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JUNE 2008 ■ For Parents, Educators & Students ■ Education updateDean Terry Fulmercontinued from page 12provider?” explains the dean, proudly notingthat patient volume in the faculty practice clinicis growing rapidly. “We’re trying to find peoplebefore they have a full blown episode,” she adds.As the interview winds down, Dr. Fulmer’s dayis far from over. Her office—known as a welcomingoasis where students frequently stop by toshare their ideas and experiences and faculty areencouraged to discuss their cutting edge research(Dr. Fulmer herself has published over 150 papersand textbooks on the subject of geriatric care,with a recent focus on elder mistreatment)—isstill going full tilt as the clock strikes five. Thereare committees to be launched, and capital decisionsto be made. There is no doubt that the NYUCollege of Nursing has a strong steward at itshelm, carefully steering it into a new century ofgrowth and innovation.#Bank Streetcontinued from page 16years, she said.“In terms of social studies, it’s a fascinatingcommunity, almost like a microcosm of the worldand the issues we’re facing globally. We learned,by talking with local people, that Monteverdeis going through an enormous transition rightnow, with growing tourism and locals wonderingwhether it should be regulated. The type of touristis changing now, too. It used to be scientists, nowit’s more nature lovers. They are starting to pavethe roads, build more hotels; fresh, clean water isa problem, as is disposing of the used water. Allthis definitely changes the community.”The next course in Costa Rica is tentativelyscheduled for July 27 through August 11, 2008.To fulfill a growing interest in Arab cultureand Islam, another upcoming New Perspectivesstudy-abroad course will be to Morocco in March2008. During the course students will experienceMoroccan classrooms and culture first-hand sothey can be better prepared to work and teachin multicultural settings in the United States,according to Eddie González-Novoa, director ofthe New Perspectives program.The travelers to Morocco will see communitiesof learning in action, Mr. González-Novoa says.The group will visit several cities, including Fezand Marrakech. The size of the traveling groupwill range from eight to 14.“Morocco is a multicultural society with adivided educational system that reflects separatecolonial French, Arab, and Berber philosophies,educational systems, and cultures,” says TimLightman, ’97, ’04, course instructor. “As partof the study, we will pay particular attentionto the issue of power and hierarchy within theeducational system and to pedagogical practicesthere,” he says.In addition, the students will visit severalelementary schools in both rural and urban settings,and meet with authorities from prominentMoroccan universities and institutions.Mr. Lightman, an early childhood teacher andeducator for more than 12 years, has taught prekindergartenand kindergarten at the Bank StreetSchool for Children. He has also worked as aconsultant on curriculum development. He hasspent four years as researcher in the Teachersfor a New Era Project at Bank Street College.Currently, Mr. Lightman is on sabbatical fromthe Bank Street School for Children to work onhis doctoral dissertation at Teachers College,Columbia University.“The idea for the trip originated with peoplein New Perspectives who wanted to expand theinternational programs. We saw Morocco as adiverse and multiethnic culture. We’ll use theMorocco trip as a mirror to reflect back and thinkabout what it means to teach in a diverse communitylike New York,” Mr. Lightman said.For further information on both trips, call JoyEllebbane at 212-875-4704 or visitwww.bankstreet.edu/newperspectives/studyabroad.#Iraqi HS Kids With Cameras teach NYCHigh Schoolers Valuable LessonsBy Gillian GranoffWhen an excited group of high school studentsfrom New York City gathered togetherrecently for the Tribeca Film festival screeningof Baghdad High, the excitement was palpableAt the opening scene, shouts, cackles, and enthusiasticbanter of the students muffle the voicesof an Iraqi teenage boy who confidently beltsout the songs of Michael Jackson on his handheldmicrophone. The audience laughter quicklydissolves to silence as the reality of this boy’slife sinks in and the viewer becomes engagedin the harsh reality of life for these students.Their boisterous laughter and sarcastic shoutsbecome the sobering sounds of roadside bombsand security checkpoints. They watch as theboys anxiously try to conceal their cameras at asecurity checkpoint en route to school. The boys’candid description of their fears for their safety isPhi Delta Kappacontinued from page 16excellence in public education with a graduationrate that is virtually 100 percent and forgingahead to attend college.Frank Nappi, Jr., PDK International Boardmember representing region H and author ofthe amazing newsletter “Frankly Speaking” wasgiven the Lifetime Achievement Award. He wasan adjunct Professor of mathematics at NassauCommunity College, associate professor at St.John’s University and served as a Captain in theUnited States Air force in the Strategic Air andAir Defense Command.After 19 years as an assistant principal atNewtown High School, Frank was appointedprincipal of Long Island City High School andserved there until 1994.Judith Tarlo, principal of Bayside High Schoolreceived the award as principal of the year.Prominent educators in attendance at the galawere Ernest Logan, President of the Council ofSupervisors and Administrators, Peter McNally,Executive Board member VP of the Council ofSupervisors and Administrators and Dr. JosephHankin, President of Westchester CommunityCollege. #Randi Weingartencontinued from page 12teachers can be the best they can be,” Weingartensaid. She thanked the graduates for wanting “tomake a difference in the lives of people…That,my friends, is the greatest