Cardozo SHS Teacher Kerry Sylvia Honored by Street Law Inc

I will begin teaching Summer Scholars '08 today at Cardozo SHS. I am excited to try something different again, teaching English 1; last summer I taught ESL at Mac Farland MS and it was a blast! I have started updating our class portal: http://digitalanthology.blogspot.com with the syllabus, encoding the names of my students in my online gradebook and the weekly lesson plans so that students, parents and tutors can have access to my class materials even outside the classroom.

I am proud to be a part of the Cardozo family even just for this summer. Cardozo has a strong history of academic excellence, and just recently this news was in the DCPS website:

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WASHINGTON, DC -- Kerry Sylvia a teacher at Cardozo Senior High School was named Educator of the Year by Street Law Inc., during Street Law’s Annual Awards Dinner April 17, at the Fairmont Hotel.

Street Law is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing practical, participatory education about law, democracy, and human rights to classrooms across the country.Through its acclaimed curriculum which features programs and publications, Street Law empowers teachers to promote citizen action.

Ms. Sylvia is the chair of the Social Studies Department at Cardozo SHS and teaches Street Law, government and world history. Under her leadership, the Street Law course has evolved from being plagued by low enrollment into one of the most popular and engaging electives. She motivates her students to do more than simply learn about the law. In addition, she teaches them how to become informed citizens and advocates for change in their communities.

Ms. Sylvia partnered with Covington & Burling LLP to introduce a legal clinic forstudents and their families along with "Know Your Rights" seminars. She’s a past recipient of the World Affairs Council's 2005 Teacher of the Year Award in International Education and a 2006 Fellow for the Fund for Teachers Foundation.

“We are proud to count Ms. Sylvia among the many devoted teachers that serve ourstudents everyday,” said DCPS Chancellor Michelle Rhee. “She understands thateducation is as much about academics, as it is about preparing students to be engaged citizens.”