There's No place Like Home Part 1

I have recently been visiting several different schools. I find myself on this quest because there is a possibility that I will be getting a lucrative job opportunity---one that would crazy to pass up----one that I would've jumped at had I never experienced homeschooling.

I can only say that ALL of the places DISAPPOINT!

I decided to visit a school that is a selective enrollment option that you have to go through approximately 1,204 hoops to get into. I emailed the principal and asked if I could tour the school. I corresponded with him several times and sent William's standardized test scores that he took last year at his former private school. They were well above the mandatory score and so I  got a tour set up. Walking through the school was not in the least bit inspiring. The students didn't seem engaged at all when we entered the classes. William did not like it at all. Still I muddled through smiling and flashing my beguiling smile. Granted Middle Schoolers are hard to read in general---and there is the major fact that we are entering classrooms on this tour WITH the principal of the school. Yet, something just felt......como se dice --------BLAH. I haven't emailed back yet.


I called the CPS's Options for Knowledge department to inquire about just that: "my options for knowledge".  I was given a list of schools that had spaces left and that might be a rigorous learning environment for my son.


I was given a list of schools and their test scores. I visited websites and i ANALYZED the test scores. I am the type of woman who digs into the test scores of schools and was not surprised at what I saw at most of the schools.


I look at demographics, I look at gender performance, I look at performance by race, and I look at attendance rate. Many of the schools the African American male students had the lowest of the %'s that met and exceded the mastery of the standard. This of course was a big concern for me.


I also viewed one school that seemed almost picture perfect. It was pretty much equally divided by African American, white, and Latin Americans.The scores of the minority students seemed to be within one or two percentage points in general------ But a picture hanging in the office caught my attention. The graduating class was only minority students. Why is that I wondered. What happened to the white students?

to be continued.

Summer, Summer, Summertime

This has been an eye opening last few weeks for your friendly neighborhood educator-turned-homeschool mom.
I am going to start with just a brief synopsis of our summer. The next post will be about the current events.

William had a busy and awesome summer. It was filled with all the things he loves to do-----self expression through his talents.
He started the summer out with Choir Camp where he has an MP3 of him singing I'll Be There by The Jacksons. LOL That was followed by Guitar Camp. Guitar Camp took him to another level and I am happy to say he is learning a very difficult song completely prompted by intrinsic motivation! Yeah!

He celebrated his birthday with his good friend Raphael at Great America. He enjoyed himself and that was good thing. We couldn't even begin to top last year's birthday of Michael Jackson so we just settled for fun with good friends.

We had a week off to just hang out together and enjoy doing nothing----bored us to tears unfortunately. After Guitar Camp ended William attended a 4 week Theatre camp where he landed a big role in the production. During all these activities he went on several auditions for small plays and was casted in two other plays outside of his camp production. We were crazy and all over the place for a minute. Only one play proved a disappointment to him. These two plays at the small Theater company were directed by young college students and they were a little inexperienced. However, one of the plays turned out to be decent. The other play, however was nothing less than majorly yucky. He didn't want anyone to see the production. Unfortunately, his Aunt and her boyfriend did and he was mortified.

His acting mentor, my good friend, told him that doing a bad production was good experience for him because he NOW can identify the difference between a good production and a not so good production.

He also learned a bit about himself as well. He needs a structure and focus to bring out the best in him. The director was all over the place and didn't hold the children accountable for their parts in the play. When all around him the quality was low guess what?---so was William's. He learned a valuable lesson and he realized his parents were right all along. (Don't you just love it when they start realizing you are right? YEAH)

We have been telling William no matter what is happening around you BE YOUR BEST SELF. Be your BEST at all times. He realizes that there was nothing he could've done to make the one production a success---But he could've made his performance that much better.

Grier and I had summer camp as well. We went on a few picnics together- we went shopping, went to several parks, she took an art class, she became a member of an indoor play space, and she did 4 day summer camp! Thank you Living Social Coupon!

