London Street Art

During Spring Break, I traveled to London to visit my brother. When I arrived in London, my brother told me there was an incredible spot we had to check out. He told me the story of a park near the river Thames where some of the best graffiti artists, skaters, and bikers from around the city gathered to tag-up, skate, and bike. These are the pictures I took at the park.

MS 322 To Host Spring Soccer Tournament on May 17th

After a dominant victory in the First Annual Winter Blast Tournament in February, the MS 322 Soccer Club will play host to another indoor soccer tournament this Spring. Last night, Coach Braman received word from officials at MS 322 and the Children's Aid Society that the tournament has been officially set for Saturday, May 17th. Games will begin at approximately 9:00 a.m. and should run until 1:00 p.m.

The MS 322 Soccer Club is in its first year, but already they are making noise in New York City. Not only did MS 322 host and win the Winter Blast tournament this past winter, but they did so without allowing a single goal. It appears that all the hours spent practicing inside the gymnasium have transformed MS 322 into one of the strongest indoor soccer teams in the city.

Coach Braman is now faced with the difficult task of selecting the Tournament Team for the Spring Tournament. "It is very difficult," Coach Braman muses, "to narrow the team down to 16-18 players. Everyone has been working so hard, for so long." What coach Braman is looking for as decision time approaches is players who not only take care of business on the soccer field, but players who take care of business in the classroom as well. Coach Braman often reminds his team that they are "student-athletes." Being a student always comes first, no exceptions. In a recent interview, Coach Braman commented, "Our team has experienced a lot of success this year. We won the Winter Blast tournament but, more importantly, six of our players were on the Academic Honor Roll. By the end of the year, I hope to see at least 10 of my players on the Academic Honor Roll."

The Beautiful Game

There is no doubt about it, soccer is the most beautiful game in the world. Don't believe me? Check out this video:

The Birth Of Mr. Braman's Blog and The Death of The Writer's Notebook

Let's be honest.  Writer's notebooks are mad old-school.  Welcome to the year 2008. The writer's notebook is dead!  Everybody is online these days.  There's no need for my students to risk losing their notebooks anymore.  There's no need for me to break my back carrying them home every other Friday.  Those days are over! Now we can keep everything right here, online, for the whole world to read and experience (or perhaps just some friends and family).  Welcome to the BLOGOSPHERE!  A "Blog" is a place to save and share your writing.  It is like a writer's notebook, but it's done online.  All your work is saved and organized for you.  If you want, you can even add pictures, videos, and music.  It works kind of like MySpace.  You can make your Blog private, or you can allow other people to read it.  If you decide to let other people read your Blog, you can allow them to leave comments about what you wrote.

I am hoping my students and I can create a small community of Blogs where we share our stories, interests, thoughts, feelings, and opinions.  My dream is that it becomes a place where we share our ideas about the world.  

So, students of MS 322, throw down your notebooks and join the Blogosphere!