Farewell Letter

This is the letter I sent via e-mail too all of my co-workers and our consultants. Damn...I miss this place already...it really has been an eye-opener.

Hello everyone,

With both sadness and joy, I would like to let you all know that I will soon be stepping away from CELT as of next Friday, June 10th. This was not an easy decision, as I am grateful for the opportunities I have been given, and leave here with a deep admiration for the fellow CELTics who I have enjoyed working with for the past 16 months. The collective spirit of teamwork and faith in educational reform has served as an inspiring eye-opener as my career evolves. I have learned a great deal about the educational technology industry and plan to apply those varied experiences in my upcoming role within the Boston Public Schools as Program Director of the TechBoston Consulting Group.

For those who are interested, here is a little background on what I will be doing:

TechBoston’s mission is to offer advanced technology courses to prepare students with high tech skills essential for success in careers and post-secondary education; to implement an academic program which teaches to and reinforces the Boston Public Schools Standards and School-To-Career Competencies; and to establish a student TechBoston Corps that will help to support technology in Boston Public Schools and in the local community. The TechBoston Consulting Group (TCG) is a computer consulting business staffed by TechBoston students from the Boston Public Schools and managed by TechBoston teachers (and myself), which was formed to give TechBoston students the opportunity to utilize classroom learning in real world business situations. TCG has two lines of business: (1) web site design and maintenance, and (2) computer support assistance for an IT department. TCG is made up of Boston Public School juniors and seniors who are active in TechBoston and the advanced technology courses. It is an intriguing opportunity which allows me to work in several areas; project management, grant writing, professional development, educational technology, business development, and also have direct interaction with students from across the district. You all have been instrumental in shaping my perspective on educational technology issues and I hope to make a career out of this field as a result.

I would like to thank all of you for the experience of having worked for CELT, which I believe is a truly outstanding organization with the most noble of goals and some of the best minds around. I wish you well in your efforts to link educational leadership and technology, and hope for the best as CELT continues to grow and provide value-added services and products to districts, states, and organizations across the country. It has been a pleasure representing CELT and I plan to continue to consider myself a CELTic for years to come.

So again, I really wanted to say thank you for the great advice, friendly conversations, and support that many of you have provided me over the past year and I hope to remain in contact to keep you updated as my life continues to evolve.

Sincerely,

Eric Esteves
Project Manager
Center for Educational Leadership & Technology

Searching...

This is the poem I had planned to read at the Lizard Lounge last Sunday when they took too fuqing long to get the open mic going. I wrote it after I got there while I still sitting in the truck; parked on Mass Ave. So it probably needs some tewaking.

You know....sometimes...I wish
I wish I could squat the weight of the the world on my shoulders

Sometimes I wish I didn't think of corny cliches
But I am glad I'm not usually known for trying to make shit rhyme that just don't mesh

Sometimes I wish I could narrow my thoughts and focus on a single goal
But I often find that self-inflicted pigeon-holing ain't very fulfilling

Sometimes I wish that I had instead cam up during the 60s
But then again sometimes when I really think about it
I might not have made it to today
Or the 70s; for that matter

It's funny how sometimes the wants supercede trhe needs
The glory begets the greed
When all I want most is happiness and hold down my seed
Which is very distinct from holding him back
Because if I did that
I'll even admit that I'd be very fuqing wack

So sometimes I even think back to what made me write poems in the first place
A few names come to mind, in addition to an unfortunate fall from grace (RIP)
But a them pervades

How can one stay focused
Yet distracted and scattered at the same time
Sometimes I wish I had traveled through the sands of time
And sold my soul for a 401k
But somehow I don't think it would sit right in my gut
Why can't I be the squirrel out just to get a nut
Probably because i wouldn't be able to stomach it

So really this is all just an exercise in futility
Me flexing my brain cells for the first time in a while just l'il bit sans the humility

Cuz you know...Sometimes I wish I was an arrogant muthafuqa
But then again...how does one kick one's own ass?
I guess I'll have to let that one marinate as I get back into shape and into the groove of things

A few years older with a few more handles has me feeling like an elder statesmen
Disconnected from the hip - yet not yet in need of surgery to resussitate my instint nor my intellect
But still wanting desperately to flip shit

But I guess time will only tell how well I'll walk the fine line of life't tightrope

Do I go for broke?
Or for the throat of the beats?

Because no matter how much I rambl of flip-flop
The struggle for my peoples', hip-hop', and my own soul will never cease

FBI's No. 2 Was 'Deep Throat'

I just can't stop reading about this. It is ground-breaking and refreshing. I only hope the Felt fam can get a l'il paper out of it. And to those that are calling Mark Felt a traitor; blow it out ya ass!

It's ridiculous how many many articles I've read about this today:

• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2005/06/01/DI2005060100769.html
• Conflicted and Mum for Decades
• Used to Hoover's Imperious Demands, but Troubled by 'Switchblade Mentality'
• 'Deep Throat' was ultimate whistleblower to some
• 'Deep Throat' ends mystery, provides lesson on sources
• Introducing Deep Throat
• Throat soreness
• Were Felt's leaks Illegal
• Deep Throat, Antihero
• Deep Throat Comes ... Forward
• Un masking Deep Throat - Slate's Deep Throat Complex
  

On the day of his conviction in 1980, Felt spoke to reporters outside the courthouse to express his disappointment with the verdict. "I spent my entire adult life working for the government, and I always tried to do what I thought was right and what was in the best interest of this country and what would protect the safety of this country," he said.

Looking back after yesterday's revelation, that quotation may express one of the motivations that led this otherwise unlikely public servant to engage in the surreptitious actions that led to Nixon's political demise.

Know it all too well

It seems hood violence is back already and the summer has barely begun. Apparently, the Gus Macker basketball tournament scheduled for Memorial Day weekend in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been cancelled. Recent street violence and tension in the air caused the organizers to cancel the event and prevent any trouble. I'm in a toss-up about my reaction, because on one hand I think the show should go on, for the players, spectators, families, children, and school district's athletic programs that need the fundraising money. But on the other hand, I know the sh!t all too well. When sh!t pops off, you can just feel it in the air when unresolved beef still permeates the hood. It's like some people wait til come out and stir sh!t up during public events. So I can understand the need to protect the big crowds from stray bullets and for sending a message that street violence has repurcussions, physical, recreational, and even financial.

This quote, however, did stand out to me: "There were about five to six men, wearing white T-shirts and long blue jean shorts, like a gang. They were in their 20s." My frustration lingers...