© UNESCO/WWAP/ "According to UNESCO General Conference Resolution 12, the requirements of global and national participation, and the specific needs of particular, culturally and linguistically distinct communities can only be addressed by multilingual education." ___________________________________________________________________________________ How long until African institutions in Africa (and Haiti) begin to pay attention to this data? There are few countries in Africa where children are taught in languages of their communities. Instead, they are forced to take exams in a language with cultural biases foreign to them. And the statistics in Ghana; most of the students fail the State and regional exams. Those who pass do so by a very slim margin mixed with luck. Is it surprising that African children will not be able to compete on the global level with other children trained and educated in languages of their communities? How secure is the future of the African continent and its population if education continues to fail the majority? What use is development if this gross mishap in education is not dealt with? Could American children pass State exams written in a foreign language? Who would pass that law? Such injustice fail the children and Africa in general.

My skills

If you are a home schooling parent like me, you don’t fully value your competence and your expertise. Although you have a three year old reading at first grade level, you don’t think you did something great. Your friends and colleagues congratulate you, but you don’t congratulate yourself. I use to be that mom, but I know better now. I want to share what I do and how I taught my children to be full fledged readers at 3 years old. I begin teaching my children by focusing on alphabet (song and recognition). I use a series of tools. Brainy Baby DVDS, my own voice and other educational DVDS with relevant materials. I also allow lots of scribble time. I have tons of notebooks and scrap paper, readily available. I sing the alphabet as the preferred lullaby. In addition to that, I encourage them to start spelling words, or noticing letters in word formation. Once they mastered that, I move on to the sounds of the letters. From sounds, we begin reading. The experts (my hubby) state that recognizing alphabets and sounds are reading. My 3 year old just finished an entire book, published for 4-6 year olds, today. I also love Reader Rabbit software once they learned some basic reading. Once reading is mastered, I begin addition. Along learning the alphabet, I also teach the numbers. We have a number wall chart. They begin by counting to 20. It’s easier to get them to 20 because it’s a no brainer after that. They learn the pattern and feel pretty good about themselves. Once numbers are learned to 20, they start tracing numbers and coloring them as needed. I begin arithmetic once we get to 100. Here is my early math program. I have a collection of water bottle caps. I number two sets 1-9. I also have three extras which I use for signs and symbols of math (+, -, =, etc.) We begin by using the numbers to form equations. Then we use real tools to help us solve the equations. For example, we can use either trains, pencils, or anything that the child has an affiliation for to show how they can get more of that special thing or share and get less. Again the experts state that making math more relevant and hands on is the way to get them excited about it. The abstract math of yesteryear is well passé…finally! Here is a sample problem. 3 + 2 = Under each number, the child puts the object (trains, pencils, etc) under each number. And to solve it, they bring them together. So the problem becomes: you have 3 trains and mommy gives you 2 more, how many do you have in all? The object is in is hands; it is real. He can relate and able to solve it easily and with more interest. The sky is the limit after this foundation has been laid. I hope this helps you, but remember that each child will learn differently. Be flexible and enjoy!

My salary with a Ph.D. working in Ghana is equal to that of a McDonald’s worker in NYC.

UNESCO just came out with the same old findings to new research; that not enough (well paid) teachers pose serious challenges to education in Africa. While there is a demand for teachers, few students dream of becoming one in the future. Why? Teachers are the most underpaid and underperforming group. Why wouldn’t that affect how children are taught? Why is no one discussing this? I made $18,500 working as a professor at Ashesi, one of the world’s most promising universities. While some would assume that living in Ghana is less expensive than the “developed” world, let me give you an idea of my expenses. I pay $700-900/month on rent. Most renters have to pay 2 years in advance for property; so that is $700x24=$16,800. And unlike the US where property value is determined by where you live; in Ghana, your house is valued based on how it looks. For example, I live in a “good” house, but my next door neighbors are squatters. They live on a huge piece of land which they have turned into a farm and they sleep in a one room shack on it. Gasoline prices are relatively higher here than in the US. And most of my colleagues are US educated, so we are all wallowing in paying higher debt. I owe about $50k…yes, US, American dollars! Here is the dilemma of working in Ghana. Not just in academia but in general. No one wants to pay workers what they are worth. And of course, teachers of any kind are the least paid, although professors are highly regarded. When was the last time you paid rent with high regard? I digress. Furthermore, because educators are not highly paid, the highly educated ones join and form the brain drain out of Ghana. They can be found in the hallways of Sidwell to Harvard. And the ones left, the least educated, the least able to pull higher salaries are less motivated, less trained and less willing to give their best to our children in the classrooms. However, that is not considered a problem for that particular education institution. Why? Because institutions in Ghana consider their workers “privilege” to be working for them! Schools are operated like any business in Ghana. One has the demand, in the right part of town and some gadgets to set them apart. This “new thing” brings about demand and higher cost, but does not trickle down to the employees. You see in Ghana, employees are also considered part of the demand. People are looking for “good” places to work. Good places open up. With few good places and higher demand, the employer is able to pay workers at the lowest prices possible. Hence why I would accept $18k at Ashesi than something hire in an older bureaucratic institution where politicking keeps much work from getting done. If I had not worked in Ghana, I would have been one of the people thinking the education systems need to focus on students as opposed to teachers. I know better now. Poor education systems won’t be overturned if more is not done for teachers and the perception of working in Africa. If teachers are not better trained and better motivated, they will continue hurting our children and ruining their abilities to compete in the future. Hurt people; hurt people. We have already seen the results of their hurt, when will we begin to address it?

