November 7, 2004: Headlines: COS - Morocco: Secondary Education: New York Times: Morocco RPCV Chaka Ann turned out to be a petite former Peace Corps worker with tremendous energy, a zany sense of humor and boundless enthusiasm for her subject (humanities) and her student

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Morocco: Peace Corps Morocco : The Peace Corps in Morocco: November 7, 2004: Headlines: COS - Morocco: Secondary Education: New York Times: Morocco RPCV Chaka Ann turned out to be a petite former Peace Corps worker with tremendous energy, a zany sense of humor and boundless enthusiasm for her subject (humanities) and her student

By Admin1 (admin) (pool-151-196-36-89.balt.east.verizon.net - 151.196.36.89) on Friday, November 12, 2004 - 9:12 pm: Edit Post

Morocco RPCV Chaka Ann turned out to be a petite former Peace Corps worker with tremendous energy, a zany sense of humor and boundless enthusiasm for her subject (humanities) and her student

Morocco RPCV Chaka Ann turned out to be a petite former Peace Corps worker with tremendous energy, a zany sense of humor and boundless enthusiasm for her subject (humanities) and her student

Morocco RPCV Chaka Ann turned out to be a petite former Peace Corps worker with tremendous energy, a zany sense of humor and boundless enthusiasm for her subject (humanities) and her student

One True Thing

[Excerpt]

By ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS

Published: November 7, 2004

As my oldest child was about to enter Booker T. Washington Middle School on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, a friend warned me, ''Whatever you do, you don't want Chaka Ann as your teacher.'' Chaka, the friend said, was tough, overbearing, too demanding. I could believe it, just by the sound of her name.

Chaka Ann turned out to be a petite former Peace Corps worker with tremendous energy, a zany sense of humor and boundless enthusiasm for her subject (humanities) and her students. Her real name was Ann Puddu, but she had grown tired of being called Mrs. Purdue Chickens or Miss P.U. and reinvented herself as Chaka, loosely based, she says, on an African word meaning teacher, warrior, leader. She told parents of sixth graders that she was going to get their children ready for college, and boy, did she mean it.

''Write more,'' she used to scribble at the bottom of my daughter's homework papers. And writing more meant thinking more. My son taught himself ''Greensleeves'' on the guitar to accompany the class in a raucous performance of ''Romeo and Juliet,'' in which every student had a role. Many will remember their lines for the rest of their lives.

I'm sure she shaped the educational future of my children -- and many others -- for years to come.

As an education reporter for seven years, I would often talk to people about teachers I have known. Policy makers and politicians invariably reacted cynically to stories of Chaka Ann and teachers like her -- surely one teacher cannot make that much difference, they would say. Besides, there aren't that many brilliant teachers out there. And how do you replicate them?





When this story was posted in November 2004, this was on the front page of PCOL:

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Story Source: New York Times

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Morocco; Secondary Education

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