tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516237597165585442024-03-21T20:32:32.706-07:002 ThoughtsEducational. Motivational. Inspirational. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254934545704269405noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-751623759716558544.post-84623717939933453072013-07-27T06:08:00.001-07:002013-07-27T19:57:16.384-07:00Move The Snooze<p dir="ltr">You hear the alarm in your head, telling you to get up, get out, and do something. For some, they spring out of bed and start grinding. For others, they press the snooze button. They tell themselves, "I will do that tomorrow, next week, or next month." Putting it off, you know, that thing that feels right just means you will never do it. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I had a goal to wake up in the morning and workout before I went to work. This was a wonderful idea, but when it came time to do it, that was a different story. Sometimes, we have to break old habits by forcing our way through. So, two years ago, I starting waking up at 5:00 a.m. I was excited! The first week was no problem. The second-no problem. The third, well, the excitement wore off and the grinding started to kick in. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I did not want to get up at 5:00 a.m. anymore. For one, I was not seeing the results Two, I felt like I was not getting enough sleep; and three, my mind did not want to work that hard. This was all true! Deep down, I wanted to finished this 90 day workout routine and would have felt like a failure had I quit. So, I had to move the snooze. That's right! I moved the snooze. I had to push beyond my comfort zone and turn a chore into a habit. I moved the alarm in a distant place which forced me to get up and off the alarm. I knew if I was up, I would not lay back down. I went on to complete P90X four times. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Do you need to move the snooze? Do you need to do homework when you do not want to? Do you need to make the doctor's appointment you are dreading? Do you need to enroll in the college course you have been avoiding? Do you need to start or end a relationship that has been consuming your mind. No matter what it is, move the snooze, and do what needs to be done. Period!</p>
<p dir="ltr">-Rodney S. Lewis, Ed.D.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjqTmmo9Ioy09zrQi_Jqx37FeOG0UIo77sDUb_HN9mVIFFv3HgyGxt2cHkp-LupWaAwh7Lw7yVrp18VZG976wWM6LvnB1j9vYXvqJ85HsM5TrSQgu-lLkz5FKQGwhk0aA5bKcBrMwlN8/s1600/2013-07-27-07-58-25-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjqTmmo9Ioy09zrQi_Jqx37FeOG0UIo77sDUb_HN9mVIFFv3HgyGxt2cHkp-LupWaAwh7Lw7yVrp18VZG976wWM6LvnB1j9vYXvqJ85HsM5TrSQgu-lLkz5FKQGwhk0aA5bKcBrMwlN8/s640/2013-07-27-07-58-25-1.png"> </a> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254934545704269405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-751623759716558544.post-44962431131772766232013-05-04T14:46:00.001-07:002013-05-04T20:59:46.763-07:00"Have To's" & "Want To's"<p dir=ltr>I will never forget what Denzel Washington said about life. He said, "You do what you have to do, so you can do what you want to do." That makes so much sense to me. Once, this guy said to me, "Rodney, I do not want to work at this job, it is wack! My response was, "Well, you do not have to!" He would go on to tell me that working at his current job was a necessary evil because he had bills that needed to be paid. I understand! </p>
<p dir=ltr>There are some things we "have to do" in life such as paying taxes and dying. We have to do those things. You may feel you "have to" work on a dead end job. You may feel you "have to" stay in a crappy relationship. Most of the things we feel we "have to do"-we feel forced to do them. What about your dreams and goals? See, when it comes to your dreams, you are working on your own time. There are no penalties for not calling potential clients. No one cares if you do it or not.That is up to you! </p>
<p dir=ltr>The sercet I have learned is that when you get to the point when the thing you "want to do" becomes the very thing you "have to do",your life is going to change forever. No joke! Let's take this a step further. When the "have to's" become your "want to's" it will become a whole new world. Stay with me.</p>
<p dir=ltr>See, if you are like me, you love working out. However, it was not always this way for me. Only on, after graduating from college with my BA, I "wanted" to workout. I did it sometimes and sometimes I didn't. Also, my diet was suspect at best. I was downing Big Macs and Whoopers whenever. Here was the tipping point, when my workouts changed from "want to's" to "have to's"- Ooooo wee! I changed the game. Yep, my body composition changed, my eating habits changed, and my body weight changed. That's real! When your dreams become you, you bring them to life.</p>
<p dir=ltr>While working as a sercuity guard at a local high school in 2004, I felt beat by  life. I needed the job, but I did not want this one. For goodness sake, I had a BA in Broadcast Communication. Now, I was making sure high school kids were not skipping class? Really? Here was the tipping point, when I transformed a job I needed into something I wanted! Do you get that? I made that job the greatest job a graduate from college would ever want! I coached basketball, worked with teachers and administrators, and mentored students! I changed the game, folks! I made it necessary for me to show up and show out! </p>
<p dir=ltr>Listen up, I will leave you with this-your "have to's" and "want to's" are all part of your success. There will be things you "want to do" and "have to do." It is all part of the achievement process. The closer you can bring those two together, the better your chances of briniging your vision to life! Simple!</p>
<p dir=ltr>Stay Hungry! Stay Foolish! Let's Get It!</p>
<p dir=ltr>-Rodney S. Lewis, Ed.D.</p>
<div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5aZ1ZnmdLSSNHfNl4X2EGUeUCBuggcCSxAaU3mfRYc1jtHOuB682fLTtrvj-T4tdbCPQz4bQpiSMITBQpy6-ULys6yqrYUn0uByogLv7UWslI0jPis59NaFSQCqtuhjDEw4RKty6kFI/s1600/Screenshots_2013-05-04-16-30-28.png' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5aZ1ZnmdLSSNHfNl4X2EGUeUCBuggcCSxAaU3mfRYc1jtHOuB682fLTtrvj-T4tdbCPQz4bQpiSMITBQpy6-ULys6yqrYUn0uByogLv7UWslI0jPis59NaFSQCqtuhjDEw4RKty6kFI/s640/Screenshots_2013-05-04-16-30-28.png' /> </a> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254934545704269405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-751623759716558544.post-79729587183767828802013-04-30T17:14:00.001-07:002013-04-30T17:22:03.467-07:00What's The Purpose? <p dir=ltr>What do you do that is like breathing? What wakes you up early in the morning? There is more to life than paying bills and clocking in and out! For you, I do not know. For me, the thought of writing and speaking wakes me up early and keeps me up late. There is nothing I enjoy more.</p>
<p dir=ltr>What is it for you? Whatever it is, follow your passion. We all have a purpose for living. You were not put on this earth to build someone else's dream! Are you kidding me? You are here to give back and make this world a better place. It is that simple. There is no need to complicate this stuff. It is what it is, you know? Your unique gifts make you one of a kind. That is what makes you, you!</p>
<p dir=ltr>It does not matter what people think! It really doesn't! This is your dream, your purpose, and your vision! This is about you. As long as you are willing to pay the price and not count the cost, and put forth the blood, sweat, and tears-your purpose will reveal itself in determination, guts, and sacrifice!  Stop playing with life and take what belongs to you-your purpose! BOOM!</p>
<p dir=ltr>-Rodney Lewis, Ed.D.</p>
<div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2trRsf6whzll6DnqOHtS77b1AYuRqLfJ1iDOhK2M0SC3IdgT7NvXkX8mqOjhV3PUDq0hUHtdtj4440EI30UiVlt0IXj04RgwXW1IhL-L_g37WT-Cs0CM3V5RvMnwwlI7tY55VBg4hl6Y/s1600/20130402_2-Brothers-Sister_ED-027.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2trRsf6whzll6DnqOHtS77b1AYuRqLfJ1iDOhK2M0SC3IdgT7NvXkX8mqOjhV3PUDq0hUHtdtj4440EI30UiVlt0IXj04RgwXW1IhL-L_g37WT-Cs0CM3V5RvMnwwlI7tY55VBg4hl6Y/s640/20130402_2-Brothers-Sister_ED-027.jpg' /> </a> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254934545704269405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-751623759716558544.post-21852135143312939652013-04-07T06:18:00.001-07:002013-04-07T06:34:22.260-07:00I Am....Who I AM<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjePjooid9JJuVfcqYbkqvtbSJMY7AuVRxd2Wjcydccr_4VIC7GlgS-nYcNuiMLVyL8zZhLgdEy2rziMxkLEBNYxYtNrKz4a2Gt5jddtVrtU-OOCCPj1f3KxgnzTHin_xupzOzY6yOMMUs/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjePjooid9JJuVfcqYbkqvtbSJMY7AuVRxd2Wjcydccr_4VIC7GlgS-nYcNuiMLVyL8zZhLgdEy2rziMxkLEBNYxYtNrKz4a2Gt5jddtVrtU-OOCCPj1f3KxgnzTHin_xupzOzY6yOMMUs/s1600/images.jpeg" height="259" width="400" /></a><br />
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.051775536267086864"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.051775536267086864"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Y</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ou are a scrub!” “You can’t play basketball!” Those are the words from my classmates after my basketball games in my senior year of high school. I remember, I would hear those comments and just shake my head, as I would walk to my next class. One of the most important lessons I have learned in my short lifetime is that negativity, like the sun, will always gleam on you. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can’t avoid it, and you can’t hide from it. That is just a fact of life. Sometimes you may feel that the more you do, the more people tend to rain on your parade. Well...they are raining on your parade! Don’t be upset about the rain, just learn to dance in the rain.</span></b></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.051775536267086864"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have to be honest; I love a little negativity. I need people to drink a full cup of Haterade and then give me their opinion. Oh ...yes...I needed people to tell me that I was a scrub! I needed people to tell me that I was a bad employee. I needed my ex-girlfriend to tell me I was not a good writer! I received the love and support of my co-workers, when they claimed that I stole FREE food from a summer program I managed! (By the way...how do you steal FREE food?). I needed people to call me a nigger, monkey baby, and porch monkey. Oh..yes...I ate it up like a BBQ chicken dinner!! My mouth just waters when I think about all the words of encouragement from my past!</span></b><b id="internal-source-marker_0.051775536267086864"></b><br />
