Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Three Things I've Learned from Blogging Every (Work) Day

It turns out that it's really hard not to blog every day. It's a habit for me now, and scaling back has been difficult.  I'm not sure how to adjust to longer and more in-depth pieces yet. I'm still trying to find the right balance.

So in the meantime, I'm going to share somethings I've learned from blogging every work day for the last four months.


  1. I never know what's going to be a hit.  One of my most read blog posts is about wallpaper. I was having writers block one morning, went into the WeWork bathroom, looked at the walls, got annoyed at what I saw and decided to write about it. The post went viral. I've also written topics that I've spent a lot of time and thought on that end up not getting read all that much.  My top five most read posts this year are: (1) Teaching Kids to Fail through Code (by far my most read piece ever... by like 4x any other post), (2) We Need Female Volunteers, (3) Trust Yo'Self / Imposter Syndrome, (4) WeWork Wallpaper, and (5) Wallpaper Update.
  2. I never know who I'm going to reach.  ScriptEd has gotten donations and new volunteers through this blog.  I've been asked to speak more as a result of this blog. We even got the bathroom wallpaper taken down as a because of this blog. The last few months have turned me into a believer in blogging.  It works.  For people who are working at nonprofits and/or on social missions, I  couldn't recommend it more -- it's a  free and easy way to amplify your work and mission.
  3. There is always something to write about. Writing every day isn't always easy.  There have been a lot of days where I've had no idea what to write.  Something always materialized, though. The habit of writing every day forces me through writers block.
---

I'm off to the Bay Area tomorrow for a Computer Science Education conference, and will be in LA next weekend.  If you're around, let me know!


Friday, September 25, 2015

Scaling back

Last night, one of our volunteers mentioned to me that he really enjoyed my blog, and especially my earlier blog posts.  I tend to agree with him. This is something I've been thinking a lot about the last few weeks.

Beginning this May, I revived my blog and started publishing something every day. It's been a terrific practice to help me reflect and process things that are happening to me and ScriptEd.

I often find myself, however, staring at my computer and forcing myself to write down whatever I can in 10-20 minutes. There are a lot of other things I want to write about, but they'll take more than 10 or 20 minutes to get down, so they've been sitting on the back burner for a while.

Starting next week, I'm going to scale back this blog so I can focus on writing the things that take me more than 10 minutes to complete.  I will aim to publish something at least one time per week (possibly more, but I'll hold myself accountable to 1x per week). I'll still probably continue to write every day as a personal exercise, but it won't appear on this blog.  I hope that scaling back will allow me more time to work on some more thoughtful pieces. We'll see how it goes.

Happy Friday.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

We Finally Started Using Slack

I know we're late to the party, but we finally started using Slack at ScriptEd a couple of weeks ago.  It looks like it's here to stay.

Over the summer, we made a huge effort to reduce the number of emails we were sending internally.  We were spending way too much time and energy in our inboxes and not getting enough real work done. We started off by using Asana, which has been a terrific. (Read more here).

Slack takes it to another level.  My email traffic has slowed to a trickle. It's great.

A lot of people tried to describe how Slack works to me before I started using it, and I always felt slightly confused afterwards. I'll try to summarize here, but can't promise that you'll totally get it if you've never used it: Slack is a communication platform for teams.  You can categorize conversations into different streams ('channels'). It aggregates conversations as information, and is searchable.  Do a google search for "Slack Reviews" to learn more.

These two efficiency tools have reduced the number of emails I receive to my work address every day from roughly 200 to 20 (This is just INBOX emails -- not newsletters / noncritical emails that go to the other tabs of my gmail mail box).  This works out to tons of saved time.

Check out these tools! You won't regret it.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Growing a Community

One thing that surprises and impresses many people about ScriptEd is our strong connections with the NYC tech industry. We have over 100 company partners who lend us space, donate money and hire our students as interns over the summer.  Without our industry partners, we would be unable to do the work that we do.

I am constantly asked about how we are able to so successfully make this happen.  When ScriptEd started, Liz and I had basically no connections in the tech industry, so it wasn't just a matter of going through a contact list and calling it a day.  Our approach was and continues to be incredibly grassroots.  

Occasionally we work through company corporate social responsibility departments, but we are far more successful with getting people involved with us through community events and platforms.  The majority of our volunteer recruitment is through meet up group, like BrooklynJS, QueensJS and ManhattanJS, through industry leaders blogging about us, and through word of mouth. Our industry volunteers are the most important part to making our program work -- they have the technical expertise, know what is relevant in the industry, and can be advocates in their workplaces. They are the key to our company partnerships.

This means we spend a lot of time, energy and resources on making sure the volunteer experience is as good as it can be.  We try to strike a balance between providing the right level of support to our volunteers while also allowing them to take ownership over their classrooms.  We make our community more cohesive by holding social events throughout the year.  We even have a line in our budget for volunteer retention -- money that program managers can use to take our volunteers out for coffee and afterwork events for check-in meetings.

All of this helps us grow a community of people and companies who believe in our work and mission.

