HERALD NEWS Son of teachers finds his callingMonday, May 15, 2006By CATHERINE MARTINEZ HERALD NEWSTo Christopher Taylor, a language arts teacher in Paterson's School 8, the phrase "career change" just doesn't seem to cut it."I went from preparing people to die to preparing people to live," he said. "That was quite a change." While studying sociology at St. Peter's College in Jersey City, Taylor worked as a case manager for HIV patients in the Bronx.It was more than the commute that bothered him."It was very depressing," he said. "I had to take death certificates and go to funerals all the time. It was really, really hard."After about two years, Taylor had enough. He attended a job fair and decided to work as a substitute teacher in Jersey City while completing his last year of college.As the son of two teachers, Taylor found that a classroom felt like his natural habitat. As a single father of two, he knew how to reach kids effectively and creatively. It was a perfect match.While substituting in Jersey City, Taylor took on the responsibility of coordinating the school's Black History Month program. Rather than force students to sit through a typical assembly, Taylor decided to let them take the reins.Taylor worked with students to write songs, poems, raps, speeches and skits about African-American history and civil-rights leaders. He worked with the music teacher to ensure the kids practiced the songs in class, and also decorated the auditorium with student projects completed in art class."We involved everyone. All teachers, all students, all grades," he said. "I think they heard what I was doing in Jersey City and wanted me to bring that to (School 8)."After graduating in 2003, Taylor began teaching in Paterson while getting certified through the New Jersey Consortium for Urban Education program. The consortium is an alternate-route certification program that aims to recruit and prepare teachers for positions in Newark, Paterson and Jersey City public schools. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the consortium partners with several colleges and universities, including Montclair State and William Paterson universities.Since he began teaching at School 8, Taylor, now 30, has continued organizing the Black History Month program, and also organizes a multicultural show at the end of each school year.Rather than an assembly, however, Taylor has students showcase what they've learned throughout the year in their classrooms. Students of all grades travel through the school and visit each room."It's like a parade," he said.Taylor is also involved in student/teacher basketball games, school picnics and field trips, and an annual trip to Washington, D.C. He spends his summers teaching at the Paterson Boys and Girls Club."I love that job," he said. "I love the staff, the students, and my own two kids even get to go there with me. I'm really blessed. I love Paterson, right down to the people. I mean, they saved my life!"Taylor nearly died last month when his apartment caught fire while he lay sleeping. He inhaled so much smoke that he passed out just seconds after waking up. He survived only because two neighbors broke a window and dragged Taylor out by his arms. Thankfully, his children were visiting a relative for the weekend.Taylor suffered serious burns to his head, arms and feet, but is making a full recovery. He is not, however, permitted to return to teaching until September."I'm very grateful to be alive," he said. "Every day that you wake up ... with air in your lungs and a good mind, you can do something positive with your day. I can't wait to go back to work."Project XThe life of Malcolm X symbolizes "change". He exemplified stregnth and courage, as he changed his perception throughout his life. He started out impoverished, with the depressive ghetto mentality, but he developed into an intellegent person with self-esteem and personal value. Even though he was faced with danger many times for doing so, he remained faithful to the theme of brotherhood and equality. Some people may feel that Malcolm X was a militant Anti-American, but they may not know that he changed his views after taking the famous trip to Mecca (the Muslim holy ground in Saudi Arabia) where he realized that all people can live together in harmony. He lived and died for what he believed in, and that makes him a hero in the community that he represented. He symbolizes more than racial equality alone. He stood for justice for all human beings, regardless of race or creed. His vision was for everyone to understand the virtues of dignity, unity, and self-respect. As an educator in the urban sector, I am watching the vision deteriorate right before my very eyes. The children seem tired and unpassionate about the importance of education. Teaching about the life pf Malcolm X will give them something solid to relate to. They need to be taught about the desire and ambition that is required for us to improve our communities, but more importantly, our lives. We need to empower the children to become leaders with dignity through awareness. After reading the "Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Haley, I think that one of the most important things he said was "The future belongs to those who prepare for it today."Malcolm X can be used as a tool to educate people and spread awareness in society. In the end, Malcolm believed that true Muslim philosophy was one of forgiveness and brotherhood. As an educator, I am obligated to use all my resources available to reconnect people to this message so they can begin a healing process. We need to combine a multi-culturalistic philosophy in America to strenthen our power as a unified nation. Now is the time to focus ... We can reverse the curse and influence people to believe in unity. The MALCOLM song is meant to motivate people because through music, I believe we can achieve a better quality of life.PEACE...
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