(ThyBlackMan.com) Another school year is approaching and parents are gathering their resources to prepare their children for another year of academic success or academic challenge. Parents must be realistic in their child or children’s readiness for the expectations that will be placed on them for academic engagement.
All students are a success until they begin to give up and create their own crimes by being disruptive and disrespectful to the mission of obtaining an education for their benefit.
Each new school year is another year for opportunities for success and growth, but only if both the parent and child are prepared and ready for the school year. There are changes in educational standards, reading series, math requirements, electives, technology integration and new teachers coming into situations of school environments that will either meet or exceed expectations or create mental challenges in questioning whether education is the right
career for them.
No amount of professional development can truly prepare teachers for the first few weeks of the opening of school. That comes with 
experience, coordination and cooperation with administration, faculty and staff. “Teamwork makes the dream work,” stated at the Call Me Mister Leadership Institute 2016. Sharing that education is successful only if educators work together as a team to meet the needs of their students. The crime is when teachers judge their student’s intelligence and intellectual abilities by looking at zip codes, area codes and school lunch codes.
Parents will have their children dressed to impress, but that impression is soon changed when students open their mouths and speak with either respect, manners, articulation and engagement wanting to be in school to learn or they speak with disrespectful language, behaviors that show they are not ready emotionally or intellectually.
As a speaker for the Preventing Crime in the Black Community Conference sharing information about the importance of social media content, preventing bullying, cyberbullying, Sexting and even crime in schools, working to encourage children of color and culture that they are accountable for their actions, behaviors and even associations. Stated from the Call Me Mister Leadership Institute, “who you hang with is who you are associated with and who you begin to act like, so be careful who your friends are, you will be just like them.”
Parents of color and culture must talk with, not at their children to prepare their minds for what truly is important in school – learning and applying that learning to real world situations. Parents must be the first teacher, the first role model and even the first to discipline with love and respect.
The crime in Black schools is not seeing the big picture of the empowerment of education and through education to change their economic and environmental situations. To be the change they want to see in their lives and communities. To obtain mentors that see them as an investment in the future not just a Black children who are potential criminals, drug dealers, pole dances and baby making machines. Teachers, administrators, cafeteria workers, custodians and even bus drivers all have a responsibility to lift students up beyond even the perceptions of themselves and what they see in the media. Crimes against humanity are when teachers and administrators see only color, they see only the faces of free and reduced lunch numbers and only see who is on EBT – Electronic Benefits Transfer.
20 awesome things about children of color and culture to remember as teachers and administrators.
1. Children of color and culture are just as valuable as any other race. They are citizens of this nation and deserve respect and expectations of success.
2. Children of color and culture have the capacity to be scholars and intellectuals if they are supported in and out of school.
3. Children of color and culture need to be exposed to reading, literacy and books early in life to develop a love for reading and learning and see “their” culture in those books.
4. Children of color and culture embrace diversity faster than non-children of color so are adaptable in learning.
5. Children of color and culture face challenges that are sometimes the results of stereotypes and ignorance. Teachers should never contribute to this thinking.
6. Children of color and culture are often faced with being the first generation to be honor students and even graduate from high school. Black scholars need to be supported and praised.
7. Children of color and culture have more opportunities now than in any other time in history to reach their academic and professional goals. Teachers need to show this in their lessons.
8. Children of color and culture are not all poor, disadvantaged, socio / economically behind. Teachers need to rethink their thinking of children of color even “colored” teachers.
9. Children of color and culture are intelligent and intellectual. They possess creativity and innovative ideas to improve our world. Teachers should always challenge their student’s ability to think and apply to the real world.
10. Children of color and culture have access to community resources that allow them to reach their dreams and grow beyond the media imaginations, share these with students.
11. Children of color and culture have availability to community organizations: Urban League, Boys and Girls Club and other groups that focus on success. Teachers have them visit your classrooms to speak to students.
12. Children of color and culture are influenced by the media that can inspire or create challenges that influence thinking and actions. Teachers challenge your children to think about the media influences in their lives.
13. Children of color and culture are too many times negatively viewed by mainstream media and need to see positive people of color and culture.
14. Children of color and culture must apply for non-traditional careers to grow beyond their comfort levels and traditional careers that families relate to. Teachers don’t look at your students as second class workers or citizens.
15. Children of color and culture must embrace STEAM – STREAM – STEM – CSTEM and STEM2 to compete in a global economy.
16. Children of color and culture must consider all educational options that HBCUs provide and even PWI’s. Teacher’s show these resources during the year even in elementary and middle schools where students are the most impressionable.
17. Children of color and culture must continue to grow into lifelong learners, encourage all your students to get library cards.
18. Children of color and culture are growing past the “glass ceiling,” set by conservatives that do not want others to gain access or privilege. Teachers get your students to feel intelligent, intellectual, valuable and privileged.
19. Children of color and culture can envision their lives as important and have meaning in this nation. Teachers your greatest legacy as an educator is the success of your students.
20. Children of color and culture can attend, contribute and be involved in conferences, seminars, and workshops that can help achieve their goals in life and with their families. Teachers use technology to expose your students to positive events in history, careers and show them they are citizens and contributors in this country and the world.
Professional Development for Educators
EdCamp – http://www.edcamp.org/
EdCampGlobal – http://edcampglobal.wix.com/edcamp
Edu Match
Web – http://www.edumatch.education/
iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/edumatch/id1000467296?mt=2
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/edumatchers/
Twitter – #EduMatch
Tammy Neil – Twitter @TG_Neil
#FLedChat Florida Twitter Chat
Staff Writer; William D. Jackson
Find out more about this talented writer over at; OCS For Education.
