Bushwick’s Brightest
I mentioned in my introductory post that I teach at The Brooklyn Latin School, located near the intersection of Bushwick and McKibbin, in the handsome old P.S. 147 building. We are a specialized high school, which means that students must take an exam to gain admission to TBLS. Though this exam has earned the unfortunate nickname of the “Stuy exam,” after Stuyvesant High, the most famous of the specialized high schools, there are actually seven schools on the exam, of which we are the newest. Our “specialty,” you may have guessed, is a classical education. Consequently, our students wear a uniform, take four years of Latin, and practice public speaking along with Socratic debate. I have the honor of teaching Virgil and Homer in my class, whereas at my last school I had students who, quite literally, could not read.
Having a magnet school in Bushwick has been interesting, to say the least. Our students come from all five boroughs, and though a few of them know the neighborhood, most are quite unfamiliar with their surroundings. It should come as no surprise that I’ve met parents who cringe merely at the name “Bushwick” — as if it were still 1977 and Broadway was burning. I could mention that Brooklyn Tech — the other specialized high school in Brooklyn - is a stone’s throw from some fairly notorious projects, or that Bronx Science isn’t exactly on Central Park West, but I’d rather let the things we do at my school — which I think are pretty wonderful — speak for themselves.
At the same time, we are trying to focus on raising awareness about ourselves in the Bushwick community, which is the subject of this post (perhaps you thought it was mere self promotion). From the first, we’ve resisted the label of carpetbaggers who use Bushwick space to offer an elite education to students who come from elsewhere. Quite to the contrary, we’d like to integrate ourselves into the community, and I’d like to get some input from readers of this blog about how Brooklyn Latin can contribute to the improvement of Bushwick for all its residents.
So far, we have a couple of programs, and are looking to do more. For example, a Reading Buddies program that has our students reading to the tykes in PS 147. At the same time, we’d like to start tutoring area middle schoolers for the specialized high school exam. While many privileged students are privately tutored for the exam for 2-3 years, those in disadvantaged neighborhoods rarely get such intense preparation, and are consequently under-represented among those who pass. In addition, since all of our students have a public service requirement, we are thinking of some bigger projects we can do in the community (an oral history of Bushwick, a forum on gentrification, et. al.)
Again, I would love to hear from the opinionated readers of this blog regarding the above. Whether you’re a long-time resident or newcomer, I am sure you have some notion of what we could to make Bushwick a better place. So, by all means, please chime in.
Also, since we’re on the the topic of education, I’d like to plug an excellent blog. Bottom Shelf Books, written by my very close friend Minh Le. It focuses on children’s literature, but is — quite honestly — one of the funniest and most original blogs I’ve read in a while.
August 7th, 2007 at 9:29 am
I think the tutoring is a great idea. You have a bunch of smart kids who can really help out the local kids who haven’t had the same opportunities. Helping these kids at any level, whether it be for the entrance exam or simply with their homework, would be a great contribution to make.
You could also organize some community clean up events as this is something that all community members will benefit from, not just the kids and families with kids.
It’s great to hear that you are thinking of how to contribute to the community and I think it’s great that this school is located in Bushwick.
August 7th, 2007 at 10:10 am
Agreed - tutoring is a wonderful idea. It would also be nice if some of the kids went to the local community board meetings to see where help might be needed, or organize a neighborhood clean up. Maybe provide a fun weekend carnival for local families as well.
August 7th, 2007 at 10:26 am
I think that the tutoring will happened this year, and it will be great to have some Bushwick kids passing that exam. I’d love to have some of our students getting involved in the community board meetings, etc. The problem is that they are all so young (only 9th graders last year) that the opportunity really wasn’t there. Hopefully this year, though.
August 7th, 2007 at 10:29 am
Alex, any idea of the percentage of kids from Bushwick and/or the projects in your school?
August 7th, 2007 at 11:23 am
Alexander,
It’s good to hear what’s going on there. Please keep us posted about the school.
August 7th, 2007 at 11:42 am
The tutoring sounds like a fantastic idea, as does the reading buddies program. Great work, and yes, please do keep us updated.
August 7th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
do any of these specialized schools have much contact with their surrounding neighborhoods? this is great to know about, i wouldn’t have guessed there was a magnet school nearby, but it does raise a good question about the responsibility level (if any) these institutions have on their respective communities.
your ideas sound like a good place to start. i would also like to see a class that applies Socratic method to playing the Dozens
August 7th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
Jeremy, I think there are 3-4 kids from the surrounding area. Most of them come from pretty far away and don’t know the neighborhood very well.
