Black History Month: Just Tryin’ to Help Out!

Hello Family!

Very briefly…. I prepared this document for Nia’s school and decided to post it on my blog in the event that there are any teachers, parents or administrators out there who need a quick and last minute resource to begin their Black History Month celebrations tomorrow!  It’s a “On This Day in Black History…” and gives an important fact for each day of the month…

Feel free to use and share!

 Happy Black History Month!!!

I’ll be posting again before the month is out, so stay tuned..

Click to download  > BHM-History Facts

TDanyel

 

World Read Aloud Day

Hello Family,

I hope all is well in the new year for everyone….

During last summer while attending the SOS Conference and March, I had the pleasure of meeting Ruby Veridiano; Lit Corps and Social Media Ambassador for an organization called Lit World.  She was a featured speaker at a conference session I attended on education and it’s role in world literacy. I felt an instant connection with Ruby. Her warm and personable demeanor made it very easy for me to engage in conversations going on during our conference session. I admired her passion and drive as she discussed her role in Girls LitClubs in NYC. I was just really impressed with her and the organization she represents. (oh, and not to mention; too, she told me she is a native of one of my favorite cities on the west coast (shout out to Oakland, CA) (smile)  Anyway, Ruby and I became instant friends….

A few weeks ago, Ruby emailed me to ask if I’d like to help her spread the word about a special day coming up on March 7th, 2012 – World Read Aloud Day! Of course, I jumped at the chance.

Did You Know?
(Source: http://www.proliteracy.org)

Defined, literacy is the ability to read, write, compute and use technology at a level that enables an individual to reach his or her full potential as a human being.

Now, you know that usually, I don’t like giving you a bunch of stats… however, when I was preparing this post, I ran across these and was amazed at the numbers. They are truly staggering. Take a look for yourself:

•  Over 700 million adults, approximately 16 % of the world’s population have only basic or below basic literacy levels in their native language.
•  Two-thirds of those with the lowest levels of literacy are women.
• In the U.S., 63 million adults (roughly 29% of the country’s adult population (those over the age of 16) do not read well enough to understand a newspaper story written at the eighth grade level.
• 43 % of adults with the lowest literacy rates in the United States live in poverty.
• The United States ranks fifth on adult literacy skills when compared to other industrialized countries.

In short, adult low literacy can be connected to almost every socio-economic issue in the United States; including (but not limited to):

•  65% of all state and federal correction inmates can be classified as low literate.
•  Low health literacy costs between $106 billion and $236 billion each year in the United States alone. (77 million Americans have only and 2-in-3 chance of correctly reading an over-the-counter drug label or understanding their child’s vaccination chart.)
• Low literacy’s effects cost the U.S. $225 billion or more each year in non-productivity in the workforce, crime and loss of tax revenue due to unemployment.
• Globally, illiteracy can be linked to:
  o Gender abuse
  o Extreme poverty
  o High infant mortality and the spread of HIV/Aids, malaria, and other preventable   infectious diseases.

World Read Aloud Day

Therefore, I am happy to join in the cause and support Lit World’s World Read Aloud Day; being held on March 7, 2012, globally. I will be participating in a World Read Aloud Day event at Nia’s school as well as live tweeting. The thing that also really excites me is Lit World’s commitment to using technology which of course leads to an increase in global technology literacy as well! Folks, everywhere will be using Skype, Twitter, Face Book, U Stream and You Tube and other social media platforms to connect and engage. If you represent a group of students who would like to live chat with an author; or if you are an author that would like to live chat with students, Lit World will provide the platform for you. All you have to do is sign up.

Family, please join me on March 7th for this awesome event. Here is an opportunity to do something… big or small, to truly change the life of children and help put an end to global illiteracy in our life time.

Here is a link to get you started…. http://litworld.org/worldreadaloudday/

Thanks! I’ll talk to you later

 

Shaking My Head….

OK I know it’s the holiday season and everyone is supposed to be of good cheer, but again, I got frustrated and had to get this off my chest. I’ve been so busy lately that I am just now getting to sit down to write about it…

 A few weeks ago, I was in the library doing some work. As I was working, an interaction between a teacher and student caught my attention. The teacher was going over incomplete assignments the student had to finish before the end of the semester.  She points out what he had to do and tells him to sit at a table and get started; she was getting ready to give him an exam after that…

 I had to ask

 I made eye contact with the teacher and smiled. She smiled back and we started to talk. She told me she was a “one on one” teacher at an alternative high school for troubled youth. We continued our conversation, but were interrupted by her student who approached her and said his stomach hurt and he didn’t want to do the work!  As they were talking, I looked over at the table where he was sitting and saw two pretty girls sitting there! All of the sudden, his “stomach ache” made sense. The teacher said, “Oh, so your stomach just started hurting, huh?” It was obvious that she didn’t believe him; and neither did I.  She tried to encourage him to complete his assignments and as a compromise, she offered to let him take his exam the next day. He said no, he didn’t want to work and asked if he could go home.  He said he was going to the bathroom and would be right back. She said OK. He walked away. She looked at me and rolled her eyes.