My children had a great Summer and so I had a great Summer!

And then it happend:

The prospect of going back into the workforce reared it's ugly head and it comes with an opportunity that can't be ignored. 

Ahhhhhh! Reason # 315 for why people homeschool.

Teacher Refers to First Graders as “Future Criminals”

August 30, 2011 

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World



Jennifer O’Brien, a teacher in Paterson, New Jersey is in serious trouble after some remarks she made about her first graders on Facebook.  The teacher, who’d grown frustrated with her class, went to Facebook to state that some of her students were “future criminals.”  The bulk of O’Brien’s students are black and hispanic.
During her peculiar Facebook post, O’Brien stated that she’d just spent another day in the “blackboard jungle.”  She then went on to say “I’m not a teacher, I’m a warden for future criminals.”
Later in the day, O’Brien went back to Facebook to ask why her first graders couldn’t be put into a scared straight program, which allows young people to meet real prison inmates.  “They had a scared straight program in school — why couldn’t i bring 1st graders?” she said.
O’Brien’s comments got back to the school board, who suspended her immediately.  This week, she appeared before a government school inquisition, who asked her about the situation.  That’s when O’Brien told an administrative judge that she wrote the post because six or seven students kept disrupting her lessons and interrupting the children who wanted to learn.
O’Brien claims that one boy hit her, another one hit a child in the class, and she had filed several disciplinary reports to the principal.
“I was speaking out of frustration to their behavior, just that build up of ‘I don’t know what else to do,’ and I’m actually scared for their futures, for some of them,” O’Brien said. “If you’re hitting your teacher at 6 or 7 years old, that’s not a good path.”
“The reason why she was suspended was because the incident created serious problems at the school that impeded the functioning of the building,” board president Theodore Best said to North Jersey.com. “You can’t simply fire someone for what they have on a Facebook page; but if that spills over and affects the classroom then you can take action.”
“This is not first time I’ve heard something like this from a teacher,” Best said.  “Overall, I think we have really good teachers. But there’s also a significant population of teachers here to collect the paycheck and don’t have the best interests of the students in mind.”
While O’Brien’s frustration is certainly understandable, it’s not difficult to see that her comments are rooted in the same racial bias that destroys so many black and brown children in America’s broken school system.  Although Ms. O’Brien would like to believe that these six year old children have already routed themselves to prison, the truth is that she herself has incarcerated her kids in the prison of low expectations.  Instead of spending her time trying to elevate their minds to become doctors, lawyers and professors, Ms. O’Brien seems to believe that the most she can do for her six year olds is keep them out of jail.
I find myself personally disappointed with those remarks because I was one of those children:  Horrible grades, in detention more than class, and in the principal’s office so much that I knew the names of all of his children.  The truth was that I wasn’t a dumb child or one who was destined for the penitentiary; I was looking for a teacher who gave a damn about me and didn’t think I was a menace to society.  Also, school bored me to death.
If Ms. O’Brien can’t handle little black kids, she doesn’t need to be teaching them.  The school district in Paterson would be wise to realize that there are thousands of highly-qualified black and brown teachers, consultants and counselors who know how to handle black children.  Unfortunately, the overseers of our educational systems would rather have the black/brown inner city children poisoned by the white female teacher from the suburbs than to have that child exposed to someone like myself or Dr. Marc Lamont Hill at Columbia University (controversial and “dangerous” black men).  So, in some ways, even as an adult, many of us are still being treated like the children in Ms. O’Brien’s class.
I recall visiting an inner city school in my hometown of Syracuse.  The school was 70% black and latino, yet every single teacher in the seventh grade was a white woman from the suburbs.  The school was depressing both inside and out, like a cross between a penitentiary and an insane asylum.  I was asked to speak to the children with alleged learning and behavioral disorders.  It was interesting to see the shock on the faces of the teachers when they saw how well their black male students responded to another black male:  They were quiet, respectful, and many of them came to me to ask what they should study in college.  This outcome was in stark contrast to what the white female teachers claim they’d seen from the students every other day.
The reality is that educating black and brown kids is not rocket science.  But trying to educate them without sufficient cultural competence in the educator’s background is like running a nuclear reactor with a manager from Burger King.  Our children have a tremendous amount of potential.  But unfortunately, their futures are aborted before they even have a chance to exist.  The American school system is probably one of the worst places in the world for black kids to be educated, and women like Ms. O’Brien should have a zero tolerance policy for such immature and short-sighted behavior.
There is no such thing as a six-year old convict.  It’s up to us to at least give that child a chance.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and founder of the Your Black World coalition.  To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. To follow Dr. Boyce on Facebook, please visit this link.