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.051775536267086864"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is life! You may have experienced words like this in your life. The natural tendency is to get mad and fight! That is an option, but please allow me to challenge that notion; what are you fighting for? Who are you fighting for? </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Are you getting mad because someone hurt your feelings? You better get tough skin because the world does not care about your feelings. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As great as Michael Jackson was it seemed like he was the butt of many jokes in his short life span. I would conclude to say that most of the world thought he was a great American artist. Why did he get hated on so much? Why? Why? Why? Was it because he was different? He </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">was</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> different. He was coined the King of Pop. Not the Servant of Pop, not the Best of Pop, but the King of Pop. In my eyes that is different. As he sat on the king’s musical throne, people continued to throw rocks at his throne. To respond, Michael just made more and more hits!</span></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.051775536267086864"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I need hate like the grass needs the rain. The rain helps the grass, along with the sun, to grow strong. Do you get it? </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We need that hate, some hurtful words, and negativity to grow strong. Do not get me wrong; I’m not saying that hurtful comments are the only thing we need, because you are missing the point.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> As humans, we need positive energy to propel us into the future! We also need some resistance from life to keep us striving for more. If we allow it, the hate can provide us inspiration to achieve our goals and live our dreams.</span></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.051775536267086864"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Furthermore, why would I waste my time on individuals that I call Social Cancers? These are people that always find room to hate on you. If you try to do something they can’t do, let the hating begin! If you believe something they don’t believe, let the hating begin. Hell, if you try to change your lifestyle and they can’t do it, then let the hating begin. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The more you build up, the more they tear down.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I will not allow Social Cancers to tear down nor knock down what I have built. Like, the King of Pop, I will continue to strive for greatness until they put me six feet in the dirt! As Kobe Bryant say, “ I do, what I do.” Those are great words from one of the greatest NBA players of all-time. Those words from Bryant are just a small peek into his mindset not only as a professional athlete, but also a person. He is saying despite what people say about him, despite if he wins or loses, he will continue to do what he believes to be true for him.</span></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.051775536267086864"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here is the deal, I’m the one that is putting in the work to be successful for my life! When I wake-up every single morning and I brush my teeth and wash my face, I ask myself one question, “do I like what I see?” If the answer is no, then change must take place. It may be a small change, a mental change, a physical change, or a social change, but something will change! We don’t have the time or the energy to waste, trying to get the approval or consent of haters! As the great Les Brown states, “It is a full-time job to work on yourself.” </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let haters hate. It is there job to hate. They have earned master’s degrees and Ph.D in the major of hating.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Since, I’m the captain of my ship, I will not delight or entertain what people think or say about me! Period! I’m not sure how you can focus on your success and worry about other’s perception of your success. Something has to give. When I came into this world, I was born alone and when I leave this world I will die alone. So, I need enough hate to wake my ass up when I don’t want too.</span></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.051775536267086864"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Before, people said, I was a scrub, I was in the gym 5 to 6 days, every summer working on my game. I was watching and analyzing old Michael Jordan games I recorded on VHS. Before they said, I could not be a writer, I have been waking up at 3am to write papers and read my doctoral assignments. Before, people called me a nigger, they didn’t know I was raised by my mother from Mound Bayou, Mississippi. They didn’t know that my mother picked cotton to provide financial support for her family. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My mother is the definition of Black History. They didn’t know that my mother instilled what I called “Mississippi Faith” in me. That is an undoubtable, undeniable, and supreme belief in my abilities.</span></b></div>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.051775536267086864"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b>A colleague once stated, “If you don’t understand my STORY, you won’t respect my GLORY.” That is powerful and so true! </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are willing to wake up in the morning with me to write the papers, or if you never went to the gym with me to participate in some of the most grueling workouts, you would not know my story!</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> You would not have a clue of what I could or could not become. To all the haters and social cancers, please continue to provide those words of encouragement, then “Kick Rocks!”.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span></b><b style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>"I am who I am and I say what I think. I'm not putting a face on for the record."</i></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>-Eminem</i></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Ron S. Lewis, Ph.D. Candidate</span></b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254934545704269405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-751623759716558544.post-7496401903153697152013-04-07T06:03:00.000-07:002013-04-07T06:20:34.075-07:00Enjoy The Time<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ95cd0Dn0Wti4BO4uJ_pc6jv6pDsk3yxR63nt39iNzbov-ebQ7xowTRDWT7gHYsaLEefE4Yo69gHbw2g6kMnLlDZvAsYV5FMoFCSJRxjlp0fxYxXjMU6oKR-mOdhtTc-WY8n02xRTYh4/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ95cd0Dn0Wti4BO4uJ_pc6jv6pDsk3yxR63nt39iNzbov-ebQ7xowTRDWT7gHYsaLEefE4Yo69gHbw2g6kMnLlDZvAsYV5FMoFCSJRxjlp0fxYxXjMU6oKR-mOdhtTc-WY8n02xRTYh4/s1600/images.jpeg" height="272" width="400" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial Hebrew'; letter-spacing: 0px;">It seems like yesterday, we were working this summer in the library trying to refine and redefine the culture of our school. </span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Time flies! We have done so much together and the best is yet to come! If you remember, we created posters of what we wanted our school to look like, sound like, and feel like. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Our quest is to create greatness and become one of the best elementary schools by having strong instructional practices, effective day-to-day systems, and trust and support from each team member.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">As Spring Break draws closer, I want to thank you sincerely for the dedication. As you my know passion rages because I care deeply.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Our children deserve the best, and I am personally dedicated and motivated to ensure they receive it. That mindset makes the hardest task appear easy. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best, “Do not go where the path may lead, instead go where there is no path and leave a trail.” </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">There is no doubt we are leaving a trail! Enjoy the break with your family and friends. </span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">"Wonder rather than doubt is the root to all knowledge."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">-Abraham Joshua Heschel </span></div>
