In my last column, I discussed what teachers should do to become great this school year. However, the new year also provides new opportunities for students to excel. We all want to be more effective inside the classroom. This column will discuss what students can do to seize the moment, enhance personal relationships and build respect with their teachers. Be great You can become what you dream of. On the first day of school, every student believes this is the year they will improve and do great things. But students tend to get in their own way on the road to success. One of the biggest …

It’s back to school time! A new academic year brings forth new opportunities for both teachers and students to assert their greatness.  Going back to school means starting fresh. We typically attribute this renewed opportunity to students, but teachers should also see it as a chance to become more effective inside and outside of the classroom.  This two-part educational series provides back to school tips for teachers and students. This column discusses what teachers can do to seize the moment, enhance personal relationships, and build respect with their students. Become great Singer Lauryn …

During the first week of school, students and teachers are given manuals, taught certain procedures, and given all sorts of paperwork.  Students and teachers are the most energetic during the first week, as the new year presents great possibilites for academic excellence. Students will meet the teachers who will serve them. In turn, those teachers will become acquainted with the young spirits they are charged to lead. Youth are extremely impressionable, therefore, it is extremely important that educators make a lasting impression. Here are some helpful tips: Be who you want them to be Far too…

The new school year is rapidly approaching and pretty soon, families will flood local department stores to buy the supplies their children need for class. However, I find many parents are unaware of the tools they need to help their children succeed. While it’s important to give material possessions to start the year, following a few steps will ensure your child’s academic success. I have developed what I call the “G.E.T. Involved” strategy to assist parents and students in school. Get to know the teachers Students who do the best in school have very involved parents. It is important for …

By now, it is common knowledge that the Prince George's County school system will endure massive budget cuts for the 2011-2012 academic year. As an educator, I have personally dealt with a lack of upward mobility, a static pay rate and limited compensation for additional hours worked. Nothing has impacted me more than seeing my co-workers -- who are genuinely good teachers -- handed termination letters because of budget cuts.            For most educators, if the cutbacks don’t impact us directly, we quickly complain about the inconvenience, then somehow find a way to move on. But this year's…

I remember walking into my 11th-grade English class and hearing jazz playing softly in the background. It had a calming effect. Who could be disruptive with such soothing music trickling through the speakers? That's when I realized the power of the melody. It is a tool to establish mood, strengthen lesson plans or aid in critical thinking. It is very rare these days to see teenagers without mp3 players. And since music is such a driving force for them, it is very important to incorporate music into your daily lesson plans.  When students enter my classroom, they might hear anything from jazz…

“You can’t lead the people if you don’t love the people. You cant save the people if you don’t serve the people.” – Cornell West After only one school year, the charter of Possibility Prep STEM Academy for boys (PPSA) has been revoked due to low enrollment, budget problems and non-compliance. The parents of this almost all-black male population will have to find a new school for their children. Teachers will have to find new employment and students will be forced to readjust to an entirely new climate during their formative years. On the first day of school, our sixth- through eighth-graders …

Hearing about Prince George's County education budget shortfall makes me think there is a complete disregard for students and teachers here. It may even be an attack on our students' civil rights. The infrastructure is supposed to help students achieve, so any cuts made to the school system would have a tremendous impact on their progression. When budget cuts are made, teachers don't have the same supports they once had inside the classroom. Family liaisons are eliminated, dissolving school-to-home communication. Teacher leaders are eliminated, not allowing freshman educators to learn the …

To hear Lupe Fiasco criticize the American voting system and call Barack Obama a terrorist was extremely shocking at first. Then I realized my shock was in vain, as Fiasco has proven himself thoughtful during a five-year career as one of hip-hop’s most reflective emcees. I study his music, so I am pretty sure his comments weren’t offered merely for publicity. Still, when Lupe spoke, his body language was assertive, honest and forthright. “My fight is against terrorism, to me, the biggest terrorist is Obama and the United States of America,” Fiasco said during the interview. “For me, I am …

The end of the school year is filled with a litany of checklist items for teachers -- laptops and LCD projectors must be accounted for, grades and final reports must be submitted, and our classrooms must be in order before we can leave for the summer. In addition to my school's checklist, I have my own internal list in which I reflect upon the impact, growth and shortcomings I've had throughout the school year. Celebrate your accomplishments The education field is sometimes loaded with deadlines, benchmarks and impossible goals. These overwhelming demands weigh heavily on teachers, so it is …