 Been there, done that!

I felt so bad for her at that moment. I decided to tell her that I had been in her shoes and felt her pain. I began telling her a little about my experiences as a teacher. She explained that he is really a bright kid, and she really works hard trying to get work out of him. We got so involved in our conversation, that we didn’t see him come out of the bathroom and had walked back over to the table with the girls and began talking to them again! I brought her attention to it. I said, “Oh no. I’m sorry, but look.” I pointed over to the young man who was seriously “rapping” to these young ladies.

 “Oh, don’t feel sorry for me” she said. “My daughter just finished her master’s degree in engineering, and my son is in his third year of undergraduate; he wants to be a doctor. I AM FINE.”

 The truth is I do understand that…

She called her student back over and told him to leave the girls alone. He laughed and said, “OK, OK, I’ll stop” and went back to the table. We both watched as he sat down and did seem like he started reading over the assignment, but then after a few minutes got distracted and started talking again…

The teacher went over to his table and decided to sit there with him to make him do the assignment. However, after a few minutes she came back over to me and said, “He’s still saying he’s sick and wants to go home.” “I told him he should really try to complete his work, but he’s insisting that he wants to go home.”

Then, he comes over to the teacher with a cell phone and says, “Here, my mom wants to talk to you.”   After a few minutes, I hear the teacher say, OK and then hands him back the phone. She looks at me with disgust and says, “His mother told me to let him come home.” Clearly upset, she starts packing up her instructional materials while she continues her conversation with me. “What am I supposed to do? I can’t go against his mother.” If his mother lets him get out of doing his work and gives him a pass, what am I supposed to do?” “I can’t compete with what’s going on in his house.” “Obviously, he messed up before which is why he’s with me in the first place. It seems like his mother should be supporting me and helping to get her son on track. She’s the one who’s going to have to deal with him later on down the road if he doesn’t get his act together.” “I just don’t get it.”

Sigh…..SMH

For a moment, I actually entertained the idea of going over to the student and trying to talk to him, but decided not to because by now (of course) he was back over at the table with the girls and it wouldn’t of been a good time for a stranger to approach him and try to reason. So I just thanked the teacher for trying and wished her well.  After she packed up, she went over to her student said something to him and left the library.

I just put my head back down and continued my work.  After a few minutes I looked up and saw the young student staring at me! I looked back at him and gave him the “you know you are wrong” look, as I shook my head.  (I had to make some sort of statement to him; the teacher in me just couldn’t let it slide.) He gave me a funny look back and smiled. He seemed to be saying that he knew he was wrong, but glad that he got away with it.

So now what?

Frustrated family…. I along with that teacher and so many other teachers in schools today have had similar experiences. You do get to the point when you get tired…. It does start to feel like, as long as I get my pay check and my children are doing well in school, that’s all that really matters (and you really hate it when the frustration level gets that high)…. Of course we all know that it does very much matter that her children AND her students achieve academically in order to become successful in their life.

So I ask… What do you think of her response? Is she a bad teacher? Do you understand her frustration? Should she get out of teaching? Should I of taken the risk and tried to talk to the young man anyway? (Remember, it does take a village) Should the parent have allowed her son to come home? Was the teacher’s response to the parent appropriate, or should she have tried harder? (I don’t know what the history of their interaction is) What is YOUR role? Should our role as a community be to do everything to SUPPORT her (and every other teachers’) efforts and TRAIN the parent (and all other parents who need it) to empower and not hinder her son?

Big Sigh….. (Again)

Just some questions…. And hopefully some answers….

Have a wonderful holiday season family…. See you in 2012!

 

The Question

It’s a moment all parents face…. and a few days ago I faced it for the first time… Nia comes home from school and begins telling me about all of her friends who are on Facebook! “Uh oh, here we go,” I said to myself.  Then came… THE QUESTION… “Mommy, can I have a Facebook account?”

I asked her why she wants a Facebook account now. Is it just because everyone else is doing it? You know communicating on the internet can be dangerous! But she began whining, “But Mommy, I know to be safe on the internet, I won’t chat with strangers and I won’t go to the mall to meet strangers…can I PLEASE Mommy!!”

After serious deliberation, (which lasted all of 20 seconds, and that was for effect) my answer was NO. “That’s not fair, she whined, “I thought you liked technology. I thought you liked for me to use the computer.”  (Now that was below the belt, LOL) At first I tried to reason with her by telling her that it’s my responsibility to protect her; to make sure she is focused on school. “But Mommy,” she said, “Facebook is educational!” (WHAT??!!!)  “You can learn a lot on Facebook!” (I thought to myself, yeah, I’m sure you can!)  She worked on me for about 20 minutes after that, but I wouldn’t budge. In the end she wasn’t hearing it, so I just told her to go to her room, start her homework and that was the end of the discussion…

I’m sure those who know me are surprised.  I am usually the first one in my social circles (real world social circles, that is) to promote the use of kids using technology. Having been a K12 technology teacher for so many years, many of my former students and colleagues would be shocked.  However, I guess because of my profession and being a Mom, it forces me to use extra caution when it comes to my child.  Oh, and by the way, I LOVED my students I taught over the years, as do so many teachers. If I were in a k12 classroom today and the question came up with one of my students, my answer to them would also be NO! I would even reinforce my recommendation with a phone call home.