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-Rodney S. Lewis, Ed.D.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254934545704269405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-751623759716558544.post-56183032933439200452013-04-07T05:57:00.002-07:002013-04-07T18:21:06.200-07:00Leaving A Mark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQ26rkC6IyhKCvgNFDsa9iRpSSvs0SdOcSxhyDXqJORpOVZUGAV7nlVfojCW25WBbfHrrzPVvrbLxXXzLhLikTkqAnAyOZqRwqIbaZ1iEHPbGicBf5_CljVdKvcS7GF8czlOwJx1EFzQ/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQ26rkC6IyhKCvgNFDsa9iRpSSvs0SdOcSxhyDXqJORpOVZUGAV7nlVfojCW25WBbfHrrzPVvrbLxXXzLhLikTkqAnAyOZqRwqIbaZ1iEHPbGicBf5_CljVdKvcS7GF8czlOwJx1EFzQ/s1600/images.jpeg" height="400" width="265" /></a></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">0</span><span style="font-family: Arial Hebrew;">ur students are experiencing some challenging times. Having the opportunity to serve as the principal gives me the pleasure of interacting with our entire student body. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial Hebrew'; letter-spacing: 0px;">The concerns traveling to the office the last two months have been disheartening. The behaviors, in many cases, are a massive cries for help. Without looking at the whole child, and accounting for what it “brings to the table” , it would be negligence on our behalf.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">There is a Chinese proverb which sums up this lead the best, <b>“Every child is like a piece of paper</b>, <b>on which every teacher leaves a mark.” </b>Those are powerful words! What you give them is going to stick with them for the rest of their lives. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It is at this time, when our students are faced with circumstances beyond their control, we have to be cognizant of the marks we leave.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I cannot help it, but the father in me is drawn out when I am working with our students. Regardless if it is a boy or girl, I cannot help but to imagine I am speaking with a little girl with long black hair, big beautiful brown eyes, and a three year old voice full of hope and promise.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I want my students to have the same opportunities as my little girl. If nothing else, I want them to feel the support and optimism about their existence. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Finally, ponder these questions: Whose students are they? Are they “those” students, “your” students, “my” students, or “our” students?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">How you answer this question, may determine the mark you leave.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 9px; letter-spacing: 0px; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“Be kind to everyone, because everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”</span></div>
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-Rodney S. Lewis, Ed.D.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254934545704269405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-751623759716558544.post-27095979918417499672013-03-03T19:04:00.003-08:002013-03-03T19:04:26.216-08:00The Re-inventer <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5emOtDa_Os6j9R6ErnJXfw9pzxSP8tog4W51KvJFGw-SpJAXr0zj6AzRN0rBGenfsIpf6EWaHC4LoegB5kp477YyRnQmgQ8rmnLXlywbdNIX5okF_Jm3vGWPGw2lAQL1DHHVaZvIs-o/s1600/malcolm-x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5emOtDa_Os6j9R6ErnJXfw9pzxSP8tog4W51KvJFGw-SpJAXr0zj6AzRN0rBGenfsIpf6EWaHC4LoegB5kp477YyRnQmgQ8rmnLXlywbdNIX5okF_Jm3vGWPGw2lAQL1DHHVaZvIs-o/s1600/malcolm-x.jpg" height="308" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Malcolm X</td></tr>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />"Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for today."</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>-Malcolm X</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">Malcolm Little was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1925. His father, an avid civil rights activist, was murdered by white supremacists in 1931, forcing his mother to admit herself in a psychiatric ward.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite the hardships in school, Little was extremely intelligent. However, his perspective changed when his teacher told him he could not become a lawyer because he was black. </span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was in prison, in 1946, where he regained his loved for learning and began devouring books . In 1952 Malcolm dropped “Little” as his last name and replaced it with “X”. This was a tribute to his African ancestors, and in the same year, he officially joined the Nation of Islam.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">X’s powerful rhetoric for blacks such as ending racism “by any means necessary” and “you don’t have a peaceful revolution, you have a turn the cheek revolution”, helped the Nation of Islam accumulate 399,600 members in eight years.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After leaving the Nation of Islam, on bitter terms in 1964, he traveled to North Africa and the Middle East to regain a since of focus and deeper self understanding.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On February 21, 1965, at the age of 39 years old, Malcolm X was shot 15 times at point blank range by three Nation of Islam members.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Throughout his life, Malcolm X was constantly reinventing himself. Like X, our students, should take note that we are not written off by our past, but creators of our future. Malcolm went from a childhood of dreams, to a young man embraced by prison, to one of the </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">most respected and controversial voices in the civl rights movement; and finally, a man</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">who ended his life believing all men and women in this country had a place to live together in harmony. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">Malcolm X shows our students that we can use our voice to change the world and more importantly, change ourselves!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-Rodney S. Lewis, Ed.D.</span><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254934545704269405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-751623759716558544.post-5280855770689719802013-02-18T19:36:00.002-08:002013-02-18T19:52:11.835-08:00The Birth Of Black History Month<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“I am ready to act, if I can find brave men to help me.” </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSxeHWxDS4Asd8XJMHHljSjQ5rwHmdp3w0V2pBjA9uzDC_v-n0f_CXR7jV5MXLrLByZkKlP5DXw1bXlT6Dc4y-ET06fD4MIFokbv-5AIzbeK1RWKqEHyj02gvCgAOdqMAH2_XqaXpTsn4/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSxeHWxDS4Asd8XJMHHljSjQ5rwHmdp3w0V2pBjA9uzDC_v-n0f_CXR7jV5MXLrLByZkKlP5DXw1bXlT6Dc4y-ET06fD4MIFokbv-5AIzbeK1RWKqEHyj02gvCgAOdqMAH2_XqaXpTsn4/s1600/images.jpeg" height="312" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">If I could meet Dr. Carter G. Woodson, I would thank him for having the moxie to, nationally, raise our country’s awareness about the significant contributions African Americans made toward society. To a larger degree, he did not realize he would be gracefully recognized like those he admired. </span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dr. Woodson was born into slavery on December 19,1875 in West Virginia. Although he could not attend school early in his childhood due to poverty, the determined Woodson taught himself the basics until he was 17 years old. At the age of 20, in 1895, he enrolled in high school and graduated two years later. Fourteen years after obtaining his diploma, in 1912, he became the second African American to earn his Ph.D. from Harvard University.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once he completed his graduate studies, Dr. Woodson noticed the lack of distinguished African Americans presented in our “history books.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Eager to change this historical account, Dr. Woodson, in 1915, created the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, and in 1926, Dr. Carter G. Woodson launched Negro History Week as an effort to elevate our national consciousness to the notable efforts African Americans demonstrated throughout the country. </span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He decided to place this celebration in February as a tribute to Abraham Lincoln (born in February 12, 1809) and Fredrick Douglass (born in February 20,1818) because of their positive and seismic influences on African Americans. </span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As African Americans have shown through out history, change happens from thinking big ideas, communicating big ideas, and staying persistence with those big ideas. If our young minds understand and connect these three themes once this month is complete, our celebrations will be time well-spent.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">-Rodney S. Lewis, Ed.D.</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254934545704269405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-751623759716558544.post-29614369469320977132013-02-18T19:30:00.001-08:002013-02-18T19:40:05.748-08:00The Life and Legacy of Booker T. Washington <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“There are two ways of exerting one's strength; one is pushing down, the other is pulling up.</span><span style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0px;">” </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0px;">-Booker T. Washington </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The legacy of Booker T. Washington inspires me. No matter how many times I read about his life or his book,<i> Up from Slavery,</i> I am reminded of the courage it must have taken to advocate for people, who in some cases, were not very receptive to his advocacy. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I wonder in 1881, when the Alabama legislature approved $2,000 for a trade school for African Americans to attend, how did he feel? What’s more, I wonder how he responded when General Armstrong, a white man and his mentor, recommended the 25 year-old Washington take on the challenge of starting and leading the school from nothing?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">By the time Booker T. Washington died in 1915, 33 years after he opened Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (now Tuskegee University)-the college had accumulated over $2 million in funding, trained students in 38 trades, employed 200 faculty members, constructed 100 buildings, and enrolled 1,500 students. Booker T. brought his vision to reality. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The complexity of his legacy is more amazing than his accomplishments. Politically, he advocated for African-Americans to play a submissive role in society and not interfere with whites, while behind the scenes, he challenged the legal system on racism and unfair practices.