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Showing posts with label #29DaysOfBlackHistory. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #29DaysOfBlackHistory. Show all posts
Friday, April 1, 2016
Monroe's Meetup: State Assessments Coming Soon...

  • Posted on Friday, April 1, 2016
With school grades and 2014-2015 FSA achievement levels being released last week. School and districts are preparing to take state assessments next month. Please do your part to ensure that your child is ready for the big days. It is just like the Joe Clark speech on 'Lean on Me'. 
"And now I've got a message for those people out there who've abandoned you and written you off! Can you hear me? Can you hear me? GOOD! You are NOT inferior! Your grades may be. Your school may have been. But you can turn that around and make liars out of those bastards in exactly one hour when you take that test and pass it and win! So here's what I want you to do. When you find your thoughts wandering? I want you to knuckle back down and concentrate! CONCENTRATE!"
Several parents have come to me and asked about ways to support their students as we head into testing in the next month. Preparation is KEY. Here are some steps to follow to ensure that your kids are equipped with every tool possible to level the playing field. 
  • Log onto the site http://www.fsassessments.org/students-and-families/practice-tests/
  • Level the playing the field:
    • Children are familiar with the format, they can focus on the content.
    • Put the games down and practice 1 -2 hours a week.
  • Partner with your teachers about your child's strengths and weaknesses at school.
  • Make sure there is a sense of urgency at home related to the test.
It is going to take everyone, the school and the family, to ensure that your child does their best. 

Good Luck!

 Monroe
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Monday, February 1, 2016
Monroe's Meetup: To Be Young, Gifted, AND Black

  • Posted on Monday, February 1, 2016
NPR recently posted an article on their website entitled 'To Be Young, Gifted, and Black, It Helps To Have A Black Teacher' [Read it: here]. Yes, I do agree that this may help…to an extent. I believe that the outcome is definitely based upon the teacher (Black or otherwise). However, I will say that this may impact Black girls differently from Black boys. There's less of barrier between a young Black girl and her White female teacher than a young Black boy which also tends to translate into their confidence in and out of the classroom.
This reminds me a post that I recently made on social media after receiving my Ph.D in the mail. It finally felt real. I posted "This is what public education at its best looks like! I have many people to thank for my journey against all odds. But today, I think about the key elementary teachers that poured INTO me..." I went on to thank my Pre-K, fourth grade, and sixth grade teachers whom I was so fortunate enough to come across during my lifetime which catapulted me into the bright future that I have today.
Yes, granted, 2 out of 3 of the teachers that I mentioned in my post were Black: Pre-K and 4th grade but it takes so much more. So while they are working on labeling our children (more often than not it's correlated to behavior) what can we do to ensure that they may be considered for gifted?
Here is an example of where we stand currently:

 Gifted stats for a central school district in Florida.

  • There are 4149 gifted elementary students. 1876 (45%) of the 4149 are boys.
  • 270 (7%) of whom are Black. 
In theory, this percentage should be closer to 23%. 131 (49%) of the 270 are boys. Should you be satisfied with these types of statistics?
In the last meetup we addressed why grades aren't always a clear insight into your child's intelligence and/or abilities [Read it here: Monroe's Meetup: Why Grades Don't ALWAYS Matter].
Again, partner with your child's teacher to ensure that you are enhancing your child's strengths and weaknesses.
Consider private testing at a facility outside of school. That will be the best $150 you've ever spent (worth 12 years of wearing "gifted" label - PRICELESS). This will also ensure that your child is comfortable and confident going into the test.

 Signed,

 The mother of a "gifted" Black boy.
Monroe

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