See family, there is growing evidence out there now that kids today are becoming too wired, too engaged in their technology tools. Researchers are even beginning to wonder if all this over use of technology in younger children is actually rewiring their brain in ways that are different than ours; causing a change in how these children learn and function in society.

Take a look at some of these articles…

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/technology/21brain.html?pagewanted=all

http://www.livescience.com/8763-young-brains-teaching-technologies-hit.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-565207/Modern-technology-changing-way-brains-work-says-neuroscientist.html

http://www.ihealthbeat.org/articles/2011/3/29/pediatrics-group-says-doctors-should-ask-kids-about-social-media-use.aspx

A Little History

The concern really is the same one that started years ago with the advent of television. Once television became a technology standard in the home, educators began to worry about the effect increased television viewing had on learning. I recall a conversation I had about 20 years ago with a veteran 5^th grade teacher who was close to retirement.  She said she saw the change with the ‘TV generation.’ “All of the sudden,” she said, “We (teachers) had to make learning, FUN!” “Kids today have to be entertained all the time, or they lose interest.” “You know, learning has to be effective, it doesn’t have to always be fun.”

During this time, educational media became very popular as television executives responded to the concerns of the educational community. Shows like Sesame Street, Electric Company, Romper Room and Captain Kangaroo (I’m sure you can think of others.) were developed to bridge the gap between education and media. One of my all-time favorite educational television shows was created by one of my personal heroes in the industry, Dr. William Cosby Fat Albert and the Cosby kids  (BTW, did you know that Bill Cosby has an earned doctorate degree in education from the University of Massachusetts?)

Later as video games came into the mix, the issue became even more pervasive. Again, educators struggled to compete with the video game industry for the attention of children. Teachers saw an even bigger decrease in the attention span of their students, while students’ complaints of being ‘bored’ in the classroom escalated.  Most of the day’s instructional strategies did not account for the fast action packed pace of  video game programs. In addition, educators became alarmed when they began noticing an increase in violent, aggressive behavior in students with the advent of the video game industry. There is a ton of research out there to support this notion. Here’s a link to just one article… http://www.apa.org/research/action/games.aspx  Efforts were, and are still being made to create video games that are entertaining and instructional, however the more popular games that are on most children’s holiday wish list generally don’t have anything to do with education at all.

With the advent of social media, the issue has become (if I may borrow a social media term) viral!  I don’t have to spend time giving you the stats.  Social media is everywhere! Kids today are using it at younger and younger ages. What’s surprising to me is the growing number of Nia’s friends who are her age (9) and have social media accounts!

What’s My Point?

I guess, the point I’m trying to make is really the same one I harp on… too much of a good thing ends up not being good.  Parents have to remember that the primary goal of these social media sites is to entertain children, not educate. There is a growing movement of educators using social media in their classes more and more; however most administrators, (and especially school IT officers) are still somewhat leery of this. (Although, I believe that will decrease over time.)

 If you decide that social media use for your child is OK, then consider these points…

• Monitor your child’s social media use. Demand that you be given the password, or better yet, create the password for them when you help them set up the account.
• Limit the time students can spend on social media; and even on the computer. If the computer is needed to complete homework assignments, then fine, but after that shut it down and tell them to find another activity! (preferably not watching TV, or talking on the phone)
• Consider creating and using a social media account yourself. That way you’ll be aware of trending topics, controversial postings etc. You can at least be aware of what your child is being exposed to. You can try being their friend or follower, but don’t be surprised if you get denied!
• Have on going conversations about social media with your child; discussing its benefits and downfalls.  Teach your child to be an educated consumer of social media. Tell them not to go for the new fad just because it’s popular.
• There are numerous ‘kid friendly” safe social media sites out there that your child can be a part of. Consider getting together with a group of your child’s friends’ parents, and as a group decide on using one of these sites and allow your children to create a profile on these sites only. That way, they will be able to interact with friends, they know in the real world; which is one required rule for safety on the internet.
• Finally, realize that your ability to say No will not last forever! Eventually, your child will create a social media account on their own and without your permission, and you won’t have the password! Now is the time to teach them how to be responsible social media users so that they will make wise decisions later on. When the day comes that they are using social media on their own, close your eyes and hope for the best! Hopefully, you have prepared for the worse.

In the End

As a compromise, Nia is beginning to be allowed to create profiles in sites that have various online activities, not necessarily social media; but it’s a step in that direction. She has her own playlist on my MySpace site that she can access on her own. She is also being allowed to view my Facebook and Twitter accounts when appropriate. She also is being encouraged to email people more often as long as they are family members, or someone I know in the REAL WORLD. Soon, we will be using Skype to talk to her very good friend who now lives in Texas.