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I am moved because he understood the power of goal setting. During his time at Tuskegee, his mission was to help African-Americans gain financial independence through specific areas of training. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Finally, Booker T. Washington’s passion for education is the central theme for me. His story tells us how valuable our work is to our students. Washington understood that without an adequate education, his students were servants to rigid opportunities. However, with one, our students are servants to their limitless possibilities.</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254934545704269405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-751623759716558544.post-27599176224009093082013-02-18T15:49:00.002-08:002013-02-18T19:42:05.440-08:00Leaders Of The Past: Fredrick Douglass<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">“If there is no struggle, then there is no progress!”</span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">As I was working on my dissertation, I came across some literature about Fredrick Douglass and was instantly intrigued. His story of slavery, writing and speaking, and his assistance in the Civil War has left a lasting impact on my thinking.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Douglass possessed the determination and persistence for greatness. As a young boy, he taught himself to read, ran away from his master by the age of 20 (that was the last time he was enslaved), and wrote three autobiographies: <i>The Life of Fredrick Douglass</i>, <i>An American Slave</i> in 1845; <i>My Bondage, My Freedom</i> in 1855; and the <i>Life and Times of Fredrick Douglass</i> in 1881.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">For sixteen years, this former slave, authored a newspaper, went on a two year speaking tour in Great Britain and Ireland, delivered thousands of speeches, and was a prominent champion for ending slavery. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">His passion for racial equality was transparent once the Civil War arrived. Fredrick Douglass was one of the most influential men in the world, and that influence was noted in 1863 when President Lincoln enacted the Emancipation Proclamation which freed all slaves from the Confederate Territory. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Douglass went on to serve on several political positions such as the president of Freedman’s Savings Bank, charge of affairs for Santo Domingo, general counsel to the Republic of Haiti, and in 1872, became the first African American to ever appear on a presidential ballot as a vice presidential nominee. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Fredrick Douglass shows our students that our start does not predict our ending. Believing in yourself, taking advantage of all opportunities, and using your written and spoken communication can effect positive change in the world.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">If our students carry these three traits, like this American legend, they can change the world as well.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">-Rodney S. Lewis, Ed.D.</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254934545704269405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-751623759716558544.post-35933917682067664622013-02-02T23:31:00.000-08:002013-02-17T12:34:02.440-08:00The Five Leadership Traits My 3-Year Old Has Taught Me <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivyuwYEpAT8gHT-XQYw_GRFG_MZNu9UQMcBfEir_eZpLp0x2b9F0G0oNsuo_4yndysqNJbVU6r8XHH0_kkeCgITrFYqwdsYpv5GkWRCpYy05-pfgwxXJC4ffuaZWl77JWkg_TGyJBICCU/s1600/IMG_2200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivyuwYEpAT8gHT-XQYw_GRFG_MZNu9UQMcBfEir_eZpLp0x2b9F0G0oNsuo_4yndysqNJbVU6r8XHH0_kkeCgITrFYqwdsYpv5GkWRCpYy05-pfgwxXJC4ffuaZWl77JWkg_TGyJBICCU/s1600/IMG_2200.JPG" width="371" /></a></div>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i> <b>" To<span class="maintext" style="line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> a father growing old nothing is dearer than a daughter.</span> " </b></i></i><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><b>1. Focus On 1 Task</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Once Sophia, starts watching her daily episode of Doc Mc Stuffins, on Disney Junior-for 22 minutes-nothing else exist. In her mind, she could not focus on her show if she were doing something else.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I remember when Crystal cooked dinner and asked Sophia if she liked it. Sophia’s response was, “No mommy, I do not like it.” If you ask her a question, she gives you an <i>honest</i> answer. It is as simple as that. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">After picking Sophia up from school, she said she wanted to go to Pizza Street, a buffet restaurant of different types of pizza. I suggested Chevys or Chic-fil-A. She sharply replied, “No, daddy! I want to go to Pizza Street.” I suggested the alternative restaurants 4-5 more times. The same response was replied back to me. We went to Pizza Street.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“Daddy, what shape is this?” “Daddy, can I have some candy?” Daddy, are we going to school today?” “Daddy, can we play?” She does not assume anything and understands if she wants to know something, she must seek out the knowledge.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I cannot tell you how many times I have turned our house into a super hero battleground between Spiderman (Sophia) and the Big Lizard (me). Spiderman always wins. She is always playful at heart with a smile on her face. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Learning is around all of us. Sometimes, the teacher is an unlikely source. These five leadership traits stay with me during every walkthrough, parent phone call, and student interaction. What are you learning from an unlikely source?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-Rodney S. Lewis, Ed.D.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254934545704269405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-751623759716558544.post-32725663469995919192013-01-22T01:20:00.000-08:002013-01-22T01:20:00.145-08:00I Cannot Imagine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwxdk1owV4Har0y0SiB_jJpk8B3qZrDYKek3lOD3T7ygcmneLxfrVXwHbthyphenhyphen9QAN0iyTU0U5_wYjHbdNHxToJdD4BxBL9Ce6nxHk6SIgOul_RwywN6nPJI2sEzNkQCmThRQVQ8sGHmrZk/s1600/dr-martin-luther-king-jr-w-james-taylor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwxdk1owV4Har0y0SiB_jJpk8B3qZrDYKek3lOD3T7ygcmneLxfrVXwHbthyphenhyphen9QAN0iyTU0U5_wYjHbdNHxToJdD4BxBL9Ce6nxHk6SIgOul_RwywN6nPJI2sEzNkQCmThRQVQ8sGHmrZk/s320/dr-martin-luther-king-jr-w-james-taylor.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>and controversy. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-Dr. Martin Luther King</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I cannot imagine leading a national boycott at twenty-six years old. Think about it, one person was able to work with so many, to boycott the most prevalent transportation system of its time-for 382 days. That type of dedication to a specific cause is unthinkable!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I cannot imagine going to jail twenty times, being stab in the chest, having my house bombed, being attacked frequently, and having threats against my family.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I cannot imagine in eleven years, traveling nearly 600 million miles, communicating 2,500 speeches, writing five books, a dozen articles, winning the Noble Peace Prize,meeting with the president, and being named <i>Time</i> magazine's Person Of The Year.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I cannot imagine delivering one of the most powerful speeches in United States history, in front of 250,000 people on the Washington Monument. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His vision for equality made it possible for my wife and me to date, marry, and start a </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">family. His voice inspired hope all over the world. His value for humanity brought all walks of life together. The valleys this country experience became the spring board to the victories I experience daily. Along the same lines, it is hard to believe that a man would volunteer his well-being to make my daughter's better.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His short-lived life embodies some of the most essential character traits we want from our students: collaboration, imagination, dedication, honesty, and critical thinking. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I cannot imagine this world without Dr. Martin Luther King! </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I cannot imagine the world without his dream.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-Rodney S. Lewis, Ed.D.</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254934545704269405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-751623759716558544.post-62330397671109385392013-01-20T10:49:00.003-08:002013-01-20T11:07:53.207-08:00Common Thread<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<span style="background-color: black; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>-Mother Teresa </i></span></span></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.8739548136945814" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Every human being in this world shares one common thread. Despite who you are or what you are, we all share this same common thread. If you are lower class, upper class, or middle class-we all share this common thread. If you are a celebrity, CEO, stay at home parent or part of the working class-we all share this common thread. If you are healthy or inflicted with a disease-we all share in this common thread. This common thread can never be altered, manipulated, changed, or modified. </span></b><br />
