Mr. Reingold's Room

    Commuting to my job as a teacher's assistant in a 4th grade English classroom. I got a seat, and the man across from me in the subway car looked at me directly. His face looked threatening. Such is life in the City. Of course, I didn't engage in eye contact. Later I saw that I had misjudged: his face was a face of pain. He cried out asking if anyone could help him with some money. When I hand over cash on the subway, I prefer to do it when I or the person is leaving. The woman to my right was leaving and gave him a dollar, so I leaned over and gave him a bit, too. I saw his face was full of pain. He soon got off. I pulled a textbook (for one of my courses) out of my bag, titled The Social Studies Teacher's Toolbox. The woman to my left said, "Oh, you're a social studies teacher? I thought you look like a Science Teacher." The “teacher look” comes from wearing a tie, and I was the only tie-wearer in the train car. I laughed and told her I'm ...

  Life with children is bittersweet. Yesterday, I boiled over at a couple of students. Lesson learned, but I’m glad it wasn’t too terrible. I spoke too harshly with a girl named BD because she spoke out of turn when the class was trying to organize to get to lunch. I had a power struggle with a girl named NI. She panicked about losing something, and I told her where to sit, and she refused. Her refusal made me too angry. I was able to mend both situations by sleeping on it last night and then apologizing to each of them today. It’s possible that they don’t often have adults apologize to them, and they accepted it readily. A boy named PH, who has no friends, asked me if there is a way to make friends. I gave him the best advice I could which is to tell someone about things you like and ask them about what they like. I’ll check in on him and make sure he knows how to articulate things like this. I notice his enunciation is very poor, and I have trouble understanding him. This year’s ...

  Tutoring by Tom Is your student struggling or falling behind in class? Do they need a review to prepare for the next class? Getting ready for an exam? I can tutor grades 3 through 12 Math English Social Studies Earth Science Computer Science Online and in person tutoring I am compassionate, patient, and a great explainer. I’m also a former IT Professional. Testimonials: “I feel that I’ve learned more about grammar and tricky math in the SHSAT than I have in class. I appreciate how open you are when I attend your lessons. It feels like a second home and a place where I can express myself and not be afraid of making mistakes.”  --TL, recent student, age 13 Tom Reingold 646-683-7887 tom@noglider.com

 Saying “children are precious” is sappy, and it’s also true. I was supervising the first grade class during lunch. It involves helping kids open their food packages, helping with spills, making sure they don’t run away or hurt each other while they spar and argue. It also involves tolerance for a horrific level of noise which creates a challenge to my declining hearing. BK is an even-tempered, bright girl in the class, and she is generally less needy than other kids. She’s a good student, and she’s good natured. I happened to be there when she bit into a crisp apple with her loose tooth, causing a sharp pain in her mouth. She lost all composure and burst out crying. I was there to catch her and hug her. Me: I’m so sorry it hurts so much. BK: My mama says I have lot of years to be a kid. Me: How wonderful that your mama is so wise.

  I have very good news. After three months of searching, I started a job in late November as a long-term teacher’s assistant at a charter elementary school in the Bronx. The assistant principal (AP) who hired me told me that my primary responsibility is to help one student. Eventually, this student won’t need my help, and the AP said there’s plenty of work for me here as a roving substitute or tutor. The student has had some severe behavioral problems, occasionally violent and often defiant. She has wide emotional swings, sometimes breaking out crying spontaneously. I enjoy the work very much. I feel honored that the school expects me to be capable of doing this. I don’t even understand how they knew anything about me. In my work with the student, I’m getting results that none of the other teachers has gotten. My student is improving in reading, writing, math, and in her behavior. I’ve developed a relationship with her, and she trusts me and listens to me. I don’t know her story, ...

 This post is not about my teaching journey. It's simply a video I discovered about New York City's water system. I knew many things mentioned in the video, but it's a good presentation and summary. I hope you enjoy it.