Hall Pass Break

Dr. Brian Jones is a former New York City teacher and Associate Director of Education at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. His new book Black History is For Everyone is another resource displaying the importance of black… Continue Reading → The post EPISODE THIRTY- EIGHT: DR. BRIAN JONES LATEST BOOK BLACK HISTORY IS FOR EVERYONE first appeared on Hall Pass Break .

​​If there is a sport men like to trash talk and brag about it is football. To avoid the many injuries tackle football brings, flag football is a better option. And they would love all women to take part in… Continue Reading → The post EPISODE THIRTY-SEVEN: THE MEN OF VOLO’S FLAG FOOTBALL REC LEAGUE WANT YOU TO KNOW “HUMANS OF ALL AGES ARE WELCOME” first appeared on Hall Pass Break .

​Flag Football is a global sport played by all genders. For grown women, it might not be their first choice when it comes to getting a workout and socializing. Have no fear! The ladies of Volo’s adult recreational flag football… Continue Reading → The post SEASON SIX PREMIERE: THE WOMEN OF VOLO’S FLAG FOOTBALL REC LEAGUE first appeared on Hall Pass Break .

Pets are adorable creatures who require love, patience, and understanding.  How does a New York City Public School guidance counselor find the time to run a pet business taking care of our furry friends while working with students? This may… Continue Reading → The post EPISODE THIRTY-FIVE: THE NYC GUIDANCE COUNSELOR HELPING STUDENTS BY DAY AND PETS ALL YEAR LONG first appeared on Hall...

Preschool in certain communities is the start of a great foundation to academic excellence.  At least it is supposed to be. Dr. Casey Stockstill’s book False Starts: The Segregated Lives of Preschoolers shows how the inequities in education at an… Continue Reading → The post EPISODE THIRTY-FOUR: HOW PRESCHOOL CLASSROOMS CREATE SEGREGATED EDUCATIONAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS first appeared...

Teachers face an insurmountable amount of challenges on a daily basis. For educators of color it is worse due to racism and sexism.  Founder of BlackFemaleProject, Precious Stroud and Director of Programs, Dr. E’ rika Chambers not only research and… Continue Reading → The post SEASON FIVE PREMIERE: BLACKFEMALEPROJECT CREATING A CULTURE OF CARE first appeared on Hall Pass Break .

Educators may wonder how they can impact students beyond the classroom. Former educator and principal Liz Dozier is the Founder and CEO of Chicago Beyond. Their work is dedicated to partnering with other organizations and community leaders to help young… Continue Reading → The post EPISODE THIRTY-TWO: FORMER EDUCATOR AND CEO OF CHICAGO BEYOND LIZ DOZIER first appeared on Hall Pass Brea...

Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama has notable figures such as founder Booker T. Washington, the Tuskegee Airmen, scientist George Washington Carver, and famed photographer Chester Higgins Jr. There is also the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment.  What is not well-known is… Continue Reading → The post EPISODE THIRTY-ONE: DR. BRIAN JONES BOOK ABOUT THE TUSKEGEE STUDENT UPRISING...

Can you tell your story in 6 words? Larry Smith knows you can.  The founder of the widely popular 6 word memoir series wrote his 10th book A Terrible, Horrible, No Good Year: Hundreds of Stories on the Pandemic by… Continue Reading → The post EPISODE THIRTY: PANDEMIC ONLINE LEARNING IN 6 WORDS: LARRY SMITH’S 6-WORD MEMOIR BOOK WITH TEACHERS, PARENTS, & STUDENTS first appeared on Hall P...

Hockey, while not known for its diversity with NHL players and its audience, is a widely popular sport. On June 2nd 2021, Dr. Damion Thomas, the curator of sports at the National Museum of African-American History and Culture, opened an… Continue Reading → The post EPISODE TWENTY-NINE: A TRIP TO NMAAHC FOR THE BLACK HOCKEY EXHIBIT first appeared on Hall Pass Break .

After decades of fighting with the state of New York, The Alliance for Quality Education was able to secure $4 billion for public education. It was time to celebrate at the Education Block Party! Maria Bautista, the former campaign manager… Continue Reading → The post EPISODE TWENTY-EIGHT: THE ALLIANCE FOR QUALITY EDUCATION 2021 BLOCK PARTY first appeared on Hall Pass Break .

In the final episode from the City and State of New York 2022 Education Summit, Michael Mulgrew, President of the United Federation of Teachers, moderates a panel including State Senator John C. Liu on the problems in NY public schools.… Continue Reading → The post EPISODE TWENTY-SEVEN: ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN A POST-PANDEMIC SOCIETY first appeared on Hall Pass Break...

