What's in a Name: Vol. III, Issue 3 (February 2016)

TC PUBLIC SPACECommunity through dialogue,discussion, and dissent.

Volume III, Issue 3 Wednesday, February 24, 2016

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WHAT'S IN A NAME?Allison Victoria Milby

My name means “truth.” Or at least, I always thought it did. When I was six or so, my mom gave me a littlelaminated card in my Christmas stocking that described the heritage of my name and its meaning. I was really proud ofthat name; as a kid, I thought my parents had some divine moment of inspiration when they first laid eyes on me, andknew that I must be a truth-seeker and -speaker.

The card was mistaken; in reality, Allison means “noble” and my middle name, Victoria, means “victory.” I musthave found out early on that the latter was an English queen’s name, because having that name tucked between my firstand last always made me feel like I was harboring a hidden birthright. Which I was.

My name speaks of natural advantage in every sense. It means “noble victory,” for one. It is White, European, andProtestant, for another. No one has ever told me that it is weird, exotic, or hard to pronounce. I am never asked about itsmeaning, or called something else because it is hard to remember. No one asks me who I am, where I am from, or whatI am doing here. My name was passed down over generations of English ancestry to ease my journey down whateverpath that I chose.

I come from a working-class family and I have certainly faced obstacles to getting where I am. For six years, Iworked at a Dunkin’ Donuts in a wealthy, primarily White town, the only White girl among a team of first- and second-generation immigrants of color. My family was less socioeconomically advantaged than some of the people that Iworked with, but the way that we were treated by customers was worlds apart.

My co-workers were well-educated, well-respected, and well-to-do in their home countries. They were beautiful,intelligent, hilarious, and generous individuals who treated me like a daughter. But I cannot count the number of timesthat people leaned over the counter to whisper their relief that I was White and spoke English fluently. Lacking anappreciation of my friends’ feelings and rich histories, these folks resented sharing the same space, and blindly accepteda non-White legacy of hard work and sacrifice.

It did not take much for me to seem like I belonged to the same social stratosphere as those whose coffee I brewed,and few doubted that I was headed for something more. Society is structured to preserve, and prioritize, the success ofsomeone who looks like me. I do not have to try too hard to fit in, and my name is a stamp of the privilege that has beenpassed down to me.

It is an ongoing journey to understand and accept the personal challenges that I have faced, and the privilege that hashelped me to overcome them. My name may mean “noble victory,” but a noble victory implies that everyone has a fairshot at winning—in lots of important ways, the deck has been stacked in my favor.

I prefer to believe that my name instead means “truth wins;” understanding the truth of people’s stories is a bridge tounderstanding the flaws in our society, and the depth of creativity and strength that exists inside of people. Andunderstanding yields passion for change. By recognizing our own ignorance, and questioning our assumptions aboutothers, we take the first steps to bringing about real change. Through daring to understand what repulses or confuses us,we overturn the fear of what is different, a fear that has allowed some lives to systematically be considered less valuablethan others. That is the beginning of a real noble victory.

"CAN SOMEONEPLEASE STARTA REVOLUTION?"

Kayum Ahmed

As my flight from South Africalanded in New York, I thought aboutthe advice offered by several Americanfriends: Do not make eye contact withanyone on the subway. Making eyecontact, I was told, could invite theunwelcome attention of a fellowpassenger, or worse yet, your fellowpassenger would assume there wassomething wrong with you.

In a city of 8 million individualspushing past each other in a dailystruggle for survival, avoiding eyecontact appears to be a manifestationof that struggle. Disconnecting fromthose around you offers an ephemeralopportunity for solace. As a student,the struggle for survival can beincredibly hard since many of us liveoff scholarships and loans, and two orthree jobs. While most New Yorkersstruggle with the high cost of living,the cost of higher education is a burdenthat seems particularly unjust.

This increasing burden is shared bystudents across the world. SouthAfrican students recently protestedagainst the cost of higher education aspart of the #FeesMustFall Campaign*—a campaign centered on thereduction of university fees and tuitionat public higher education institutionsacross the country. Many universitieswanted to increase tuition by up to 15percent, but as a consequence of thecampaign, a deal was struck withvarious stakeholders, including thegovernment, to ensure a zero percentincrease. Despite its challenges, the#FeesMustFall Campaign wasrecognized as a revolutionary momentin the 22-year history of South Africa’syoung democracy.

Acknowledging the contextualdifferences between South Africa andthe United States, why has a revolutionfocused on college tuition failed togain sufficient momentum here?

My Ph.D. program in internationaland comparative education at TeachersCollege, Columbia University, charges$4,350 for one course. The averagecost of a course at the University ofCape Town, ranked as the number oneuniversity on the African continent, isapproximately $440. While Iacknowledge the (perceived)differences between a private IvyLeague school and a public Africanuniversity...

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ENTITLED ANDENSNARED:

LESSONS FROM THEDARK SIDE

Seth McCall

[Spoiler alert] Kylo Ren’s synthetic,menacing voice promised the burntremains of Darth Vader’s mask, “Nothingwill stand in our way. I will finish whatyou started.”

In the name of his grandfather, KyloRen symbolically assumed the mantle ofDarth Vader. Names are symbolicplaceholders for types of objects. Typesrepresent convention, and the clarity ofconvention makes form possible. If anobject fits into form, it experiences flow,and challenges disappear. Flow is asimplified and constrained experience, inwhich doubt is displaced by habit (Kohn,2013; Peirce, 1998). Symbolism gets a badreputation, but symbols are importantbecause symbols reflect human thought,especially the tendency to simplify, toavoid doubt. In the case of Star Wars,symbolic thinking is integral to informingthe development of the characters, DarthVader and Kylo Ren.

In the following, I will use Star Wars todemonstrate how names represent types...

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#FEESMUSTFALLAND THE COST OF

U.S. COLLEGE TUITION

Beatriz Albuquerque, TCPS"Everybody Name"

TC PUBLIC SPACE tcpublicspace.wordpress.com

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...again, why has a revolution centered on college tuition not gained enough tractionhere in the United States?

Initiatives such as the #MillionStudentMarch** attempted to raise awarenessabout the cost of education, advocating for free tuition at public colleges anduniversities, cancellation of all student loan debt, and a $15 per hour minimumwage for campus employees. The link between student and worker rights has alsofeatured prominently in the #FeesMustFall campaign, signaling a solidaritybetween the working class and those of us privileged enough to access highereducation.

Despite the fact that the cost of higher education in the United States hasconsistently increased above inflation, resulting in significant disparities betweenhousehold income and college tuition, the #MillionStudentMarch has not yetyielded the results achieved by the #FeesMustFall Campaign.

