The Oval Office to The Rose Garden

Carolyn Bridge, from Smart Technology, just sent these pictures of my path from the Oval Office to the Rose Garden. I thought I'd share them!

Kean University recognizes their distinguished interns

There are a whole lot of good things to say about Kean University in Union, New Jersey. For one thing, it has a nice campus. Flowers bloom in well-designed spaces on lawns so green and perfectly groomed that you might as well be in a country club.

Shimmering glass reflects the trees on new structures to house classrooms where students are learning science and the latest technologies.

A brand new Human Rights Center is lined with photographs of those who dare to speak truth to power.

This is a good place so I was more than happy to make a presentation to the distinguished teaching interns that Dr. Martha Mobley and Dr. Susan Polirstok are so proud of. And they should be.

I spoke to this select group of newly formed teachers and I was so impressed with their stories, the dreams in their eyes, their gathered families and the trust that their Kean University professors have placed in their talents and abilities.

One by one, they came forth and we all heard testimony of their magic in the classroom. One transformed an unruly classroom whose teacher had been gone for two long months. In short order, this new teacher brought it all into focus and the children were learning again, safe in her world.

In another class, a student teacher had created so many amazing smart board lessons that she was already presenting to the supervisors who had their notebooks out, ready to learn.

Each intern had made great strides with their students and had won the acclaim of their cooperating teachers and supervisors.

I especially liked looking at the three daughters of one new teacher. As a single mother, she had raised these lively, blond daughters while studying and working. Now, she was standing before us, with tears in her eyes because she was a teacher. She had done it! Everyone was singing her praises. Her daughters saw how mom had succeeded.

On the way out of the auditorium, one of them held the door for me. I took the opportunity to ask how they felt about mom's accomplishments. "Very proud," they gushed, in one voice.

I wish their mom had seen them say that. But then again, that's the sort of world this distinguished intern and mom makes happen.

This is the way a great teacher begins. The world is lucky to have these Kean University teachers. They will spread light and learning wherever they go.

Bergen County Celebrates Teachers

Dr. Aaron Graham, Bergen County Executive Superintendent & Maryann Woods-Murphy.



Take 400 teachers, administrators and educational support professionals and bring them to the Fiesta Catering Rooms in Wood Ridge, NJ for a fabulous luncheon to celebrate teaching and learning and you have the Bergen County Teacher of the Year Recognition Celebration!

Add to that the music of Northern Highlands Regional High School students with their music teacher, Theodora Sotiropoulos, and you have a perfect atmosphere, in an exquisite venue.



Last year, when I was named my school Teacher of the Year, I sat at one of the linen-covered tables and marveled at the way we were being treated as Teachers of the Year. For a classroom teacher, it was so special to go to lunch and eat on china plates, have attentive waiters serving bread and ice water and listen to warm and smart speeches about the good things that teachers do. All those stories made the food taste better.

Plus, there were no bells ringing to transition us from one part of the event to another!

I remember seeing the 2008-2009 Teacher of the Year, Jeanne Muzi, speak and share her love of art and the importance of our jobs. I dreamed of being in her shoes, but who would ever believe that such a thing might be possible? Could I really become the New Jersey State Teacher?

Today, as I addressed that room of proud teachers and their teams, I understood that only when you have a dream do you have any chance at all of achieving it.

Here I am with the Bergen County Sheriff, Leo McGuire and Freeholder Elizabeth Calabrese. Dr. Aaron Graham, is on the left.


In this candid shot, you can see how happy everyone is to be together to celebrate teachers and support professionals.




I talked about my students and how their stories matter, how very much they have helped me grow and learn and become who I am today. I spoke of poignant moments that we have shared and the connection between us. Every teacher has a personal "hall of fame" of students - kids who have helped us become better teachers and learners. We are so lucky to be teachers - to serve as touchstones for the children as they live and grow. In fact, every student has a key to this hall of fame and to our hearts.

My Northern Highlands Regional High School colleague, John Gornell, an outstanding history teacher and the advisor of the National Honor Society, was honored today as the new 2010 Northern Highlands Teacher of the Year. He came to this celebration with John Keenan, our NHRHS Superintendent, Joe Occhino, our Principal and Dept. Chair, Bob Petrosino. Here I am pictured with John Gornell:



The Bergen County Office of Education staff put together an amazing event today! Congratulations to all of them!

We all walked out with our heads a little higher, our hearts a bit fuller. We carried certificates and chocolates and an engraved pen, but the most important gift of all was the public recognition of our good service.


Ah, somebody sees that what we are doing is part of the important work of the world!


