submitted by Pat Sewell, Introduction to Philosophy instructor
The Tompkins County Board of Elections has announced a contest to design a 2024 “I Voted” sticker for students in grades 6-12. The winning design will be placed on thousands of stickers to be handed out to all voters in Tompkins County this November.
Last year’s winner was created by Dakota Tseng from New Roots, pictured here.
Given the incessant doodling I have seen on notes and homework, I am certain there is a winning design within the TEEN DAY ranks. Submissions are being accepted until May 1st.
Rules for entry and link to submit your art can be found here.
TEEN DAY Ithaca is in the process of hiring teaching staff for 2024-2025, and we’d love to connect with YOU!
There is typically no demand for specific credentialing. Classes are/have been taught by professors, graduate students, undergraduate students, professionals, and enthusiasts of all stripes. We strive to find people who are, yes, comfortable in a room full of teens and confident in offering instruction on a subject. However, what we look for most of all are people who are passionate about what they’re doing. Whether it’s Algebra or Art, we’re after people who ware willing to share their excitement about a topic with our participants. Most of our courses are offered 1 day/week on Tuesdays or Thursdays. Contact admin@teendayithaca.org for more info or to apply.
SPANISH INSTUCTOR:
We offer three levels of Spanish language courses at TEEN DAY. At present, courses utilize the Español ¡En Vivo! Instructional Spanish Workbooks for grades 9-12 as a framework for the course; however, instructors preferring a different curriculum for the course(s) are invited to suggest other options when applying.
The ideal candidate will move through this rotation each year, teaching the relevant coursework. There is a lot of room for creative interpretation and outside-the-box instruction in all areas. Instructor applications will also be accepted for next year’s Spanish III course without the intention of teaching for TEEN DAY for the full rotation.
TEEN DAY is a homeschool enrichment program for 12 and ups. A full day of classes is offered on Tuesdays between 9am and 3:30pm. Classes are available a la carte on Thursdays. You can find out more on the website: http://teendayithaca.org.
Classes are/have been taught by professors, graduate students, undergraduate students, professionals, and enthusiasts of all stripes. We strive to find people who are, yes, comfortable in a room full of teens and confident in offering instruction on a subject. However, what we look for most of all are people who are passionate about what they’re doing. Whether it’s Algebra or Art, we’re after people who ware willing to share their excitement about a topic with our participants. For dual enrollment purposes, this role requires a Master’s degree in English, English Education, Composition/Rhetoric or a related degree. Candidates with related degrees must have at least 18 credits of English at the graduate level. Most of our courses are offered 1 day/week on Tuesdays or Thursdays. Academic Writing is offered 2 days/week on Tuesdays AND Thursdays.
Most of our educational areas at TEEN DAY operate in a three-year rotation, allowing most participants to take most classes, regardless of when they enter the program. Our writing rotation consists currently of Academic Writing (dual enrollment w/ Tompkins Cortland Community College; TWO days/week), Creative Writing, and Journalism.
The ideal candidate will move through this rotation each year, teaching the relevant coursework. There is a lot of room for creative interpretation and outside-the-box instruction in all areas. Instructor applications will also be accepted for next year’s Academic Writing course without the intention of teaching for TEEN DAY for the full rotation.
TEEN DAY is again offering a sexual education course based on the Our Whole Lives (OWL) curriculum for 8th, 9th, and 10th graders. The class is offered once every three years, so sign up for this round before you miss your chance.
What is Our Whole Lives? Our Whole Lives (OWL) is a comprehensive sexuality education program that helps participants make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior. It equips participants with accurate, age-appropriate information in six subject areas: human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture. Grounded in a holistic view of sexuality, Our Whole Lives not only provides facts about anatomy and human development, but also helps participants clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality. OWL resources are based on the Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education produced by the National Guidelines Task Force, a group of leading health, education and sexuality professionals assembled by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States. OWL regards parents as the primary sexuality educators of their children. All parents of participants enrolled in this course will be required to attend a parent orientation and an end-of-semester group meeting. https://teendayithaca.org/our-whole-lives-2023/
When is it being offered? This Spring semester, January 18 – May 9, 2024.
