EDUCATION AGENDA - TOC & YOUTH UNLEASHED LISTENING TOUR - NOV. 2, 2013

[N'Zinga Shani]

ONEWORLD's EDUCATION AGENDA - TOC & YOUTH UNLEASHED LISTENING TOUR

Stop # 1: Saturday, Nov. 2, 2013,  12:30-3:00pm, Dwight Substation, 150 Edgewood Ave., New Haven

Topic: What does a student need to succeed in the classroom and beyond?

What Does a Student Need to Succeed in the Classroom & Beyond?  We must know the answer to this question and we must ALL (parents, teachers, extended family, community leaders, union, everyone) put the answers into practice every day.

Our future is in jeopardy!  The 21st Century demands excellent reading, writing and comprehension skills; it demands critical-thinking and good problem-solving skills. 

These skills need to be developed starting in Pre-K.  I have had many gifts in this life, but the GREATEST Gift of all was delivered by my Great-Grandmother from the day I was born; she gave me the gift of loving to learn; she made it clear every day that education is important.  Education and the ability to learn have been my saving graces in every phase of my life.

• OneWorld: Too many of our children cannot read on grade level; too many of our high school graduates cannot understand what they read.  In a television program OneWorld recorded recently, Dr. Brett Rayford, psychologist, said "From Pre-K to Grade 3 children learn to read.  From Grade 3 forward they read to learn."  If they cannot read they cannot learn.  Sadly, too many of our children read words without comprehending them.

• Too many parents are not doing their part to teach their children how to learn. 
• We need to engage children in critical-thinking activities.  If you have only one hour and you must watch a TV program, watch with them and talk to them about what they are seeing.
• We need to reason with our children rather than dictate; ask questions and discuss.
• Teachers are most effective as educators when teaching children who are ready to learn and who know that learning is important.  The greatest joy I had as an educator was teaching students from around the world: Haiti, various countries in Africa, Poland, India, Philippines, Korea, Vietnam, West Indies, etc.  Why was it such a joy?  These people, at whatever ages they were, loved to learn.  They were curious, anxious, engaged and committed.
• Parents and all the adults in children's lives NEED to prepare them to learn. 
• We NEED to teach them to love learning by demonstrating the importance of education. 
• Parents do not have to be educated to teach children how to learn. Ask children to tell you what they learn in school each day.  Listen to them and ask questions; having to repeat what they were taught reinforces learning.
• Please, spend time talking to your children; ask them to write down what they learned in school every day. 
• Try and spend 30 mins with them before they go to bed.  Ask questions about their day. Try to find out if your child is being bullied or if he/she is a participant in bullying someone.
• Help your children to express themselves verbally; encourage them to draw pictures.