Because parents know it takes a village.
I have two kids, a girl and a boy. My Elle, 11, has always been cut from her own cloth: independent, smart and smart-witted. She inhales books and the written word in a way that colors her reality. Because of this, she discovered a love of horses at the age of 6 and is […]
I never thought she would become a teacher. Neither did she. But having her first child reignited her life-long passion, and she walked away from corporate America. She did what most of us wouldn’t dare. Keisha Lopez took her Business bachelors and her Management Information Systems masters degree and she jumped into the public school system. Who […]
Standardized testing is a part of state law since…forever. If you want a high school diploma from a public school in this country, you must take tests. Tests reveal how much you know, how well you know it, how much you’ve grown and if you are ready to move on. I seriously don’t put much […]
I was born in Kingston, Jamaica and came to the U.S. as a teenager. That journey took me from a strict Catholic private school to an inner city high school in Miami. The true definition of culture shock! I recall the pivotal first encounter at my American school when I was asked to define my […]
Broward County Public Schools, and the superintendent specifically, has taken some heat over the SMART $800M bond secured with landslide support on November 4th, 2014. We are approaching the two-year anniversary of this loud vote of confidence displayed by Broward’s residents, however, there is a feeling that things are moving too slowly and more […]
So, I have to say…I’m a little proud of our school district. Recently the Washington Post highlighted Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) for a revolutionary policy started over a decade ago that rolled out universal screening for giftedness for every second-grade student. Previous to this policy, gifted testing was initiated at the recommendation of a […]
College degrees and spelling bees, Drop-outs and valedictorians, Black lives matter and my life matters, Belly-full and staving, Street smart and book smart. Students Natives and immigrants, Renters and owners, Nannies and bus-takers, Single shift and double, White-collar, blue-collar…brown-collar. Parents Rigorous and rote, Choreographed and cerebral, Classrooms and districts, Rule-makers and rule-breakers, Home school, public […]
Just the other day, I received a call from my child’s school during my birthday lunch. It was Ms. Giancarlo, my daughter’s social studies teacher. The same teacher who accused her of making some “not so good choices” this school year, that resulted in us both deciding to give my daughter an F. (Yup…I’m that parent.) […]