One of the biggest questions in both campaigns is: “Who will pick up the tab forcollege tuition?” In South Africa, the government took primary responsibility fordefraying the zero percent increase in tuition, and worked alongside universityadministrators to come up with solutions. Recognizing the political threat thatstudents posed in the short-term, and the economic instability that student debtwould create in the medium- to long-term, the South African government actedfairly quickly.

In the United States, Democratic presidential hopeful, Bernie Sanders, has tableda bill that will eliminate tuition costs at all four-year public colleges anduniversities. Sanders argues that the Federal Government should be able to cover 67percent of the cost with the balance paid for by States, and that the $70 billionrequired for this initiative could be generated by imposing a tax on Wall Streetspeculators.

While Sanders offers what appears to be a credible plan to fund college tuition,the idea is unlikely to succeed unless the government and college administratorsfeel politically pressured to act. Sustained political pressure in the #FeesMustFallCampaign is what resulted in the zero percent increase in tuition. Universityadministrators and the government did not act out of the goodness of their hearts.They were forced into submission.

In the United States, greater political pressure is required. But this pressure canonly be developed if students themselves believe they have a right to education.Unfortunately, higher education in the United States is treated like a commodity, aluxury that can only be accessed if you can afford it. In fact however, education is aright built into every state constitution, and it should be treated like the right to freespeech or the right to vote. One could even argue that without education, your rightto free speech and your right to vote would be meaningless.

In order to shift the debate about access to education from one centered oneconomics to a discourse entrenched in human rights, I have been forced to rethinkthe advice I received about avoiding eye contact on the subway. My survival in thisplace is intrinsically connected to the survival of others. And so, I have consciouslydecided to make eye contact.

On the subway, I watch construction workers, nurses, and exhausted New Yorkcommuters travel from home to work and back. I watch students lugging grocerybags and bobbing their heads to the music spilling out of their earphones. I observeteachers marking papers (while standing), and homeless folks surrounded by alltheir possessions.

And I wonder, which one of them will start the revolution.

Have a conversation you would like to start? Want to respond toan article in this issue? TCPS is open to a variety of written andvisual submissions. Email us at [email protected].

RISING TO ONE'S OWN NAMEDrew X Coles

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PLEASE START A REVOLUTIONCOMMUNITY POSTINGS

Paper Tigers Film ScreeningHosted by Future Child Advocates of TC (FCA-TC)

Thursday, February 25, at 5 p.m., in Thompson Hall 177

What is a name but a title—an implicit series of guidelines and looserestrictions by which we must abide? Our given and family names stimulatereactions from readers or listeners, as if we are telling a short story about ourhistory and where we come from. Even if the information is quite vague,assumptions start wildly being tossed about. I would argue that the same is true ofthe titles we take, and names we take upon ourselves through service, profession,hobby, religion, ritual, or otherwise. In no particular order, I am a(n): doctoralstudent, student senator, husband, foodie, brother, entrepreneur, black man, athlete,researcher, party-goer, American, musician, educator and intellectual. Each one ofthese takes up a separate part of my identity each day. The areas can overlap, but Ionly have so much of my time and identity to give to any of these. So I must besplit, or better yet, shared.

An area in which I am currently engaged in research is professional timemanagement among musicians and music educators. The first question that I oftenask in interviews references how the interviewee identifies him or herself in theworld of music. Of course, the responses are always varied in a number of ways.Though the identities are varied, the responses are constant...

*http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/27/africa/fees-must-fall-student-protest-south-africa-explainer/**http://studentmarch.org

Paper Tigers is an intimate look into the lives of selected students atLincoln High School, an alternative school that specializes in educatingtraumatized youth. Set amidst the rural community of Walla Walla,Washington, the film intimately examines the inspiring promise of TraumaInformed Communities — a movement that is showing great promise inhealing youth struggling with the dark legacy of Adverse ChildhoodExperiences (ACES). There will also be discussion throughout the filmscreening. For more information, email [email protected].

Happy Hour/Benefit Event at Mel's Burger BarHosted by FCA-TC

Friday, February 26, 7-9 p.m., at 2850 BroadwayFCA-TC will be hosting a happy hour and benefit event at Mel’s BurgerBar, located on the east side of Broadway, in between 110th and 111thstreets. The purpose of this event is to promote Child Abuse Awarenessand Prevention. Mel’s will be offering a special FCA blue drink. Whenyou buy the FCA blue drink, you will receive a raffle ticket for a chance towin our gift baskets! The raffle drawing will occur at the end of the event.A portion of the drinks sold will be donated to the Manhattan ChildAdvocacy Center (MCAC). Please come out and join us for a great cause!Non-alcoholic blue drinks will also be available. For more information,email [email protected].

Our Schools Film ScreeningHosted by the Peace Education Network

Wednesday, March 30, at 6 p.m., location TBAThe Peace Education Network is showing Our Schools, a documentaryfollowing three Roma children in a rural village during the integrationprocess of the ethnically segregated Romanian schools. The film toucheson issues ranging from institutionalized racism, to public education, andthe intractability of poverty. Discussion to follow. For more information,contact Emily Jensen, at [email protected].

Part of an official student organization at TC? Want to see your eventsadvertised here? Email a short event description (max. 150 words) [email protected].

"John Dewey"Alaina Hammond


LESSONS FROM THE DARK SIDEcontinued from page 1

...how the convention of types contribute to generalized forms, how formunlocks flow, and how flow can entitle and ensnare individuals. I willconclude with a discussion of naming and how it can simplify andconstrain the task of teaching.

First, doubt makes us uncomfortable. For example, in Attack of theClones, Anakin Skywalker is tormented by visions of his mothersuffering. Although the film portrays these visions as his unique Jediability to sense disturbances in “ the Force,” this tendency for doubt is alltoo human. In response to his visions, he abandons his duty to protect thefuture mother of his children to try to rescue his mother. While doubt maycause pain and suffering, it did stimulate a response. However, escapingdoubt did not necessarily result in the best response. Again, Anakin is aperfect example, as he recklessly silenced doubt, but risked his wife’ssafety.

In another case of Anakin’s painful doubt, his response is—hindsight20/20—unfortunate. Stricken by images of his beloved Padmé Amidaladying in childbirth, Anakin was “ seduced” by the dark side whenPalpatine claimed an ability to save Padmé. Again, Anakin is all toohuman. He takes up this belief to protect himself from the tormentingdoubts. Beliefs offer protection from doubt. With the belief in Palpatine’sabilities, Anakin is sheltered from the doubts and finds himself inopposition to the Jedi. Having settled upon a belief that protected himfrom doubt, he commenced to use habits to control his future self.