Oscar won Fit of the Week’ for his neon Calvin Klein vest, Gallery Dept. shirt, Nike balaclava, JNCO cargo sweatpants, black-and-white Nike socks, his ”Glow” Yeezy slides, and his many colorful bracelets.
This week, celebrate Giving Tuesday by supporting excellence in education.
TEEN DAY Ithaca is a nonprofit organization that strives to provide creative, quality, educational opportunities to any homeschooler who needs them, regardless of their ability to pay. We serve families in Central New York and the Southern Tier, many of whom are at or near the poverty line. Help us keep programming affordable for all with a donation to the scholarship fund!
submitted by Asher Faben-Wade, edited by Juliet Asperschlager, written by Alana Eckhart, picture by Mia Mooney
TEEN DAY participants have been asked to submit things that THEY would like to see posted to the blog. Below is a catch-up on two of our favorite lunchtime topics around here.
Sports:
The lunchtime basketball game on October 31st was quite chilly and resulted in a very close match between both teams. The following are the teams and final scores:
Team 1: Oscar, Asher VT, Alana (8) Team 2: Judah, Fenton (7)
Fit of the Week:
Sora was picked for fit of the week, October 24th. Here’s what she says about her fit: “I think my pants were the main part of that outfit. They were high-waisted cream colored cargo pants with a lot of pockets. I also had a gray shirt with buttons on the sleeves that gave them a unique style over a plain white shirt. I also had the black boots I usually wear that probably tied the outfit together.” Unfortunately, we were not able to take a photo. More fits to come!
Ben Forman was picked for fit of the week, November 7th. He had a black ball cap above his four-tone hooded sweatshirt, the hood being an olive green, the top being a rust color, the bottom being a dark gray, and light gray cuffs finished the top. To finish the look, he had a pair of Jordan 1s with the color scheme of black, red and white.
We’re revitalizing the blog for 2023-2024! Updates on classes, projects, participants, and opportunities this year. Photos! Contests! Invitations! Articles! You’ll find ’em all here. SUBSCRIBE and find out what turns up!
Farewell, TEEN DAY Class of 2021
What. A. Year.
Remote learning options, social distancing, open windows in January, quarantining, tech support… there were many things on our list of “firsts” this academic year. It was complicated. It was awkward. It was fatiguing.
But let me tell you a little bit about the 28 teens that made up the 2020-2021 class.
They are resilient. Through constant online audio issues, frigid classroom temps, brand new systems and software, lacking social engagement, evolving safety policies – not to mention the general stresses and fear of contending with life during a global pandemic – this crew found ways to connect with each other, their instructors, and the material they’d come to learn.
They are kind. TEEN DAY always has a community feel, but that feeling was harder to establish in 2020-2021, due to our inability to be together as a large group for much of the year. But that didn’t stop these teens. They sent messages to new participants to introduce themselves. They met up online to do homework with classmates who were struggling. They brought thank-you gifts to frazzled instructors. They cheered on each other during presentations and speeches.
They are brilliant. I’m always impressed with the abilities of TEEN DAY participants. But this year… wow. I saw kids who, at the beginning of the year were too nervous to say more than a few words in front of their peers, end the year debating global policy at an international conference. Who told me when I met them that they “weren’t into writing,” only to produce some of the most compelling short stories I’ve ever heard. Who re-framed a lab report as a nonfiction narrative. Who taught me more about constitutional law than any government class I’d ever taken. And I could go on and on.
Thank you parents. Thank you instructors. Thank you administrators. And thank you and congratulations to the Class of 2020-2021.
Physics of Space? Speech and Debate? World History? Statistics?
Join us for a whole-lotta-awesome (technical term) in 2021-2022! In recent years, slots have filled with in the first hour or so of opening registration. If you’re considering TEEN DAY for next year, don’t delay a moment more!
TEEN DAY Ithaca 