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Showing posts with label Black History Month. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Black History Month. 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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Saturday, April 4, 2015
Candidly Marie: Blackout Friday

  • Posted on Saturday, April 4, 2015
Once again...I've been doing suuuper bad posting this week. My life has been in complete and utter shambles for the past two weeks. Bear with me. I do appreciate the patience and support.

Latest episode: Candidly Marie: S1, E4: An eclectic discussion on the "race relations in the US post Black History Month" with special guest Nikki Paige.

Natasha Marie


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Thursday, March 5, 2015
Candidly, Marie: BHM: Unicorn Tears and Angel Orgasms

  • Posted on Thursday, March 5, 2015
I've been doing suuuper bad posting this week. I'm playing catch up lol and this podcast was done days ago so there's that. But IT'S MY BIRTHDAY BITCHES! So forgive my tardiness.

But here she is: Candidly Marie: S1, E3: An eclectic discussion on the "rest of the bullshit of Black History Month" with special guest Nikki Paige.
Natasha Marie


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Saturday, February 28, 2015
[WATCH]: Ernestine Johnson - "The Average Black Girl"

  • Posted on Saturday, February 28, 2015
Ernestine Johnson was asked why she "talks White" and her answer was absolute PERFECTION. The absolute ONLY way to end Black History Month.
Watch her SLEIGH this poem on Arsenio. She's my SHEro.
Natasha Marie


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Monday, February 2, 2015
BHM 2015: "A Century of Black Life, History and Culture"

  • Posted on Monday, February 2, 2015
The United States celebrates Black History Month in February to honor the achievements of African-Americans and their contributions to society. People and organizations across the country hold events to recognize pioneers such as Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth. and Rosa Parks.
In its earliest form, the tradition is almost 90 years old, but its origins stems from Historian Carter G. Woodson who established Negro History Week, which began Feb 12, 1926. He chose this date to honor the birthday of Frederick Douglass.
In 1976, Negro History Week became Black History Month. President Gerald Ford urged the public to "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history," In recent years, every Black History Month has a different theme. This year, it is "A Century of Black Life, History and Culture." 
Check out these 10 interesting Black history facts that you may not have known:

1. Canada and the U.K. have their own Black History Months. Canada also marks it in February, but the U.K. marks its own in October [YAAASSSSSS UK for the 31 days!!!]
2. Recent counts put the black population of the U.S. at 45 million. New York has the highest number of black residents, with 3.7 million, while Washington has the highest proportion of African-Americans, with 51 percent.
3. There are, reportedly, 46 black members in the 114th Congress The first black senator was Hiram Rhodes Revels, who represented Mississippi from 1870 to 1871, and the first black congresswoman was Shirley Chisholm, who represented New York during seven terms.
4. "The Renaissance" was the name of the first black professional basketball team. They were nicknamed the Rens and once won an amazing 88 consecutive games.
5. Lincoln University in Oxford, Pennsylvania, became the first degree-granting historically black university in 1854. Now, the U.S. has 106, including Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro and Howard University in Washington.
6. The first black astronaut was Robert Henry Lawrence Jr., but he died before he could travel to space. The first black astronaut in space was Guion Bluford in 1983.
7. A portion of Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I Have Dream" speech was improvised. At one point, he pushed his papers aside and "turned his speech into a sermon". "All of a sudden, this thing came to me that I have used -- I'd used it many times before, that thing about 'I have a dream' -- and I just felt that I wanted to use it here," King later said.
8. Potato chips were invented by a black man. In 1853, a restaurant customer sent his French fries back to the kitchen because they were too thick. The chef, George Crum, cut a bunch of potatoes as thin as he could, fried them crisp in anger and, voila, the potato chip was born. The golf tee, gas mask and modern blood bank were also invented by African Americans.
9. The first black Nobel Peace Prize winner was Ralph J. Bunche, who won in 1950 for his mediation efforts in Palestine. The first black Oscar winner was Hattie McDaniel for her portrayal of Mammy in "Gone with the Wind". She won for 'Best Supporting Actress'.
10. Robert Abbott became the first black millionaire after he founded the weekly newspaper, the Chicago Defender, in 1905. BET founder Robert L. Johnson became the first black billionaire in 2000.

 Natasha Marie
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