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<b style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Every human being from ancient to modern civilization all share this common thread. The one common thread that I am not referring to is that all people on this earth were conceived from a female. That is powerful, yet, we are not discussing that concept. This common thread, despite positions of power, share the same theme. By now, you are probably wondering what is this common thread? Every human being shares it. What is it you ask? It is simply this....we only have 24 hours a day. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a college instructor, I have shared this concept with my students and I receive the same look of “That’s It!" As I have shared with them and now with you, despite, money, fame, grades, social status or emotional status; we have only 24 hours a day to make a difference. This realization is a powerful notion. We may be born with different resources, but NO ONE is born with more or less time. Therefore, the professional athletes, celebrities, business professionals, have the same amount of time as you. They have nothing more or nothing less. From my experience, most people don’t understand the significance of this concept. Conversely, once you truly understand the common thread, then it becomes a gift and a curse.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">gift</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is we should be encourage that we share the same basic element that some of our most successful counterparts share. No one is born with more thread than you. Everyday, we all start out with the same amount. We all end with the same amount. As Eric Thomas, one of the most powerful motivational speakers states, “...... the differences between Oprah and the person that is broke is how they use their 24 hours.” Simply put, individuals are not successful because they have some magical gift; instead, they reach success because they understand the gift of time.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">curse</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of the common thread is we cannot physically touch time. Time is elusive. Unlike money, you can see yourself giving the dollar away and seeing the immediate return on your purchase. Time is slightly different; you can spend one hour watching your favorite television show and you don’t physically see the time leaving your life-never to return again. It is so easy to waste time doing nothing. Before you know it, you have spent your day during meaningless activities and nothing to improve your life. America is one of the fattest nations in the world. The number one reason why people do not workout or have an active lifestyle is time. Most people use the same words to describe their reasoning for a non-active lifestyle, “I don’t have the time.” Wait you don’t have the time? Most gyms open up no later than 5:30 a.m. and several facilities are open 24 hours. GET UP! You do not need 25 hours in a day, just use more of the 24 hours you already have.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The common thread is the most important element to any living organism on the earth. It has been said that the average lifespan of Americans is mid 70s. In one year, you will have 8,760 hours to use for your life. Once you have reach the age of 70 years old, you will have used 613,200 hours in your lifetime. Anyone that reaches 70 years old will have the opportunity to use those same number of hours. How are you going to use your hours?</span></b><br />
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<b style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Ron S. Lewis, Ph.D. Candidate</span></b><br />
<b style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Rodney S. Lewis, Ed.D. </span></b></div>
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</span></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254934545704269405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-751623759716558544.post-8881315541760150222013-01-20T10:12:00.001-08:002013-01-20T10:16:23.880-08:00Normal is NOT AMAZING!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4RiX9FxvSaMoL19l4ZqaBR4TvIbs5znYiPTf_CH6cF4P3QHPXV3wYj76yBGMFrQ6N6z3vXTiA9u4ldnKk-asNv_IGuQVXByFjW11NDuP6qMihAjnzoucZWgmX-WG45nflVNBtvfZkyrk/s1600/ali.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4RiX9FxvSaMoL19l4ZqaBR4TvIbs5znYiPTf_CH6cF4P3QHPXV3wYj76yBGMFrQ6N6z3vXTiA9u4ldnKk-asNv_IGuQVXByFjW11NDuP6qMihAjnzoucZWgmX-WG45nflVNBtvfZkyrk/s400/ali.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">www.bigisthenewsmall.com<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><b> </b>“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-Maya Angelou</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">What if I told you this is the best we can do? You would probably laugh and try to find your way to a new elementary school. No hope....what is the point?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><b>We</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, as educators, are moving toward greatness! Yes, I said, “Greatness!” Why do I feel this way? Because the beginning of our success has nothing to do with the demographics, socio-economics, and/or test scores of our students.The power of change starts with us. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We all play a major role on this team; therefore, the movement of change starts within. That means, after reading this post, you can start immediately. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">As you know, I have played basketball the majority of my life. The one theme I can take-a-way from that experience is the successful teams I played on carried a culture of winning. We believed if you were having a bad game, it was our job to pick you up. If you had the game of your life, we celebrated your achievement. I remember the 10th, 11th, and 12th man working as hard as our leading scorer.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Ultimately, you determine how you respond to adversity, the content of your parking lot conversations, how you react to challenging students, how you treat one another, the value you place on your practice, your approach with combative parents, your role in our school, and your thoughts-which are the first steps before action. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">When we determine we want to be t<b>ruly GREAT</b>-and I mean truly great-every minute of everyday, our culture will change forever! As long as we remember and recognize our students are #1 priority-we have started moving in the right direction. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Now, let’s build on what we have started....</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-Rodney S. Lewis, Ed.D.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254934545704269405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-751623759716558544.post-34921254148884754432013-01-12T21:51:00.002-08:002013-01-13T01:25:43.391-08:00From Valley to Victory<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZUYM3QiOFBHtcvn_3s_o5YOh-1upzxNFrpIEyDAdOjKgJHnNhi8YgCK8vzF7tIs-obElWxm0WxwjffTm1C9BvX8nXHI2TQna_m8XlblzoGr2e6tIFdDh3YFqfEZylH1BIio3g249PUQ/s1600/rb2difficulty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZUYM3QiOFBHtcvn_3s_o5YOh-1upzxNFrpIEyDAdOjKgJHnNhi8YgCK8vzF7tIs-obElWxm0WxwjffTm1C9BvX8nXHI2TQna_m8XlblzoGr2e6tIFdDh3YFqfEZylH1BIio3g249PUQ/s1600/rb2difficulty.jpg" height="306" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white;">"One sees great things from the valley: only small things from the peak."</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><b> G. K. Chesterton </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Take a moment to visualize a valley in
the landscape. You will see a hill that reaches a peak then slopes downward
into a ditch. But if there’s another hill, then the land comes back up to a
peak, which may be higher than the last, only to go back down again. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Similarly,
think about a roller coaster; it creeps up to its highest point and then all of
a sudden, it speeds downward, making you scream in fear before it returns to
another high point, only to go back down to the low point again. You can feel
the drop in your stomach, as you reach the bottom of the hill. I hate that
feeling and at times life can be frightening like that, too.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">The way you choose to respond when you
are in a valley will shape your character.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Everyone will have to go through difficult times that test your values
and force you to use your voice. It is often said that life is 10 percent what
happens to you and 90 percent how you respond to it. The response matters and
you </span><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">ALWAYS</b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> have a choice regarding
how you will respond to any situation. You decide what you will say and what
you will do. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">The valley is not the end of your story, simply one piece of it
that helps shape who you are. Your approach and response to the valleys
ultimately determine your success. Either you move forward through the struggle
or dig deeper into the ditch. Those dark valleys will teach you some valuable
lessons that you will have the rest of your life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">How do we teach our students to come
out of their valleys and deal with their valleys? Too often the only response
to the valley our students conceive end up taking them deeper. They may not
have been taught that they have the power to take actions that can create
different results in their lives. Through brokeness and lack of compassion our
students end up perpetuating the hurt in their lives by imposing it on others. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">This
cycle then falsely becomes the norm and ironically peace of spirit becomes an anomaly.
