Guest Blog: My Mom Says Thank You

Hi everyone, here's a note from my mother to thank you for your thoughtful words on her birthday.  See you tomorrow!

September 27, 2010

Dear CCAA History Students,

Thank you very much for your wonderful birthday blog wishes.  It’s absolutely true that I’ve repeatedly told my son that I’d prefer a piece of writing from him more than any other kind of gift.  He and all of you gave me the best present in the world.  Want to know the way to any mother’s heart?  Compliment her child!  Well, you’ve won my heart by writing about how much you’re learning in class and how much how you appreciate Martin’s -- sorry, I can’t call him Mr. Toomajian – teaching.  It seems from what I read on the blog that you have the opportunity to not only learn about historical and current events but also to express your opinions about them through debate and writing.   I’ve really been enjoying reading your ideas on various topics and will keep reading as the year progresses.

I’d love to come to your classroom again and see how the library is doing.  It would be good to have the books classified by topic.  Maybe I’ll have to visit later in the school year, work on the book collection and see you, too.

Martin was correct; I had no recollection of the dinner table conversation about Anne’s Turkish friend.  I’m not surprised to hear how my husband and I reacted, though.  I was happy that Anne had a new friend from Turkey, in spite of the fact that the child’s ancestors may have persecuted my ancestors.  The Turks under the Ottoman Empire did unspeakable things to Armenians.  We’d be wise to never forget that human beings are capable of such atrocities and that we have to do our part to keep such things from happening now and in the future.  That’s a tall, almost impossible order!  Martin told you about my grandmother’s first husband and sons being lost, but he didn’t tell you about my grandfather who was a shoemaker.   Some of his customers were members of the Turkish military who came to him to have boots made and repaired.  As conditions became more and more dangerous for Armenian men in Turkey, a Turkish military officer (and customer) helped my grandfather escape to safety in Egypt.  Without the aid of this “enemy,” my grandfather would most likely have been killed and not have made it to the United States in 1913.  How could I let my son think cruelly of a child who had no idea what went on during the reign of the Ottomans?  Where is the sense in perpetuating generations-old fear and hatred?   It’s possible that a Turkish child of the late twentieth or twenty-first centuries is a descendant of someone who saved Armenians.  Note well that Martin’s dad and I were a team in correcting our 9-year-old.  I wouldn’t be nearly as good a mom if I didn’t have a great husband to share the parenting responsibilities. 

And, yes Helmsley, I’m pretty passionate about books, especially books for kids and young adults.  I try to keep up with new literature as much as possible, but I fall short of my expectations.  I’m always playing catch-up.  At the moment I’m listening to the audio version of the 2008 book The Dead and the Gone, a doomsday novel about New York City by Susan Beth Pfeffer.  It’s her second science fiction book about what happens when a meteor hits the moon and knocks it out of orbit, creating tsunamis, severe weather aberrations, famine and all kinds of devastation.  Sounds dismal, but it’s really exciting to hear how 17-year-old Alex Morales labors to keep himself and his sisters alive as the city falls apart around him.  There are all kinds of New York City references and addresses that you’d appreciate – as long as you don’t mind thinking about lower Manhattan being completely flooded and the temperature being below freezing in September.  Now I’ve got to get my hands on the third book: The World We Live In.  I’ve got some lighter, younger material on my to-read list, too.  The Dead and the Gone isn’t a book I’d recommend to my elementary students, but I think you older kids would appreciate it.

I’ll continue to follow the blog and see what’s going on at CCAA.  Thank you again for your kind wishes.  What a memorable birthday you gave me!

Sincerely,

Janice Toomajian

P.S.  I join my son and a lot of you in heaving a sigh of relief that the Yankees did not get swept this weekend.  Phew!

P.P.S. from Mr. Toomajian: I'm sure that, as of September 28, my mom would join us all in celebrating that the Yankees are back in the playoffs where they belong.

Happy Sunday

 

Yesterday, I went to my friends' wedding at Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims in Brooklyn.  The groom, Daniel, may actually be a bigger history nerd than I am, so he chose this church largely for its history.  I wonder if the pastor realized that he was standing at the same podium from which Martin Luther King preached in 1963.  Or that Abraham Lincoln attended this church just days before he announced that he was running for president in 1860.  Or that, beneath his feet, slaves were hidden as part of the Underground Railroad in the 1850s.  Or that...I've got to stop.  History overload.  That said, beautiful wedding.