(Please note that all photos on today's blog are courtesy of Steven Pasternak, The Bergen County Supervisor of Child Study and photographer of merit!)

Teens Talk About Racism

Well, it's 4:44 p.m. on May 25th. I am soaring right now because "Teens Talk About Racism" was such an amazing experience.

TTAR, as we call it, is a safe forum for teens where they can challenge the pervasive stereotypes that we live. What are our identity groups and what benefits and challenges do they offer us? How can we share music, social justice and love?

Nine years ago, community organizer Rori Kanter and life-long social justice worker, Theadora Lacey approached me about organizing a program for teens. They had already spent a year in the process and had, in fact, hosted their first event at the Central Unitarian Church on a Sunday afternoon. Despite much intense preparation, they had about 15 youth participants.

Here's Theadora Lacey


The next year, Rori approached me and asked if I would like to get involved. "Yes!" I said.

Quickly, I involved my students from my school's newly formed "Multicultural Task Force," who provided music, energy and a whole lot of leg work. We partnered with Fairleigh Dickinson University, who offered us wonderful space. That first year, we had over 100 students from area schools participating!

The conference has built over the years and it relies heavily on teachers and counselors in each school who gather the students and prepare them for youth leadership. Students come prepared to sing songs, dance and share in a joyful community experience.

Today was amazing!

As students were entering the Wilson Auditorium, they were greeted by music from the student band, "The Francs."

Noelle Staudt, from St. Anthony School, sang The Star Spangled banner. Next, Eddie Kim, did a monologue he wrote himself called, "A Word About Tolerance." It blew us away!

Next, we were welcomed by Diana Cvitan, the Director of the Office of Global Learning. Diana really cares about this issue a whole lot and has done everything to be as welcoming as possible to our conference and efforts!





Elissa Bonito sang "It doesn’t hurt" with great feeling and energy!

Next, we heard from a youth panel - students who were either in college or graduate school.

Panelists included: Alfonso Carrion, Maya Gunaseharan,Brenda Rubenstein, Adam Walpert. Joe Murphy, the chair of Ethics at Dwight Englewood, moderated. Here are the bios of the participants:



Alfonso Carrion is a student filmmaker studying his craft at Emerson College. He recently won an EVVY for producing an outstanding promotional commercial for Boston's TD Garden Arena. However, he actively participates in several social justice organizations in and out of campus. His trip to feed the poor in a New York City homeless shelter has always been an unforgettable experience for him. He is very excited to be a part of Teens Talk About Racism and thanks everybody who participates in this life-changing event.

(Here are Alfonso Carrion, Diana Cvitan & Maryann Woods-Murphy)



Adam Walpert. Northern Highlands class of '05, Columbia University Class of '09 BA in economics, currently employed as a research staff assistant in the Department of Biological Sciences at Columbia, will be attending medical school this fall. Adam's belief in social equality and cultural awareness have been woven into his life journey. He was one of the founders of the Multicultural Task Force of Northern Highlands Regional High School, which is active to this day.


Brenda Rubenstein is currently a graduate student in New York primarily interested in fighting for socioeconomic equality. As an undergraduate, she was a co-founder of HOPE (Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere), an organization that partnered college students with homeless activists to rally for better treatment of the homeless in Rhode Island. As part of the Talent Quest program at her university, she lobbied for admissions equity. She is currently focused on equity for women in science. She got her start here with Ms. Woods-Murphy!

(Here are Adam Walpert & Brenda Rubenstein)



Maya Gunaseharan is a rising junior at Cornell University, in the School of Industrial Labor Relations. She was active in social justice work during her years at Dwight-Englewood and has continued such work since she's been in college. Throughout high school she participated in TTAR and other similar conferences, in an effort to educate herself and others about the prevalence of diversity issues surrounding the youth of America. She is truly pleased to be here today, and wholeheartedly believes that through heart-to-heart dialogues, like the ones we hear at TTAR, change can and will happen.


Music from the Englewood Idols - "We are the world!" transitioned us beautifully to the next part of our conference. Here are the Idols pictured with their teacher, Judy Aronson!


Here the Idols are involving the audience in the song!




We then moved into break-out groups led by students from our participating schools. The point of the break outs was to talk about identities and how they have helped, challenged or enhanced our lives.

After a couple of hours of discussion/lunch, students came back and shared their reflections. One girl said that she had given her hair clip to a new friend and that she hoped that this new friend would keep a part of her forever. She said, "This was a life-changing day. Now that I have shared my stories, I know someone else is listening besides my journal."

One by one, students stood up and shared their testimonies of the day, their reflections and thoughts. They told what hurts, what uplifts them and how they can really be the change they want to see.


