Day One in the New York Times

Day One is proud to share a recent tribute to our Community Educator, Yalitza (Yali) Garcia.  In a profile by the New York Times, Yali was called "a precious urban resource, an educator who can walk into any classroom full of teenagers not only fearless, but confident…."  We agree!

The article successfully captured Yali's impressive skills:  "Ms. Garcia was talking to that roomful of students at 4:30, a time when … classrooms generally feel more like holding pens than halls of learning.  But that day, the attending students …were all but silent, riveted by Ms. Garcia…. She [talked] about the fight she'd had not too long ago with her love interest, a patient type who'd finally gotten fed up with her big mouth. 'First time I get a backhand to the face,' she said."

Students like those at the Double Discovery Center, visited by the New YorkTimes, have the opportunity to listen, but also to be heard.  After the students present a range of responses to her scenario, Yali explains possible legal interventions and the potential safety risks, concluding that the best thing to do in that situation is to leave the site of the violence. 

The article continues:  "One of [Ms. Garcia's] most useful techniques … is repeating to students, or rephrasing, what they've told her. 'Young people do have something to say, and there aren't enough platforms to say it,' she said after class. 'I make sure to validate what they're saying not because I want to keep control of the class, but because I care that they share it.'"

Click here to read the full article in the

*Photo courtesy of Marilynn K. Yee/The New York Times