A series of Peculiar Events; The Chicago Public School automated call

My phone rings and I rush to find it waiting in anticipation for me to fiddle with it. It's a 312 number that I don't recognize. I am really unsure why I answered it- it's not my style to answer an unknown number. But today I did. And that is the first peculiar thing about this 52 second series of events.

It was an automated message. I usually hang up---but I was on a role and playing the un-Dana so well that I decided to listen. Peculiarity #2. It was from Chicago Public schools. The normal Dana would've just hung up but I didn't. Peculiarity #3.

The automated voice was pleasant. I wish they would get someone from the CPS mailroom to do the automated voice instead---spice it up a bit. Or maybe they could get any one of the CPS school clerks who have been that not-so-friendly face in the school office for 32 years +. You know that school front office manager that treats you, the parent, like you are a child with late crumpled attendance slips trying to sneak a piece of stale candy from the porcelain red apple dish on the counter?

Anyway, it was a pleasant voice and she requested that I listen and consider taking a survey. I mean the un-Dana wanted to so I appeased her. The voice  explained that it should only take 5-7 minutes. Now, the maximum time I ever allot for providing my opinion to automated voices is a 3 question minimum and it that should only take 2 minutes tops. But peculiarity #4 was bursting to the surface so I decided to complete the survey. And "the voice" was so pleasant.

First question:
Do you have a school aged child or grandchild (shout out to the grandparents raising their children's children!) currently attending a CPS school? I am a homeschooling mom who got fed up with CPS and so I pressed the digit that corresponded to the "No" but I was feeling that they should've had a "Hell No!" option to pressor maybe even a "been there done that" option. 

As soon as I pressed the button she said: "This survey will now end Thank You!"

I thought about the public school my son attended and the others where I taught, and then the  12 others where I trained the after-school coordinators. I think I have a lot to say that is of value.

I am very curious about the content of the other 6:08 seconds. What did they ask those other parents? !?!?! I'd really like to know.

I do hope they call me back and ask why I removed my son from their environment. I think they probably wanted to know if the parent or legal guardian, or grandparent, was  happy with the school their child is attending.

Most schools across the city aren't doing well--maybe 5% are.

Doesn't "the voice" realize the state of the schools and that no one is satisfied with the CPS system?

Peculiar

Part 2

So we decided to place our son in a private Christian school. It was a small setting that did project based learning and met children at their own pace. One of the things I really liked about the school was that it was a split class of 2 grades 5/6. There were only 13 children total in the class.

The school was quite expensive and with no job opportunities lining up we had to make a decision. The decision was made easier however, when we received the standardized test scores. As I suspected, the curriculum was innovative but not as rigorous as my child needed. So in the areas where I taught him in the evenings at home: vocabulary and math concepts he scored well beyond his grade level. Vocabulary scores were at a 9th grader in their 7th month level and Mathematics concepts were at 8th grader in their 3rd month. All other scores were average 6th grade level and even a few below.

I realized that even with the nicer setting of this Private school----NO institution was going to give my child what I felt he needed and that is an exceptional learning experience.

I am providing my son with just that---and my daughter is being provided one as well. I am not anti school at all I am PRO-exceptional learning experiences.

