Sunday, September 30, 2012
Now, a NAIL place!
It's now a NAIL place, but first it was a Jewish deli and then a Rexall pharmacy. It was where I voted for the Miss Rheingolds.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Gordon's Novelty Shop, gone
Gordon's Novelty Shop, on Broadway between 21st and 22nd Streets, is gone.
Jeremiah's Vanishing New York
Jeremiah's Vanishing New York
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Chaplin, on Broadway
I loved CHAPLIN THE MUSICAL and I cried at the end.
I appreciate and adore Charlie Chaplin and know about his life story and body of work and I thought this show was phenomenal.
This is a Broadway show not to be missed. And it is just gorgeous to look at too, impeccably mounted in tones of black, white, and grey, until the end... when in 1972 Chaplin walks the red carpet at the Oscars.
At the end, as the Little Tramp, he walks away through the curtain and into history.
CHAPLIN THE MUSICAL
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
The Empty Wall
Here once was a vegetable
Stand with snow peas that
Cracked open with one bite.
And here there was once
Glorious things, colorful
Things in these stores beyond
This wall that now stands naked
In a place that seems empty because
Even the parking lot looks forlorn.
This wall reminds everyone who once
Played here that all seems to filter away
And get lost in some grey smoky haze.
© 2012 Marjorie Levine
A Mailbox Was Here
A mailbox once stood on the corner of this street,
In that green and brown grassy patch of land.
It is long gone, and nothing now remains
To tell of a spot where children would walk
Long ago on sunny and rainy days to mail
Pen pal letters to friends in places far away.
© 2012 Marjorie Levine
Monday, September 24, 2012
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Letters, NYDailyNews Letters
Two of my recent letters that were published in the NY Daily News:
March 2012
In It to Win It
Manhattan: Why are there so many shows like American Idol, The Voice, and The X Factor that send the message that the greatest achievement is to be a fantastic singer? I am not surprised that U.S. students are behind in math and science. They are probably so busy singing they don't have time to study.
Marjorie Levine
September 2012
Mayoral minutiae
Manhattan: I left my apartment at noon, and as soon as I hit the street I recoiled because I realized I had forgotten to apply my sunscreen. A passerby took a drag from his cigarette and blew second hand smoke in my face. I was thirsty so I stopped and got a 33.8 ounce bottle of cola and took a short swig. As I crossed the street, I was almost hit by a speeding bike rider who ran a red light. Life is just fraught with perils. I prioritize my worries.
Marjorie Levine
March 2012
In It to Win It
Manhattan: Why are there so many shows like American Idol, The Voice, and The X Factor that send the message that the greatest achievement is to be a fantastic singer? I am not surprised that U.S. students are behind in math and science. They are probably so busy singing they don't have time to study.
Marjorie Levine
September 2012
Mayoral minutiae
Manhattan: I left my apartment at noon, and as soon as I hit the street I recoiled because I realized I had forgotten to apply my sunscreen. A passerby took a drag from his cigarette and blew second hand smoke in my face. I was thirsty so I stopped and got a 33.8 ounce bottle of cola and took a short swig. As I crossed the street, I was almost hit by a speeding bike rider who ran a red light. Life is just fraught with perils. I prioritize my worries.
Marjorie Levine
Thursday, September 13, 2012
I "Speakout"
My UFT New York Teacher "Speakout"
The DOE’s ‘accountability’ is absurd
by Marjorie Levine, published: Feb 28, 2008
I sigh with exasperation when I read editorial pieces in newspapers which promote the concept of evaluating teachers based on the test scores of their students. The writers have no understanding of what is happening in the classrooms. It is ludicrous to speak about “accountability” when there is what the New York City Department of Education believes to be an excellently designed model in place that teachers are mandated to follow. Teachers are now required to follow a very rigid and almost scripted daily plan. Teachers attend workshops during which they receive instruction on how to effectively implement the model. One would think that since the teachers receive a “roadmap” regarding exactly what to say during their lessons that all the students would perform well on tests. It’s a “Stepford teacher” approach and test scores should be consistent.
It is absurd that teachers should be held “accountable” for the test results from a method they never even chose in the first place. We can only discuss the subject of accountability if teachers are allowed to craft what they might consider more effective and creative lessons. Without that flexibility, we are evaluating teachers who have been reduced to robots. “Accountability” becomes too absurd in the present scenario to even continue a dialogue. I can only prove my worth if you allow me to teach you with my own techniques. If you give me a recipe, please do not evaluate my ability to bake a great cake.
I failed science in the 9th grade. It was not because my teacher did not know how to craft excellent and effective lessons. The student sitting next to me in that science class received very high grades. My test scores had nothing to do with the principal or which politician was in control of the schools. My sister, who had the same set of parents, did very well in school and was an honor student.
