, people in the elevator, strangers at the store--- everyone thinks it's too cold. I know we're probably much better off than the fellows in NYC/Chicago/Boston/Connecticut but we in D.C. want some spring weather! Though it's still pretty chilly outside, the famous cherry blossoms of D.C. have begun to blossom! They're beautiful, just like every person who's ever lived in the city has ever told me. All the more reason for warm weather to come--- I think seeing them in person might be cooler than checking them out from my heated apartment. I, along with many fellows, can't believe it's nearly April. A big congrats to all the new fellows who will be taking over for us in just a few months! Here at CEP, work has picked up as I've begun to help with the planning of our 2011 national conference, which will take place in October out in San Francisco. Right now, we're in the middle of selecting our conference speakers (approx. 150) and setting up our conference registration website. We use this event planning company that's absolutely awesome but ridiculously complicated so I spend a lot of quality time on the phone with their customer service employees. I think by the end of my fellowship I'll be qualified to work for them! At the same time, CEP is accepting and reviewing applications for its National Schools of Character program and its Promising Practices program, so Cam and Leif (my two co-fellows) have been fielding tons of calls about both of those applications. It's a lot of fun to hear from the educators who are out "in the field" (so to speak) putting character education into action. I've got a feeling the next two months are going to fly by. Hope you're all having a great spring!

Learning to Juggle

I've been at Umoja for about 7.5 months and the job looks very different now than it did when I first began at the end of July. I used to have much more time to work on lesson plans, coordinate trips, etc. for the Writers Workshop that I've been running. I would then help facilitate Student Leadership for three hours a week and assist in Umoja-wide events as needed. Now, I've stepped into a more active role in Student Leadership so I attend planning meetings, continue to help facilitate, and I help execute various initiatives. I continue to increase the speed with which I complete tasks (without sacrificing quality). It has been exciting to see my own professional growth in terms of speed, decision making, and managing of multiple projects.

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In other news, I’m now at a point where I’m wondering where I want to be next year. I’m torn between returning to NYC (my hometown) and staying in Chicago, a city I really have grown to love (thanks to my coworkers, students, and the fellows/Princeton network here). Hopefully I figure things out soon!

Talent for Hire

Hi P55! I recently wrote a blog post for the Foundation Center about that NYT article about recent grads flocking to the nonprofit sector. Rather than re-hash it here, I'm just going to share the link. Please check it out and let me know what you think! How does the article compare with your own experience/observations? What do you think about the questions of long-term sustainability in this trend? http://pndblog.typepad.com/pndblog/2011/03/talent-for-hire.html Here at the Foundation Center we just finished up interviewing candidates to replace me, which was an exciting and strange experience. Meeting with each of the candidates, I was impressed by how qualified and genuine everyone seemed. Explaining my job gave me occasion to think carefully about how to articulate all of the pros and cons of my experience so far. I also enjoyed reflecting on how much can change in a year. I remember all too well working on my thesis at this time last year, my future plans highly uncertain. Good luck to all the applicants! You're in for a great experience. This weekend I'm signed up to run the NYC 1/2 Marathon on Sunday. I'm very excited! The course is a great one. It starts with one loop of central park. Then we will run through Time Square, out to the West side highway, and down to Battery Park. I'm hoping to run a fast time. The race will be full of elites -- American Olympians and foreign superstars alike! So, wish me luck!

Getting Involved

This past weekend, I managed to do something I've been meaning to do ever since I moved to New York - get involved in volunteer work. I think when I tell people that I work at a non-profit, some have this misconception that I do altruistic things all day long, but in reality I work in business development. I create pricing structures, do research on potential customers, study subscriber retention - it's not exactly like I'm working in a soup kitchen all day long. So, when I got an email from the P55 NYC social and alumni relations committee/PANYC about a volunteer opportunity with KEEN - an organization that provides recreation opportunities to children and young adults with mental and physical disabilities - and facing a free Saturday afternoon, I figured, why not? I went expecting to see at least a few familiar faces, but I soon realized that this was going to be an opportunity to meet NEW friends, which is something I've been striving to do anyway. I met some great fellow Princeton alums, other volunteers, and kids, and it turned out to be a challenging and fun afternoon.

