My latest article for the Yellin Center is out. This time I explore NeuroTribes by Steve Silberman which received the Samuel Johnson Prize. Below you will find a copy of my article. Continue reading “Book on Autism wins the Samuel Johnson Prize”
As you may remember I have been serving this past year on a project my professor runs in Chinatown for Chinese-American children with ASD. To close out the year we held a special olympics. The event was high energy and so much fun to be a part of. Again for this event I choreographed three dances for the students and parents to take part in, as well as manned the races. Photos from the event have just been posted on the organizations facebook page. So take a look, and see if you can spot me in the background of many of the photos. I bet you can’t help but smile when you see the joy on all the student’s faces.
If you want to see even more photos of events we held, there are also photos from our fundraising concert in February on their page as well. There you can see the costumes I created for them (which you can find directions to here and here) and me looking overly eager as I lead the dances I choreographed for them to preform.
If you remember I was making (inexpensive and easy) costumes for three dances I choreographed for my students to preform at fundraiser for their Autism education program and other center related programs for new immigrant families in Chinatown. Well yesterday was performance day. Even with gales of blustering wind, and a mass outpouring of snow, the event was a success. The patrons who managed to brave the treacherous winter conditions were a incredibly enthusiastic audience as they watched my students dance, listened to piano performances and purchased student art from the art show. Continue reading “Teaching Moments: Fundraiser Dance”
Check out those colors on the trees on our street! I have so enjoyed fall in the city, being from the west coast I am used to everything staying lush and green for the most part throughout each season. So watching the colors alter and fade as the months wear on has been wonderful to experience. They have also served as a bit of teachable inspiration.
On Saturday afternoons I help teach an autism education program in Chinatown with a group of some of the most exceptional teachers on the east coast, to an equally special group of students. I have been working hard to choreograph and rehearse three dances for them to preform at a fundraiser this coming February. It has been a challenge, but one that I am enjoying undertaking. After we tire them out with solid minutes of jiving and grooving we do a little art followed by some down time with games and centers.
Before Thanksgiving we tackled a fall art project that my friend Ryan found for us to do (This guy is going to be one stellar teacher. Anyone who can should hire him immediately). I am so used to using natural materials in my classroom for everything from art to science to math, but what I forgot when selecting this particular project was that I no longer live in a densely forested, organically lush corner of the world. Nonetheless Jay and I scoured the parks near our apartment to collect leaves for our tree Tree themed art project and had a whole lot of fun doing it.
Below I have included a description of our project. However, I forgot to snap a photo of the sample (which I sent home with a student) or any of the student’s finished products. This idea is in no way an original by us, so as such I borrowed a photo from another location to give you an example of what a completed wreath. The URL is on the image as to give credit where credit is due.
Continue reading “Teaching Moments: Leaf Wreaths and a Fall Walk Through Morningside Heights”
Raising Jordans 