I’m sure there is going to be growing debate as time continues. Each side will have valid points and arguments to make.  The important thing is before you tell your child Yes, or No, consider all the factors and make an informed decision based on your family’s computer ‘lifestyle.’ You set the tone and your child will follow!  Here are some resources to get you started…

Good Luck!

http://www.npr.org/2011/07/11/137705552/ten-safe-social-networking-sites-for-kids

http://www.amyhodgepodge.com/

http://www.kidssocialnetwork.com/

http://www.theboocrew.com/

http://www.nick.com (beware, very commercialized)

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/tech/tec14.shtm

http://www.staysafeonline.org/

http://blackandmarriedwithkids.com/2011/06/22/come-get-your-kids-foolishness-on-facebook

http://www.msoyonline.com/lilbits/

 

Diversity Dialogue

Hello Family,

I hope all is well with everyone. Just wanted to share with you the first edition of Diversity Dialogue. A newsletter that I did in my role as a  Parent Council Representative with the NAACP.  I hope it will serve as an inspiration to you to get involved in your child’s PTA, PTSA, School Improvement Team or any other parent vehicle that serves your school community.

If you don’t have any school aged kids, don’t worry, there’s plenty of work to be done for any concerned citizen.  Get involved!!!

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

I’ll talk to you later…. TDanyel

Diversity Dialogue November 2011

 

African-American Parents, What Are You Waiting For?

Ok, Family I need your help… I was asked by my Asst. Principal at Nia’s school to serve as the Parent Council Representative of the local chapter of the NAACP.  In that role, I am charged with bringing together African–American parents in the school and creating an opportunity to share information, network, and discuss issues that affect our children in the school.

 In preparation for this, I began reflecting on my past experiences as a teacher…. Wondering what am I going to do?

Early in my career, I was teaching in an inner city elementary school in Washington DC.  I was very idealistic and somewhat naïve. It was the first Back to School Night in September. I remember working tirelessly for days prior to the night; preparing my classroom for the room full of parents I was expecting. I put together a PowerPoint presentation; describing my classroom procedures, the class curriculum, my expectations of my students and parents. I even set up some music to play in the background to “set the mood” before I began my presentation! LOL I put my all into preparing for that event; in quite the same way I did (back in the day) when I was an aspiring professional dancer.  Getting ready for that big opening night… doing whatever it takes to shine.

Yeah, You Know What Happened!

Well, out of 25 students in my class. The parents of 2 students showed up!!!  One was the single mother of one of my brightest students; (I knew she would be there.) The other, a grandmother of another who admitted to me (still can’t understand why she did this) that the only REAL reason she came out that night was to pick up her grandson’s jacket that he had accidently left in class….  Really???  Yeah, Really!!  LOL

Meanwhile, on the “Other” Side of Town….

During this year, I was also taking some professional development courses at a university. I was the only African-American student in the class, and the only teacher in an inner city school. My classmates were mainly all Caucasian female teachers in either an affluent suburban public school district or in a private school. We were all chatting before class on this particular evening and I listened with envy as they shared stories of their Back to School Night Events. They were talking about how many parents were there; how the parents were bombarding them with questions, and how SO many parents joined the PTA and signed up to volunteer in the school building. When they asked me how my Back to School Night went, I froze…  I just gave some real general “Oh it was fine.” statement and whispered “Hallelujah” to myself as the professor called the class to order!

What’s Wrong with this Picture?

Ok, no need to explain it any further. We know what’s wrong.  An alarmingly high number of African-American parents in inner city schools are NOT actively engaged and involved in their child’s school and do not support the teacher’s efforts in the home. Too many parents; don’t come out to Back to School night; don’t join and are not active in the PTA (the same 5-6 parents do ALL the work); Many don’t even come out to pick up report cards, or attend previously scheduled parent teacher conferences. I can’t tell you the number of phone calls I’ve made literally begging parents to come to my class. Overall, a few here and there actually showed up.

 The Next Question is Why?

 Just like everything else, there has been a ton of research out there on the issue. Unfortunately, it’s not a new problem. The lack of parental involvement in inner city schools has been studied by many educational researchers and scholars. It’s a complicated issue, and YES, I’ll say it again… one of the BIG underlying reasons is POVERTY…. So many, do not understand the devastating impact poverty has on not just the economic structure of the inner city, but also on the  emotional psyche of its’ residents. Poverty =low self esteem =low expectations= a “why bother” kind of attitude.So many don’t get that equation… it’s generational… and extremely dangerous.

While the specific answers to WHY will vary based on the school district, community and city/state; there are some generalizations we can make based on the research out there. 

It’s Because….

