By Charles Vergara, Technology Coordinator, School for Children Today, children have more exposure to the media than ever before. It takes seconds for news and events from around the world to reach our children’s devices, often through social media and other communications tools that are intentionally designed to push out content that triggers an emotional […]
by Charlie Vergara, Technology Coordinator, Bank Street School for Children “Books!” “Teachers!” “Community walks!” “Ask our parents!” Recently, a 6/7s classroom was brainstorming research strategies for understanding the needs of our local community. Notably absent from their list was any mention of the internet or digital devices. Among first graders, this is both an anomaly […]
Recently I had one of those quintessential Bank Street moments—a moment that made me both proud and grateful to be an educator and a parent in our community. One of my sons, who is in the 11/12s at Bank Street School for Children, expressed at dinner that he was distraught about something that had transpired […]
The beginning of the year is one of the most exciting times for educators. We get to start new– new students, new supplies (who doesn’t love brand new pencils?), and a sense of renewed energy from summer break. Having been teaching for a long time, I have a ‘Beginning of the Year’ routine. The first […]
Teachers, children, and parents pass through the Bank Street Admissions Office, my home away from home, every day. The one comment that I hear from visitors almost daily is, “You have the best view.” I always agree because the view from my office is indeed wonderful, and also an excellent opportunity to learn about what […]
This year, the 7/8s have been assigned the earliest lunch slot of the day— 11:30 AM and their lunchtime is preceded by recess. The schedule allows 30 minutes for each, with no transition time between. For context, recess takes place on the roof (the “10th floor”) and lunch takes place in the cafeteria ( in […]
A number of years ago, at an assembly at my previous school, we invited an engineer to share her career path. In her speech, she told a story of when a speaker came to present in an assembly at her high school years before. That speaker was a female engineer, and the woman telling the […]
My world as the Lower School Division Head is three- to six-year-olds. My world as a parent is an 11-year-old named Lucy who is in her first year in Bank Street’s Upper School (that’s the 10/11s, or 5th grade). Sometimes, these two identities intertwine: When I read in Lucy’s weekly class update that they had […]
When I tell people that I work in a school, their reaction is, “Oh, what do you teach?” My knee-jerk response is, “I don’t teach; I would be a terrible teacher, the worst teacher ever!” But, It’s not really true. I can teach if I know the material that I’m teaching, whether it’s demonstrating how […]
One morning in late November, I was standing in an empty 11/12s classroom waiting for the students to return from a Buddhist monastery. In the corner of the meeting area were two pieces of bright construction paper covered in sticky notes. One group of notes was labeled “Our Googleable questions about religion,” and the other, […]