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Francis Osei, John F. Kennedy Magnet School, Port Chester, NY
By Emily Weinstein
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December 2002 - Francis Osei’s long and winding road to the Math Lab has led him from the drafting table to stay-at-home parenting to the New York City Schools to creating a new math curriculum in a Westchester school district. As a result of this wealth of experience, he has developed a unique formula for teaching math skills, as he puts it, “for life.”
 Francis Osei (center) with mentor Alan Feigenberg (left) at the 2002 Salvadori Summer Institute. |
Born in London and raised in Ghana, West Africa, Francis Osei didn’t like math growing up. He was motivated to do it because he knew he would need it to become an architect. Unwilling to tolerate a joyless education, he left architecture school in London to come to City College in New York. There, he met Alan Feigenberg, who ignited Mr. Osei’s passion for both architecture and teaching.
"Alan was my favorite teacher at CCNY and he was the primary reason I started enjoying math, because he had a different way of teaching. He taught Structures in such a relevant way that you understood why you were using math. A lot of the way I behave in my class is modeled on Alan,” he says, referring to his high-energy, ever-questioning presence.
Real-life relevance is an Osei mantra. “When they don’t see the relevance of what they’re doing, when they’re doing remedial work, kids begin to abhor math. They become allergic to it. But if they start applying concepts to reality, kids realize that math is relevant.”
 Mr. Osei (left) and Salvadori Senior Architect-Educator Al Isaac team up to make a point about the strength of a paper column. |
From architect to parent to pedagogue
Mr. Osei put his architecture career on hold to become a full-time parent to his firstborn daughter, who is autistic. “After staying home with an autistic kid, I realized I had a knack for communicating with her. When my daughter started school, I went back to work, but I was having a horrible time drawing kitchens and bathrooms and chasing contractors.” An educator friend, Dr. Yvonne Young, suggested that Mr. Osei teach math in the inner city. He began in the South Bronx, at I.S. 74, in Hunts Point.
Mr. Osei soon found that traditional methods weren’t working. “Kids were bored, not paying attention. I found that the only way I got their attention was to teach in such a different way that it piqued their interest. I decided to use my background as an architect.”
A self-made architect-educator finds the Salvadori Center
While Mr. Osei was taking his own initiative to do built-environment learning, he ran into Al Isaac, an old schoolmate from City College, now Salvadori’s Senior Architect-Educator, who was visiting Hunts Point as part of the Salvadori Middle School Program. “I asked him what Salvadori Center was and he started describing my program. So I said, ‘Why should I reinvent the wheel?’ I followed him to Salvadori, and I met [Executive Director] Lorraine [Whitman], and I was sold.” Mr. Osei was pleased to find that Alan Feigenberg, his favorite architecture professor, was also involved with the Center, as its Educational Director.
Mr. Isaac and Mr. Osei collaborated for several years, managing to double the math scores of the kids at IS 74. But after four years at two different Hunts Point schools, Mr. Osei grew frustrated that he didn’t have the autonomy to really put his philosophy into action. So when Dr. Whitman called and asked if he’d be interested in starting an elementary program at the John F. Kennedy Magnet School in Port Chester, NY, using the Salvadori methods and strategies, he jumped at the chance.
 Angel Rodriguez, concentrating on shaping a single piece of paper into a weight-supporting device, learns valuable problem-solving skills. |
Teaching life skills through math skills
Since Salvadori has always focused on developing and teaching middle school curriculum, developing a Math Lab for elementary students was a unique opportunity for Mr. Osei to build from the ground up.
"It gave me a chance to put some of my educational philosophies in place. I’ve always believed that problem-solving skills are not taught enough, and that’s why we resort to terrible choices when we have problems. I decided I wanted to base my whole math program on solving problems--on what you do when you don’t know what to do.” That maxim appears on dozens of posters decorating Mr. Osei’s classroom. It teaches kids every day that in math--as in life--when you don’t know what to do, you always have options.
"So it’s as much about life skills as it is about math skills,” concludes Mr. Osei. From the looks of consternation, triumph, curiosity, focus and determination that alternate on the faces of his students, it is evident that their math lessons reach them on many levels.
"Architecture is all about problem solving. When you come into a situation, there’s no clear solution, otherwise you wouldn’t be hired. Your job is to make something out of nothing. [As an architect] problem-solving is so embedded in you that when you set out to teach, you practice what you preach. I found this was a very good way to teach math. I spend the whole year going from project to project--modular housing, bridges, columns--uncovering strategy after strategy.
"Once you give students the tools, they can do anything.”
The program in Port Chester has been enormously successful. John F. Kennedy students have shown the highest increase in reading test scores in Westchester County, and their fourth-grade math scores have jumped from 62% to 80%, earning them a commendation from the State Education Department.
Most importantly, they are learning math, and they are, from the shouted ideas and irrepressible laughter emanating from Mr. Osei’s classroom, having a great time doing it. “If you’re outside looking in, you’ll think they’re having a whale of a time with Mr. Osei,” he grins. But, he is quick to point out, "We are doing hard math.” Mr. Osei is pleased but not surprised by his students’ strides. “Once you give them the tools,” he says matter-of-factly, “they can do anything.”
Mr. Osei will be using his classroom as a testing ground for our Project Book. He’s been adapting the lessons for elementary school students and will provide Salvadori with much-needed feedback as we continue to develop this comprehensive resource.
Questions? Comments? Email emily@salvadori.org