Hope you've gotten some rest this weekend.  We'll all be seeing each other again tomorrow.  Can't wait!

Some things to consider as you do your homework today:

• You've only got those three thematic questions as required homework.  We will use them tomorrow in class, so everyone had better have them.
• Everyone is strongly encouraged to send me a rough draft of your persuasive letter.  More advice on your persuasive letter is on the blog here.
• If you're in 803 and you didn't take the test yet, your test will be Tuesday.  You should be using your study materials, including page 6 of your binder and what's on the blog here.
• My best friend from first grade, Captain Jeffrey Kennedy, is now in the process of returning from Iraq.  He has planned and led missions, survived explosions, lost his friends, and received praise for his work from the top general in Iraq, David Petraeus.  In at least two good, well-written, grammatically-correct paragraphs, you may e-mail me a letter that you want him to receive.  You can thank him for his service, ask him questions, and tell him anything else that you think is important.  If your writing is good enough, I will forward your e-mail to Captain Kennedy and you'll get extra credit on a test.
• There are still great opportunities for discussion on the blog today.  We haven't said all there is to say about the proposed mosque near Ground Zero.  And I really want to know what you think of Mark Zuckerberg's donation to the Newark public schools.

Sorry if I don't return your e-mails promptly this evening.  I'm going to be at Yankee Stadium!!!

Facebook CEO Gives $100 Million to Newark Schools

Did anyone watch Oprah yesterday?  If you did, you saw Mark Zuckerberg--the Facebook founder and CEO--announce that he was giving $100 million to the Newark, New Jersey, schools.  If you didn't, here's a clip from yesterday's show.  Here is the Wall Street Journal's article about Mark Zuckerberg's announcement.

On Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg wrote a blog post to explain that he has formed a foundation to give money to public schools.  His foundation is called Startup: Education and he's created a Facebook page to promote it.  Here is where he gets the most specific about his goals:

Mayor Booker has committed to make education his single highest priority for his current term in office. He will provide the same oversight over education in the next four years that he has in his efforts to reduce crime in Newark during his first term. The Mayor will work with the citizens of Newark to establish new community metrics to measure the performance of students, teachers and principals. His goal is to build a community that delivers greater recognition and rewards for excellence.

I believe in the Mayor and his vision, and that's why I want to help them succeed. Using my own Facebook stock, I'm creating the Startup: Education foundation with over $100 million to invest in educating and improving the lives of young people. I'm also challenging others who want to improve education in America to match my contributions.

What do you think of this situation?  Do you think Zuckerberg has good ideas for improving public schools?  Are you glad that he's giving his money away?  What do you think are the big problems with public schools today?  What do you think we--students, teachers, principals, parents, politicians, Americans--can do to improve public schools?

My friends have asked me about my opinions on what Mark Zuckerberg has done.  I told them that I'm going to find out what my students think first.  So please post and let me know.

Persuasive Letter: Rough Draft Due Monday

Good morning, everybody.  Hope you've got exciting plans for the weekend.  I also hope that one of those exciting plans is to write the rough draft of your persuasive letter.  Remember the basics: you can choose to write to one of three people--Mayor Bloomberg, the imam of the mosque near Ground Zero, or the editor of a newspaper (so your opinions might be published in the paper).  Your goal is to persuade others that your opinion about the mosque near Ground Zero is best.  Remember that more specific requirements for the letter are found on page 9 of your binder.

I've given you a model persuasive letter.  Some classes did not receive my annotated version of the letter, so I'm posting it here. Notice that I wrote the letter three years ago (to persuade Senator Schumer to improve teacher effectiveness).  Around the margins, I've written down and pointed out how I fulfilled each of the requirements of your assignment.  (Remember, the requirements are found on page 9 of your binder).

You can always e-mail me (mtoomajian@schools.nyc.gov) with questions; I would be very happy to receive your rough draft via e-mail this weekend.

Speaking of exciting plans, guess who's going to the Yankees-Sox game on Sunday night!

Preparing for Tomorrow's Test

Look at this amazing photo of a lightning bolt outside of Yankee Stadium.  I could make some comment about how you'll all be struck with lightning bolts of brilliance on tomorrow's test, but that would just be corny.  Not that I don't appreciate some corny jokes here and there.  (I found this photo on the LoHud Yankees Blog.)

