John Malkovich and Dustin Hoffman in Death of a Salesman, a play about the hopes and disappointments of the American Dream.

Dear CNMT Community,

Progress is sometimes considered a very American idea. That we can improve ourselves and the world around us is a deeply rooted belief that most of us share. It is this belief that is the basis in the American Dream, which has been both celebrated and ridiculed by some of our greatest thinkers, from Martin Luther King, Jr. to Barack Obama, from Arthur Miller to Green Day.

I happen to fall on both sides of this debate, but more often on the side of the optimists, those who believe that things can and will get better, that despite oppression, injustice and greed, the power of those who believe in a better world is stronger.

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Students using a tool they built in Mr. Ohn-Bar's Geometry B class, a hypsometer, to measure the angle of elevation to the roof of the R building and the tangent ratio.

Dear CNMT Community,

I want to start this week’s update by thanking all of the teachers and staff of CNMT who helped with the Small Schools Fair. As I walked around on Thursday afternoon, it was great to see all the Roosevelt community come out to show their best face. I also want to thank the students who volunteered, and also Adriana Ibarra from PLAS and Dr. Freire, both of whom spent considerable time handling the logistics of the event to make sure it went smoothly.

In the Auditorium, each school had presenters who showed a video and spoke about their school, and in the Student Cafeteria, each school had an interactive booth. I heard some feedback afterward from some teachers who felt uncomfortable with the tone of some of the presentations, and I actually agree with them. Continue reading →