Every Tuesday I share some key stuff I wish, as a parent, someone would just place right in my hand. I don’t want to search for it, or read a bunch of packets. Honestly, who has the time? You get them on Tuesdays because, at least for me, life is just too hectic on Mondays. It also gives you enough time to do […]
Accountability May Be Hard for Legislators, But It’s Pretty Clear for Parents. Respect Me as a Consumer Who Has Choices.
I was 14 when I came to this country and entered high school. It wasn’t until my senior year that I learned I had completed all my required course load early. I had no idea I could have participated in dual-enrollment, or even started college one year earlier. In this instance, the system failed me. Fast forward […]
TIF Teacher Incentives Help Level the Playing Field for Poor Kids in Broward
It was 3rd period. Someone reached in from the hallway and switched off the classroom light. A riot of textbooks started flying at the teacher in the dark. I ducked to avoid being hit by the missiles. I realized that day in my new American high school that most things in my educational journey were NOT […]
The Option of Homeschooling Allows my Sons to Learn What They Need to Learn, in Ways They Like to Learn
Education has always been the cornerstone of my family. My parents and my sisters and I all had such a love of learning that there was never a “push” toward excelling. It was just always who we intrinsically were. I went to high school to be a surgeon and college to be a psychologist, so […]
Broward’s Painful Holiday Season
Broward has had a rough holiday season. On Friday, January 6th, we suffered an attack at our airport here in Fort Lauderdale where 5 persons lost their lives and 8 others injured as many returned from holiday travel. On the same day, we buried a student and a teacher, 8-year old Rasheed Cunningham and veteran […]
There is a Hurricane Brewing in Education. Are We Prepared?
There this phenomenon that happens in Florida: I call it the “Hurricane Effect”. A remarkable thing happens during the hurricane frenzy and you only know it if you live in this part of the world: People look out for people. We come out and help each other put up shutters, clear patio furniture that could […]
Safety in the Classroom Faces New Threats
Teaching is a noble profession. Isn’t that what we say? I kinda think we say that because it’s sacrificial… like being a soldier. After all, don’t we always talk about our teachers being on the “frontlines” and “fighting” for our kids? Sounds sacrificial to me. So, are we protecting teachers? Are we showing them great honor for their “sacrifice”? I think at the very […]
How to Tell Stories That Matter: No Frills, Just Smart and Serious Advocacy from Children’s Services Council Sandra Bernard-Bastien
I met this Trini queen over my years strolling the halls of the Children’s Services Council (CSC), the organization created by the voters to improve the lives of Broward’s children by addressing system-wide issues head-on. Being a Jamaican woman, I was immediately drawn to her familiar songbird accent, her unapologetically curly hair, and belly-filled laughs. But as we […]
Does Her Teacher Love Science As Much As She Does?
She’s turning 12. And in my classic avoidance of throwing a party or hang out with a bunch of pre-teens, I planned a girls trip to New York. We will see Christmas lights and snow if we are lucky. Of course, this is coming from two tropical girls who had to buy coats and closed-toed shoes for […]
Principal Steven Larson Locks Arms in a Neighborhood United
I met Steven Larson last year. He was fresh in town and was stirring up some partnership conversations in Pompano. This former Assistant Superintendent in Hillsboro, Oregon had moved his wife and 3 kids to South Florida to be closer to family. He took on the role of Principal of Pompano Elementary, the last failing […]