I know you're studying for the test, but don't miss the chance to weigh in on the discussion that's happening under the post titled, "Different Perspectives on the Mosque."  The prevailing opinion seems to be that the mosque should be built where it is.  But Danny and Alannah have bravely gone against the trend, pointing out that it could probably be moved farther away and that there always could be some possibility of terrorism linked with the mosque.  What do you think?  It would be great to hear as many opinions as possible.

Okay, so tomorrow, you'll have your first test that counts for my class.  We've done plenty of preparation, so as long as you spend some significant time studying seriously tonight, you should do well on the test.  Here are some things that will help you to prepare.  I know this looks overwhelming.  Here's what is in this post:

• Each of the model quote analyses--one for each class
• Your homework

That's it!  So just look at what you need.  Remember, you can e-mail me at mtoomajian@schools.nyc.gov with questions.  You can post questions on the blog to ask for help from classmates.  And you can call your friends to ask them for help, or ask family members or other friends for help.  Good luck!

Model Quote Analyses:

Each class honed one student's quote analysis to create a paragraph that would earn a perfect score on the test.  I wanted to share all of them with you.

First, here are the directions for the quote analysis, exactly as they will appear on tomorrow's test:

Put the quotes into your own words using clear, complete sentences.  Identify the speaker of the quote and the occasion on which he/she spoke the words.  Explain why the quote is important and significant, explaining any historical details that are necessary for understanding the quote.

Now, here are the quote analyses that relate to quote 1:
The quote: “New York City was built by immigrants, and it is sustained by immigrants – by people from more than a hundred different countries speaking more than two hundred different languages and professing every faith. And whether your parents were born here, or you came yesterday, you are a New Yorker.”

An analysis written by George and honed by class 802: "Mayor Michael Bloomberg said this on August 3, 2010 on Governors Island.  He was giving a speech stating that the mosque should be built near Ground Zero.  This quote means that everybody is an immigrant because everybody (except Native Americans) emigrated from different countries.  Starting with the Dutch, the city’s buildings have been built by immigrants.  We have all done wrong and we should all treat each other with respect because we are all citizens of New York now.  We should all give each other the freedom to do what we want.  Since we’re all God’s children we are all welcome in New York City."

An analysis written by Nyah and honed by class 703: "Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave a speech on August 3, 2010, on Governors Island, in order to declare that the proposed mosque should be built near Ground Zero.  This quote is significant in meaning because it means that New York City was made because of immigrants.  At its very beginning, New York was built by the Dutch, who emigrated from a European country called the Netherlands.  Immigrants come from all over the world, being special in every way.  They put together our world and hold it together.  Even today, Dominicans help to build buildings and Mexicans manage restaurants.  No matter whether you are a local or a newcomer, you make New York a community."

Now, here is the quote analysis that relates to quote 2:
The quote: “We do not honor their lives by denying the very Constitutional rights they died protecting. We honor their lives by defending those rights – and the freedoms that the terrorists attacked.”

An analysis written by Sam and honed by class 801: "Mayor Michael Bloomberg said this quote on August 3, 2010, on Governors Island.  He was arguing that Muslims should be allowed to build a mosque near Ground Zero.  The significance of the second quote is that we can’t deny the rights of the Muslims because of what happened on 9/11.  Therefore, we have to do something that seems wrong, but it’s actually right.  We have to honor the rights that those who died on 9/11 were defending.  Specifically, we need to honor the rights protected in the First Amendment, that Americans can practice their religion freely.  That is what the second quote means."

Now, here are the quote analyses that relate to quote 3:
The quote: “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’”

An analysis written by Will and honed by class 803:  "This is a very serious statement, said by Martin Luther King Jr.  One day everyone will come together regardless of religion, race or what we look like; we will all know that we are equal.  Dr. Martin Luther King said this in his “I Have a Dream” speech, during the 1963 March on Washington, in front of the Lincoln Memorial.  His goal was to end segregation in the South and for all people to be treated equally and to respect each other.  King is quoting from the Declaration of Independence, to point out that they declared freedom and believed all people were equal, but African-Americans were not treated equally."