As far as other specialized schools, I certainly can’t speak about them all, yet I know some (I won’t mention names) bus their students in and out, so I can’t imagine they have much contact with the community. One of the things we’d like to do is really change that.
August 7th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
I am happy to hear that there is an esteemed magnet high school in Bushwick, though it only makes since, considering that IS383 Philippa Schuyler (@ Greene and Knickerbocker) has been a magnet middle school for 35 years now. Its one of the top schools in Brooklyn, and does a great job of finding the right students.
Tutoring programs are an essential part of school of excellence, just as they are for low scoring schools. Its just that you are the delivering end!!!
August 8th, 2007 at 12:04 am
So where do the neighborhood kids go to school? J and I live in between an elementary and a middle school (maybe a magnet school for math… not sure). I actually would love to tutor kids in language in the fall for prep to a program like this.
These kids have a leg up already on some on their peers growing up in bilingual households (they just don’t know it). The problem is that they do not communicate well in either language. The schools in LA were grappling with this issue because of the resident immigrant population. I think the problem here is a little different because we are looking at generations of undereducated people that have no other frame of reference but each other because of how isolated neighborhoods can be here.
I can relate… I grew up speaking only English to my parents (who would speak to me primarily in Spanish). I had no frame of reference because I grew up in the South and there really weren’t any other Spanish-speaking families in my neighborhood at the time. It wasn’t until I was forced to take Spanish in college that I really learned to speak it fluently. I liked it so much that I followed up my English degree with a Spanish degree. In the interim I had to learn a little Latin in my Romance Philology class. I have to say that the class has proved immensely useful for me in deciphering words that I wouldn’t otherwise understand. Bravo for having this school in the hood… I always say that language is the glasses through which we view the world.
August 8th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
I’m glad Bushwick has this type of school going for it as well. Driver -Glad you finally embraced the Spanish language in college. What type of work are you involved in now. I’d like to help also but I don’t think my background (unliked yours) would allow me to tutor.
August 8th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
I’ve been in the neighborhood 30 of my 35 years and I can sincerely say WELCOME! I’ve seen good and bad changes in the neighborhood and this is certainly a great one. I’ve always heard “oh, that part of Brooklyn” when I tell people where I live. This school will hopefully bring a new focal point to the hood.
I would like to know if there are programs to recruit/prepare students from the surrounding schools to pass The Brooklyn Latin School exam? If so, how are they informed of the school’s existence? I attended IS383 Phillippa Schuyler in the 80’s because that was the school parents were familiar with and passing the exam was a great deal and honor for the children of my community. Many community members are not aware of the new changes and opportunities that we now have in Bushwick.
August 9th, 2007 at 12:00 am
Lorraine, thanks for your encouragement. We will be doing some recruiting to places like Phillipa Schuyler (in fact, some of our students come from there, and they’re great!). As for the exam, it’s the same one as for Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Tech, etc. We can only hope that students put Brooklyn Latin down as their first choice.
August 9th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
Have them join the Bushwick Trees not Trash movement. Or join in with Trees New York http://www.treesny.com. The students can plant trees care for trees, neighborhood cleanup around the school and plant flowers!
August 9th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
It would certainly make things easier on local families to know that there is a Bushwick option.
Many immigrant parents, whose children perform the best, are reluctant to let their kids leave the area. So they opt for Bushwick Leaders, EBC, or the Bushwick Campus. Not that those are not great schools, but your school is truly set apart.
So, my point here is, get going with that local recruiting, so Bushwick’s brightest can really be from Bushwick!
September 14th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
I RAN INTO INFORMATION ABOUT THE BKLYN LATIN SCHOOL IN A BOOKLET GIVEN TO MY DAUGHTER IN 8TH GRADE. I FOUND IT SUCH AN ASSET FOR THE COMMUNITY. I WAS RAISED IN BUSHWICK. I HAD NO IDEA THAT THIS SCHOOL WAS THERE. MY DAUGHTER WILL CERTAINLY TRY OUT FOR THIS SPECIALIZED SCHOOL ALTHOUGH SHE HAS NO TRAINIG FOR THE EXAM I THINK IT WILL BE GREAT FOR HER TO EXPERIENCE THIS GREAT COMMUNITY. THANK YOU FOR WRITNING YOUR ARTICLE.
December 20th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
I a ma graduate of Bushwick high school and think you are doing a wonderful service to the community. I no longer live in New York but have often thought of moving back and trying to get a teaching position back at Bushwick; not know the changes that had occured; in hopes of giving back to my community.