Habits make life easier by granting us control over our future self. Forexample, Anakin’s habit of binary thinking leads to some drastic,sweeping decisions—for example, “ If you’re not with me, then you’re myenemy!” Also, his habit of rescuing loved ones to extinguish doubtactually made him an easily used tool. In addition to the habits weconstruct, habits are also in our environment. Vader proved adept atplugging into the environmental habits around him. Vader understood howto fit into the Dark Side: by wearing lots of black, showing brute force,and switching light saber colors. As a result, the Emperor did not doubtDarth Vader’s allegiance.

Turning to The Force Awakens, Kylo Ren demonstrates the power ofthe form, which is a product of types. As previously introduced, typesrepresent generalized concepts and conventions. For example, Kylo Renwas relentless in proving that he was the same type as his grandfather. Headopted a similar suit, voice, saber, skill, and demeanor, and his actionswere all intended to fit the type of Darth Vader. In fact, he even promisedVader’s destroyed mask, “ Show me again the power of the darkness, andI’ll let nothing stand in our way [...] I will finish what you started.”

Kylo attempted to assure himself and others that he was in form andfitting into the Vader-type, which led to violence. Form is powerful andsimplifies decisions. Kylo understood the type, so his decisions weresimplified to, “What would Vader do?” Thus, when he approached hisfather on a bridge, Kylo’s choices were simplified.

While form simplifies decision-making, it also constrains choices. ForKylo, it almost seemed impossible for him to relinquish his light saber onthat bridge. Form plugs into flow; thus, Kylo was merely fitting into a roleonce performed by his grandfather. Kylo did not need to create andinstitutionalize a new role; he just needed to become a Vader-type, andconvince others that he that he fit the form of Vader. In this way, namesare significant because of the power of flow. Kylo took up the name ofVader, and in the name of Vader his existence flowed, albeit constrainedand simplified. Fitting into the name entitled him to flow and confinedhim within form.

Similar to the experiences of Kylo and Vader, teachers experience thecomplications of names and the power of flow. Much like Anakin,teachers are prone to doubt, which drives them to work even more hours.Teachers, like Anakin, construct beliefs that shield them from doubt. Justlike Vader, teachers construct habits to control themselves in the futureand plug into the habits of schools and students. Every teacher attempts todemonstrate his or her fitness to a type, as did Kylo Ren. In the name ofthe teachers that came before them, teachers assure themselves and othersthat they fit into the favorable form. Teachers, just like Kylo, are entitledand ensnared in the flow made possible by the name, Teacher

On the bright side, however, even though Kylo Ren appearedhopelessly ensnared in the flow of form at the conclusion of ForceAwakens, Vader’s story offered a hopeful alternative. Specifically,Vader’s decision at the end of Return of the Jedi demonstrated the spacefor play within the structure of form. Likewise, teachers can find space forplay within the formal structure of school.

RENAMINGJaliz Albinese

In early January, I returned to the middle school I taught at for two years toreconnect with many of my former students. As I walked through the halls Iobserved the newly decorated walls and murals adorned with Xhosa and Zuluwords painted in an effort to connect the school to its African cultural roots. Thecolors were bright and cheery, and seemed to reflect the natural light entering thebreezeway. An idyllic scene constructed to capture one’s gaze just long enough todivert attention from the real issues at hand.

This past summer, the middle school was renamed after a recently deceased,highly regarded community activist in the Liberty City area of Miami, Florida. TheMiami Herald covered the event favorably, quoting a school board member whoremarked that the dedication ceremony of the school signified that the Liberty Citycommunity had come “full circle” in terms of its historical narrative. The renamingof the school after a noted Black activist intended to reclaim a space that had beenviolently wrestled from the Black community almost 100 years prior to build anall-white school, a reparation-type gesture meant to bring a history of social andpolitical disenfranchisement to a tidy close.

For all intents and purposes, the renaming and dedication ceremony was apublic relations success. The Superintendent of Miami-Dade County PublicSchools was in attendance, a former state-representative, and a school boardmember whose family had been impacted by the residential displacement of theBlack community during the construction of the school in 1947. Press coverage ofthe event contextualized the school as a picturesque space, worthy of holding thename of the activist for whom it now honored. Articles mentioned nothing of theschool’s abysmal teacher retention rates or of the school’s third principal in fiveyears. These articles also failed to mention that approximately 85 percent ofstudents in the school did not demonstrate proficiency in reading or mathfollowing the 2013-14 academic year, or that the median income of families in the“Pork ‘n Beans” projects, where a majority of students live, was $6,000 in 2013.Highlighting the school’s truth would have shown the renaming and dedicationceremony for what it was—a meaningless act, falling far short of its claim of“poetic justice.”

In our cultural understanding, names carry a significant amount of weight. Theyconnect us to our histories and our cultures; they help us define a particular spaceas our own, and occasionally, they allow us to assert our identities in anenvironment that has historically subjugated us. The process of naming itself isindicative of who maintains power in a particular community. But can the namingprocess really work in this emancipatory manner, when the space being reclaimedhas few resources to provide its community members, and the public perception ofthis community is as a racialized, poverty stricken, violent place?

What difference does it make that the school was renamed when the needs ofstudents and parents served by the school are not considered in administrativedecision-making? Does the process of renaming reclaim the school as a safe,enfranchising space for the Black and Latina/o community and its students inLiberty City? Or is the dedication perpetuating the same pattern ofdisenfranchisement and displacement the founding of the school did in 1947?What is left for community members to reclaim after a century’s worth of policyhas systematically marginalized them?

GLADSTON VS. PATGladston P. Williamson, TCPS

Growing up, I was ashamed of my middle name. To me, Gladston used tosignify insecurity, isolation, and embarrassment. Now I attend one of the most“prestigious” institutions in the US and I promote that name through the hallwaysas my identifier. The shift did not come overnight, but to me, it represents atransformation bigger than just a name.

Let me give you a little bit of background. I grew up in a predominantly whitecity, attending predominantly white institutions all my life. As I continue on thisjourney of reflection and resurrection, my disdain with my middle name was mostlikely an attempt to bleach my family’s history in order to fit into my society(typical of a young child growing up in the world) and insecurity with not trulyunderstanding how to exist as a black child in America, with a little self-loathingsprinkled on top.

I remember making a game out of it. For years it was a secret that everyoneknew about, but no one knew the answer to. It is ridiculous to look back and realizethat behind my laughter at people trying to guess my middle name, was a rapidlybeating heart full of fear and anxiety.

Going to Boston College was my first opportunity to attend an institution with asomewhat diverse student body. While it was only four percent black, out of 9,000students, this was still more than I ever had growing up, and all I wanted was achance to dive into the culture that I had felt deprived of all my life.