This is exciting and frustrating and tiring.

The Decision- The Reaction PART 1

So I often ask myself why I decided to homeschool. Well the answer is not cut and dry and the process of embracing the decision was not easy- yet it wasn't unnatural either.

I think it is important that I share with you that my son had requested that I homeschool him before I actually made the decision to homeschool him. Like many working mothers I had the job of also coming home and taking care of the family and also checking homework. The homework checking and discussion would almost always lead to an interrogation on my end of my son about the about the assignment. I guarantee you my questions are not the kind you are thinking-----"Did the teacher model what she wanted you to do? Did your teacher do a guided practice lesson and then allow the class to work independently before she assigned this? Where are your notes?"....etc ..(you get the picture)

Unfortunately, my answers where met with dull glares. LOL This happened so many times that it wasn't even worth my time and effort asking my son. We would do assignments and then do extra assignments to keep him interested.

My son attended what is considered one of the better neighborhood schools in Chicago---in fact the Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, sent his children there. But the school kept falling short of my expectations and did not meet my son's needs.

Then he entered the 3rd grade. This was the year a new principal had been selected and the class assignments had changed and we got the teacher that they had been moving around because she was ineffective. Let's just say
Ms. F. Ryzzelle (name changed to prevent the identity of counterfeit teacher)  was horrible! The previous principal moved her from 6th grade down to 3rd grade. That year, my son had been assigned to a 3rd/4th split class of a strong teacher because he was considered an excelerated learner.

Without bashing the inept teacher anymore than saying she was horrible,  I will say it was a wasted-most-dreadful-year of my son's life--many families in that woman's class, had children who cried and broke down during the class and again when they got home. I was through with her when, after she realized she was losing the support of the parents and my respect as an educator she made the statement: "I am nationally board certified and I have experience teaching urban children." Tires screeched in my brain and I pretty much new what we were dealing with.

Several children transfered schools after that year. We however stuck it out one more year. One of the main reasons was that our son had had friends in that school since Pre-K and it was a familiar setting---and who wanted to pay tuition? The school also had extra curricular activities such as the world's greatest Latin teacher and program there. He also took Chinese culture there in the afterschool program.

Leaving him there for yet another year proved to be just what I needed to "change settings."

And we did. To a Private Christian school----paying tuition.

I Sing The Mommy Eclectic!

So what's up with the name of this blog? It describes me perfectly.
People seem very focused on "titles" and approaches within the "traditional" school and within the "homeschool" community. I have never EVER been married to one approach and would feel stifled by completely embracing one school of thought---it's just not how I am internally constructed. As the most NON-traditional traditional educator and now as a homeschooling parent, I voraciously pull from a variety of sources, strategies, and philosophies that build on my strengths and my children's individual needs. I approach my parenting and home educating with the notion that there isn't one best way but what best ways work for my family at that stage.

When people are staunch un-schoolers, or traditional schoolers, or whatever the new term is- I am leery.   I sometimes feel that educators (home and traditional) dive so deep into an approach that when they come up for air (if they come up at all) they find themselves so far away from shore/foundation that they are ineffective.

Basically, I'm discriminating and I take a little here and there to make it right for the 2 children I have. My children are different genders, different ages, and different thinkers so why would I use the same approaches?


ec·lec·tic

noun /iˈklektik/ 
eclectics, plural

A person who derives ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources

adjective /iˈklektik/ 

Deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources
• - her musical tastes are eclectic
Of, denoting, or belonging to a class of ancient philosophers who did not belong to or found any recognized school of thought but selected such doctrines as they wished from various schools

Journey to the center of the system--in a nutshell.

So I had been in college for 6 years and decided to complete my Science major and worry about becoming a certified teacher later.

I landed my very first teaching job with my Alma mater Holy Angels Catholic School. There I learned from my former teachers what to do ---and on occasion what NOT to do. The women I learned form were: Sr. Larina, Sr. Helen, and Sr. Dorothy. These nuns raised hell---and I thank them for it.

