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National Teacher of the Year 2010!

Hello World! Took a blog break on Wednesday, but were on facebook often. Just in case you missed it, view the video of President Barack Obama addressing educators and parents. He speaks of a child's first teacher being that of the parent. He encourages more reading and less television. He speaks of much more!Click the video below. President Obama also presents an award to the National Teacher of the Year. Sarah Brown Wessling of Ohio. The decision making process can be found at the site of the Council of Chief State School Officers . Listen to her creative democracy in the classroom, collective notes of responsibility and passion to continue making a difference. Click here . Special thanks to whitehouse.gov. Be Inspired in your classrooms, homes and community. Be Blessed! Peace.

National Teacher Appreciation Day!

I've got to say, Dr. Collete Hopkins and Professor James Mc Junkins were the most excellent professional educators I've met in my life. They were also friends. I hope they don't mind me calling them friends, for certainly they went above and beyond for me. I will never forget Mr. Mac, as we called him in college giving me a grade of "F" for writing Mass Media Arts Department instead of Department of Mass Media Arts. What would I expect from a professor that went on to work for the New York Times Newspaper after obtaining his degree. Dr. Hopkins and I met while I worked on campus. I kept saying I'm gonna get a scholarship to Study Abroad in Jamaica. She actually ended up being my sponsor. She donated a significant amount while Mr. Mac loaned me the remaining balance, also significant. Thank God I was able pay him back before crossing the stage. (Smile) I represented my school that summer at the University of the West Indies and received a 4.0 GPA for my studie...

A Week's Worth of Apples!

National Teacher's Week begins in the United States today! All over America from May 3-7, 2010 teacher's are being appreciated. This is actually celebrated all over the world. Click here ! I found a cool gift for my daughter's teachers at Fish and Edy's In NYC. It was a notebook pad that was actually a plate. I'm sure the art teacher will think this one is cool. Click here . How about that? Then I thought, would they really want to see another notebook or palette? Well, it's a gesture of thanks. That's what this week is all about. Appreciating the work of teachers everywhere. I found a nice site online. I've got to repeat this for you to explore. Go to Teacher-appreciation.info. Any stories of a special teacher in your life? Leave your comments below. I've had several teachers. The first I have to tell you about is my mother. She taught what me what not to do. (Smile.) She also showed me the world by keeping me involved in diverse programs in NYC and...

Urban America to the World- Part II.

Welcome! If you didn't read the last post it's best to go back and read Part I. I had the blessed opportunity to attend the National Action Network Conference in NYC. The panels and panelists were very diverse and varied by industry. Attendees were able to hear from key leaders in Education, Health, Politics, Faith and much more! I attended the session: Are People of Color Fairly Covered in the Media? Common consensus, No. "That's why their is a black press," stated Elinor Tatum, Publisher of the New York Amsterdam Newspaper . Why? One reason explained by Ed Schultz , anchor of MSNBC"s The Ed Show is "90% of media is controlled by conservatives. You gotta own the signal," Schultz said. George E. Curry of the Curry Report explained, "We need to plead our own cause. If we don't support our media there will be no one; We will have no voice," Curry said. In the Special Plenary Session, the Chairman of the Republican National Committee , M...

Urban America 2010 to the World! -Part I.

Happy Tuesday! Needless to say, last week was a busy one; Apologies for not writing sooner. Did you have an opportunity to view the website suggested last week? Did you get to attend and hear from the U. S. Secretary of Education, Mr. Arne Duncan, the popular gent, Mr. Fonzsworth Bentley or the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Mrs. Kathleen Sebelius? Perhaps you heard from Bishop Charles E. Blake, Presiding Bishop of the Church of God In Christ , (COGIC). America may not be your country of residence and this may not be your usual site to view; but it is full of links to information that may assist in a cause you may be working on. So no worries, if you didn't go or didn’t know; you can attend next year. Add TV One to your cable stations; listen to Rev Al Sharpton one his radio shows. Why? You may ask; because you are bound to learn something. Knowledge is power . (I couldn't resist the School House Rock throwback!) The National Action Network (NAN) Conference was h...

NAN -National Action Network

Hello. We are on the threshold of a new day. I will not allow Wednesday leave us without reflection. My mother turned 65 years old today! We spent the day at the National Action Network's 12 annual conference in New York City. Highlights will be posted on Thursday and Friday of this week. In the meanwhile, check out their site for more info. Be Blessed!-Peace

Life, Purpose & Legacy!

Welcome to Tuesday! It's a brand new day to be thankful for life. Let's live our best life now!!!! There is an urgency. Tomorrow is not promised to anyone of us. Many of us are aware of the tragic death of Poland's leaders last Friday. While prayers are being sent out, especially from Thresholdworld and many others, affairs are still going forth with an election to be held for a new president in less than three months. The affairs of the country must go on. If you were to perish, what do you think would be said about you? What is your contribution to your family, friends, work or community? Reflect for a moment. Are you an island? Is the world like water surrounded by your land. Together everyone achieves more and you are needed to provide a resource, fund a project, plant a tree, protest injustice, or something you are passionate about. Your life has purpose! That's all for today. Life goes on without us; but with our current input into society, we leave a legacy for...