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My mother died 20 years ago. We had a good relationship. I gave her flowers on every occasion possible and told her I loved her, but only now, as I get older, I realize how much she affected my attitude and my thinking. My mother was born during the First World War in Jerusalem. She … Continue reading »

By Julie Freccero and Audrey Taylor   In December 2022, the UC Berkeley Human Rights Center’s Health and Human Rights Program released Family and Me (FAM): A New Model of Foster Care for Youth Impacted by Commercial Sexual Exploitation in San Francisco in partnership with the San Francisco Safety, Opportunity, and Lifelong Relationship (SF SOL) … Continue reading »

In 2022, I returned to some normality. First, I traveled more. I had a wonderful trip, including Lithuania, Italy, and Israel. We had a great conference in Bologna; I enjoyed Cinque Terre and seeing my sister and relatives warmed my heart. Later in the year, I had a great trip to Argentina, combining research, tourism, … Continue reading »

The destiny of Ukraine and much of the world is in the balance now. If Ukraine falls, the cancer of war will spread to the rest of the world and the law of the jungle will be a new global order where a big country can take over a small country. If Ukraine defeats the Russian aggression, another Berlin wall will fall and there will be another spring on the remnants of the Soviet empire that call themselves Russian Federation.

Many students in Oakland are facing a fifth and possibly sixth year of disruption. How do we build momentum toward a new way of “doing school,” especially for those who have been systematically marginalized and underserved? With a state budget surplus and new initiatives for schools and children, the hope of transforming public education is larger than it has been in many decades. However, we need more than funding to work toward equitable outcomes.

2021 was a better year than 2020, but there is still much room for improvement. The pandemic continued, and new strains of the virus have emerged – but we have effective vaccines. Leorah and I were vaccinated twice and received a booster shot. We continue to wear a mask and avoid large crowds – but … Continue reading »

The Biden Administration naïvely expects the Taliban, and what is left of the Afghan government, to arrive at some kind of harmonious agreement. A group that can turn the joy and beauty of a birth into a crime will never change, or honor any agreement.

Today, I have a couple of very different anniversaries. As a 10 year old school boy in CAmbridge I still have a vivid memory of June 5 1944,when the sky filled with thousands of allied planes on their way to bomb the landing areas in Normandy. Some were towing gliders which would land troops behind … Continue reading »

The year 2020 was the worst year I can recall. The pandemic that emerged in January accelerated during the late winter and early spring, stabilized in the summer, and remerged with cooler temperatures. We’ve had more than 300,000 fatalities in the US and close to 2 million globally, and the toll is rising. In addition, … Continue reading »

In this year of the election, pandemic, and general mayhem, we still have a lot to be grateful for.

Why do we teach? What outcomes do we seek in our students when we step into the classroom or create a learning opportunity? I seek a variety of outcomes: some easy to accomplish, others exceedingly difficult. On the easiest end of the spectrum, I often expose students to facts, formulas – essentially knowledge they need … Continue reading »

Has it been six weeks that we are in house arrest? Time and space are so transmogrified that it feels like living on a spaceship or a lifeboat. I don’t grasp the rules. Am I a potential threat or a potential victim of the current global plague? Or both?

The people who put their lives at risk to save others, over three centuries ago during the “Black Death,” were illiterate farmers. They had no central heating, no running water, no phones, and no microwaves to make life easier. I think, I am going to stop feeling sorry for myself.