An analysis written by Rosanna and honed by class 804:  "The significance of this quote is that back in 1963 African-Americans faced discrimination and were segregated.  At the March on Washington, in front of the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. Martin Luther King said he had a dream that one day we will be treated all the same.  He was quoting from the Declaration of Independence, which declared America’s freedom.  It said that everyone is made equal, but blacks were not treated equally.  Now we are.  Even though there are people that are still racist now, we still stick together."

All of these paragraphs are excellent examples of quote analysis.


Speaking of corny jokes...
Time to get off AIM and get that studying done!  (That is, unless your friend on AIM is helping you to study...)



You may also want to take another look at your homework.  Since there are so many important and helpful things in it, take a look:

Vocabulary Practice—Matching

1.       Tolerance
2.       Mosque
3.       Synagogue
4.       Petition
5.       Controversy
6.       Ground Zero
7.       Peter Stuyvesant
8.       New Amsterdam
9.       Islamic extremist
10.   Muslim

a. Jewish house of worship
b. the site of the World Trade Center
c. someone who practices Islam; someone who believes there is one God and Muhammad is God’s prophet; someone who believes that the Koran is a holy book
d. lengthy public argument concerning a major issue, in which people hold different opinions
e. Muslim house of worship
f. original name for New York City, named after a city in the Netherlands
g. someone who calls himself a Muslim and also believes the Koran tells him that non-Muslims should be killed; Islamic terrorist or supporter of Islamic terrorism
h. Dutch governor of New Netherland (original name for New York State); governed until the English took control; prohibited Jews, Quakers, and Catholics from freely practicing their religions
i. request to change something, usually made to a government official or public organization
j. willingness to accept another person’s opinions or beliefs when you disagree with them

Quote Analysis Guiding Questions
1. In Quote 1, the speaker claims that “New York City was built by immigrants, and it is sustained by immigrants.”  What are some facts that support this claim?  In other words, what specifically did immigrants do to help build the city, and what specifically do they do to sustain the city today?
2. In Quote 2, what are the “Constitutional rights” that the speaker mentions?  When he talks about the people that died protecting those rights, what people is he referring to?
3. In Quote 3, what document does the speaker quote from?  Why does he do that?

Happy Birthday Mom!

Here's a photo of my dad, my sister Anne, me, and my mom in Central Park. My parents live in Troy, a beautiful city in upstate New York, but they come to visit my sister and me in New York City occasionally.

September 22 is my mom's birthday. Unfortunately, I've never been very good about getting birthday presents for my mom in advance. So, the day has arrived and I still haven't ordered a gift for her. But she often tells me that she'd prefer that I write something for her; she'd appreciate that more than another sort of gift. So, on the blog today: meet my mom.

On the first day of school, about half of you eighth graders said that your mother was a great leader to you. I agree with all of you! My mom has been leading and guiding me since before I was born. She has been a great role model for me: since I was six, she has been an elementary school librarian, and her students are very lucky to have such a hard-working and creative person in the library. More importantly, she's been a loving, loyal, faithful mother to my sister and me--and she's been a great wife to my dad, and a great daughter to my grandma. She loves me and cares about me. She'd do anything for me. And I love her too.

But what makes her such a loving mother? When I was starting to teach, I had a very difficult time and she supported me through it. When I was having trouble in college, she always encouraged me and sent me resources to help me write papers and study more effectively. When I was a self-conscious, anxious, shy middle school student, she helped me to deal with the stress.

But let me take you back even further, to a conversation that she may not even remember, that happened when I was nine. I was in fourth grade, and my sister Anne was in first grade. We were both starting at a new school, and my sister was starting to make friends in her class. One night at dinner, she said that one of her friends was Turkish. In response, I made a nasty face and a disrespectful comment.

Here's why I was disrespectful: I am Armenian and, at age nine, I was starting to learn the history of my family and my people. My great-grandparents came to America around 1915 because of the Armenian Massacres. During the Massacres, Armenians who lived in Turkey were being killed in huge numbers by the Turks and their government. My great-grandmother's first husband and children were lost or killed at the hands of the Turks.

Why did the Turks want to kill the Armenians? Short answer: there's no good reason. But here are some ideas: the Turks were worried that the Armenians would threaten their power during World War I. They also hated Armenians because Armenians are different--Armenians are usually Christians; Turks are usually Muslims. If you wanted to be very simplistic, you could just say that Muslims killed my family. But that would be way too simplistic, as we know. Just because some people who call themselves Muslims were violent doesn't mean that all Muslims are responsible for it.

