Let's be honest, it IS about money!

I'd be lying if I said it's not about money. I want my kids to make good money. I want your kids to make good money. I want them to find a career they love, and that also pays them well enough to provide for a family and to meet all of their needs, (and hopefully their wants as well.) But I know that in order to do so, they need to be in a position where they control their future and career choices, instead of merely hoping to find a good job.

Schools are middle-class places of learning. This is how curriculum and standards are designed. They provide students with middle-class level vocabulary and learning.  But how many of our students struggle because they do not have a grasp on middle-class vocabulary or expectations?

For students to be successful they need to grasp the language of the class above their current reality. They need to become literate in the language, the vocabulary, the learning expectations of the next economic class above them. For example, students being raised in poverty need to learn the vocabulary of the middle class in order to "learn themselves out of poverty," (Dr. Samuel Betances) and to keep themselves out of poverty.

Wait, that's not quite right. Let me be even more specific:

Students must learn and must be competitive in that next level of language. 

That means that some of our students are struggling to learn the language of that next level, while trying to learn a new language.

Teachers: for your students to be successful, you must provide them with the language and vocabulary of the level above them. Sure, you may be able to relate with them by using their slang, and acronyms and abbreviations. But every word that comes out of your mouth is teaching them something. It may be as simple as correctly replying, "I'm well, thank you. How are you?"

Parents: For your child to be successful, you need to provide them more than may have been provided for you. You may need to speak differently, read different books, bring them to the theatre or musical performances, and most importantly, have both intentional and opportunistic academic conversations.

Administrators: For you students to be successful, you need to help yourselves, teachers, and staff recognize that YOU ARE ALWAYS TEACHING!

Are your words and actions elevating them or just supporting their status quo?

Leader in Me day in Mattawa

Here are our student body leaders at Saddle Mountain Elementary's Leader in Me day. Students learned about the 7 Habits of a leader and how that looks for student leaders. 

We can't give them what we don't have....

I know that sounds very Yogi Bera-esque, but let's dissect it for a bit. As parents, if we don't have it, we can't give it to our children. Simple. "No, you can't have candy because I don't have any candy." I don't have an extra car to give to my second teen driver (phew!!). There are lots of material things I can't give them because I just don't have it.

But there are things we cannot give our children because we never learned them, or never experienced them. There are times I struggle to help my kids with their homework because I never took that level of math class in high school. I can't give them that knowledge or support because I don't have it to give. "I can't"....remember my previous self-enabler post?

What are you not able to provide your children because you don't have it? Reading support? Help with their writing assignment? Conversations rich with academic vocabulary? Enlightening cultural experiences that include the arts, music, theater, travel?

I guess the bigger question is: What are you doing about it? Imagine the impact on your child's future if they know you struggle with reading, but see you putting forth the effort to become a better reader!! Imagine they see you taking courses or using an app on your phone to improve your English skills.

We owe it to our children to be an example of continuous learning. It's exhausting, I know. But if we want them to be better than us, we must never stop learning.

Can you imagine the impact of them walking into the living room and you have the TV off, and you aren't playing a video game or on the computer, and you are reading a book? 

Starting today my children will see me reading at least once a day. This will probably be a shocker to them. :)

But I don't want to be the reason my child says "I can't."

Language and Heritage and Culture

Your language connects you to your roots. It grounds you to your culture and heritage. We hear about minority languages and majority languages. HOWEVER, it is not a "major language" because it's measured by the number of how many people speak the language. Rather, it's measured by the impact it has to connect its people to its culture. 

If you loose that language, you have to borrow someone else's language, and someone else's roots and culture. You lose your heritage. Generations of culture may be lost. 

Language is the most unique invention of your culture. 

Don't lose it.