• Parents feel disenfranchised by the school system, they are intimidated by it. They see it as “the enemy” instead of an ally.
• Many parents who were poor students themselves, or had bad experiences in school do not want to be reminded of their past failures.
• Parents feel that “those” teachers (usually someone other than them) don’t respect them. Those teachers look down on them, and don’t understand where they (parents) come from.
• Some parents feel that it’s the teachers’ job to teach. They get bothered when they have to always go up to the school. These parents don’t see why “they have to come up here (the school) to do the teacher’s job! (I actually, had a parent lay me out over that once!)

In short, many parents in the inner city do not trust the school system and the people in it. This lack of trust is exasperated when teachers are of a different race, culture and do not live in the community.

Ok, So What Do We Do About It?

Fixing the problem is about building relationships. Trust between the parent and teacher must be established. Teachers have to find ways to convince parents that teaching their child is about more than just a pay check, (because in most cases, it actually is) and they are genuinely concerned about the growth and development of their child. Teachers have to prove that they LOVE their students, as much as their parents LOVE them.

Teachers must understand and respect the cultural differences between them and their students’ families. Teachers must spend time in the community. Teachers must be sensitive to the differences in culture, language, family relationships and community traditions that may be different than their own. This holds true for even some African-American teachers who have had the benefit of formal higher education and enjoy a higher socio-economic status than that of their students.

Many inner city parents want the school to be an extension of their home; a part of the community. They want to feel comfortable when in the school building. Many parents complain that teachers do not “really care” about their students; at the end of the day, they get in their car and drive to the other side of town, without looking back.

That means that teachers must be seen in the community! Attend community events; create opportunities to interact with families outside of the school building, on weekends or holidays. Develop a vested interest in the success of the community. That way, you won’t be perceived as an outsider who comes into the community simply to earn a paycheck.

I know funding is tight and this may be hard; but let’s figure out a way to keep the school building open in the evening. Hire a second shift set of teachers, tutors and counselors. Provide dinner. Offer homework help; extra-curricular activities; including THE ARTS and SPORTS! Computer training and STEM related programming.   Ok, let’s add to the wish list, training for parents! Offer GED courses, workshops on just about anything! How to be a better parent classes; maybe even financial management or learning how to improve the nutrition of your family!  Sounds like a community center right?  YES, that’s exactly what it is… or should be.

 But Wait, What About Parents?

 Parents…. It’s time to get off the fence and change your ways!  Whatever the issues are that’s keeping you from being an active and engaged parent; it’s time to deal with them and put them behind you. If I may put it bluntly…  BGOI !!  (Better Get Over It)  Time is short; you only have one chance at this; your child’s future is at stake. It is time to stop playing around.  I know it’s hard to get out of that comfort zone. People don’t like being pushed into action, but please realize the power you have in your child’s life..  I’ll say it again. REMEMBER that YOU are your child’s first and most influential teacher.  If they see you engaged and involved; they’ll become engaged and involved also. 

Reach out for help.  Email me, if you need to!!  I would be glad to help you talk it through and work it out!  This year, promise yourself to do at least one thing, in the school and in your home. True educational reform of YOUR CHILD starts and ends with YOU. Start off small if you need to, but please do start… what exactly are you waiting for?

 

 Ok, Now Some Resources…

 Check out the following to learn more and ways to get parents involved.

  http://www.projectappleseed.org/chklst.html

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/parentacademy/schedule.aspx

http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR5-3/mcdermott.html

http://www.mybrotha.com/parent_involvement.asp

http://journalofafricanamericanmales.com/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2010/05/FINAL-REMA.pdf

http://nbcdi.org/

I’ll let you know how my year as a Parent Council rep with the NAACP progresses… If you have any suggestions.. please leave a comment, send an email, tweet or FB me

Thanks Family, I’ll talk to you later…

 

 

 

 

 

 

The MLK Memorial

Yesterday, Nia and I went to see the new Martin Luther King Jr. memorial down on the national mall. It was an interesting experience that I thought I’d share with you.

As I was traveling on the metro subway to get to the memorial, I was a little apprehensive. I had heard about all the controversy surrounding the sculptor, the stone used and the mis-quote… my expectation was rather low. I also was contemplating how Dr. King would feel today if he were here to see the state of our country. I shutter to think what he would say to those forces in our country seeking to destroy, instead of build.  But, I didn’t want to spoil the experience for Nia, so I kept quiet and walked to the memorial.

When we arrived, I got really excited. Thousands of people were there. The memorial is beautiful. I felt a real sense of pride and accomplishment. Ofourse, I read about the civil rights movement in school, but did not remember it first hand. However, at the memorial, I immediately felt connected to the energy that must of been pervasive during the civil rights era when thousands of people marched, were hosed, beaten, arrested and even died to make this day a reality for me and my daughter. I felt a profound sense of gratitude for the opportunities they had given to my generation, and other generations ahead of me.