I have to admit though, the real highlight of the day came after the KEEN event, when another alum and myself headed over to the Princeton Club of New York to watch the Tigers take on Harvard in Men's Basketball to decide who would go to the big dance. I certainly hope the rest of you were watching what turned out to be a fantastic game. I think the collective reaction to the final winning shot has to be one of my favorite sports experiences to date. And yes, all of those locomotives starting getting me just a little excited for reunions...

The show goes on...

This is definitely the cheese-ball in me, but I've taken to associating this year's seasons with Chicago rappers' album releases. (Probably because I'm in Chicago.)

Winter was Kanye's spectral My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. An album which I initially loved, then spent a week internally criticizing and picking apart all of its flaws, and am now largely indifferent to. (The parallels to the Chicago winter should be clear.)

Over the past few days, with the temperature creeping above 40 nearly every day this week, perhaps out of some misguided defiance, it's been Lupe Fiasco's Lasers. Corny, exuberant, warm, inspiring, motivational, imperfect... sounds like spring to me. Especially the album's near midpoint, the "Float On"-sampling "The Show Goes On"...

Alright, already the show goes on
All night, 'til the morning we dream so long
Anybody ever wonder
When they would see the sun up?
Just remember when you come up
The show goes on...


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IN news more directly related to my fellowship, things are going well... We're fighting to get an important reform through the legislature. I just learned today I'll probably be helping revamp the way the state displays information about its schools. I could go into great detail on either of these, but for now, may it suffice to say that they're intimately tied to things going well. The show goes on.

Having Feelings Means You Care.

I just received the 2009-10 statistics from the Arts in Schools DOE 2009-10 report, which came out this week, and there are two things you should know:

56% of nyc public schools do not have a full-time music teacher on staff.

Spending on arts materials and supplies in elementary and middle schools decreased by 85% between 2007 and 2010

I am taking this opportunity to blog to P55, because I am mad. I am livid. I am filled with such a passionate rage against the injustice of our education system that I could burst. I am sitting here at this desk feeling every fiber of my being becoming more and more incensed. Spending on the arts in these elementary and middle schools has decreased by 85% …. which means it is at 15% of what it was four years ago! WE ARE DOWN TO 15%!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? Breathe, Dominique. Breathe. What really kills me is: think about the disparity of the public school system in this country-- you just know that the spending happening within the walls of those “better” public schools, don’t you? I recently got the opportunity to go to one of our schools and watch ETM’s “Breakfast with the Band” program. I dragged myself out of bed and up to P.S. 76 in the Bronx (an hour and a half on the subway) and I stood near the back of the auditorium. I always knew that our supplemental band programs were amazing, but seeing it first hand was truly wonderful. Onstage, on risers, over a hundred kids played their instruments underneath a school banner. They are amazing. It blows my mind that in the few months since these kids first picked up their instruments, they could perform such fantastic renditions of (to name only a few) “Louie, Louie” and the Mission Impossible Theme Song. The group sound, dynamics, and prowess of each individual section blew me away. They even had band-instrument choreography! The parents of the children sat in the auditorium and cheered after every song. These concerts are early enough that most parents can attend before work, and ETM provides a communal breakfast for the audience and students in the cafeteria. This is just one of the many ways ETM strives to build support for music education within the entire school community. And this one definitely works! As I watched those kids perform, I cried. I mean, I couldn’t help it, it was just so amazing. I felt so proud to work at the organization making this happen. I looked over at my co-worker, Allison, who serves as field supervisor over our music teachers, and has worked in education for years. She was crying too. We were crying because we know what this experience means to those kids and to this community. And we were crying because we know that schools spending less and less on arts education. This year’s number: 15 % of what it was in 2007. 85% less than four years ago. As you can see, this job let’s me feel things. And right now, I feel mad. Right now, I feel ready. Get ready, Foundations. Because I’m about to bring it.