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR:BEYOND TITLES

Sara Hardman, TCPS

My name is Sara, but I also go by colleague, friend,daughter, sister, aunt, and student. We all have different titlesthat we go by in addition to our names. Though I am called“Sara” in all of these roles (except for in my aunt role, where Igo by “Sasa”), I have come to realize that I act differently ineach. As a student, I do not act in the same way that I do as adaughter. As a sister, I do not act the same way that I do as afriend (my brothers willattest this was more so in childhoodthan now). We fulfill these roles in different ways for differentreasons, though a lot of that reason is expectation. We act howwe are expected to act based on past experiences. As students,years of experience have taught us the rules. We enter theclassroom; we sit at a desk facing not our fellow classmatesbut strictly our instructor; we have a notebook and pen; wetranscribe the important parts of the teacher’s lecture. Wemight add something to the class if that space is permitted, butwe might not. Experience has led us to believe that only theteacher has a responsibility to make a class worthwhile. I oncehad a professor in college who gave students a different rolethan we had ever adopted in the classroom before.Traditionally, it is believed that the teacher hastotalresponsibility for the trajectory of the class and for howwell her students learned the material. This undergradprofessor, however, did not allow us to think that. As students,we were equally responsible as the professor for the trajectoryof the class and for how well we learned the material.

Though many of us will become educators in the future,right now we are all students at Teachers College, and wemust ask ourselves what it means to be so.

I would like to think that as students at TC, we have theability to become more than just the expectation of thetraditional student. We have the ability to be more than justnote-takers and paper-writers. We have the ability to careabout more than what grades we receive. As students at TC,we have the ability to take on more responsibility in theclassroom and to use our individual mindsets to help shape aunique and enriching educational experience.

A class is built together. It does not have to come strictlytop-down from the professor. It can simmer in the collectionof individual beings in the classroom and grow not only out ofthe subject material but also out of the unique backgroundexperiences of students and teacher alike.

This is our role as students at TC. It is a not a passive one,but it is one we may adopt by reevaluating what it means to bea student who learns. To go beyond the mundane tasks thatexpectation establishes for us in order to find the true essenceof education.

My name is Sara. I also go by friend, daughter, sister, aunt,colleague, and student at TC.

PHILOSOPHY ISAlaina Hammond

Philosophy is surely notRed wine, cheese, and violinsIt’s also beer, French toast, and fiddles

It isn’t living men in tiesAnd women in modest heelsDiscussing dead men as old friendsTheir laughs and voices echoingAgainst old wood, brick and glassIt's all those things plus blue paintAs I try to depict the concept of lust

It’s a human on a trainConsidering her own exalted egoBalanced with the greater goodWondering to what extent the two matterAs she debates whether to make a phonecallOr let an issue rest:Ethics as practice

It's kissing gorgeous, hairy fleshAccepting that marriage endsBecause of mortalityWhile trying to ignore that fact

It's pain in my throat, that old dull burnOh god I want to speak to my teacher-friendInstead I curse the lack of said godFor my friend is not in heavenAnd therefore can't hear meBut try not to give in, I thinkTo nihilistic despairOr give death excess powerLet’s not make imperfection worse

Philosophy is quantum questions offorgetting:What is the half-life of memory?It’s in fluorescent restaurantsMeetings that break the dawnAs much as it’s in sacred, hallowed hallsWith proscribed, normal hours.

The cup’s not half-full, that’s too littleNo. Rather, the liquid spills overRegardless of the chemicals contained.

RISING TO ONE'S OWNcontinued from page 2

...in that they always include multipleidentities, which in turn have to share andcoexist within the life and time of theinterviewee. My research partner, Josh Baileyof New York Univeristy, and I started thisproject because we felt the same way, andwere driven to find out what the mostsuccessful people in our field are doing tomanage these identities professionally andsuccessfully.

Success in the management of theseidentities can often be a tricky thing tomeasure or assess. How do I know if I ambeing a successful student senator? How is oneto tell my value as a reflection of black maleculture? In those two questions alone, there isincredible space for cognitivedissonance.

Should I be a reflection of our societiesview on a certain culture? Should I spendmore time on my studies? Should I spendmore time in enabling opportunities for otherstudents? Should I spend more time on mycompany? Should I spend more time with mywife?

The last one is easy to answer because sheis just as ambitious as I, and our time togetheris carefully planned. Nonetheless, the answeris still yes. The earlier questions however areleft unanswered, unless we reflect on our ownmotives.

It is almost as if we, much like companies,should have our own personal missionstatements, that hold us to a figurative straight,but not necessarily narrow. Ethically speaking,being in so many figurative places at oncepresents the opportunity for conflicts ofinterest. As a senator, I find myself engaged inwork from which I believe everyone on thiscampus could benefit; students, faculty, andadministrative staff alike. And I use this nameas a badge of honor within these halls. I tookon the role of an elected student representativeso that I could make sure that others crossedthe finish line with me, or at least so that Icould knock some of the obstacles out of theirway as they are running their respective races.Success is no fun if it is attempted to beenjoyed alone.

“What names do you have? Who are the stakeholders in whatever those names make youdo? Who can attest to the validity of each name?” Remember, you have to attest to theaforementioned validity before anyone else can. When you finally do claim or reclaim anidentity, do the stakeholders have the power or the right to say otherwise? What fear, then ofcourse, anger, can be incited and ignited by this prospect! To think, the people around us couldhave a say in how we are perceived, and our identity’s validity is scary. However, it does nothave to be our total reality.

What’s in a label? What’s in a name—an opportunity to ask people to fight with usrespectively for what we believe. In a name is the potential for a legacy to be written, instead ofthe much easier option of an historical account being rendered. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,put it, “The time is always right to do the right thing.” Unfortunately, “right” has always been asubjective concept, for the “answer” of which we must look inward, far inward. Also, we mustbe honest, very honest. We must look to our core, and define our outer layers and be sure oftheir definitions in relation to this core. Because at our core, we will find our name. Admittedly,I am not the type to base my identity on history because half of my historical portrait is absent.I never knew my father, and I have never met the man from whom I have received my lastname. He skipped town upon finding out that my mother was pregnant. In spite of that, I havewonderful grandparents who provided for me and raised me, even though they did not have to.Through all of this, I have come to believe full-heartedly that generally speaking, we are thedeciders of our own fate. We are the deciders of our own names.

I am Drew X Coles: doctoral student, student senator, husband, foodie, brother,entrepreneur, black man, athlete, researcher, party-goer, American, musician, educator andintellectual, among other things. I am Drew X Coles.Musya Herzog

"Post It Faces"


TEACHERS COLLEGE OR GRADUATEAND PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL OF

EDUCATION?Abbas Abbasov

Have a suggestion for next issue's theme? Share your ideas byposting on our Facebook Page or via Twitter @TCPublicSpace.