This is part two of the City and State of New York 2022 Education Summit.  This time city and state leaders along with various organizations working with public schools weigh in on teacher retention, parental concerns, and student learning from… Continue Reading → The post EPISODE TWENTY-SIX: POST-PANDEMIC PUBLIC EDUCATION PLANS FOR THE CITY AND STATE OF NEW YORK first appeared on Hall...

Summer is coming to a close for NYC Public School educators, but David C. Banks, the Chancellor of NYC Public Schools, has a plan for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year.  Some of which include an expansion of partnerships with businesses… Continue Reading → The post EPISODE TWENTY-FIVE: CHANCELLOR DAVID C. BANKS POST-PANDEMIC PLAN FOR NYC PUBLIC SCHOOLS first appeared on Hall Pass Brea...

Just like summer, season four of HallPassBreak is back in full swing! Jordan Peele’s latest horror film “Nope” may make you question if it is safe to look at the sky.  Have no fear! Two Astrophysicists, Dr. Ramon Lopez and… Continue Reading → The post SEASON FOUR PREMIERE: ASTROPHYSICISTS CHANGING SPACE AND EARTH ONE CLASSROOM AT A TIME first appeared on Hall Pass Break .

Happy New Year! As we reflect on all that has happened in education so far, we look back to August 2021 when schools across the nation were opening before NYC schools did in September.  Just as the school year began,… Continue Reading → The post EPISODE TWENTY-THREE: PANDEMIC STYLE REOPENING OF SOUTH CAROLINA PUBLIC SCHOOLS first appeared on Hall Pass Break .

Many school districts around the country were reopening before NYC Public schools did in September 2021. Mask and vaccine mandates along with Covid-19 outbreaks in the surrounding communities caused many schools to temporarily go remote.  Despite these challenges, one school… Continue Reading → The post EPISODE TWENTY-THREE: PANDEMIC STYLE REOPENING OF SOUTH CAROLINA PUBLIC SCHOOLS fir...

NYC teachers completed a year of teaching unlike any other. This is the second part of my conversation with teachers who discussed their fears of reopening schools during the pandemic. Now, with a whole year of teaching completed during the… Continue Reading → The post EPISODE TWENTY-TWO: THE NEW THUNDERDOME-TEACHING IN NYC PUBLIC SCHOOLS DURING A PANDEMIC first appeared on Hall Pass B...

The Homecoming NYC concert series was a gift to vaccinated NYers to celebrate Hip-Hop across the five boroughs ending with a massive concert with all-star musicians on the Great Lawn in Central Park.  In this episode, concertgoers who include, students… Continue Reading → The post SEASON THREE PREMIERE: THE RETURN OF NYC THROUGH HIP-HOP CONCERTS first appeared on Hall Pass Break .

At the end of August, Brooklyn’s Commodore Barry Park becomes a space of black joy. AfroPunk, a 2-day festival, celebrates artists from every genre of music. Besides recognizing the diversity in black culture, it offers so much more. In this… Continue Reading → The post EPISODE TWENTY: AFROPUNK ‘NUFF SAID first appeared on Hall Pass Break .

The second episode about Dr. Christopher Emdin, a professor at Teachers College at Columbia University and author of For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood…and the rest of Ya’ll too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education. He wants teachers to… Continue Reading → The post EPISODE NINETEEN: AUTHENTIC STORYTELLING WITH THE HIP-HOP EDUCATOR first appeared on Hall Pass Break .

There are so many book clubs to join, but as an educator it may be hard to find the time and space to do so.  This was not the case for the elementary school teachers at PS 536 in the… Continue Reading → The post EPISODE EIGHTEEN: A BOOK CLUB FOR THE HIP-HOP EDUCATOR WITHIN US ALL first appeared on Hall Pass Break .

We have heard from politicians, the mayor of NYC, the Chancellor, the Union, scientists, doctors, parents and every specialist talk about the case for reopening the largest school system in the country, New York City Public Schools. What do teachers… Continue Reading → The post EPISODE SEVENTEEN: TO REOPEN OR NOT REOPEN SCHOOL BUILDINGS? NYC PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS EXPLAIN first appeare...

America spent a week paying tribute to Civil Rights Activist and Congressman John Lewis. Before he was laid to rest, I took a trip to our Nation’s Capital,  Washington D.C., to pay my respects and capture voices from around the… Continue Reading → The post EPISODE SIXTEEN: A FINAL FAREWELL TO AN AMERICAN HERO-CONGRESSMAN JOHN LEWIS first appeared on Hall Pass Break .

The Final Part of the American Federation of Teachers 2019 TEACH Conference.  This episode highlights the importance of teachers learning to integrate news literacy into their curriculum, how to be culturally aware of our ENL students, and becoming inspired by… Continue Reading → The post EPISODE FIFTEEN: THE AFT TEACH CONFERENCE-GIVING TEACHERS A NATIONAL VOICE first appeared on Hall...