work you can do inthis world…When you see what that connectionbetween student and teacher, there is nothing betterin the professional life than…helping unlockthat child’s mind.”On a positive note, Weingarten said that newdata shows more qualified individuals are enteringthe education profession. The salary increasethe UFT helped provide increase respect, andUFT advocates for teachers’ input in policyrelateddecisions.Even so, Weingarten lauded the graduates forbeing “far more sophisticated about the realitiesof our profession.” The graduates realizethat education needs reform because of “chronicunderfunding” stymies the need to ensure thatevery child gets access to a decent education.Though Weingarten praised the intentions of theNo Child Left Behind Act, its outcome turnedpublic schools in to “Test prep inc.” in a movethat narrowed curricula to focus on test-teachingas opposed to arts.America promises universal access to publiceducation. Weingarten ended on a positive note,saying, “I know we will do that, because we havemore and more of you in our classrooms.” #MOVIE REVIEWSa sobering reality to this audience.The film, set at the Tariq bin Ziad High Schoolfor Boys, follows the lives of four 17-year-oldhigh school students over the course of their lastyear in high school. A non-observant Muslimof Shi’a descent belts out the love songs ofBrittany Spears and confidently struts on screenwith microphone in hand. His circle of friendsinclude: Anmar, a church-attending Catholic,Ali, of Kurd descent who struggles to walk thedelicate tight rope between being studious andcool and Mohammed, the Sunni/Shiva sensitivefriend who tries to escape the imminent pressuresof violence and chaos around him by crackingjokes and avoiding his studies. Hayder yearns tobe a singer-songwriter: Anmar, the ladies manwants to play football like David Beckham; Ali,cradles hopes of becoming an architect, bestfriend Mohammed is the class clown.The film’s co-producers Ivan O’Mahoney andLaura Winter set out to show life in Iraq outsidethe media coverage. Winter, a former producerspent several years covering life in conflict inPakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq, with Mahoneywho previously produced and directed films forBBC and PBS. They sought to dispel the mediadistorted portrait of daily life in Iraq and capturethe reality through the eyes of four teenage boysin high school. Winter explains. “One of thethings that I was struck by was that all thesedocumentaries coming out of Iraq were done byadults. Iraqi children had not been more than aUN statistic about the dead kidnapped or injured.”The decision to put the camera in the boys’ ownhands has a powerful artistic impact on both theboys and audience. It teaches them to gain a new23perspective on their own lives and show us anIraq beyond the media stereotypes and politicalbias portrayed in the newspapers.As we follow the boys over the course of anacademic year, we see their attitudes evolvefrom silly to serious as they acquire a new senseresponsibility for making the film and for theirlives. “First when we got the cameras I felt it wasfun; after a while we felt a sense of responsibilityfor what we were doing and for the story we weretelling,” Ali comments.One viewer in NYC, a high school student andan aspiring performer expressed admiration forthe bravery and strength of the boys, and envyat the irony that in their world, one can openlyexpress affection with one another without beinglabeled gay or incurring the glaring judgment oftheir peers. Another high school senior who hadrecently enlisted in the Marines said his admirationfor the boys’ bravery in the film reinvigoratedhis commitment to help rebuild the lives ofthe Iraqi people.Ali, who had recently relocated with his familyto the suburbs of DC, attended the screening andfielded questions from an enthusiastic crowd ofhigh school students.The film’s candid portrait of the daily strugglesof the four boys resonates beyond the school hallwaysof Baghdad High. In this personal journal,both American and Iraqis can compare their liveswith the boys’ struggles and success and gaininsight into a world rarely seen.Baghdad High will premiere on HBO onAugust 4th. For more information on the film, itsdirectors, or the boys, viewers can log on to hbo.com or contact Jessica Manzi at HBO. #Going With The Flow Up The YangtzeBy Jan AaronA Chinese teen hobbled by poverty is portrayedin Director Yung Chang’s beautiful documentaryof Yu Shui, daughter of a hard-scrabble farmer,who lives in a derelict shack on the banks ofChina’s Yangtze River and dreams of going tohigh school. Instead, her family must send heroff to work on one of the luxury cruise ships carryingWestern tourists on “farewell tours” of themighty river’s countryside soon to be submergedby the hotly contested gargantuan Three GorgesDam. Shui’s family grows what it needs to survive.They will be forced to move when the damis completed in 2011 and the waters submergeall surrounding land. Her parents, illiterate anduneducated, will be relocated on land and theyworry how they will survive.On board, Shui is hit by a major culture shockHelp Wantedof modern gadgetry, proper hygiene and corporatemanners. Like all the employees, she getsa new name. The bewildered Shui becomes“Cindy” her co-worker, Yu, is “Jerry.” They jointheir co-workers in an English class. She worksbelow deck as a dishwasher, makes friends andeven goes shopping on the mainland.The cruise is a personal journey for Shui and Yuand their co-workers. We see them hanging outbelow deck in contrast with the passengers who arehere to witness the impact of the dam on the villagesmany of which house the kids serving on theship. Visually the film captures the stunning beautyof the Yangtze’s lush gorges, tiny villages and cities.Without preaching, the film’ makes a universalpoint about society’s structure. 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