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Let’s strive to provide our students
with opportunities to learn the necessary life</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> skills to deal with conflicts,
disappointments, and difficult situations. Considering a new value system,
having supportive voices and creating a vision for students to focus on offers
varying perspectives that potentially have the power to alter the course of their
lives.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">KEEP GIVING,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Angela R. Lewis</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752120633439614882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-751623759716558544.post-5940758560415989972013-01-04T02:59:00.000-08:002013-01-04T03:11:20.106-08:00Find A Voice<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJomaNC49dvDKIeCG01x5shBAce8ITUNVgD2HPiUvyKu7r0OFUZq_Fqu5AbCAgTwhcA6GhqITWhYtc2ex9Xm_pXWpZm4wQOa1njPXylri1JwNVLRXqmkcFKvQGj-re9tPIMkDC3XTACE/s1600/voice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJomaNC49dvDKIeCG01x5shBAce8ITUNVgD2HPiUvyKu7r0OFUZq_Fqu5AbCAgTwhcA6GhqITWhYtc2ex9Xm_pXWpZm4wQOa1njPXylri1JwNVLRXqmkcFKvQGj-re9tPIMkDC3XTACE/s320/voice.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture from technorati.com<br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>"Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning."</b></i></span></span><span style="border: 0px; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>-Maya Angelou</i></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px; text-indent: 36px;">Everyone needs that person in his or her life who nurtures their hopes and dreams. One student I spoke to recently told me that her mother is extremely negative and always telling her she isn’t good enough. In addition, her mother constantly compares her to her older sister whom her mother considered a failure. This young woman went on to explain that she doesn’t want to be like her mother, bringing everyone down and hurting people. As a result she chooses to be different in spite of the negativity she hears daily. Since her mother is not a positive sustaining voice, she strengthens herself by using her voice to find other voices. The worst thing you could do in a situation like this is to not tell anyone. Consequently, you end up crippling your voice. Do not give other people the power to silence you!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-indent: 36px;">If you do not have one of those positive individuals speaking loudly enough actively seek other outlets. That voice can come in the form of authors, songwriters, coaches, or musicians, etc. You may be in a situation where you feel as if no one in your life understands.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-indent: 36px;">If this is your situation, find an encouraging song that you love. I rely on the voice of a vocalist India Arie, whose song, “Strength, Courage and Wisdom,” is the theme to my life. When I hear those words from her voice, I know that I am able to move forward in pursuit of my dreams without fear.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-indent: 36px;">While listening to the voices of positive people, your voice also gains strength as you internalize their messages.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px; text-indent: 36px;">Keep Giving,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px; text-indent: 36px;">Angela R. Lewis</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254934545704269405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-751623759716558544.post-65716450721495681682012-12-27T03:31:00.002-08:002012-12-27T03:32:32.325-08:00Oh, Literacy...Literacy II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKPSec1fpWk-UHwm1QNLQ-YT7Hx4R3uPazRt3gCQVOtraKe1rI8zZm7cQnG5sGJitzcC0GkDv9Wbh6JIqT1Z8UE08PhhweO2y0v0KzxwkoZgnMKZboWTS5MYBMjsbry29qQnP4eKkT2Gk/s1600/literacy_1_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKPSec1fpWk-UHwm1QNLQ-YT7Hx4R3uPazRt3gCQVOtraKe1rI8zZm7cQnG5sGJitzcC0GkDv9Wbh6JIqT1Z8UE08PhhweO2y0v0KzxwkoZgnMKZboWTS5MYBMjsbry29qQnP4eKkT2Gk/s400/literacy_1_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>“The more that you read, the more things you will know. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” </i></b></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>-Dr. Seuss </i></b><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Almost 13 million American children live in poverty</b> <i>(</i></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>“Geography Matters: Child Well-Being in the States. Every Child Matters Education Fund April 2008.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Half of youths with a history of substance abuse have reading problems.</b> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities. (1998). Children with reading disability. Washington, D.C.: Robert Bock.Half of these children from low-income communities start first grade up to two years behind their peers. Brizius, J. A., & Foster S. A. (1993). Generation to Generation: Realizing the Promise of Family Literacy. High/Scope Press</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.bookspring.org/literacy-statistics/"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.bookspring.org/literacy-statistics/</span></i></a></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Literacy is learned. Illiteracy is passed along by parents who cannot read or write</b>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One child in four grows up not knowing how to read.</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">90% of welfare recipients are high school dropouts</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://begintoread.com/research/literacystatistics.html</span></i></span><br />
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<b style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">16 to 19 year old girls at the poverty level and below, with below average skills, are 6 times more likely to have out-of-wedlock children than their reading counterparts.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>A student who can't read on grade level by 3rd grade is 4x’s less likely to graduate by age 19 than a child who does read proficiently in 3rd grade. Add poverty to the mix, and a student is 13x’s less likely to graduate on time than his or her proficient, wealthier peer.</b> (</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">American Educational Research Association)</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can you feel it? Can you hear it? I know the clock is ticking! I can hear it! Tick-tock, tick-tock! As each minute passes, a student is not reading on grade level, there are no meaningful interventions in place, and our educational system is pushing him/her further behind. Yet, I understand as each day passes, their quality of life in adulthood is probably going to perpetuate a cycle of poverty and illiteracy. </span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Take a look at the statistics above. Simply putting the pieces together will tell anyone that a student's elementary reading ability has a direct reflection on his/her socioeconomic status in the future. For children who are poor and in most cases, African American and Latino, the sense of urgency to develop literate students needs to be at an all-time high. </span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being an elementary principal with a 98% African-American and 84% free and reduced lunch population-I know what “time” it is! I know if our teachers are not focused, aware, and fragmented by grade level, our students are going to suffer terribly. Some of our students have little to no books in their home, does not come from a literacy rich background, and enroll in our schools several grade levels behind. Because of this reality, educators must understand who they serve, frame their school-wide</span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">literacy system, and determine the non-negotiables for literacy instruction. Truly understanding where you are, is the foundation for moving forward.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Who do we serve?</u></span></b></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How can we truly educate students when we don't "really" understand who we are serving? Teachers, parents, and administrators must dialogue about the students they see everyday. Demographics are difficult to discuss and referring to race is taboo. However, without a compassionate understanding about our students, how can we really adjust our pedagogy for student success? To make the greatest dent in the learning, opportunity, and literacy gap-we must have the toughest conversations. We can't control the environment, parental support, financial resources, and demographics; however, we can only control ourselves and how we instruct literacy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Along the same lines, we must examine our own mental models about our students. Do we truly, truly believe our students can excel in our classrooms despite the poverty which has immersed them? How we subconsciously think about our students will be how we consciously educate them!</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>What is the literacy structure in your school? </u></span></b></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How does the literacy process work? Think globally! Here is an example: Are all students taking a benchmarked assessments such as AimsWeb or the STAR to gage where students are in reading and math. Once this is determined, are their reading specialist and teachers working to analyze students' needs and provide a meaningful intervention? How do we know students are reading on grade level or two years behind? What tools are you using school-wide? Is it the DRA, Rigby Reads, Accelerated Reader, Lexile Scores, Running Records are a combination of some or all? What is the mandated resource to help support the curriculum? Does your school/district support the basal, balanced literacy, or the Daily 5? Whatever the system, I firmly believe it needs to have several components: </span></span><br />
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<li style="margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A unified literacy resource (Tier 1) to support the curriculum. Fragmenting the resource such as one grade is instructing from a balanced literacy model while another is instructing from the basal creates different levels of instruction and engagement. One system is student-lead while the other is teacher-lead. K-5, all students need to be guaranteed the same type of powerful instruction.</span></span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> A unified way to determine reading levels. This unity will filter into the library which ensures all students have access to choose and recognize good-fit books.</span></span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An intentional, meaningful, and purposeful intervention system (Tier 2 and 3). This is the type of system that intently looks at data trying to find the deficit and closing it.</span></span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All classrooms need libraries of their own. There is a lot of research supporting literacy rich classrooms and higher levels of learning.</span></span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There needs to be a school-wide benchmark which quickly assess your students and their needs.</span></span></li>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is just my list. I am sure you have pieces you could slide into this system. The important piece is that you recognize your system and possible holes within it. Our students and their future is depending on that system.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>What are your schools' non-negotiables for literacy instruction?</u></span></b></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every day, what are you ensuring our students engage in to support their literacy journey. K-5, what will every teacher provide for their students. In the March issue of Educational Leadership, Richard Allington (2012), literacy guru, provided his non-negotiables for everyday literacy instruction:</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Every child reads something he or she chooses.</span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Every child reads accurately.</span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Every child reads something he or she understands.</span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Every child writes about something personally meaningful.</span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. Every child listens to a fluent adult read aloud.</span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6. Every child talks with peers about reading and writing.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You don't have agree with these, though, I will say if every child is receiving this everyday, they are much better off, right? Yet, the point is that the dialogue has to happen in terms of the non-negotiables for Tier 1 literacy instruction. All teachers doing their "own thing" in isolation is counter productive. We have to be able to discuss our capacity among colleagues and have it challenged professionally, which ignites learning, growing, and redefining.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, the standards are getting intense and overwhelming. On the other hand, 30 years from today, our students will not think about their standardized 3rd grade assessment. What will matter in 30 years? How well did he/she read in 3rd grade? That very could predict what his/her future will be....in 30 years.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rodney S. Lewis, Ed.D.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">Allington, R. (2012). Every child, every day. <i>Educational Leadership</i>, <i>69</i>(6), Retrieved from <a href="http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar12/vol69/num06/Every-Child,-Every-"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar12/vol69/num06/Every-Child,-Every-</span></a></span></span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254934545704269405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-751623759716558544.post-39894249101173535642012-12-27T02:07:00.000-08:002012-12-27T02:20:27.336-08:00Hand-Out vs. Hand-Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">"Winning
