I met with a high school teacher last night who had just received a text message from one of his students.It read: "I came up with this idea that we should have something to give the people from haitin. For example money cloths and other stuff."The teacher reported that even in the communities in New York City where resources are scarce to begin with-he teaches in the South Bronx-students are doing all that they can do to try and help Haiti's earthquake survivors.Canned food and clothing drives, even going so far as to fine students that are dressed out of uniform-with all proceeds going to benefit Haitians-are among the creative ideas being employed.And this afternoon, according toThe New York Times, city schools will again allow bake sales, which had been previously banned to limit sugar and fat. A full list of what New York City schools can (read-a-thons, ticket-selling events) and cannot (bingo, raffle tickets) allow is here.With U.S. texting efforts having aised $10 million, Alexander Russo over at This Week In Education, has an interesting post that manages to somehow combine bake sales and technology-namely, whether "cellphone microdonations might change the face of education giving in the future."Before the earthquake ever struck Port-au-Prince, the United States Institute of Peace chronicled a dire situation for Haitian schoolchildren, where three in five children attend school and once they do, learn in classrooms with up to 80 students.I can't help but wonder if after the public attention fades, some of Haiti's infrastrucure will be made anew. Kind of how in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, the education reform world glimpsed a rare opportunity and refused to let go.For now, our attention is fixated on the survivors and on the missing.Photo via
Share on Facebook