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Last Tri of the Season: 5 Days Away

On Sunday, I'll compete in the Westchester Triathlon - my last triathlon of the 2015 season.  As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I've started working with a triathlon coach to up my game for the 2016 season. I've followed a new work out plan for the past six weeks, and I'm noticing a lot of changes already.  I'm going faster on the bike and the run. My pants are getting a little bit too big for me. I've spent a lot of time feeling really tired and beat up as a result of all the work, and I've needed to re-learn the importance of stretching, but I feel confident that it's paying off big time.

I'm also coming to the end of my first season training with the Brooklyn Tri Club.  I really love being part of the team. Going to practices in the morning before work help make me happy and motivated for the rest of the day.  I joke with my non-triathlete friends that it feels like I've finally found my people (that is: people who don't think I'm completely insane for getting up early / doing crazy workouts / competing for fun).  It's a great community.

This season has been a terrific reminder of the fun that comes with being part of a team, the importance of coaching, and of my epic and continuing love affair with the sport.



Monday, September 21, 2015

Tough Stuff

I've written about adjusting on the fly before.  It seems like the theme of the last few weeks for a handful of people I know is "sometimes things don't go according to plan."

... And that's OK.

A surprising number of my friends and family have been going through really difficult things recently. As someone who has been thrown a couple of crazy life curve balls in the last few years, I am really feeling for them right now. Tough stuff just sucks all around, and I hope I can be a good friend.

I don't have all the answers, but here are some things I've learned from going through tough stuff:

  1. You will become more emotionally resilient as a result of this...  if you allow yourself to do so.  You can either chose to let the situation control you and your mental state, or you can control it. You are ultimately responsible for your own happiness, and need to be empowered to do what needs to be done to keep yourself happy and emotionally healthy.
  2. The situation could be a lot worse.  If you're reading this blog, your life is probably relatively good compared to most people on the planet. Keep things in perspective. 
  3. Someone else has gone through what you're going through.  Ok, maybe no one has gone through exactly what you've gone through, but there are a lot of people out there so chances are that someone has had a similar situation. Don't be afraid to talk things out with your friends -- it's really helpful, and you'll be surprised to learn how many people go through similar things and just don't talk about it. 
  4. No one has a perfect life. 





Friday, September 18, 2015

Hitting the Road

I am traveling a ton over the next month.  Here's what's on the docket:



I'm excited to spread the word about ScriptEd and the work we're doing.  I'm also looking forward to meeting new people and sharing ideas and best practices.

Are you going to be in any of these places when I am? Let me know!


Thursday, September 17, 2015

So much attention!

The Mayor's announcement yesterday has generated a tremendous amount of attention for ScriptEd.  In the last day and a half, we received more volunteer applications than we normally receive in a month. It's clear that the NYC Tech Community is excited to help be part of the efforts to bring computer science education to all students.

We've also had a number of companies reach out to us about getting involved.  If you want your company to get involved in our efforts, please email us at info@scripted.org.

It also means that we have A TON of work to do.  We're excited to do it, and are ready to make a huge impact this school year.





Wednesday, September 16, 2015

CS Education for All NYC Students! Get Involved!

Today, Mayor Bill De Blasio will announce a 10-year deadline to offer computer science education to all New York City Public schools students. Read more about this announcement here.  

With more than 120 volunteers teaching in 30 under served New York City high schools this fall, ScriptEd is proud of its efforts towards bringing computer science education to students across our city.


We envision a future in which students from all walks of life have access to the technical skills and experiences they need to access careers in the tech industry. 


We applaud Mayor De Blasio for his leadership, and will continue to work with the New York City Foundation for Computer Science Education and the booming tech community in NYC to help make this goal a reality.

If you want to get involved, you can volunteer with us. Please find more information here, and submit an application here.


Onwards,
Maurya + The ScriptEd Team

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Welcome Tashay!

We're so excited to welcome Tashay Green to our team as a Program Manager!  Today is her first day with ScriptEd.  Here's some more information on the newest member of our all star team:

After graduating from Howard University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, Tashay became certified to teach through The New Teacher Project in the District of Columbia. In Washington D.C., she taught high school biology and conceptual physics before relocating to New York City. In New York City she continued to teach high school science until joining ScriptEd as a Program Manager. Tashay is deeply passionate about education and committed to achieving equity in the sciences for those that have been historically underserved.
Amongst her favorite things are dark chocolate, reading, and listening to podcasts.


Monday, September 14, 2015

Today is NOT a Sad Desk Lunch Day!

We have a running joke in the ScriptEd office is about sad desk lunches.  Like so many people, ScriptEd's staff has sad desk lunches way too much.  (Watch the video).



Today is not a sad desk lunch day.  It's gorgeous out.  We ate outside.




We really should do this more often.

 Get outside!


Friday, September 11, 2015

New Goal: Inbox Zero Fridays

Anyone who has ever worked closely with me knows that I keep my inbox pretty clear and I tend to respond to things very quickly. It's so extreme that the last time I took a day off work to compete in a triathlon, my staff thought that I was responding to emails while I was on my bike and racing (I wasn't!). If my inbox ever has more than 20 emails, it means I'm having an incredibly busy day or week.  Currently I have 9 emails in my work email inbox, and one email in my personal inbox.

