What Mr. Obama Can Do

A colleague on another group informs us:
"The video is from Anne Marie Corgill (and her colleagues at Riverchase Elementary School in Hoover, AL). Anne Marie is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher who shares that she has taught (and learned) with first through fourth graders at the Manhattan New School in New York City as well as schools in Alabama and Bronxville, New York. She is also the recipient of the 2007 NCTE Donald H. Graves Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Writing. Her book, Of Primary Importance: What's Essential in Teaching Young Writers was published and released by Stenhouse during October of 2008."

For those of you who aren't in the know, the Manhattan New School was founded by Shelley Harwayne, the noted educator researcher, who transformed education in the New York area until her retirement as a Deputy Superintendent of the lower East Side. On the day of 9/11, Shelley and her staff led the students away from the chaos towards safety where they made calls to frantic parents. She has written several phenomenal books about teaching writing and creating schools that work. I've had the privilege of listening to Shelley a few times and came away the better for it. No wonder Anne Marie turned out to be so gifted herself...

Priscilla Gutierrez