However, Nia being a typical nine year old, didn’t see it that way. She didn’t want to take the time to read and discuss the numerous quotes that were enscribed in the stone of the memorial. (Ofcourse, I made her read them anyway!) Instead, she wanted to play in the water fall! I got a little frustrated with her behavior and started scolding her. I told her she needed to understand what this memorial is all about and she is being disrespectful to the many who made sacrifices so that she has the freedoms she enjoys today. (I also compromised and promised her that if she read the quotes and reflected on their meaning, I’d give her a few minutes to play in the water… it was a hot day (smile))

It just so happened that a lady was walking by and heard my scolding. She gave me the look. “Let me handle this Mom,” her eyes said to me; as I looked at her and told Nia to listen to her…. You will hear her words in this short video.

Well, after that Nia calmed down and began to understand the importance of the day and the memorial. I then was reminded of the saying, “it takes a village to raise a child” and was so happy that “Auntie” stepped in to help me out at that moment.

That’s what it’s all about family… Coming together, giving each other strength, power and using our collective voices to speak, engage, educate and advocate.  All the things Dr. King believed we would reach.

Enjoy your holiday, and please continue to help our children…. Be it your child, or someone elses’. We must all do our part.

Peace and Blessings,

TDanyel

 

The Arts in Education: It’s Up to Us!

   How is everyone doing? I hope you had a good restful summer. I expect that you followed my advice and kept your kids’ brain engaged this summer. Although, I had to pull teeth… Nia read throughout the summer, wrote several stories and practice her math skills, I had to bribe her with taking away trips to the pool if she didn’t do her work!

She also attended some meetings of the SOS March planning committee, and even gave her opinions of some questions march organizers had that needed the perspective of a kid! So, she got a taste of  organizing and social activism too!

Last week, we took a trip to see some friends in New York, (shout out to Bed Stuy). Back in the day before I became a parent, going to New York meant hanging out… going to clubs and parties… now, yeah, we partied alright… right on the backyard deck of Steph and Nate’s beautiful home, while listening to some live jazz coming from a house down the street!  It was so funny, the three of us were sitting there catching up and sharing time together, HOWEVER we were also all actively engaged with our perspective technology devices, googling, tweeting, facebooking, checking email, posting blogs…. LOL. What ever happened to face to face time…. when you visit with friends who live out of town!

Anyway, on Saturday night, the kids (4 cute little girls in all) were getting kind of restless and we were intent on NOT letting them spend the rest of the night watching TV. We were in Sue’s living room and a suggestion came up that we should play QUEEN.  Nia and I looked at each other. We have never heard of that game before, but we were eager to try and join in the fun… Sue told Nia to follow along with the others and she started… Sue said, “I am the Queen, and you are a fish swimming in the stream.”  The three girls (who knew the game) immediately began acting out being a fish swimming in the stream. Nia jumped right in, hysterically laughing! In fact, Nia was laughing so hard, she could hardly concentrate on what she was doing. It was so fun to watch!  Sue continued giving instructions as The Queen, and the girls improvised each one with creativity and passion. Later, us other adults chimed in, each royal directive getting a little more creative and  hilarious to watch the girls improvise. Ofcourse, being “miss technology teacher” that I am, I said, “I am the Queen, and you are a computer virus being attacked by anti-virus software.” LOL ! The girls began screaming and running for their lives as they also “messed up” the people’s computer they were inside… Oh, I wish I had videotaped it for you to watch… it was priceless!

As I was laughing, I began to realize that BECAUSE of this standardized testing madness currently being done in public schools, teachers are really forced to cut out those creative kinds of activities that RESEARCH PROVES help children learn. Supporters of NCLB would ask  why “waste your time” having a child pretend to be a fish? That’s not on the test! (geez….)  I’m not getting into the research this time to validate my point, it’s been done time and time again. Just Google people like Eliot Eisner if you want more information.

My point simply is that it is now more important than ever as parents and care givers to ACTIVELY engage with your child’s education. I mean more than just the traditional going to a PTA meeting, and helping with homework. Get a group of kids and parents together on a Saturday night, pop popcorn while playing Queen, or any other game that stimulates a child’s imagination. Sue said that Queen was just a game she made up, and is a variation of training she received in the theater arts. But don’t let Sue’s training intimidate you… use YOUR imagination, just about any activity that would force a child to think, create and perform would work. The point is that using the arts to teach is essential family… so if the public schools are not going to do it, then we as parents must….

Now, I warn you… the game Queen can get kind of loud!  After about an hour, we adults began thinking of  ideas that we thought would be quiet… one of us said, “I am the Queen, and you are a grain of sand sleeping on the beach at night…. Ah, we thought… as we enjoyed a moment of silence… that was before one of the grains of sand decided to have a bad dream and began screaming at the top of her lungs, and ofcourse the other three grains of sand joined in! LMBO

Happy start of the school year family… let’s do this!!!

 

Now That The March Is Over….

Hey Family,

How is everyone doing? Those following me on Twitter saw my tweet earlier today about having to do lesson plans for a class I got late notice that I will be teaching beginning tomorrow. In fact I started a hashtag, #lessonplanningalldaylong LOL; feel free to add your tweets to share about last minute lesson planning! However, all day long, instead of lesson planning, I’ve been working on my addition to the video archive sprouting up all over YouTube. Now, I want to write a short posting on my blog.