I'm gonna go through this quickly so here it goes: left the archdiocese to go to a private Christian school and decided to get my master's degree in metropolitan (urban) elementary education and went to an African centered charter school for some student teaching left there went to do more student teaching at a top diverse magnet school elementary school was hired on there as a Reading Specialist and school based problem solving specialist left there to become a teacher in another top diverse magnet school got fed up and was recruited by the principal at the Christian school all mastered up for the Dean of students position of a K-12 school of 600 students got selected to be the Curriculum coordinator for the building and got selected to be the Third Semester Principal of that school was placed on the spin off design team for the "replication model of the private school" as a charter school learned much too much about the charter school system and after having personally recruited 200 plus students and being named principal of the new replication charter school after raising red flags about monies and spending and the intention to purchase the private school's USED books and the board deciding NOT to have the school replicate the entire model (with children not having gym, foreign language or art) I was told that someone else would be principal.  And I was RELIEVED! LOL

After leaving the pit of doom and despair, I went on vacation with the family and we decided to have another child. I still couldn't get enough of the need to help in the education field so I took a job as a curriculum coordinator at a non profit organization that was supposed to "FOCUS on the Family" and was tasked with coming up with educational supports and an evaluation template for 17 schools receiving a federal after school grant.

This job was probably the worst position ever because they collected hundred's of thousands of dollars to provide children in some of the worst performing schools in some of the most underserved neighborhoods with after school tutoring programming that was supposed to help them make gains.

In a nutshell it was mostly a lot of grant writing and pretending to provide training but continued to hire people who were not committed to doing anything more than status quo. While people collect money----the kids are not being educated. 

The worst thing is that on paper, the government gives money to improve the educational services by allotting monies toward these after school programs and the reality is the organizations  who go into these schools are not being held accountable BUT every one besides the children get paid---and it looks like there is nothing more to be done.

So I prayed and cried out to the universe---I said out loud and quiet internal prayers inside to God that I needed meaningful work that would inspire children, impact their world view, provide enriching experiences  and diversity.

And so, I educate my own damn kids---at home!

It Began with Meathead Jones.

I thought I wanted to study naprapathology/naturopathology/ayurveda medicine. At the time, I believe I was deeply influenced by the death of my little sister who had died of Neuroblastoma when she was 2 and I was 10. My parents would take her to see Dr. Sidney and he was a naprapath. She always seemed calmer after leaving his office than she did when she was returning from medical doctors. My parents had been pretty healthy eaters and alternative medicine (with a little bit of "down south remedies too"-(don't ask)

Anyway, I thought the way through to this was to major in Nutrition and Medical Dietetics at University of Illinois. I quickly realized that medical dietetics was not going to get me where I wanted to be so I did what any flighty Gemini would do----I switched majors for the 4th time.

I decided to major in Exercise Physiology so that I can take the route of a health and fitness guru to naprapathology. One of the courses was to design an exercise program for children and to implement it.

My partner was a meat head. He wanted to be "da' coach" at his old high school. Anyway, we decided to create an obstacle course for the kindergarten children. 2 things happened on that trip that made me decide to teach.

#1. When an African American boy was being too rambunctious (what 5 year old isn't) he told him he was putting him in jail and gestured an invisible jail box being positioned over the child's body. The boy ducked as the invisible box was placed over him and looked ashamed and terrified. I was seething!

#2. One little boy, was kissing another little boy on the cheek---however, it was not being welcomed by the child who was struggling to get away. As the boy was pulling away from "the kisser" ---Meathead Jones forcefully yanked "the kisser" from the other child and barked, "Hey you kid, little boys don't kiss boys! That's gross!" The child looked horrified. The boy being kissed was the kisser's cousin who he hadn't seen since summer.

At that moment, I decided to be a teacher. Right after helping the rambunctious one break out of the slammer.