I did not pay attention in class, did not carefully do my homework and did not study for exams. As a matter of fact, I did very poorly in high school and had nobody to blame but myself! It was not until college that I realized the value of education and the true importance of study. I was then able to develop a seriousness of purpose and succeed in classes and I finally performed well on tests. I would feel bad for my science teacher if he was held accountable for my failure. I was a 5th- and 6th-grade teacher in the New York City public schools from 1968 to 2002 and I am now retired. During the last few years of my career, the learning model in the schools completely changed. I was no longer allowed to keep my students seated in rows during “teacher-directed” lessons at the chalkboard. I was not permitted to teach “math applications” and my role was reduced to that of “facilitator.” Children were placed in groups to discuss strategies for solving math word problems.
Students no longer learned to read with a basal reader and a comprehension workbook. Phonics, which is the basic building block for reading instruction because it teaches the sounds the symbols make, had been reduced to a watered-down approach called “phonemic awareness.” Students were choosing “just-right books” from classroom leveled libraries with books grouped by genre. In many schools today, students do not even have textbooks in the basic subject areas. At the end of my career, a principal came into my room and told me she wanted more “productive noise.” I knew it would soon be time to exit the system when I went from group to group and heard the students not discussing literature or the books they selected, but their plans for Saturday!
Here’s a “tip” from me: Get the schools back to strong and solid basics and stop the nonsense already. Quiet classrooms, textbooks and structure is what it’s all about. The rest is a total sham. I am glad I am retired.
The DOE’s ‘accountability’ is absurd
by Marjorie Levine, published: Feb 28, 2008
I sigh with exasperation when I read editorial pieces in newspapers which promote the concept of evaluating teachers based on the test scores of their students. The writers have no understanding of what is happening in the classrooms. It is ludicrous to speak about “accountability” when there is what the New York City Department of Education believes to be an excellently designed model in place that teachers are mandated to follow. Teachers are now required to follow a very rigid and almost scripted daily plan. Teachers attend workshops during which they receive instruction on how to effectively implement the model. One would think that since the teachers receive a “roadmap” regarding exactly what to say during their lessons that all the students would perform well on tests. It’s a “Stepford teacher” approach and test scores should be consistent.
It is absurd that teachers should be held “accountable” for the test results from a method they never even chose in the first place. We can only discuss the subject of accountability if teachers are allowed to craft what they might consider more effective and creative lessons. Without that flexibility, we are evaluating teachers who have been reduced to robots. “Accountability” becomes too absurd in the present scenario to even continue a dialogue. I can only prove my worth if you allow me to teach you with my own techniques. If you give me a recipe, please do not evaluate my ability to bake a great cake.
I failed science in the 9th grade. It was not because my teacher did not know how to craft excellent and effective lessons. The student sitting next to me in that science class received very high grades. My test scores had nothing to do with the principal or which politician was in control of the schools. My sister, who had the same set of parents, did very well in school and was an honor student.
I did not pay attention in class, did not carefully do my homework and did not study for exams. As a matter of fact, I did very poorly in high school and had nobody to blame but myself! It was not until college that I realized the value of education and the true importance of study. I was then able to develop a seriousness of purpose and succeed in classes and I finally performed well on tests. I would feel bad for my science teacher if he was held accountable for my failure. I was a 5th- and 6th-grade teacher in the New York City public schools from 1968 to 2002 and I am now retired. During the last few years of my career, the learning model in the schools completely changed. I was no longer allowed to keep my students seated in rows during “teacher-directed” lessons at the chalkboard. I was not permitted to teach “math applications” and my role was reduced to that of “facilitator.” Children were placed in groups to discuss strategies for solving math word problems.
Students no longer learned to read with a basal reader and a comprehension workbook. Phonics, which is the basic building block for reading instruction because it teaches the sounds the symbols make, had been reduced to a watered-down approach called “phonemic awareness.” Students were choosing “just-right books” from classroom leveled libraries with books grouped by genre. In many schools today, students do not even have textbooks in the basic subject areas. At the end of my career, a principal came into my room and told me she wanted more “productive noise.” I knew it would soon be time to exit the system when I went from group to group and heard the students not discussing literature or the books they selected, but their plans for Saturday!
Here’s a “tip” from me: Get the schools back to strong and solid basics and stop the nonsense already. Quiet classrooms, textbooks and structure is what it’s all about. The rest is a total sham. I am glad I am retired.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
World Peace
I was featured last night during my show on BlogTV and I had an audience of hundreds from all over the world: the USA, Canada, Israel, Russia, the UK, Germany, Turkey, and Croatia.
Many viewers posted: "We love you," and I was feeling that love and I was inspired. I played "What the World Needs Now," by Jackie DeShannon and I told them I was trying to create world peace.
And for about ten minutes there actually was "world peace"... at least in my world.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Selected Letters
Coming soon, selected letters I have written. Here's a teaser, a letter written by my grandmother decades ago.
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