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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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Monday, January 18, 2016
Monroe's Meetup: Why Grades Don't ALWAYS Matter

  • Posted on Monday, January 18, 2016
As report card time comes around, please be sure NOT to accept these grades at face value. In addition to the report card, talk to your child's teachers about their strengths and weaknesses.
Grades are not a true indication of what your students knows....they are EXTREMELY classroom teacher biased. We can all remember doing that one extra credit assignment to bump that B to an A, right??? Does that really mean that we learned more content? NOOO!
You've never thought about it in that sense, huh? Well State assessments (for Florida) are 10 weeks away...this is the time that students should be in buckle down mode, as you ensure that you partner with your teacher to talk about STANDARDS based strengths and weaknesses. If you're taking notes you should be like this by now:
Recall, this is NOT about what little Johnny got on the classroom worksheet or what his report looks like:
The state standardized tests are not written with us in mind so we have to study specifically for them. Here is a link to a practice assessment. PLEASE GO OVER THIS WITH YOUR CHILD(REN):
https://login6.cloud1.tds.airast.org/student/V134/Pages/LoginShell.aspx?c=Florida_PT

 Have your child begin to practice and go over the test content. Essentially, the goal is to remove as many barriers as possible by providing familiarity with the test, item format, etc.
The more you talk about it at home and reinforce the school-home partnership, the better your child will do. We want them to feel comfortable participating and answering questions in the classroom. It's up to US to even the playing field!

 -Monroe
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Black Girl Magic: Jada P. Smith - "We Must Stand In Our Power"

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Once again, the Oscars are SO WHITE. But why are we surprised? We take a group of mostly all white men who are old AF, who watch and are entertained by mostly white movies, and expect them to unbiasedly choose what movies/actors deserve recognition. Yet we are amazingly surprised that they chose ZERO movies of color or POC...? Why should we continue to allow what white people and "mainstream" deem as recognition of excellence become our truth? Why is it even considered MAINSTREAM?!? There are so many talented actors of color and we should celebrate them ourselves! Just like we have BLACK GIRLS ROCK, we need to create the Black Oscars: a space where we can celebrate and take pride in our excellence! If Latinos can have the Latin Grammys, then why can't we have our own Oscars??? I believe Jada Pinkett Smith said it best, both via Twitter and Facebook video. Read and watch below:
We must stand in our power!
We must stand in our power.
Posted by Jada Pinkett Smith on Monday, January 18, 2016
I truly love Jada and everything she stands for. She is the epitome of #BlackGirlMagic. YES QUEEN!

Happy Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day everyone!

Natasha Marie
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Wednesday, January 6, 2016
NEW Music: Brandy - "Beggin & Pleadin"

  • Posted on Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Brandy released a new single yesterday, "Beggin' & Pleadin'", and I don't see it on iTunes so I'm assuming it's just for the masses to garner some attention for her new show on BET 'Zoe Ever After' [which premiered Jan 5th at 10 PM EST]. The track definitely takes us back to Brandy's church house roots. Listen to the track below:

What are your thoughts?

Natasha Marie
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Monday, January 4, 2016
Natasha's Nuances: Positive Teaching and Role Models

  • Posted on Monday, January 4, 2016
In this day and age teachers are trying any and everything to reach and teach this generation. I recently saw a video showcasing the self proclaimed #RCAStyle dancing of the students of The Ron Clark Academy, with their school's co-founder, Ron Clark, in tow. It was entertaining and a positive representation of what we hope our kids have to look forward to each and every day. But there was sooo much negativity in the comments. Like...
I, for one, have been guilty of taking issue with the "great white hope" narrative wherein an "angel" in the form of a Caucasian American swoops in to save "the poor little Black children" without whom they wouldn't know reading, writing, or arithmetic. So I understand how and why that can grind someone's gears. But I've also learned to do RESEARCH before jumping to outlandish conclusions so I did research on Ron Clark (the teacher in the video) and learned about his amazing academy, a private charter school in Atlanta that mimics Harry Potter (who wouldn't LOVE that), and I accepted the video at face value. Especially since they're doing this on a SUNDAY.

What do we make of this "great white hope" narrative though? Why is it so prominent in the media and seemingly in our communities? You see all of these celebrities adopting Black babies and movies like 'The Blind Side' and it makes you wonder "Has a Black person ever helped a less fortunate White person?" Or better still "Has a Black person ever helped another Black person?" I mean, why are we always being "saved" or perpetually painted the victim? I know this isn't true but it certainly feels like the media and the entertainment industry portrays us that way. So what can we do about it?
Personally, I've had this long standing dream to open up an academy, much like RCA, that focuses on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) but for K-12. That's how I want to reach our kids. I want to make both parents and students accountable for their education and ultimately their livelihoods. I especially want the academy to be a place where our kids are not only taught at a gifted level but where they are also taught by those who look like them as well (and no that does not mean that white people are banned from being either teachers or students. Relax, reverse racism crusaders. I'm just creating a safe space for us but everyone is welcome). We need more Black teachers.
Representation MATTERS. Monroe, a new addition to the site, recently posted in the "Monroe's Meetup" section how important teachers are in a child's life, especially early on [read: Monroe's Meetup: Why Teachers Matter]. It gives you hope, a sense of pride, and a positive image unlike that which is portrayed in the media. When I look at shows like 'Gossip Girl' and they're having "Ivy Day" where all of the Ivy Leagues come to recruit I want those opportunities to be given to us as well. Not just sporadically but so that it becomes the NORM. I worked diligently for the National Society of Black Engineers and our youth programs gave me such hope for us and the future. It boils down to opportunity. The only thing that separates POC from superior education is opportunity. I want to help bridge that gap.

Natasha Marie
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Friday, January 1, 2016
Aly L Presents Family Lies | "FOUR CHRISTMASES"

  • Posted on Friday, January 1, 2016
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! The super talented Aly L invited me to do a cover scene on her youtube channel "AlyL" [subscribe: here] from the movie "Four Christmases" and it was hilarious to record. You couldn't imagine the number of takes but it was an amazing experience. Lots of laughs and great company! It definitely was outside of my comfort zone and I can't wait to do more. Click the video below and enjoy!

I know, I know. My facial expressions are priceless. That's the first thing I noticed too. Don't judge me, Nookers. You're my family lol if I can't be real with you then who can I be real with???

Natasha Marie
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