212.755.6666
220 East 50th Street
New York, NY 10022

 Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube  

News & Updates

Blog

What It Takes to Learn Your Way: A Sense of Community

Authored by The Beekman School

This post is part of a series inspired by Dream School: NYC, a SundanceTV docu-series that follows 15 New York City teenagers who left high school and are now trying to get back on track to graduate. The Beekman School partnered with the show to help customize the learning experience for the students. Follow this blog to learn more and participate in the social media conversations using the hashtag #LearnYourWay Inclusion: a word you may often hear as a goal for a variety of institutions (schools, private companies, government organizations) that strive to create welcoming and productive communities. Diversity is seen as key. But the road from diversity to inclusion can be a challenging one. Diversity is a complex issue that blends a multitude of factors including ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, gender, language, religion, sexual orientation, geography, and personality (introverts vs. extraverts, for example). How do you bring together such a diverse group of individuals and...read more

Topics: Learn Your Way, Dream School, bullying, diversity, inclusion, high school, personalized education, personalized learning

What to Do About Plagiarism

Authored by Michelle Koza, English Teacher

Plagiarism is one of those things kids know of, but are not sure about. They read something on the Internet and think, “Yes, that’s exactly what I want to say. This person said it better than I ever could,” and then they don’t know what to do. I put a note on a student’s assignment that said we need to chat about plagiarism. This particular student had been having trouble with this consistently the previous year. Because I would be teaching him again, I decided that I would begin a discussion of plagiarism right away. That would give us an opportunity to discuss it throughout the school year. Plagiarism is tricky. I know teachers who have an absolutely virulent attitude towards plagiarism. From that perspective, it is always malicious: the student is trying to pull one over on me! But what is plagiarism, exactly? ·      Using another writer’s words without quoting and citing ·      Paraphrasing or summarizing without citing ·      Copying so many words and ideas that the majority of...read more

Topics: Plagiarism, English, writing, Michelle Koza

What it Takes to Learn Your Way: Getting To Know You

Authored by Maren Holmen, Academic Liaison

This post is part of a series inspired by Dream School: NYC, a SundanceTV docu-series that follows 15 New York City teenagers who left high school and are now trying to get back on track to graduate. The Beekman School partnered with the show to help customize the learning experience for the students. Follow this blog to learn more and participate in the social media conversations using the hashtag #LearnYourWay.  I grew up in a small town; the kind that New Yorkers think is slightly mythical. The kind of town where everyone shows up for basketball games, school concerts, and graduation.  Academic achievements are shared in the local newspaper, and students are celebrated for the ways that they excel both in and outside the classroom.  Small communities allow for the opportunity to know the individual, not just the student.  When your teachers know you, they can help you better understand material that may otherwise present challenges. When your teachers know your strengths, they can...read more

Topics: Learn Your Way, Dream School, New York City private schools, high school, personalized education, personalized learning, career coaching, mentoring, Tutoring School, Maren Holmen

March On?

Authored by Vanilla Macias-Rodriguez, Science Teacher

Last week, more than 300,000 people descended on Manhattan for The People’s Climate March.  Bill DeBlasio, the New York mayor who does not take the subway to work; Leonardo DiCaprio, who often parties on yachts in the south of France; Al Gore, who left in a rather large SUV; and several Californians, who flew 3000 miles, marched with paper signs and coffee cups which they left littered along the route to proclaim their anger at the politicians and people of the world who they feel are not doing enough to help stop the increasing problem of climate change.  Hmmm.  Does anyone else see a problem with this picture? Many of us aren’t ready to give up our high pressure showers and power flush toilets, or to compost our garbage and to use recycled toilet paper, but if we’re going to try to save the planet, instead of just marching, let’s try doing a few small things that could actually make an impact.  Turning off the water while brushing your teeth, for example, is a great place to start...read more

Topics: ecology, Green Mountain Energy, Vanilla Macias-Rodriguez

What it Takes to Learn Your Way: Mentoring

Authored by Anastasia Georgoulis, History Teacher

This post is part of a series inspired by Dream School: NYC, a SundanceTV docu-series co-executive produced by 50 Cent, Chuck D, and Jamie Oliver that follows 15 New York City teenagers who left high school and are now trying to get back on track to graduate. The Beekman School partnered with the show to help customize the learning experience for the students. Follow this blog to learn more and participate in the social media conversations using the hashtag #LearnYourWay To the outside world, I am a history teacher, but I don't think that accurately describes me. I like to think of myself as a mentor who happens to teach history.  I don't just teach events, I educate individuals. I help them discover and understand the material taught in my classroom in a way that is personal to them. The classroom is just one part of each student’s life and his/her school learning experience is heavily influenced by what is going on outside the classroom. Connecting those dots is vital to my success...read more

