I thanked my mother for giving birth to me

/ Julie Nariman / Leave a comment

mother's day“When I was in high school, I saw a woman give birth.”

Alex is my hairdresser.  He attended a New York City public high school in the 80s which had an exceptional program for students interested in the medical field.  Teachers leading the program taught high level biology and anatomy courses, and organized field trips to hospitals, research labs, universities.

“We were just in high school, but our teacher took us to the maternity ward of a hospital and told them we were medical students, which in a way was true.  We found this woman who was about to give birth, and we asked if we could watch it.  She said, ‘Sure.’   Continue reading →

Fair isn’t always equal

/ Julie Nariman / Leave a comment

in the classroom

Yesterday, when I visited Mr. D’s English class, I didn’t notice Jose.*  This is notable.

I always notice Jose.  Jose is a student who normally disrupts classes, or wanders the hallways to avoid class.  We have spent countless hours trying to support Jose in behaving and learning.

Yet in Mr. D’s English class, I didn’t notice Jose.  Why?  Because Jose was sitting at a table, quietly annotating a text.  He worked throughout the period, causing no disruption. Continue reading →