Review of Carol Ottley-Mitchell’s Adventures at Brimstone Hill by Dr. Mikelle Antoine

Children need history books highlighting their achievements to the past. Learning history from their perspective is the surest way to get them more excited about this subject and to ground them in the present. I started reading this book with my 6 year old son who reads at 4th grade level. He beamed at the sight of the word Caribbean. He smiled at the fact that the main character was a boy. He also smiled with pride that Africa was included in the story. This is a good indicator that history makes sense to children (or anyone) when they are able to connect with the characters.
Similar to the approach used in the docu-drama Sankofa, Ottley-Mitchell’s main characters are transported back in the 18th century, during slavery days. Unlike the main character in Sankofa who was bound to repeat the past because of her ignorance of it, the children of in the Adventures at Brimstone Hill “went back” due to their interest and desire to know and shape it. We get a glimpse of the “past” through the children’s eyes; neutral and unapologetic. This book is not about slavery, but rather how children, excited about the past, engaged in serious “adult” issues; while in the present. We know so very little about how enslaved children lived. This book allows us to explore this very sensitive topic while also highlighting a major silence in the field of Caribbean history.
One of the main questions I struggle with as a parent and as an educator is when to introduce the topic of slavery. How do I introduce the fact that Africans came to the Caribbean out of force and were brutalized and enslaved? What is the best way to introduce this topic so my children see the strength and victory that was overcome? Do I want to burden them with this history? Hence the beauty of Carol Ottley-Mitchell’s Adventure at Brimstone Hill; part history and part fiction, this book sheds light on some important aspect of Caribbean history, providing you a good opportunity to start this topic.
The best way to teach history is have children re-enact it; as players and stake holders. My son is interested in making his own whale ship. We can explore items carried, how and where. It’s also important to me that the book discusses a UNESCO Heritage Site located in the Caribbean; raising awareness of the regions’ institutional history.
And for these reasons and more, this book should be read by all. It opens so many doors for analysis; both academically and culturally.