isn't everything, but wanting to win is.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<br />
- Vince Lombardi</span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In my last post, “Thriving in Higher Education”, I mentioned the “Hand-out” and “Hand-up” mentality. In this post, I will elaborate on this concept to give you a clear understanding between the two.<br /><br /><u><b>Hand-Out</b></u><br /><br />The “hand-out” mentality is an individual that want nothing for something. This person always has its “hand-out”, looking for favors or hookups. Now, don’t get me wrong, we all need support to achieve our goals. No one can achieve great things doing it along. I’m not referring to that individual. I’m referring to the student that expects the school to get him or her a job. I’m referring to the employee that expects the company to give him or her a raise, even though he or she has not put in the work to deserve a raise. I’m referring to the individual that complains about their weight, but does nothing about the it. Instead, of a healthy diet and exercise (which is the most effective way to lose weight) they have their “hand-out” looking for the magic pill to melt the pounds away. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Everybody, wants a free lunch in the free world. Unfortunately, their are NO free lunches in the free world. Stop putting your “hand-out” for everything you want. Instead, start putting your “hand-up” and take ownership and responsibility for your life. If you are looking for a job, stopping, sitting and waiting by the phone, hoping your cell rings; is good enough to get you beat. Students, stop waiting for the teachers to give you an assignment to start reading the book. <br /><br /><u><b>Hand-Up</b></u><br /><br />This mentality is very proactive. When you have a “hand-up” mentality, you take massive ownership regarding your life. With this type of mentality, you are not waiting for the teacher to give you the assignment to read the book. The first day of class, you have already started reading the book. If you are trying to lose weight, you are not waiting for the magic pill. Instead, you are seeking an active lifestyle coupled with a well balance diet. Instead of “gimme this or gimmie that”, you are saying, “pick me for this AND pick me for that”! If you want extreme results, then you have to take extreme measures. Everyone wants to lose weight, have a great marriage, better relationships, better grades and so on. The is problem that some of those same individuals have their hands-out waiting for something. Again, this is a very bad idea. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Conversely, ask yourself, what I’m I doing to solve the problem? This a proactive method that yields results. You are the master and proud owner of YOU!! If you wake up every morning and you are not comfortable with the person that you see in the mirror, then make the necessary changes, put the responsibility back on yourself. The only person that can ultimately fix your problems are you. Be empowered and focus to getting the most out of life. Like an elementary classroom, start raising your hand to the teacher (life) and start asking questions. Don’t wait for people to give you opportunities, instead get up and go and get your opportunities.<br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Respectively, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Ron S. Lewis</span></span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-751623759716558544.post-29259979960111844042012-12-27T01:46:00.000-08:002012-12-27T01:46:07.953-08:00Star Fish<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>Sometimes people are beautiful.</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>Not in looks.</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>Not in what they say.</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>Just in what they are.” </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>-Marcus Zusak</i></b></span></div>
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<b style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Washed Ashore</u></span></b><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This fall I went to the wake of a high school student who was sitting on her porch and was murdered. A car drove past and sprayed her house with bullets. At the wake, the young people came dressed in t-shirts screen printed with pictures of her on them. Clearly this young woman had an impact of the masses considering the outpouring of support for her family.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Ironically that same night, an hour after I left the wake, I had to pull myself together to go to a revival that a student invited me to attend at her church. I needed some time to regroup after the wake so I stopped by Starbucks. I sat there reflecting on the young woman’s life and how too frequent this story is becoming. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Returned To The Ocean</u></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While walking back to the car I saw someone I knew. She asked about my day and where I was headed. I told her about the wake and overwhelmed with emotion I began to cry. I explained that the young lady’s death seems so daunting of a task to take on. Then she looked at me began telling me the starfish story. One at a time a person attempts to put all of the star fish back in the ocean that have been washed ashore. I would focus my energies on one young person at a time assist him or her as they navigate their way through life. In that moment it was what I needed to hear.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I arrived at the church and the student was all smiles as she saw me get out of my car. This young woman has been through unimaginable circumstances, but was still all smiles. I greeted her and her younger sister, mother and stepfather. My emotions were in turmoil as I mourned the loss of one young woman, but I sat there with two other young women. Sitting with the students praying and signing brought about a renewed surge of energy.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Saving Our Star Fish</u> </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wondered, how much more effective would it be if I could grab a hand full of starfish and throw them back into the ocean. Or what if I rallied a group of friends together and we all worked to clear the beach, how much faster would we be able to save so many more starfish? So it is our responsibility to rally together to save our children. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There doesn’t have to be a formal gathering with committees and board members. We know all too well that committees can stifle productivity. Instead let’s not wait on some great leader to come organize our efforts. Educators, parents and friends, grab a group of kids and love them. Let them know they are good enough while giving them the tools to succeed. Our kids are simply modeling the example that we show them, so let’s give them more because they deserve more. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Keep Giving,</span></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">Angela R. Lewis</i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254934545704269405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-751623759716558544.post-79604084522880087342012-12-24T07:01:00.001-08:002012-12-24T07:01:06.410-08:00Oh...Literacy...Literacy!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_o60IiZhIsG3EQL6VjlIVLUNjL3VS5zqvzsseU6nLzmCRL_F-9blgS_BG_iHXR0uhyphenhyphen_MzblaSZ1C86uAUf-WI2zerAK8w9UeBJ_d1MHJQ4rKICckt1z6OSbN6Q313BJRkHfjj7mKdftM/s1600/LiteracyFact.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_o60IiZhIsG3EQL6VjlIVLUNjL3VS5zqvzsseU6nLzmCRL_F-9blgS_BG_iHXR0uhyphenhyphen_MzblaSZ1C86uAUf-WI2zerAK8w9UeBJ_d1MHJQ4rKICckt1z6OSbN6Q313BJRkHfjj7mKdftM/s320/LiteracyFact.jpg" width="292" /></a></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." </i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/n/nelsonmand157855.html"></a></span><br /></i></b></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-Nelson Mandela</span><span style="font-family: 'Jazz LET'; font-size: 14px;"> </span></i></b></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><u>Check out these literacy stats:</u></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Arial Hebrew'; letter-spacing: 0px;">-</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">70% of prisoners fall into the lowest two levels of reading proficiency (National Institute for Literacy, 1998).</span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></i></b></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>-More than 60 percent of all prison inmates are functionally illiterate.</i></b></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></i></b></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>-Monitor and respond to chronic absenteeism in pre-K and kindergarten. The kids most at risk are the ones missing 25 to 30 days a year. If we don't intervene, those are our future dropouts.</i></b></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></i></b></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>-60% of Urban School Children do not graduate from High School. 40% of those who do -- read at only at a 4th grade level.</i></b></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></i></b></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>-2/3 of students that are not reading proficiently by the end of 4th grade will be in jail or welfare.</i></b></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></i></b></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>-Black and Hispanic students who were not proficient readers in third grade were less likely to graduate from high school.</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">It is statistics like these, and more, that wake us each morning motivated! They </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">help us recognize our purpose as educators and how powerful we are to our students. This data forces us to instruct with meaning, purpose, and intent. Single handily, our students’ literacy capacity is the difference between poverty and wealth. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">What other conclusions can your draw from the literacy data presented? What questions do you have? What else would you like to know?</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-Rodney S. Lewis, Ed.D.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254934545704269405noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-751623759716558544.post-42501270686890301492012-12-24T06:50:00.000-08:002012-12-24T07:04:36.245-08:0021 Ways to Show Students You Care<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR3vyHBcoypyU_NCGKQi9GypCnWxd7hMYlfEfa2EqTIhG09YyByRrwSzOXw4cMhEgpCPxfkaiJ-C5RDH8sIxU2fglFvS5FOTl21mpcVosgW_24ZOdNxP5nFT-qcYJ8D0hiFPmT_lOVLz8/s1600/teaching-kindness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR3vyHBcoypyU_NCGKQi9GypCnWxd7hMYlfEfa2EqTIhG09YyByRrwSzOXw4cMhEgpCPxfkaiJ-C5RDH8sIxU2fglFvS5FOTl21mpcVosgW_24ZOdNxP5nFT-qcYJ8D0hiFPmT_lOVLz8/s400/teaching-kindness.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>"I am not a teacher, but an awakener."