Back to the scene at my dinner table in 1993: When my sister mentioned that she had a Turkish friend, I made a nasty face and a snide comment. Instantly, my mom and dad raised their voices and said, "Don't you ever do that. The Armenian Massacres were a problem between your great-grandparents and Anne's friend's great-grandparents. We don't have any reason to have problems with the Turks today. So don't act like you do."

My mom and dad loved me enough to correct me when I was doing something wrong. I could have gone down a bad, hateful path if they hadn't said anything to me. But, instead, I learned from them and became a better person.

I'm so thankful for my mom. I know she'll be reading the blog. If you want to leave her a "Happy Birthday" note, I'm sure she'd appreciate it. You can call her "Mrs. Toomajian." And if you'd like to share something about a lesson your mother has taught you, please feel free to do that here too.

Different Perspectives on the Mosque

This map helps you see just how close the proposed mosque site is to Ground Zero.

Here is a photo of the building that will be renovated and turned into a mosque, according to the current plans.

This protestor believes that the mosque is being built near Ground Zero to show that Muslims won a victory over the United States on 9/11. It's true that Muslims have built mosques near the sites of their military victories. The leaders of the NYC mosque have never suggested that they want to build the mosque there for that reason.

Tomorrow we discuss our viewpoints on the mosque. It's going to be great. To help you decide what you believe, here are some opinions from other writers. Read what I've written first. Then you can try to read the indented paragraph, which is a quote from the writer's article about the mosque. If you want even more information, click on the writer's name, and that will take you to the full article. Okay, here goes!

In an excellent magazine called the New Republic, Barry Gewen says we should be very concerned about hatred against Muslims, and we should recognize that NYC's Muslim community is free to build a mosque near Ground Zero. But he thinks that it would be best for the mosque to be moved. If the mosque leaders agree to move, Gewen thinks that most Americans will be very happy and will view Muslims more positively:

The question at this point is whether the center has to be built at the proposed site. It’s understandable that the supporters would want to resist yielding to bigotry, irrationality, and intimidation, but on a simply pragmatic basis, everyone should hope that some solution can be reached so that the feelings of millions of Americans are respected. After all, the sponsors of the center say they are interested in building bridges among peoples. This aim would be better served by moving the mosque a few blocks away, even if that means bending a cherished principle. And just think of the good will that would be generated across the country. Nonetheless, if compromise proves to be impossible, then [tolerance] must have the final word.

In the newspaper The Washington Post, Charles Krauthammer argues that Ground Zero is a sacred site, so a mosque should not be placed there. He also suggests that the mosque could one day hire an Islamic extremist--and that would be a major national security problem:

Bloomberg's implication is clear: If the proposed mosque were controlled by "insensitive" Islamist radicals either excusing or celebrating 9/11, he would not support its construction.

But then, why not? By the mayor's own expansive view of religious freedom, by what right do we dictate the message of any mosque? Moreover, as a practical matter, there's no guarantee that this couldn't happen in the future. Religious institutions in this country are autonomous. Who is to say that the mosque won't one day hire an [Islamic extremist]?

An [Islamic extremist] preaching in Virginia is a security problem. An [Islamic extremist] preaching at Ground Zero is a sacrilege. Or would the mayor then step in -- violating the same First Amendment he grandiosely pretends to protect from mosque opponents -- and exercise a veto over the mosque's clergy?

Elsewhere in the Post, a former adviser to President Bush, Karen Hughes, also thinks the mosque should be moved.

This last columnist does not take a position on the mosque. However, he argues for tolerance of Muslims. In the New York Times, Nicholas Kristof apologizes to Muslims for Americans' insensitivity toward the religion:

I hereby apologize to Muslims for the wave of bigotry and simple nuttiness that has lately been directed at you. The venom on the airwaves, equating Muslims with terrorists, should embarrass us more than you. Muslims are one of the last minorities in the United States that it is still possible to demean openly, and I apologize for the slurs.

Finally, here are video and text of Mayor Bloomberg's speech, and here is text of President Obama's comments on the mosque. Obama supports the right of NYC's Muslims to build near Ground Zero. Please e-mail me if you have any questions, or post a comment on the blog if there's something you want to share!