DreamYard Prep Teacher Is Leading A Digital Revolution In Bronx

Avatar
Published on June 14, 2017, 6:39 am
FavoriteLoadingAdd to favorites 4 mins

A bold and inspiring high school digital learning teacher from Bronx is Honored’s June 2017 national Honoree.

Rudy Blanco has almost single-handedly launched a digital revolution in his Bronx community. At DreamYard Prep public high school, Blanco sensed a knowledge gap and boldly proposed a new position for himself – “technology coordinator” – to educate students on essential digital skills and to train teachers in the use of online resources. His unwavering confidence in his students’ abilities has allowed them to soar to new heights; his “Mouse Squad” of student techies now trains teachers and students in the skills they have acquired in his class. As a colleague says, “The kids know he believes in them, that’s the thing.  It’s asset-based: You guys have something to offer the world.”

The Honored award is focused on the Honoree’s important impact on one student. In Blanco’s case, that student is Noorjahan “Mimi” Aktar, who has found her life transformed by his teaching. Mimi says, “Mr. Blanco really taught me what being a leader meant.  He would ask, ‘What do you think is the next best step?’ instead of giving us all the answers. Because that’s what you have to do in life.  ou have to learn to take matters into your own hands.”

Blanco’s story was composed by journalist John Lancaster, former Washington Post Bureau Chief. To read the full story and see photos of Blanco with his students, please visit the Honored website here.


About Honored

Honored is a national nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to recognizing and rewarding exceptional K-12 teachers, with a larger mission of elevating the status of teaching in this country. Each month we shine a spotlight on our Honorees by giving them a $5,000 cash award and sharing the stories, composed by world-class writers, of how they have changed students’ lives. Our Honorees teach any and all subjects at public, public charter, and private schools across the country. Honored’s National Advisory Board includes luminaries such as the internationally bestselling author Michael Lewis, DonorsChoose.org Founder Charles Best, Teach for America Founder Wendy Kopp, and FEED Co-founder Lauren Bush Lauren.

For more information about Honored, please visit www.honored.org. For regular updates on Honored and our monthly Honorees, follow and like us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.


About DreamYard Project

DreamYard uses the arts to inspire youth, public schools and communities in the Bronx by committing to sustainable learning opportunities along an educational pathway, from pre-K through high school graduation. Through partnerships with 45 public schools in the Bronx, DreamYard Prep High School, and the DreamYard Art Center, they work with over 10,000 young people each year. The nationally-recognized, free programming opportunities include theater, poetry, dance, audio and visual production, photography, fashion design and Maker, all focused on fostering the creative development of young social change agents.

For more information, please visit here.

 

 

Avatar
Jonas Bronck is the pseudonym under which we publish and manage the content and operations of The Bronx Daily.™ | Bronx.com - the largest daily news publication in the borough of "the" Bronx with over 1.5 million annual readers. Publishing under the alias Jonas Bronck is our humble way of paying tribute to the person, whose name lives on in the name of our beloved borough.