</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>-Robert Frost</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span>1. Accept their background </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. <span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Make eye contact</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">3. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Have a snack together</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">4. Plan their success</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">5. Smile with them </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span>6. Make decisions together</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7. Build a classroom tradition</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8. Work with students 1-on-1</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9. Thank you students</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10. Encourage your students</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">11. Compliment your students</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">12. Catch them doing right</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">13. Celebrate their learning</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">14. Turn mistakes into teachable moments</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">15. Allow students time to think</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">16. Write your students kind notes</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">17. Show interesting books</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">18. Inspire them to be themselves</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">19. Propose more, impose less</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">20. Ask for their help</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">21. Apologize when wrong</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-Rodney S. Lewis, Ed.D.</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254934545704269405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-751623759716558544.post-37004396406642365892012-12-24T02:32:00.000-08:002012-12-24T03:47:01.047-08:00Do More Be More<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi88goRpi1eN4UCthoMefZM1rU2dJEFQQ7Z1H3HWurEpsJuYLojXLaonC828ZSGL4coptUw4t-gLcs4kTr2SEHqheXQ_CoZWyPezPUiE9KNvG0py-BcYp047aUPivZPPUXK92k2bRDUhlc/s1600/man+stepping+up+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi88goRpi1eN4UCthoMefZM1rU2dJEFQQ7Z1H3HWurEpsJuYLojXLaonC828ZSGL4coptUw4t-gLcs4kTr2SEHqheXQ_CoZWyPezPUiE9KNvG0py-BcYp047aUPivZPPUXK92k2bRDUhlc/s400/man+stepping+up+1.png" width="292" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>“Did you ever wonder if the person in the puddle is real, and you're just a reflection of him?”</b></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></b></i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>-Bill Watterson</b></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 0px;">As we approach winter break, I have had a lot of time to reflect on this year. We have made many strides thus far. I am excited our PBIS team is in full-force; I am pleased with data teams and the learning about student outcomes; and I am pleased with the progressing climate of our staff.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">However, there is one person I am not satisfied with so far-myself! Yes, me! I know, that is a very bold self-admission; but, it is how I feel. Undoubtedly, I am not saying I am a failure at my job. No, please do not misunderstand my message.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I believe the better I am EVERYDAY, the better you are EVERYDAY. And...if you are better EVERYDAY, then most certainly, our students are better....EVERYDAY! </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">When I interact with our kids, I know they are thirsting for guidance. Just look into their eyes. I will admit, I feel a sense of urgency, to reach our boys and girls before a possible negative influence grabs their hand. Because time is so limited with them, I have to make our school experience the absolute best.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">So, how do I accomplish this? I am unsure! Yet, I understand I need your support. I am not saying that I am going to or have to do this alone. On the contrary, I realize this position has a much greater purpose for me. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This movement, we call education is about quality of life. We can change our students’ future. As I am fully aware, my influence and responsibility as a principal, teacher, mentor, coach, leader, African-American adult male, and motivator-I have to do more and be more.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">This is not for the sake of me. This is me striving for more-for students that need more...and have dreams of being more.</span></div>
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-Rodney S. Lewis, Ed.D.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254934545704269405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-751623759716558544.post-47976846826356536372012-12-24T02:22:00.000-08:002012-12-24T03:46:39.756-08:00V-6 Thinking: Student's Vision<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-u0kZBaqhUueblhSNj42VS8Pa-ANaE1Q2JQp8aWszKXIqy5az3vjgi-ygJ2rUw2HrqtR8pcB6lmIRW2FJH7jPSNgE-siL5GG1Ex4_JvJp1VYDHJhHPwE8Z09jXAHlFuliOMfCnHzBZYk/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-u0kZBaqhUueblhSNj42VS8Pa-ANaE1Q2JQp8aWszKXIqy5az3vjgi-ygJ2rUw2HrqtR8pcB6lmIRW2FJH7jPSNgE-siL5GG1Ex4_JvJp1VYDHJhHPwE8Z09jXAHlFuliOMfCnHzBZYk/s400/image.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></i>
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0px;">“Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.”</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-Joel A. Baker</span><span style="color: white; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">If you speak to most of the students, they have a great deal of optimism for their future. When they talk about it, their faces glow.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Ultimately, in some way, our job is to make their vision clearer. We must put a reality around being a doctor, playing professional sports, or obtaining a double major. Agree?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">If our students are to accomplish the mind’s unthinkable, how do we get them to understand the journey toward victory is an endurance race and not a sprint?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Success for all children lies in their ability to make their vision a reality which requires intense focus, undeniable courage, and on-going communication. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Regardless of his/her grade-level, I can see our students learning with intention, purpose, and meaning. Also, I see our students making intelligent, but hard decisions about their attitude and social circles. Lastly, I can see our students asking for support when concerns arise. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This guidance is crucial to their success.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We all know, valleys (struggles) are around the corner; they are waiting for us. This is not a secret. I envision us preparing our students for the anticipated turbulence, by having the focus, the courage, and the communication skills to support their dreams.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">If our young minds can see it-they can achieve it. All we have to do is help them get there.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-Rodney S. Lewis, Ed.D.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254934545704269405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-751623759716558544.post-52426733534309872602012-12-24T02:10:00.001-08:002012-12-24T03:46:19.564-08:00V-6 Thinking<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>"Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change - this is the rhythm of living. Out of our over-confidence, fear; out of our fear, clearer vision, fresh hope. And out of hope, progress."</i></b></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>-Bruce Barton</i></b></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 0px;">Vision, Voice, Victory, Valley (Struggles), Value, Voice, and Volunteering</b><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 0px;">. Here is my driving force behind servicing our students. These six principles guide my purpose and dictate my actions for providing our young minds with a rock solid foundation.</span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Each and everyday our learners look to us for our ‘psychic’ abilities, as we instill a <i>Vision</i> of possibilities for their future and what it has to offer. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Equally as important, our students want to hear success. We are their <i>Voice</i>! Over time, using affirmative language will give them the confidence they need to move forward. A few kind words can go along way!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Let’s face it, children are faced with academic and social <i>Valleys </i>(Struggles) and <i>Victories</i> day-after-day. Our #1 goal is getting our learners to understand a <i>Valley</i> is one step away from <i>Victory</i>. Success is at their fingertips!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">How do we ensure, our students understand their pure <i>Value? </i>How do we get them to realize they are “jammed-packed” with unique gifts and talents which are only pertinent to them? They matter in more ways than one.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">As models of <i>Volunteering,</i> our students are constantly observing kind, respectful, adults with a heart for giving unconditionally. This high level of selflessness will ‘rub-off’ on them. It is only a matter of time.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Lastly, as educators, we are leaders by virtue. At our core, we entered this profession because we wanted to make an impact by helping children see their success, using our words to inspire and motivate, showing that failure is one step away from success, building self-assured learners, and donating our heart and soul to give another human a better life. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Yes, we are putting our students behind the wheel of their learning and we are going to sit back and enjoy the ride.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-Rodney S. Lewis, Ed.D.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254934545704269405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-751623759716558544.post-80674070800261753722012-12-24T01:57:00.002-08:002012-12-24T03:56:12.960-08:00Thank You!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>"Before you go out into the world, wash your face in the clear crystal of praise. Bury each yesterday in the fine linen and spices of thankfulness."</b></span></i></div>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana; letter-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">-Charles Spurgeon</span></i></b></div>
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<i style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 0px;">To every educator in the world:</i><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">As we approach the holiday, I want to take out the time to say THANK YOU! We have extremely tough jobs, right? Think about it! You have a classroom of various learners, you are attempting to differentiate their instruction, and ensure all of your students are learning at high levels....everyday.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">That is a tall order; however, because you are motivated educators, with a heart for children, you have said to me, “Ok, how can </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><b>we</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> do this?” Thank you! Thank you for supporting our students and maintaining high expectations. Our students are better off because of you!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Thank you for embracing change. As I have said once before, change is messy, uncomfortable, but it is amazing! Trust me, we will move forward, and you are the heartbeat of this movement.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Somedays are beautiful and free- flowing. We live for those moments. On the other hand, there are days where it appears nothing is going right. Thank you for hanging in there and smiling. Your optimism and sense of humor supports me daily.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Finally, thank you for being you! Our students need you; our community needs you; and I need you! </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Enjoy this time with your family and friends. It is well deserved!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-Rodney S. Lewis, Ed.D.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254934545704269405noreply@blogger.com0