Teaching and Learning
School of The New York Times
Teaching, for me, is like coaching. And when my most ambitious and engaged high school students succeed – making connections, making revisions, exuding confidence -- I feel like we all win.
For the last four summers, I have taught nearly a dozen classes for high school students at The School of The New York Times. My units focused on reporting in the city, concentrating on both immigration and sports. For the 2020 Summer Academy that went entirely online, I delivered the keynote speech for all five terms, imparting lessons to more than 1,000 students. “Journalism is not only about giving a voice to the voiceless -- but amplifying the voices that haven’t always been asked to speak,” I told them. “We must be there to document history as it unfolds – history has been unfolding so rapidly, it’s not daily, it’s hourly. But in our zeal to document these changing times, we must never lose sight of humanity.”
Journalists must not only ask, “why,” but “so what?” and “why should I care?”
In 2020, we all have had to answer the question, “how?” It’s been a year of adapting. I took my classes online, teaching on Zoom and Canvas. We held spirited debates (about what athlete is the Greatest Of All Time), made virtual visits to institutions like The Tenement Museum, and engaged in peer review. Professional athletes and veteran journalists joined our Zooms for interviews, transforming the learning experience.
When the pandemic ends, I look forward to resuming the unique opportunities I gave my students from my 19 years of experience as a staff writer for The New York Times. Students have attended naturalization ceremonies, visited with the chief judge of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, the Hon. Robert A. Katzmann, and toured Jackson Heights, Queens, with neighborhood leaders.
My Summer Academy “Sports Storytelling” class featured guest speakers like ESPN’s Malika Andrews.
In Fall 2019, I gave my Gap Year students an experience they will never forget. We all covered the New York City marathon from different places along the 26.2-mile route – from the start village to the press room and finish line. It was truly a class like no other.
Learn more:
Summer Academy
Writing Workshop
Gap Year
A visit to the U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit in Manhattan.
Interviewing marathon champion, Des Linden, and showing the students how it’s done.
Photos by Vince Rives
University Lectures
I have taught college seminars and graduate classes in journalism and English composition. In addition, I have lectured to large campus audiences on immigration. I have been a guest lecturer at New York University School of Journalism, Florida International University and University of Oregon. Using such journalism rules as “always read out loud,” I teach the basics and the nuances of the craft. In February 2019, I gave a lecture to F.I.U. entitled “Truth and Immigration: Reporting on the Most Volatile Topic in the U.S. Today.”