Topics: Learn Your Way, Dream School, New York, mentoring, personalized education, personalized learning, Anastasia Georgoulis, Vanilla Macias-Rodriguez

Learn Your Way: What it Takes to Build a Dream School

Authored by The Beekman School

This post introduces a series inspired by Dream School: NYC, a SundanceTV docu-series that follows 15 New York City teenagers who left high school and are now trying to get back on track to graduate. Follow this blog to learn more and participate in the social media conversation using the hashtag #LearnYourWay.  When the producers of “Dream School: NYC” called us about partnering with them this season, we were initially surprised. “Working with students who have dropped out of school is not our focus,” we thought. “Why us?” They noted that they had been referred to us because of our ability to create a unique program that could fit the needs of this unusual group of kids. It made perfect sense. This was a great opportunity for Beekman to share the expertise we built in personalized education. After all, we pioneered this movement before there even was such a thing. Most schools look for students who fit their program. However, we make sure the program is designed to fit the student....read more

Topics: Learn Your Way, Dream School, personalized education, personalized learning

5 Reasons Why Teens Should Create Their Own Epic Rap Battle of History

Authored by Anastasia Georgoulis, History Teacher

If you’ve been on the subway recently, you may have noticed ads plastered across the trains for Epic Rap Battles of History. My students introduced me to them last year, and anytime we studied a featured character they’d immediately request to watch the video. Given the enthusiasm my students showed as an audience, I came up with a list of 5 reasons why they should create their own rap battle videos. We all want to be the reason over a million people do something, like watch a video. Most people, as themselves, would be criticized for rapping. Everyone enjoys when Abraham Lincoln raps. Explaining history to someone else is the most effective way to study history. Writing a historically accurate rhyme is a great literacy project. You can propose it as an extra credit project to your history teacher (hint hint, wink wink). Bonus Reason: Ladies, the number of videos featuring female characters from history is seriously lacking. If you need some inspiration, check out this link. My...read more

Topics: rap battles, history, Anastasia Georgoulis

Failure is Not an Option

Authored by Vanilla Macias-Rodriguez, Science Teacher

I hail from the great state of Texas where everything is bigger and better, and the true spirit of competition is still alive on high school football fields every Friday night in the fall. I grew up in a house where a B was failing and not bringing home the pageant crown was unacceptable. My Mexican-American mom was a Tiger Mom before extreme parenting was cool.  I think my Texas roots and upbringing shaped the high expectations that I hold each of my students to today. Several one-time failures owe their success to subscribing to these same high expectations.  We’ve all heard the stories about how Elvis got a D in music and Michael Jordan didn’t make the varsity basketball team. Did you know that the guy who invented Post-Its, Art Fry, used a failed super glue formula, and Alexander Fleming was studying bacteria when a mold began to grow in one of his petri dishes and he accidentally discovered penicillin?  Though they may have started as failures, their ultimate success was the...read more

Topics: persistence, advice, success, Vanilla Macias-Rodriguez

I Love Graduation!

Authored by Maren Holmen, Academic Liaison

I’ve attended dozens of graduations in my lifetime.  They often follow the same format: a couple of prominent speakers (relative to the audience), a little laughter, a few tears, and graduates who don’t remember much about the ceremony a year, a month, or sometimes even a day after the fact.  Yet every once in a while, there’s a moment that stands out from the rest, ensuring that you’ll carry part of that graduation with you for a long time. Our graduation ceremony this year had more than one of these moments.  It certainly didn’t hurt that our graduation speaker was Robert De Niro.  George Higgins, our headmaster, convinced him to speak by promising that “no one will remember what you said—do you remember what your graduation speaker said?”  And that statement is true for one big reason: this ceremony isn’t about who gave the commencement address, it’s about those who are graduating.  Friends, family, and faculty all come together to celebrate with these students who have achieved a...read more

Topics: New York City private schools, private school, community, graduation, alumni, Maren Holmen

Why Transferring Schools Can Be a Good Thing

Authored by George Higgins, Headmaster

When you hear the term “transfer student,” you often think of the new kid in town or the person who’s been asked to leave a school.  But a growing number of parents and students are choosing to follow their instincts and leave their current school voluntarily, going against the advice of friends and school professionals in order to establish a fresh start. Conventional wisdom suggests that students’ college admission chances are increased by showing that they’ve been at the same school for their entire high school career.  However, what happens when the school that was a good fit for your 5-, 10-, or 13-year-old isn’t the best fit for your 16-year-old?  Do you stick it out for another two years, hoping that your student can just get through it?  Or do you make the choice to leave, providing an opportunity to find a place where your child can thrive and learn to excel, not just “get by”? In my 20+ years as headmaster of The Beekman School, I’ve met with dozens of families who are torn...read more

Topics: transfer, admissions, rolling admissions, New York City private schools, private school, George Higgins

Pages