We closed the conference the way we always do at TTAR: We all sing "Lean on me" as we dance and sing together.

Lean on me
When you're not strong
I'll help you carry on!

Congratulations to all student leaders, to the teachers and counselors and administrators who made it possible for the students to participate and to all of the planning committee.

Rev. Carlton Eliott Smith, Central Unitarian Church, Mrs. Theadora Lacey,
Billy Bowie, Joanna Petritsis, Melynda Bowie, Ilene Gilbert, Kay Blair, Luis Merlo, Sally Gellert, Joan Whelan (webmaster www.teens-talk-about-racism.org), Joe Murphy, Joe Murphy III, Judy Aronson, Marsha Gundy, Lule Seltzer, Carlos Gonzalez, Iris Koonin, Mark Johnson, Shailja Rastogi, Cover Illustration: Rachel Lesser, Dolores Stasion – Global Learning, FDU

Special thanks to the Social Justice Committee of the Central Unitarian Church, in Paramus, who shopped for, donated and served all of the food at today's conference! We appreciate this focus on youth leadership and justice making! Students ate a nice breakfast and lunch due to these continued efforts!

Thank you to all who gave their time and energy to make the 10th year of TTAR a wonderful success!

(All photographs courtesy of the Office of Global Learning!)

NJTOY in Washington DC

It's not fair!

Photo from NJEA.org



I'm still thinking about the rally in Trenton yesterday. So many people gathered to speak their stories - stories that matter. Who is going to educate the children when we fire the teachers? Who will be there to clean the schools and make them a fit place for our young when we lay off the custodians? Who will cook the food, serve it and notice when a child isn't eating when we collectively pink slip the cafeteria workers?

Schools aren't just about jobs, they are about relationships. Relationships form over time, with trust - when people feel safe and connected. I'm really worried about what is going to happen all around the state in September. Shouldn't we be preparing our students to continue to be some of the best performing kids in the nation? Wouldn't it make more sense to be professionally developing our teachers to meet the needs of the 21st Century? What are we doing?


NJ.com had a twitter feed of many users reporting on the rally in Trenton on May 22nd. Here's what someone reported about my participation:

1:50 p.m.: Speaker Mary Ann Woods-Murphy of Teaneck had a question for the crowd.

"Do I look like the problem?" The crowd roared back "No!" at the 2009-2010 New Jersey Teacher of the Year.

Woods-Murphy, who teaches Spanish at Northern Highlands replied: "I think that I look pretty innocent."

She said the Teaneck school district is laying off custodial and other staff. "No es justo, no es justo," she chanted in Spanish. "This is not right."

I am sickened by the tone leveled against teachers and public employees.

I am the granddaughter of Irish immigrants. My grandfathers struggled for the rights of wire lathers in New York City at the turn of the last century. My father was the shop steward at the Hotel Commodore in what is now Grand Central Station. My great uncle, Hugh Halligan, was the Deputy Fire Commissioner of New York City, under Mayor LaGuardia. Hughie also invented the "Halligan tool or bar" which is used to break into burning homes.

I come from working people who stood up and were counted. Because of their work, I have a college education and the right to be heard. I stand on the shoulders of previous generations. Every single thing I know is a gift from someone. Even the time I have spent alone reading and thinking is on the backs of someone who has entrusted me to do the best job that I am humanly capable of.

This urge to contribute, to work and share talents with others is the mentality of our public workers. It might be the toll collector who smiles yet one more time as a car drives through or the hospital worker who offers a word of encouragement to a elderly patient. We all contribute in different ways, but together, we make a difference. Together, what we do matters a whole lot.

35,000 voices unite in Trenton today!

Christy Kanaby & Maryann Woods-Murphy, May 22nd, Trenton, N.J.


Today, it was my honor to speak for educators at a massive rally in Trenton! The NJEA and all unions in our state united to stand firm against the government cuts to all service areas. Stories of jobs slashed, classrooms bulging and programs dissolved were heart wrenching. Barbara Keshishian, the NJEA president, was inspirational!

The voice of justice was lifted! The cuts to education and services in our state are tragic for so many and solutions that would help fix the problems are overlooked!

Today was a much needed day of joy and optimism. New Jersey is the people who make it work. We are the transportation, the teachers, the communication workers, the firemen, the police. We are all the people who serve and do an honest day's work to help others and contribute to our state's greatness.

Our education system is the best in the nation. Our teachers are devoted. Our professionalism is enviable. Today, our state workers united and spoke with one voice.

Together, we will narrate the story of New Jersey. With one voice, we will prevail even in these difficult times! The tide is changing and the people will control New Jersey's destiny!