A Bronx visionary

How would you define vulnerability?

It’s a question Alhassan Susso recently posed to his new class of seniors, mostly recent immigrants, at the International Community HS in Mott Haven in the Bronx.

Their answers come rushing forth: Something that can easily break, lack of confidence, insecurity, someone who is easy to manipulate. Those responses lead to a class discussion about how vulnerable we are when we take risks, especially when we’re learning.

He reminds the class that “we’re here to help each other instead of making fun of each other.”

Susso wants his students to feel valued, to be self-aware about the choices they make every day, and to speak up without fear of being “wrong” or mocked. Covering his face with a jacket, he makes the students laugh — and uses body language to bridge any gap created by unfamiliar words — to mimic the masks people wear to hide their…