The teacher/parent relationship is an extremely dynamic one, influenced by perception, best practices and time constraints. It is the role of both the teacher and parent to develop the best relationship possible to effectively educate the child.  Observe and Destroy Barriers There are many natural barriers between parents and teachers. In Black Students/Middle Class Teachers, Kunjufu cited economics and perceived educational attainment as the biggest constraints. We must destroy these barriers by first acknowledging they exist. Then, we must take the proper steps to create concrete change …

The annoying alarm sounds and flashing lights blare throughout the halls.  Students rustle out of their seats and shoot for the door in excitement. It’s a fire drill. As a teacher, I am used to this lively experience, but on this 90-degree day, I was not prepared for the cultural emergency that was about to take place. As this almost all-black male middle school class ventured outdoors, many of them decided to huddle under trees rather than line up on the basketball court. And when I asked them to move, they all were hesitant. It was extremely hot outside, so I could understand their …

Most people growing up think history is an extremely boring subject, a rote memorization of facts that have no bearing on modern day social dynamics. With that said, it is the teacher’s job to connect history to the students’ lives and personal experiences. Without that connection, education is meaningless and becomes a job for the students. I recently asked my eighth-grade students to read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and connect with the experiences of slavery and the Civil War. I read the book and noticed many parallels within Frederick Douglass' story. As a result, my …

This past Friday, the staff and students at Possibility Prep Stem Academy in Upper Marlboro were greeted with a letter stating that Prince George's County's first and only all boys public charter school will close its doors after only one school year.  After reading several messages about why the school was closing, it was stated that our Board of Governors did not meet several mandates dictated by the county school board. These mandates included but were not limited to creating academic and behavior intervention programs, fixing building violations and increasing student enrollment. Being a …

What do students really learn in middle school? What do students in Prince George's County really need to be successful? School is a cultural socialization just as much as it is an academic socialization. Teachers must give academics and culture to students. When planning lessons, I am sure to ask myself the aforementioned questions. Students always seem to ask, "Why does it matter if I complete this work?" "It’s not like I’m going to use it when I get older!" Teachers always try to find a way to answer this question with a positive spin, but as adults in our everyday lives, we often use the …

I always greet my students with “peace” when they enter my classroom. But on this particular Monday morning, I asked the first student how he felt. His response: “I’m great, bin Laden was killed!” I was a little intrigued by his response because it’s not too often you hear people celebrating death.  I watched the news of Americans shouting and dancing in the streets over Osama bin Laden being murdered. Seeing this brought many questions, so I decided to alter my warm-up question this morning: “Do you believe it’s ever ok to celebrate a persons death?” I wanted to see how this current event …

Spring break is a time for teachers to relax, regroup and prepare for the final run of the school year. Most teachers try to take a vacation, catch up on some grading or mellow out by doing absolutely nothing. During my vacation last week, I received a text message from one of my student’s parents. It read, “I was watching the movie Panther with my son yesterday, WOW!” I replied: “Is that a good WOW?” She responds, “Of course! Thank you so much for all that you have done, my son comes home and teaches me things I have never learned in school.” This message not only made my day, it made my …

I hear it often, "Brother Victorious, does this assignment count for a grade?" "Is my assignment the best in the class?" "I’m way smarter than you, my grades are way better." Call me weird, but school should be about life-long education, not a trivial letter grade. It’s as if we're programming our youth into grade orientated robots, no longer emphasizing the true purpose of education, which is to master information and use it to improve the world. Whether you are an educator, parent or community worker, our youth should strive for the very best and push themselves to be greater human beings. …

Teaching middle school is extremely difficult. Students between 11 and 14 are not quite adults, but they're not children either. It’s as if they're caught somewhere in this middle where they are plagued by acne and question their parents, religion and social norms. At this stage, I feel it's partially the schools' job to teach about purpose and spirituality, so they can walk easily into adulthood. With each new group of youth I teach, I first try to look into their souls. I try to understand their values and figure out what drives them. Many middle school children value material things …

Is it me, or do most teachers shop at the same khaki and blazer palace? Shouldn’t a teacher’s persona be an extension of his or her personality? It is customary for most teachers in Prince George's County to look and act the same? Each school should educate students to change the world through creative reasoning or rebel against the status quo. However, the educational system has become just that -- a system. Teachers are no longer asked to be creative; instead, we're asked to push a curriculum that hasn’t worked since its inception. And when teachers dare to be different, they are met with …