All I Want for Christmas

                Every year at Christmas time at some point we hear “All I want for Christmas is…Usually this is followed by 1) peace on earth, 2) end war, 3) end poverty and and 4) a lot of money. 

However, I have never heard anyone say all I want for Christmas is: 1) equitable funding for education, 2) safe schools, 3) dedicated teachers or 4) children to learn.  Why is this?  With the commercialization of Christmas targeting the dreams of children, you would think we would want more for our children? 

Can we have peace on earth, end war, poverty, or have a lot of money if there continues to be inequitable funding for education, if our children do not have safe schools or dedicated teachers?  If our children are not learning can those things be achieved?

Happy Christmas Everyone!

How will the Life and Legacy of Nelson Mandela be Taught in Our Schools?

            As we mourn and celebrate the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela, I began thinking how will his legacy be remembered in the pages of our children’s school textbooks and in their schools?

            Reflecting on how the textbook industry portrayed Dr. King’s life and legacy, I wondered if the textbook industry would portray Mandela as it has portrayed Dr. King’s life and legacy.  The textbook industry has summarized the life and legacy of Dr. King and reduced it to a footnote that could be placed on a tombstone.  Recalling the textbooks of my school age years, Dr. King’s life and legacy could be summed up like this:

“a Baptist preacher who fought for Civil Rights, is famous for “I Have a

Dream” speech and was killed in Memphis Tennessee.” 

Will Mandela’s life and legacy suffer the same summarization and reduction as Dr. King? When the next generation of young adults read about the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela, would his life be summed like this:

“an indigenous leader who fought to end Apartheid, spent 27 years in prison, was released and became the first black President of South Africa.”

If our children’s textbooks are not reflective of the journey and struggle Mandela took from revolutionary leader to terrorist, from prisoner to President, will their teacher’s fill in the gaps and provide proper instruction on the importance of Nelson Mandela’s fight to end Apartheid?  Will teachers discuss how Mandela chose the path of forgiveness, embraced racial reconciliation and national unity to heal a nation?  Will our children be taught to look critically beyond the textbook portrayal Mandela (and others) to understand the role character, courage and commitment play in ending racial discrimination?  Will our children be taught they have these qualities in them?  Will they be taught they have the potential to be a Nelson Mandela?

I was fortunate enough to have family who helped me to understand the significance and magnitude of Dr. King’s legacy by filling in the gaps that were missing from my school textbooks.  I hope when students learn about Mandela, the content in their textbooks will capture the life and legacy so students can understand the magnitude of the Mandela’s legacy, have meaningful discussions with teachers, family and friends dare to dream they can change the world.

What if We Believed Children Were Our Future?

I believe children are our future

Teach them well and let them see the way

Show them all the beauty they possess inside

Give them a sense of pride to make it easier

Driving into work Whitney Houston’s song “The Greatest Love of All” played.  The song made me think if we really believe children are our future?  If we believe children are our future, wouldn't we as a nation do better for our children?

As a nation, a majority of our children receive mediocre health care, a majority do not receive a world class education and a majority go hungry and are homeless.  If we believed children are our future, more parents would demand access to affordable health care as their right as a citizen of the United States, not a privilege to be toyed with by politicians.  More Governors, Mayors and local leaders would create legislation to improve the education of children, reduce the cycle of poverty and take back neighborhoods so communities can thrive. 

If we believed children are our future, our nation would have universal early childhood programs to provide children a solid foundation to begin their education.  More of our Congressional leaders would vote to appropriately fund public education so children can receive the world class education they deserve. Our Congressional leaders would make the education of children a top priority.

If we believed children are our future, our schools would be a place where learning occurs, a place where children feel safe, a place with resources to support struggling learners, a place where parents and teachers are partners.  More teachers would be advocates of children and provide their students with the same education their children receive in private, parochial and suburban schools.  More administrators would hold teachers accountable for the academic failures of children instead of blaming the child.  Lastly, Districts would hold Principals accountable for schools that fail to meet the educational needs of children.

Finally, if we believed that children are our future, more parents would demand more from their schools.  More parents would attend parent/teacher conferences, volunteer in their child’s school and demand more accountability from Principals and teachers.  More parents would also read to their children, make sure their children are studying and their homework is done.

If we truly believe that our children are our future, it will take an investment from everyone to secure their future.