I am overwhelmed! I haven’t marched on the Mall since my days at Howard University when we cut class to attend the Black College Day rallies in the early 1980s.  My classmates and I, along with thousands of others also marched to make Martin Luther King’s birthday at national holiday.  It hasn’t been since then that I have been so motivated to take part in the many causes and marches that are a regular occurence here in DC.  Once you live in DC for a long time, you become used to people marching; its no big deal.  But something about the Save Our Schools March was different… When I first heard about the march, my heart started pounding, my thoughts racing…. I had to get involved….

Who Am I?

When I went to my first planning meeting in the Silver Spring library, I was asked to introduce myself and state why was I here… in a room full of teachers, I hesitated because I am no longer in the classroom, so therefore, technically not a teacher anymore. (Although, to me it’s like being a performing artist; just cause you leave it, doesn’t mean it leaves you.) Still, I was perplexed and almost panicked.. for a second I didn’t know what to say…. Thankfully, I turned my head and looked at Nia, who I had dragged along. She was playing her Nintendo and  not paying any attention, then I said, “I’m a parent… yes, that’s who I am, this is my daughter Nia, a rising 4th grader in a public school!”  Yea! I was relieved… I do have a place in this struggle. I am a parent.

After that it all began to make sense for me.. then I could more clearly see the power I have to change things.  Now I can see that parents can make the difference in education reform, the key is to get parents involved and raise their voices to the leaders of this country.

It’s even more than that….. I am also an African-American parent.  The mother of an African-American female; I better be involved… Nia is going to face challenges in her lifetime as a 21st century Black woman; I never even dreamed of…. I have got to prepare not only her, but lend my talents, and voice to changing her environment, hopefully to make it a little easier. That is why I marched in the first place…. 

There was plenty of great representation of teachers from all over the country. I met so many new friends and colleagues. Having been a teacher, I know that they are not a quiet bunch… in the coming months you are going to continue to hear the voices of teachers across this country demanding that we be heard… So many of the big corporations and politicians just don’t get it…. Most teachers are in it for the LOVE of children and the LOVE of teaching and learning… it CAN’T be about the money or the working conditions; they’ve been too bad for too long…

What I am concerned about now, speaking as a Parent; is that WE have to come together, organize and raise our voices loudly and in unison with teachers! Parents equal votes; it’s that simple… we have got to organize our political power and use it for the betterment of public education and our children. Teachers are feeling so dumped on family… I know because I remember feeling the same way in the last days of my public school teaching career. It can be a very lonely, thankless job…. I feel like more parents need to understand this and be there to support, uplift and inspire teachers.

OK… so we are agreed, right parents?  WE CAN BE SILENT NO MORE!  This year promise yourself that YOU WILL get involved in your child’s local PTA, you will volunteer in the classroom, or help supply materials, lend your talent, or bake cookies one day… plan to do what ever is needed to help your child’s school, it’s teachers and your community. Check out www.parentsacrossamerica.org

Now, I’m going to be keeping track of you all who are saying, OK TDanyel, I will… I am not going to let this go… I am going to continue to tweet, blog, YouTube it until my message gets through… Not only that, I am going to get out in the community, and actively recruit parents, (especially, parents of color) and get them to come out and support my daughter’s school. I have already agreed to be her school’s representative to the local chapter of the NAACP, and I am already planning ideas for outreach … it’s going to be a great year.

THANK YOU Save Our Schools March organizers and a special Shout Out to Bess, Elva,  Bonnie, Troy. Myles and the entire DMV planning committee, you welcomed me with open arms.  I feel like I have just widened my family circle… 

We are now going to take a break and get in a few days of rest and relaxation before the academic years starts again. So, beginning in September, you’ll be hearing and reading more about our activities and planned events.

OK, it’s now 7:30pm est and I have to teach 2 classes tomorrow. One is no problem because I  completed the lesson plan last week. But I will be up half the night working on the second while listening to the radio.  :-)

Family, have a good rest of the summer, go to my YouTube Channel and view my video. As always, your comments are welcomed and appreciated.

Peace and Blessings,

TDanyel

 

Why I am Marching: Reflections of a Former Teacher

I taught in the public schools for over 10 years.  Coming right out of grad school I was impassioned to share my new knowledge and skills with my first class as a teacher in a school district in East Palo Alto, CA.  I was teaching 2^nd grade. I loved those kids and they loved me… Each day was like an adventure in learning; for me as well as my students.  I remember one day conducting a science experiment with my class that went totally bust!  LOL The intended outcome did not even come close to happening.  But instead of panicking and feeling that the lesson’s objectives had been ruined, I regrouped and asked my students to help me figure out what went wrong. (Remember, this was my first year.) What actually happened was amazing!  I wasn’t really sure what to do, so I broke them up into smaller groups and asked for suggestions. They decided to try to re-conduct the experiment, but his time, they would try different variations on the directions I gave them and hoped for a better outcome. As we did this, one group changed the order of the ingredients; found the mistake and solved the problem!!  When I rechecked my resource I used to create the lesson, sure enough I verified their findings. It was in the sequencing of the items I told them to add to the mixture we were making!! I accidentally gave them the wrong instructions initially.