Raising Black children in America

Raising black children in America is a daunting task for so many reasons. The main reason is you have to burden children with understanding racism as more than a concept. It’s not enough to unload the history of the Atlantic Slave Trade. You have to discuss how black skin and male gender equals danger in America in the mundane.
It is with sadness as I write this piece. I just finished reading the story of the latest victim of racism in America. Trayvon Martin, a teenager, was walking home when he was shot in the chest by a volunteer cop. As I read the article, like many Black parents, I was hoping to learn from Martin’s mistakes to protect my children from falling victim to the same fate. Surely he must have done something to be killed. I was reading for clear signs of what Martin did “wrong.” Did he run? Was he looking like a hardcore rapper? Was he holding a stick like object such as a pencil? I read to know what Martin did “wrong” so I could protect my boys from EVER doing the same thing. And yet, similar to the other senseless deaths before him; Martin’s only crime was not being white skinned.
Nonetheless, I did pick up some mistakes. First, Black people should realize that they cannot live freely in just any part of the United States. They need to stick in towns/cities with a sizeable Black population. This is because the white dominated towns/suburbs further marginalize Black people living in a white dominated country. Black children, as young as kindergarteners, are suspended out of school more than their white counterparts. It’s no wonder that home schooling is growing fast among the African American community. The second flag was that Martin was walking home wearing a hoody. While any white kid can walk around with expensive Tommy Hilfiger hoodies indicative of their style and class, Black children walking with hoodies represent danger and violence. Living in a racist country means you have to pay attention to how color influences everything; from what we experience to what we consider threatening.
What a burden to be black in America! The Black population has to be on guard all the time. Those of us with children have to be worried twice as much as white parents. It’s not enough to worry about their general safety and health. A Black parent has to worry about whether the children walk or run in the street. Both can lead to their death.
It’s not just whites who are threatening the lives of Blacks in America. A racist society makes everyone fear each other and themselves. So Blacks would have the same, to some degree prejudices against black males, as their white counterparts. They are socialized by the same media and Hollywood/MTV. While some blacks would be discerning to the news, it is typical that others in the society would be influenced by receiving similar education. Black security guards would trail a Black child in a store with the same instincts as a white security guard.
In the blog, black and married with kids, the blogger list rules that govern the lives of most Black children in America. One of the rules is:
Know who you are. You can’t do everything they do. In other words, just because your white friend does something that doesn’t mean you can do the same. Whether it’s hanging at the mall or going to a house party, police, teachers, and other authorities treat white children differently than black children. …
No child should have to live with the concrete examples of what it means to be marginalized. Are Black people free in America if you cannot go where you want?
This is one reason why I chose to raise my children in Ghana. I did not want to burden them with racism. I also wanted them to live in a country where they can be as free as any other citizen. It’s so sad that many African Americans do not realize that they have an option to live elsewhere. It’s unfortunate that they have to contemplate leaving a country built by their ancestors’ blood, sweat and tears; however, the reality is that those who dominate are running a country whose mission and vision is to wipe out the Black population. Did we not learn anything from the native population? How many African American males are rotting in prisons for offenses most white boys would get a verbal warning for? We know the numbers.

The Parent Revolution

Parents of the world unite! Californian parents are voting on whether or not parents should be given the mandate to take over a school district. This historic moment can add much momentum to the home school movement. As more parents get involved, they are bound to realize that they can do more than just affect a school district. They might even start a global revolution with the need for educational reform at its core.
The world is buzzing about educational reform; so much that Hollywood has already responded with an upcoming movie entitled, “Won’t Back Down.” To learn more about the Trigger Law and become inspired to begin our own movement towards parental take overs in Africa’s education, visit www.parentrevolution.org.
This movie and the documentary “Waiting for Superman” did what the rest of us in the home and Unschool movements were doing on a small scale. “Waiting for Superman” voiced the concerns of millions of un-united and frustrated parents and students. As opposed to seeing educational reform from the lens of conservative religious and political groups on the periphery of society, this documentary centralized the debate on human right issues. Why should children, our future, have but the best in education? How do we protect their futures and ours, if we are not invested in providing them the best of education?
The film “Won’t Back Down” is about parents and teachers uniting to take back a school district. They unite to fire teachers and other ineffective administrators. Parents and teachers are often perceived to be on different sides, but this film unites them. Parents are not alone in feeling dissatisfied with what our children are given. The teachers, the face of the system’s failures, surely do not feel empowered being put in such a position.
It’s fantastic that the world is responding to education reform in this way. This battle is not limited to the hallways of UN bodies, but is fought daily in the homes and schools of people fighting for the very best for all of our children.

Has the shift occurred?

I am very pleased when I read articles, particularly from UNESCO and other UN bodies that specify the difference between schools and education.
I am also very pleased when such documents stress the need to provide education for our children, and understand that this does not always take place in a building labeled school. One such document stress the need to provide education to children. In the past that sentence would have used “schools” or worse used the two terms interchangeably.
However, as a UN body and a progressive one at that, it is understandable why UNESCO would be so advanced in their writings and outlook.
After a meeting with representatives from Total Oil, I completely think that the shift has occurred in other industries as well. In the past Total focused on building schools and construction of classrooms. However, now, they realized that constructing schools does not necessarily support education and that education can take place “without the four walls.” I couldn’t believe a representative from Total was speaking like that. Total signifies the most corporate and least education friendly or sensitive industry to me. They dig oil for Pete’s sake! But now this oily and money hungry industry is trying to be more social responsible in their relationship with the communities in which they work. They realized their mistake and working towards it…now on to the environment Total, to be discussed later. Do something about that!
So the battle on separating schools from education has been won… now on to the war!