If you have had this type of conversation at least once in your life,then you must know what I am about to write. We, teachers andeducation professionals, are destined to face the worst judgment of ourtimes—is your job worthy enough to feed you? In response to this question weare forced to find other means of making it look valuable, such asthrough the reputation and prestige of the Columbia brand as in the exampleabove.

Despite being burdened with such an enormous civic mission of educatingthe people, the job of a teacher, unfortunately, comes down to mere calculationof annual finances. This leads me to think: was it the defamed reputation ofbeing a teacher that led to low compensation, or low salaries that made the jobunappealing in the first place? Or maybe there is no dichotomy at all? I havetwo years at TC to figure it out.

But I have already figured out one thing for myself. The next time someoneis going to ask me where I am studying, I am going to exclaim proudly:Teachers College!

What will you say?

FACEBOOK QUESTION:WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Julie Fitz: “A name separates individuals from an array of like objects. Thereare many humans, but I am not just any human. I am Julie. I have a set ofassociations that go along with that name, and the people that I come incontact with in turn associate memories/traits/opinions with that name. Aname designates and allows for distinction.”

Jody Chan: “Naming concepts/feelings/objects gives us a shared languagethrough which we can come closer to knowing someone else's experience. Atthe same time, sometimes it shows us how inadequate a single word is as arepresentation of a whole collection of really complicated feelings...forexample, the word ‘sonder’: In the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, it isdefined as ‘the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vividand complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends,routines, worries and inherited craziness—an epic story that continuesinvisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground, withelaborate passageways to thousands of other lives that you’ll never knowexisted, in which you might appear only once, as an extra sipping coffee in thebackground, as a blur of traffic passing on the highway, as a lighted window atdusk.’”

Shakira Linnea: “The word ‘name’ itself is broad and connotes uniquemeanings and associations in different contexts. The process of naming isutilized in attempt to systematically organize things into categories. Names areloaded and powerful, an identification tool used for objects, people and placesaround us.

Names conjure up emotions, adjectives, personality traits and certainassociations. Some feel strongly attached to their name some may not. Somenames may provide access and opportunities that others may not receive.”

Joe Marinelli: “We name to identify, to differentiate, to organize thestructures of reality. In a name, we seek meaning in relational form thatcorresponds to the world in which we live. In doing so, we act on a desire toshare with others our experience of living in it.”

THE GROUP WITHOUT A NAME:A LETTER TO ALL TC STUDENTS

Matthew Gonzales, TCPS

Over the past two years here at Teachers College, a growing group ofstudents have been having discussions, holding meetings, planning, andorganizing around diversity issues at TC. While the term “diversity” at thispoint, has been somewhat diluted, this group of students has focused directlyon issues of racial and economic diversity at TC.

This work began last winter with the creation of a community discussionabout issues surrounding the Michael Brown shooting, as well as the EricGarner murder. Over the course of the 2015-year, this group continuedorganizing events, engaging in discussions, and planning the next steps. Themost recent step taken by this group was a meeting with the President’sAdvisory Group (PAG) on December 15, to present issues of concern forstudents at TC.

For a quick overview, the three main points of concern addressedCurriculum and Academics, Faculty, and Students and Community. Eachcategory led to more specific discussions within each bucket to brainstormsolutions.

President Fuhrman and the rest of her advisory group were quite impressedwith the presentation, and engaged in a thoughtful discussion about the issuesraised. Many department chairs were quite responsive and talkative during thisdiscussion, but many sat silently. Nonetheless, ears were open, and minds wereopen. However, the work was not done.

The next step is to take this same presentation to the Faculty ExecutiveCommittee, (as of writing, the meeting has not yet occurred) on February 4.The focus on this presentation is to take the issues presented to administratorsof TC, to our departments and faculty to work for some legitimate changes.This group has developed a list of suggestions/action steps that will bepresented to the FEC.

Next steps:

Friend: So where are you going to study?TC student: Teachers CollegeFriend: ??? *clueless expression*TC student: Graduate and Professional School of EducationFriend: Aah *suspicious/smirky look*TC student: It’s actually part of Columbia University.Friend: Oh wow! Columbia is a great school![Excerpt from a conversation with a friend]

What’s in a name?We raised the question on our Facebook page.

Here are some of your responses!

1. Securing meetings with each departmental chair, and all programcoordinators to discuss issues of diversity.2. Obtain each department's Diversity Plan (apparently they exist), andwork with department leaders to integrate student concerns into these plans.3. Have student representation/membership at FEC meetings.4. Establish Student Advisory or Leadership Committee in all departments.5. Designate a faculty member committed to working with this committeeto ensure faculty accountability.6. Consider creative ways to use the Provost Investment Funds to develop across-departmental committee focused on issues surrounding diversity.

These steps/suggestions are designed toprovide students at TC with a clear voicein their departments. Beyond thesemeetings, the most critical aspect ofensuring these Next Steps are taken is you.Students must take an active role inshaping their educational experiences. Asa member of this group, which at thispoint does not have a name, definedleadership or membership, what we need:is you. We need students to attend ourmeetings. We need students to beinformed. We need students to assumeroles of leadership when many of us leave.

If you are a student at TC, and you arenot entirely happy with your educationalexperience, it is time to get involved.While our group of “Concerned Studentsof TC” is not formally named orrecognized on campus, our membership iswide open. We have representatives fromthe Coalition of Latin@ Scholars, theBlack Students Network, Student Senatorsand Students-at-Large. We are attempting to build a coalition of students withcommon goals, and a common vision for TC going forward. We will continuehaving meetings, we will continue meeting with faculty, but until we grow ourgroup into a larger coalition, changes will not happen.

Our next general meeting will be sometime before the end of February.Please keep your eyes peeled. We do not yet have a name, but we are you, weare students, we are Teachers College, and we can all come up with a sweetname together. Much love.

"Hope"Aanchal Modani


GLADSTON VS. PAT

However, I soon found that my attempts to fit in with my black peers resulted inquick rejection. “You must not have grown up in the hood.” “You chill with madwhite people right?” “I was shocked when I first heard you talk.”

A deadheaded lost little puppy, I kept running from person to person anticipating aresponse that embraced and validated my diverse experience as inherently still fallingunder the umbrella of the black experience in America. I remember trying to spitgame at this beautiful black girl in my grade, only to have her respond with, “Whyare you trying with me, I know you only like white girls,” (LITERALLY AS I’MTALKING TO HER!).

As I continued to search for acceptance from others, my status as aCommunications and Sociology double major allowed for me to take classes centeredaround the African diaspora and race relations in america. How powerful it was toattach a name to the experiences that I had been having all my life, such as doubleconsciousness and self-fulfilling narratives. I also began speaking to my parentsabout their lives growing up as children, and more specifically my family's lineage.How amazed I was to find out the history behind the name “Gladston” in my family’snarrative, first passed down by my great-grandfather, then to his son, and therelevance of the name in the broader landscape of Jamaican history.