All the students were so excited! They had solved a problem that the teacher was not able to solve!  I encouraged their discovery learning by telling them that everyone makes mistakes… even the teacher sometimes! LOL and they should be commended for using their brain power to solve the problem!  As a class family, we talked and laughed about that lesson for weeks later! It is one of my favorite highlights of my career as a teacher.

I bring this up because what I experienced in those early days is that much of the meaningful learning that goes on in the classroom is spontaneous… and that learning is always at its best when the learner owns their learning. They are presented with a problem and resources. The teacher guides the students to the discovery of the intended outcome. It’s that “light bulb-ah ha” moment when the student actually gets it!  Sometimes I swear I could actually see the light glow around them when they understood a concept finally, or mastered a new skill after days of trying…  

As my career continued, I was very fortunate to have principals who gave me the permission and support to teach “outside the box” and would often times use my background in the performing arts and communications to teach my lessons.   I stayed on point… my student’s did learn the required objectives and I did use the traditional text books and resources in my lessons, but being who I am, I usually included making up lots of mini songs, dances or dramatic performances; or I would allow them to do TV and radio “broadcasts” (usually just within the school, or grade level, or class) to help my students learn their lessons and reach the required objectives.

I also spent a lot of time enlisting the help of my friends from college, who were building careers as experts in their fields to talk to students and participate in class and school activities. I wanted my students (even the little ones) to begin to understand the importance of professional networking… (I know, a bit over the top, LOL) But it was also more important to me to make sure my students SAW and TALKED TO role models who look like them, advancing in careers other than sports and entertainment.

By mid-career, I ended my tenure as a public school teacher to take a job at a university where I spent about 5 years.  However, due to budget cuts my position was terminated and I ended up back in a public school class room.

I remember the change… by this time NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND had been passed… All of the sudden, everything was about meeting AYP; making sure that children were present and on time for “official count” day. There were national standards in my field that I had to meet by the end of the year. (Which in my case, I didn’t mind.) But I was given very little choice on how I would teach my students. Just about everything was scripted for me. Creativity and spontaneous learning was gone…  All of my “out of the box” creative ideas were discouraged and I was forced to spend extra time on teaching test taking strategies! EVERYTHING from just about the beginning of the year was about preparing my students for TAKING THE TEST! 

When they started talking about how my job security was going to be tied to the scores on the test, I got really confused and discouraged… I was a specials teacher (computer lab). What I was teaching was not going to be covered on the test; so how and why would I be evaluated on the test scores?  The skills that the national technology standards said my students had to learn were pushed in the background as I was told by administrators to use technology to teach and reinforce core subjects and test taking skills!  Forget about technology integration; learning productivity software and using the internet as a resource for learning.  Now, using software to reinforce knowledge and skills in the core subjects is cool, and it was listed in the technology standards, but also listed were things like; creating a chart using a spreadsheet program, using technology to solve real life problems in your community, learning how to properly footnote an article from a web site, inserting video into a PowerPoint presentation and being introduced to HTML code to create web pages.

And I’m not using this forum to gripe about the principal and school administrators, their hands were tied behind their backs! Their job security rested on those test scores too!

So, all in all, little by little, I began to not LIKE the profession, I, for years had LOVED… and I was very sad about it…

So family, all I’m saying is this…. Yes it’s important to show accountability and document improvement using standardized benchmarks. But PLEASE remember that standardized testing is not the ONLY way to prove teacher/school success. Also, the importance of THE TEST should NEVER be at the expense of actual student learning, I mean, what’s the point?!!  

 I am marching because I want my country’s leaders to remember that:

• We have to teach the whole child.
• We have to account for learning differences.
• We have to remember that some students learn, but do not do well on standardized tests.
• We have to incorporate the arts into teaching.
• We have to bridge the digital divide.
• We have to invest MORE into under performing schools in urban and rural communities.
• We have to maintain and strengthen community partnerships with organizations and individuals who can inspire and direct our students.
• We have to turn our schools into community learning centers that actually welcome the community.
• We have to provide training and support to parents and caregivers.
• We have to fund after school and summer learning programs.
• We have to PAY TEACHERS MORE.
• We have to put our children first.

OK, I didn’t mean to rant…. I just get passionate….see NOW I am no longer a teacher in a public school. NOW I am a parent of a public school child…. So NOW, it’s been taken to a whole other level….

PLEASE march with me in DC on July 28 – 31, 2011 at the Save Our Schools National Call to Action and March.  

PS…Oh, yeah, it’s going to be hot and humid; it usually is this time of year in DC, so dress accordingly….

Peace,

TDanyel