Wall Street IQ

Mr. Yanelli, Mrs. Craft, and I made it to New York City (and more importantly, back) with students on a Wall Street IQ. They learned about economics from investment bankers and traders on Wall Street, and we found time for fun too. Chelsea Market, Trinity Church, Wicked, and the Yankees games were highlights. The students couldn't have been better behaved. They were on time for everything, dressed like business people, and asked excellent questions in presentations. Here are a few images from the week.

 (Our seats at Yankee Stadium)

 (Dressed up in the rain for Citibank) 

 (The opening stage of Wicked) 

 (In front of the New York Stock Exchange) 

(Looking like professionals at Goldman Sachs)

Orientation News

This is the Consulate General's house in San Francisco; it overlooks the San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. We had a dinner reception here last night. You can see that they're treating us wonderfully!

We hit the ground running, arriving at the hotel at 1:50, with ten minutes to register and eat lunch before orientation. Unfortunately, the day started off with some bad news. After 12 years, the Japanese government can no longer support this program. The organizers are hopeful that if the economic situation turns around, they will be able to recreate some aspects of the exchange, but not all of it. Because of the current economic crisis, we're the last group of teachers who will be traveling to Japan with JFMF. Even though I haven't experienced the bulk of the program yet, I'm bummed. I think about how many students must have benefited from their teachers' trips over the past 12 years.