Through the study of my own history, I began to realize that my disdain camefrom the pursuit of acceptance from others when I had not truly accepted myself. Thevalidation from others will come and go, but my progression is fluid and can onlyflourish with my relentless dedication.

Fast forward to Teachers College, moving to New York gave me the chance to beon my own and reflect even deeper on my experiences. Through this reflection, Iremembered the young boy ashamed of his last name and compared it to the manwalking the halls of Columbia. I remembered the way that I used to shake in fear ofpeople knowing my middle name to now having so much pride for it and what itrepresents. I wanted to scream my middle name through the halls so that no one coulderase my family’s history, the way that I had effectively done growing up. The reasonI go by Gladston today, is because of the pride that I had never felt growing up. Tome, the name “Patrick” represents the suppression of advancement, and confiningmyself into a box of what I think people want me to be. “Gladston” represents myuntainted and continuously developing self-perception, free of bias and outsidevoices.

MULTICULTURAL CONNECTIONS ORRE-READ YOUR BIBLEAND GET TO WORK

Aanchal Modani

When I started grad school here at TC, in one of the most happening cities in theworld, leaving behind one part of the world for another, I was struck by a linesomeone wrote to me: “Stay away from people who are the prisoners of their ownstereotypes.” This line got me thinking. It got me thinking really hard.

At that time I was hardly a month into settling down, getting used to the campuslife, American culture, and my newfound “independence.” I faced challenges fromwithin to understand the purpose of life and to really grasp all the new informationthat I was receiving. I was trying to make sense of everything around me and then thisone line struck me in different ways.

It made me wonder if I really understood the meaning of the statement: Stay awayfrom people who are the prisoners of their own stereotypes. What does it mean to be


SO WHAT DO YOU GO BY?Katherine Cho

In Korean tradition, at least in my family, generations of kidstend to have the same first syllable. It is a complex process weavedwith bargaining and claiming “pretty names” so that your child doesnot have a name closely associated with a former dictator. Each of thesyllables has a meaning, which I do not understand fully—I simplymemorized what mine meant after my mom repeated it too manytimes. Mine means precious treasure, which seems appropriate to myonly-child status < insert hair flick here >.

The process for my American name was just as complex. My daddecided to pick several names of queens in Europe (why Europe? Idon’t know) and then chose one. I like to imagine that he mulled overit until he got Katherine, since I certainly cannot imagine myself asan Ann or Victoria (both great names, by the way). Since then, I havehad many nicknames, ranging from KCho, to Kat, to Katie, to Kathy,to Kit, to Kit Kat, and the list goes on.

Among a Korean-American group I am a part of, we identifyourselves based on generation status: 1.0 means you were born andpredominantly raised in Korea; 2.0 means you are American born andbred. 1.5 can mean a host of things—you immigrated to the U.S. at ayoung age, you culturally identify yourself more to the motherland,etc. We refer to groups like that and make broad sweepinggeneralizations—almost acceptable because it is within our ownethnicity.

Most of the names I call myself, I have directed, dictated, anddictioned—or at least given a nod of approval. But there are a fewthat I often face that have not been that case. “Oriental” is one that Ido not often hear now that I have moved to New York City, wherethis kind of language can start a rumble in the streets. Apart from theexoticization of tens of uniquely distinct cultures in a Pan-AsianPanda Express style consumerism, “oriental” is a word that feels likesalt to the wounds. It brings pain, not just because I remember cryingabout being bullied for my eyes, or because peers intentionallymispronouncing my name, but because I think about the reluctantacceptance of the people before me—who gritted their teeth andpersevered to play the game, trading this classification to pass downopportunities to us. “Oriental” hurts because it reminds me of thegenerations before me who faced the slurs language did not translateand could not defend. “Oriental” hurts because it shoves me into thecorner again, saying that I am nothing but what someone else callsme—that this is as good as it gets for me.

I think about all the names and identities I go by now: student,young professional, (soon to be) TC alum, and the ones that will behanded to me to accept (or refute), as well as the ones that I chooseto step into. What will you go by?

continued on page 7

LOOKING BEYOND

a prisoner of one's own stereotype?How does one know if they havestereotypical attitudes or behaviors?How does one stay away from thiskind of thinking? It triggered all therelated concepts of being stereotypedand indulging in the act ofstereotyping, being hated and the actofhating.Iwastryingto figure out the

reason I was standing here, at inAmerica, and not somewhere else.The statement got me thinking. Itconverged into my existing pursuitto understand my purpose on this onthis land, studying this course, beingfortunate enough to pursue thisjourney. It turned out to be simple:to unlock the chains of deeply rootedconceptions about almosteverything."Her Name Is Silence"

Nicole Avery continued on page 7

Joshua SMWeiner

America is an immigrant nation state. If you are new to NYC, it isworth the trip to visit Ellis Island. For generations, tired, poor huddledmasses passed through the processing center and joined the UnitedStates with changed surnames. Many adopted names from placememories. Names from old country provinces, cities, or favoritelocales. Some carried their occupations to fill in that line. Some tookthe name of a famous American from the newspaper. Those were thesame names African American freedmen adopted or were assigned bytheir former slave owner. There is also a long immigrant tradition onthe west coast. More Americans of Asian descent arrived on themainland of the United States on the West coast then during thesesame processing years at Ellis Island here in my hometown, NewYork City.

There are many Japanese descendants in the state of Hawaii. Mostleft Japan in the 1800s to become plantation workers there. There is atrain system for island workers that dates back several generations. A“sansei” is a person who has lived in Hawaii for three generations.“San” is three in Japanese. Some worked on the Islands, and then tookthe journey to the mainland, settling in California.


LOOKING BEYONDcontinued from page 6

Disclaimer: TC Public Space is an open forumfor the Teachers College community, the contentsof which do not necessarily reflect the opinions ofthe editorial board of TC Public Space.

GREEN—THE FUTURE THAT SHOULD COME FIRSTAbhijit Tagade

I understood one of the most important aspects ofeducation: to shed this skin that society forces usto wear, in fact, the skin that our own mindleisurely adapts without even being aware of it. Itis to simply let go of this skin. This is easier saidthan done, but I guess that is the fun part of suchpursuits.

I hope my journey here teaches me to moveand look beyond different nametags like race,culture, country, and gender, that people carrywith them, and look for the real person in them.To be able to foster the ability in myself torecognize the soul of a person, rather than thevarious tags, would in true sense be the proof thatI was here at Teachers College, ColumbiaUniversity, in the most happening city in theworld. It also means I changed for the better. Aprofessor recently said, “If your education doesn’tchange you, you are not educated.” Change isneeded and change is good. Let us embrace it,peacefully.

