Educating Our Future!

Some schools--depending upon where one lives--are already in session for a new school year. Others are going back soon! What are the students going back to do?

Speaking from experience with Detroit Public Schools, many of the inner city students are going back to chaos--overcrowded classrooms, overused testing, and demoralized, unhappy teachers. None the chaos is the fault of the students, but they are the ones who will be negatively impacted by it the most.

First of all--PARENTS--get your act in gear and teach your children to respect authority and property of others. One of the reasons for the overcrowded classrooms is the budget allocation for textbooks which students either take home to keep or deliberately desecrate with profanity--making them inaccessible to others. The other reason for much of the chaos--ill-mannered, ill-behaved students who interfere with the process of learning. They have never learned to do school and when a teacher meets some of the parents--they know the apple truly did not fall far from the tree.

If parents truly want a quality education for their children, they need to engage in the process--get actively involved with the schools and the legislators making decisions about the schools.

The Detroit Public School district has had an assigned Emergency Manager for five years now that has not made a difference in the debt accrued. Why? Too many people coming into the system with the sole purpose of "lining their pockets" and totally forgetting about the kids they are supposed to help educate. This would not happen if we had anyone with integrity having oversight of the Detroit Public Schools. For those who know the power of prayer--it's prayer time--pray for all Emergency Managers to develop a conscience and do their jobs--not line their pockets with the funds that should be spent on educating the children. Everyone needs to get out and vote--getting rid of all those politicians who are only interested in promoting their own--self-serving agendas--not the benefit of all the people.

EDUCATORS--FIGHT BACK--and stop the testing nonsense and spend the time--TEACHING your students. Students do not learn anything from over-testing; they learn from educators who have time to teach them the skills for which they are being tested. If they have not been taught, why are they being tested? A little common sense is needed here.

ADMINISTRATORS--grow a pair--and move out of the way of those teachers who are "still interested" in teaching children what they need to know to survive in this world. Using threats, being demeaning, humiliation and coercion will not accomplish anything other than unhappy, rebellious staff who will only do the minimum required to get you off their backs.Abusing your staff does not make you a great administrator--understanding what your staff needs and supporting them in their efforts will get the job done. If you are an administrator and are only a doormat to the district--resign! Get out of the way so our children can learn!

From observation and research, I know there is a conspiracy afoot to keep students from Detroit in a rut--for manual labor only and everyone who is involved in the system and is not willing to change the way we do education in Detroit is guilty of being a participant in the conspiracy. Our students need to know grammar--for conversational purposes as well as for writing. When the District decided that grammar did not need to be taught (almost 20 years ago)--that should have been a signal for all to understand the complicity in keeping our children--illiterate. Now, we graduate functionally illiterate students who cannot read above the seventh-grade level. Where do they get to work? Fast--food restaurants and anywhere they do not have to think or read with comprehension. Just take a look at the cash registers being used today and you'll understand my point.

So now, what are you going to do? Get mad at me or do something about educating our future?

You can read more in my book, If Parents Cared Enough, Johnny and Juaneshia Could Read  found here: http://www.amazon.com/Mary-M-Hall-Rayford/e/B00BAW31CQ/

Get mad, but get busy when you get over being mad!

Unkle Adams - I Am Stronger (Official Anti-Bullying Music Video)

What Writers Do?

The following is a response to an invitation to another writer on Wordpress.com.  Sometimes, I write so much, I forget what I've said.  This serves as a reminder and may inspire, encourage, or motivate others.  

Writing is such a “personal” experience (content, not mechanics) that I’m not sure there is any one way to determine which direction or path anyone should take. I write poetry to vent, blogs to inspire and encourage, devotionals to teach, non-fiction to teach and encourage, and fiction to enjoy or encourage. I read scripture every morning before I blog, I pray for inspiration before I read and then I allow the Holy Spirit to lead me in what I type. For some, this will work well and for others, not so well, especially if their experience with God is not the same.

At any rate, I titled one of my blogs, “Always Thinking and Writing” and the other, “Writing for Life”. Both titles describe what I do with a degree of accuracy, but neither is inclusive of all the passion within or the time I take to make sure my readers get something out of what I say. Who knows–even with my deliberation-they may hate it or ignore it or it just might make them “think”. So, I guess, as I was writing a response to this invitation to share, I have concluded that I write primarily to make people think–not agree–but to think about what I say and how it either aligns or not with how they think or not. Words–have a power of their own–independent of the writer, but very dependent upon the receptivity of the reader.
 

Always open to comments!