Anything that is in my inbox is basically a glaring "To-Do" that I have not dealt with yet. I strive to get those emails out of my inbox and into my to-do list, but unfortunately some of the emails can't simply be put on a to do list.

I think by holding myself to a Friday rule (and not an every day "inbox zero" rule) will help me feel less compelled to triage an email whenever it comes in.  I have until Friday to make sure my inbox is clean.  It also means I can leave work on Friday, hopefully, without feeling the need to check my email for a bit.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Thursday, September 10, 2015

"Picture Yourself as a Stereotypical Male"

A friend shared the blog post "Picture Yourself as a Stereotypical Male" by Michelle G., an undergraduate student at MIT, and I just finished reading it.  I loved it and I think you should read it too.   

I'm sharing the excerpted part my friend sent to me as a teaser here as well:

"Soon after participants described themselves with either the male- or female-associated traits, they were asked to take a mental rotation test presented as independent of the first part of the study, supposedly to measure their personal spatial aptitude. 

On this mental rotation test, women who were “primed” with the female identity scored an average of 3.86 on the exercise, compared to the female-primed males’ average of 5.14. Okay, expected. But then when primed with the male text, women scored an average of 5.49, while men scored 5.53… wait a second, what?  

As it turns out, there is zero statistically significant gender difference in mental rotation ability after test-takers are asked to imagine themselves as stereotypical men for a few minutes. None. An entire standard deviation of female under-performance is negated on this condition, just as a man’s performance is slightly hindered if he instead imagines himself as a woman. 

Similar findings have been shown regarding racial identities: for example, asking black students to indicate their race before a test both significantly increases their anxiety and lowers their test scores. Black students’ performance under a "diagnostic" condition is improved when the test administrator is black as opposed to white (that 2.9% black MIT faculty tho) and black participants taking what was actually an IQ test scored better when the same questions were presented as a test of “hand-eye coordination.” Unsurprisingly, the same stereotype threat effects that were initially found for black test-takers were also found to apply to Latinos and students of low socioeconomic status."

This piece is so important to keep at the forefront of our minds in our work with students at ScriptEd.  Stereotype threats can negatively impact performance. It's so important that we remind our students that they are smart, capable and talented, and to celebrate their hard work and accomplishments.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Happy First Day of School!

Today is the first day of the 2015-2016 school year for New York City students, and the fourth school year for ScriptEd!

This school year we're partnering with 30 schools and engaging more than 120 volunteers from the NYC Tech community to teach our classes.

ScriptEd is kicking off its first classes through September and early October.  We're excited to get started!


Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Happy International Literacy Day!

Today is International Literacy Day, and tomorrow is the first day of school for NYC Public School students.

At ScriptEd, we believe that coding is a form of literacy.  We live in a society that is increasingly shaped and controlled by technology, and we believe that students should have the means and capabilities to create that technology and not just be consumers of it.

Read more on this in my article on "Learning to Code from the Otherside of the Digital Divide."

Kids: Don't forget to set your alarm clocks tomorrow.






Thursday, September 3, 2015

ScriptEd Alumni

This school year, ScriptEd will roll out an Alumni Program.  Our staff had a meeting today to plan for all of the ways we'll engage our alums over next year.

Our ultimate goal is that our former students will enter into careers in technology, so we'll have a lot of programming planned to connect them back to our classrooms and the technology industry in NYC.

Have any cool opportunities or ideas for our alums? Send them our way at info@scripted.org.

...and happy Labor Day! I'm headed home for a wedding tomorrow, so I'll be blogging again as of Tuesday.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Happy 1-Year with ScriptEd, Joliz!

A year ago today, Joliz CedeƱo joined ScriptEd as a Program Manager.  Her first day was crazy.  It was the first day of school, and another one of our team members was out on a personal emergency.  With out missing a beat and with almost no preparation, Joliz covered a class within the first hours of the job. Her first months here were crazy and tiring (as they were for all of us).

We've changed so much since then! Things feel calmer now. We have a better sense of what we need to do at the beginning of the school year and have contingency plans for when unexpected things happen. We have more team members to rely on.

We wouldn't have gotten here, though, without the hard work Joliz, (and Becca and Tom) put in over the last school year. Joliz has become an integral part of our team and has made a huge impact on our community and culture.

Congratulations, Joliz! We love you.  Happy 1 Year!

Joliz with Tom, Rebecca and Chinnell!

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Advanced Courses at ScriptEd

We're really excited to launch a new program model at ScriptEd this school year for our Advanced students.

Students who have already completed at least one year of ScriptEd classes will have the opportunity to take classes once a week in technology companies like Google and Foursquare. The courses will be taught by developers from those companies who will volunteer their time.  The curriculum covers advanced web development concepts.

Check out our advanced curriculum here, and if you're company is interested in hosting a class, please be sure to contact us at info@scripted.org.