When I applied to Teachers College, the words “Where The Future Comes First” got my attention.Pioneer, visionary, idealistic, powerful, leader, comprehensive, progressive, humane, relevant — thesewere qualities I immediately attributed to it. It struck a chord with my passion and values; I chose TCover other offers.

Unlike many disciplines that tackle problems of today, partakers in education anticipate thetomorrow, study the right thing to do and educate a generation of people: to make the world an equitable,humane, just and sustainable place. We are torchbearers of what should be, central to the functioning andtransformation of every society in the world. This is what distinguishes us. This is what we, TeachersCollege, symbolize.

Every generation comes with its problems. Today, we face climate change—a grave threat to the livesof billions across the planet. This is unprecedented. The world is facing animal extinctions, destruction oflivelihoods, increasing poverty and climate-based deaths, and record high temperatures. Time hasbecome precious. TC has to act fast; more so, as leaders in education that determine the future of theworld. Rather than “One death a tragedy, a million deaths a statistic,” let us make every life count.

Symbols are powerful, and they can move the world. But they derive their strength when rhetoricaccompanies action. And preaching is no good without practice.So what would it take to go green? What does it mean to go green?The question is not universally answerable. For we, who make TC, play different roles within and

outside the institution. So let us identify them and see where we get.

There are four actors who can make a huge impactwithin our own community.

TrusteesArea of impact: Wherewithal of TC and highest levelof policy.Symbols for Green TC: Divesting from fossil fuels, andbe the first “Ivy League” associated school to do so.How to do it: Generate political will, determinefinancially prudent alternatives, find diplomatic waysof reinvesting.

AdministratorsArea of impact: All resource consumption,management and day-to-day functioning of TC.Symbols for Green TC: Reducing resource wastage(lights in hallways and rooms, TVs, computers inlibraries, labs and offices), educating us about trashand rubbish, designing nudges and processes to reducewastage, ensuring responsible recycling of our trash,and installing more flora on campus.How to do it: Collaborate with neighbors (engineeringand architecture school), assess usage (spatial andactual), collaborate with psychologists, installactuators, automate systems, research new ideas,gather feedback and information and make it availableto TC community to help find solutions.

FacultyArea of impact: Student thinking and intellectualdiscourse of TC.Symbols for Green TC: Imbibing environmentalresponsibility, mainstreaming courses concerningenvironment.How to do it: Integrate green concepts withincurricular design, set classroom priorities towardsprudent consumption, collaborate with administrationto design processes that create such environment atTC.

StudentsArea of impact: Across TC and the future generations.Symbols for Green TC: Switching off lights,consuming less water, plastic, paper napkins and paperplates, wasting less food, reusing plastic, and being insolidarity.How to do it: Be cognizant about environmentalfootprint, be proactive in setting high bars ofconservation, productively engage with trustees facultyand administrators to locate concerns and findsolutions, and spread the word and educate the world.

For Faculty: Education today wouldremain incomplete without strong convictionin core values of sustainability andenvironmental responsibility. For these valuesto be ingrained as deeply as equal rights andvalue to life, among others, we need them tobe an integral part of the design of our learningexperience including in our curricula andclassroom settings.

Including courses on environmentaleducation, integrating environmental concernsas illustrations, keeping sustainability as anormative goal, and critically engaging indebates on the best ways to secure healthy andsustainable future for all, are some ways tobring awareness and instigate dialogue onenvironmental issues and solutions.

The simple act of using minimal lightsduring day-time in classrooms, switching themoff while leaving, preferring fresh air to airconditioners and switching off computerscreens or putting them to sleep are some smallbut impactful ways to nudge us, to beobservant and parsimonious. Simple acts asthese will get carried over with us outside theclassroom as well, and systematically helpbring a change.

Faculty members are central to what makesTC, and with their experience at the institutionspanning across the vast maze of a building,their inputs in their collaboration with theadministration will be invaluable in identifyingspaces wherein we could intervene, to reducewastage and make TC greener. And being thefirst point of contact for the large student body,they possess the potential to direct the waystudent think, for the better—in this case,about the environment and sustainability.

Students will come and go, but faculty willdeal with generations of them. Their earnedwisdom over decades of learning will beinstrumental in driving this change.

They will invariably remain the pivot inhelping us be better humans.

For Students: As a human first, a studentnext, and then a representative, I find thissection to be most important. Students areproud constituents of what makes TC. But,students collectively are also the highestconsumers of resources at TC. And sincestudents are the future generation itself, greenbegins with us, the students.

continued on page 8

MULTICULTURALCONNECTIONS


In Japanese naming tradition, children’s firstnames sometimes include birth order. “Ichi”means one, and most readers are familiar withmajor league baseball player “Ichiro,” but lessfamiliar with the first name “Junichi.” Girls’names often end with the feminine suffix “ko,”such as “Mitsuko,” “Eiko,” “Mariko,” “Naoko” or“Keiko.” My given Japanese name, from mother,is Mitsuo. In Chinese, this is “guang xiong.” Afriend from Singapore tells me it means, “Yourmum wants you to have a bright future.”

As an undergraduate college student I was adouble major. Mathematics in the college of artsand sciences, and Jewish studies in the college ofhumanities. My father had a bar mitzvah. We dida drive by of the synagogue when I was younger.It has, right out on the front lawn, a bronze star inmemory of the pogroms against Jews in WWII. Idid not have one.

Anyway, one of my favorite college classlectures from Jewish studies was by RabbiMosche “Mickey” Shur, a guest professor fromQueens College Hillel. Rabbi Shur was a followerof Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during theAmerican civil rights movement.

The lecture was about “Sephirot,” commonlyknown as counting. He explained, all too briefly,that for many, many generations Talmudicscholars used numeric symbolism as meditationpractice in reading scripture, to deepen one’smeditations while reading sacred text.

A person assigns the counting numbers (i.e. thenatural numbers “1,2,3…”) as equal to a characterin the bible, and then studies the text with the keyas a reference for the reading. A few examples:One could assign a number to each of the fourmatriarchs. One could scribe the first dozen uponthe twelve sons of Jacob. One can count thegenerations in between the names of lineages ofKings. continued on page 8


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MULTICULTURAL CONNECTIONScontinued from page 7

THE FUTURE THATSHOULD COME FIRST


One of the sephirot name assignment counts isstill etched in my memory. Here was the “biblecode” assignment for reading the Pentateuch:Read the bible with the “code” of numbers as thethree archangels, three patriarchs, Moses, Aaron,Joseph and King David, you can deepen yourunderstanding of the interpersonal relationshipsand symbolism of the ancient texts.

In plain and simple terms, using the digits{1,2,3…} for this esoteric “bible code,” Michael= 1, Gabriel = 2, Raphael = 3, Abraham = 4, Isaac= 5, Jacob = 6, Moses = 7, Aaron = 8, Joseph = 9,David = 10. Use these prescribed values, as thenames themselves resonate with the life journeysof the numbers themselves.

The following paragraphs, for the reader’sentertainment only of course, is a brief whirlwind,a mini-meditation tour of free associations of tenimportant biblical figures.

Michael in hebrew in “Mi-chai-el” meaning“he who is like g-d.” In liturgical music, the song,“Micha mocha” is the direct analog to thisomnipotent angelic protector. I have beenaudience to many cantors of both genders, whoproudly introduce their written variation of thisand other temple songs, embellishing theircontribution to the religion with musical motifs,rhythms and musical bridges inspired by theorders of angels.

Gabriel is translated as “the right hand of g-d.”As christians continue to celebrate the arrival of2,000 years of christian tradition, the newmillennium, it is no coincidence that there is arenewed interest in angelic traditions. Mostchurchgoers are familiar with the story in the newtestament where the angel Gabriel blesses Mary“will give birth to a son” and foreshadows thearrival of “Jesus of Nazareth.”

***********************************Joseph is the number 9. He was the first-born

son of Jacob and Rachel. Cast down by hisbrothers, who believed him to be arrogant andunworthy to inherit the power and privilege oftheir family.

As a direct analog to my other major,mathematics, it is keen to note that, “Casting outnines” was an ancient holy land accountingpractice of using the number 9 to absorb andeliminate all the other numbers, to check largeledgers of summations with high degree ofaccuracy before modern computers. The sum ofthe whole must equal the sum of its parts. Longbefore the destruction of the temple, this activityparallels sibling rivalry with Jacob's sons sellingarrogant Joseph to Ishmaelites. In the house ofPotiphar as servant, he works his way to aposition of authority and respect.

***********************************It is also cool that the ninth candle (shumash) of

the folk holiday Chanukah is dubbed “the servantcandle.” The “people” always want just and fairrulers.

The last figure representing ten is the King ofIsrael himself, David.Re-reading torah scripture with these protagonistsnames as a literary reference code, a person cantheir embellish their religious meditation, whenthe archetypal actors of the count are present inthe passages. The fabric of the parchment isilluminated.

Relationships are brought to life. Reading is fun.This was only one kabbalistic name reading of

the bible. Our professor mentioned many othercounts of keywords, names and concepts, fromnearly any discipline studied at a university. Nomatter how you slice it, a rich tradition of studyand prayer accompanies this religious tome.

The new testament book of Matthew beginswith a tabula rasa that gives a subtle reference toevolution of language. I suppose that all that Ihave written may not have been possible if not forthe controversial historical figure of GeneralJosephus, who wrote volumes on hebrew traditionafter the Romans defeated his forces. As anotheranalogy, in the past few centuries in theemergence of democratic traditions, thousands ofFrench words have been absorbed into the Englishlanguage. This is similar to old testamentlanguage and references in new testament writingsspanning a history in the evolution ofmonotheistic traditions.

Have you read Octavio Paz in Spanish? “TheIdiot” in Russian? “Les Miserables” in French?“The Apocrypha” in Greek? “The Book of 5Rings” in Japanese? “The Vedas” in Sanskrit?“Nine Chapters” in Chinese? I haven't. But I haveread passages of the bible in hebrew, which isabundant with gematria connections of lifelessons. Kabbalah shares a ten Sephirot networkconnected with the 22 letters of the Hebrewalphabet. Reading scripture in its originallanguage further reveals the cultural traditions,celebrations and inherent prejudices.

America has a long tradition of racialprejudice. Store signs “no jews,” “no japs,” “nocoolies,” “irish need not apply,” have been a partof labor law struggle for hundreds of years. Mostare familiar with American traditions of AfricanAmericans adopting Irish surnames for a betterlife. This country’s immigrants, from Ellis Islandto today, change their names in hopes for a betterlife in my native country America.

In closing, one night last year in my hometownNYC, after juggling seven balls, seven rings andonly five clubs, a hard working father informedme: “Your name in German means ‘wine man.’Your family was probably wine makers. My nameis Eisner. My family were iron workers.” I recallthat due to a dearth of any philosophical referencewhatsoever, I said absolutely nothing.

What will you name your baby?

*To read the full article, visit our website:tcpublicspace.wordpress.com.

Did I need that extra paper napkin? Did I justthrow away the plastic fork I never used? Did Iask for a plastic bag for just a pack of chips? Did Ireally need a new water bottle? Did I leave a lighton, back in my empty room? Can’t the wine berefilled in the glass I just finished? What aboutthose barely used paper plates at the party? Did Ineed that extra minute of hot water I enjoyed inthe shower? Do I need the AC on? These arequestions I ask myself, every single day.Because I know this is sheer wastage. Thinking

I am entitled to them is a dirty abuse of resources.There is simply no justification for wastage—rareor frequent.

Guess what: most of that stuff we throw goesin the stomachs of fishes we will never eat orbackyards of poor people we will never meet. Elseit will be burned, torturing people by sickeningthem with toxic air, by the time we get to knowthe poor victims. I am my policeman, and I keepan eye out on myself. And I work to correct.

***********************************As students, we have the greatest potential to

institute a change towards climate justice and fora dignified life for all. It begins with awarenessand willingness, and proceeds with empathy forfellow beings. By thinking twice about ourenvironmental footprint, and rightly acting uponit, we can move mountains. And it takes no effortsat all.

It only requires that one small step, towardsprudence. And we, together as students, can take5,000 such steps. It will not only go a long way insymbolizing our commitment to values integral toour lives, but also as graduates of this greatinstitution that stands for the right thing to do. Aseducators, this is one of those few things that willperennially remain important to us. We need toensure it permeates every part of our thinking,professionally and personally.

What TC stands for will be abundantlyprominent when it is clear what its students willstand for.

***********************************Ultimately, the choice has to be made by every

actor of TC: to be, or not to be, symbols,exemplars and leaders on the problems of today.If not benevolence, at least let selfishness to ahealthy and sustainable future motivate us to dothe right thing. While I favor doing the right thingfor the right reason, in this case doing the rightthing alone seems sufficient to make the personright.

“Practice before you preach,” they say. Aspreachers for tomorrow, the moral duty is ours.Teachers College urgently needs to go green.

*To read the full article, visit our website:tcpublicspace.wordpress.com.

Community through dialogue,discussion, and dissent.

What's in a Name: Vol. III, Issue 3 (February 2016)

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Transcript of What's in a Name: Vol. III, Issue 3 (February 2016)