Hello

The way people greet each is intriguing.

Here in the UAE, the locals and other Arabs recite something when they meet each other.  What's interesting is that their responses overlap.  They're both talking at the same time, so they're not listening to the other person.  I'm not sure if they're saying the same thing, or if it's a call and response, or if the greeting changes with whoever it is they're talking to.

"Hello" is more universal than I realized.  It's used here and most of the other places I've visited.

I've mentioned before that the locals greet someone they know well by rubbing noses.  So you see guys rubbing noses, and to a lesser degree, women and children.

Men shake hands with other men, and women shake hands with other women. Women almost never shake hands with men, except if the Arab man is more familiar with Westerners, and our customs, he may offer his hand to a Western woman. Typically Arab women greet each other with kisses, several on one cheek or alternately from side to side.  It seems to differ depending on which Arab country is represented. The more kisses, the better they like you.

Greetings are important.  Time is spent saying hello.  Many a meeting has been interrupted by someone arriving, and folks stand, say hello, embrace, kiss and carry on a conversation.  It doesn't matter what was happening in the meeting.  Everything stops for this.

Side note - Bill Withers has a beautiful song called, "Hello like Before."  Check it out below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2o3n34esf0

Side note 2 - Don't read anything into the lyrics.  I'm not sending a subliminal message.  There's no longing for yesterday.  Speaking of yesterday though, here's another great song, first recorded by the Beatles.  I love this guy's soulful version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2By-GNvHZo (the video is not great, but I think you can see/hear the essence of this guy's talent).

Side note 3 - Anyone know how to add songs directly to a blog, please help a sista out.

Here's wishing you a wonderful day!

My Lesson for Today

Like Me

Have you ever met someone that reminds you of yourself, but not in a good way?

I met someone recently that was quite the chatterbox.  Within five minutes I knew her life story.

Please allow me to interject some pertinent information.

This lady was African-American, from the South.

Typically Black folks acknowledge each other with a nod or a quick hello, and oftentimes that turns into full fledge conversations, like we're long lost friends.  I think this happens because we generally share commonalities, and can skip over the introductions rather quickly and move into the "meat" of the conversation.

And so it was with this person.  We went from "hello" to some pretty deep stuff, faster than you can say, TMI (too much information).

But I do this, too.

Do others see me like I saw this person?

Good Lord, put a watch over my tongue.

On the flip side, I've met a lot of wonderful folks by being bold enough to strike up a conversation, but that's different . . . I think.

I love what Frankie said one time.

He noted that his father was socially awkward, and then added, that so was I.

He thought Frank was uncomfortable with small talk, but he noted that he thought I was too, because I'd ask questions, and if there was a lull in the conversation, I'd answer them, too.

OK.

Guilty as charged.

But am I also like this person mentioned above, with her drivel assault?  That's a serious accusation.

Please allow me to pause for a minute to . . .

Get into my Zen space . . . 

To breathe deeply . . . 

And think hard . . . 

OK.

I'm back.

Upon further review,

I'm probably guilty of that, too.

OK.

I'm definitely guilty of it.

And yes, my "forgiveness" button will be working overtime tonight.

I promise . . .

Beginning today, I will listen to myself when I talk, and remember what it's like when someone goes on and on, and I will just . . .

Hush.

Please note -

Self reflection is not for the faint of heart.

A Mixed Bag

Rhianna is in town for a concert, and she visited The Grand Mosque, posing for pictures.  Sounds innocent enough, right?  However, where she goes, controversy is not far behind.  The link follows.  What do you think?

http://www.thenational.ae/uae/tourism/rihanna-sparks-controversy-with-photoshoot-at-sheikh-zayed-grand-mosque

I was reminded today of the importance in being dependable.  Doing what you say you're going to do.  Going where you say you're going.  Being a man/woman of your word.  My Mom will always stand out for me in this area because when she said she was going to do something, you could take it to the bank.  It was going to happen. This was one of her life's tenets, and one that I strive to emulate.

That's it for now.

More soon.

Your blogging buddy.

CHINA Thoughts

The following are random thoughts on my time in Beijing, along with the promised pictures.

This is my friend and I at the Ming Tombs.

Buddha on display at the Ming Tombs

This was intriguing to me.
The trees inside the Ming Tombs are covered in plexiglass
to keep folks from defacing them.

---Chinese folks appear to be a superstitious lot.  There were things - a tree, a sign with the symbol for double happiness, the platform for saying prayers, etc. - that were rubbed/touched for good luck.  Nothing was left to chance.  They wanted to be sure they did what they were supposed to do to be on the receiving end of the blessings.

Colorful flowers like this were seen all over.

---One of the other tourists with us asked about the incident in 1989 in Tiananmen Square.  The answer given was vague, with the young lady appearing to be very careful about how she responded.  This was in direct contrast to my guide in Moscow, who was very vocal about his thoughts on what was happening in his country during Putin's reign.

---Chinese folks are limited by the government to have only one child.  If they choose to have more children, they must pay the government three million yen for the cost that the government expects to incur in providing services for this additional child.

The paths of the Great Wall are marked
so that you can determine the distance trekked.

Great view from one of the platforms.

---There was a sign on the road that cautioned, "Don't drive when tired."

---One of the places we stopped only had the hole in the floor toilets.  What was really interesting were the couple of women who were using these facilities with the doors open.

---Each time I've taken a prearranged tour, there have been mandated stops by the tour guides in support of the local economy.  In India, it was the tapestry showcase. In Sri Lanka, it was the precious jewels showcase.  In Beijing, there were three such stops - the jade factory, the tea showroom, and the pearl showcase.

This is a jade version of the bull on Wall Street.

Beautiful carving of white jade of the Lady Buddha.

---It was extraordinarily rare to see a bald Chinese man.  Even the old guys had full heads of hair, with no signs of receding hairlines.

And . . .

Finally, the headline of the local English paper, the China Daily, was about the US and the return to work after the federal shutdown.  The article focused on the worldwide impact and the longterm effects of going down this rabbit hole.  The Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying is quoted as saying, "The US is the largest economy in the world, and the proper resolution of this issue serves not only its own interests, but also world economic stability and development." China Daily, Friday, Oct. 18, 2013.  (www.chinadaily.com.cn)

This column reminded me of something very similar in Egypt.

I love the fact that this panda has his back to us.
He doesn't feel like visitors today.

This guy is munching on apples.

Here's another guy who would rather be alone.

Yet another panda who is not interested in visitors.

In this photo, you can see the white fur is more tan than white.
I wonder if it's because of the smoggy weather,
or if in fact, they are naturally this color.

This guy is the same one above going for a walk.

This guy was monkeying around.

This is a close up of the Temple of Heaven.

China - Days 2 & 3

The second day featured a visit to Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City (across the street from each other), a silk factory, and the Temple of Heaven.  And on the third day, I visited the zoo.

This huge bouquet is in Tiananmen Square.
It is there in celebration of their National Day, Oct. 7th.

I am trying to show how large the area is.

Here are the flowers up close.

One of the many structures in the Forbidden City.

The masses of people that were not evident the first day, was very much evident as we trekked to these landmark.  The reason the large numbers are not seen on the streets, is that they have a wonderful underground pathway/street system, designed to allow people to cross the busy streets, and access the subway system from underground.  I was struck by the number of Chinese visitors, but was told they outnumber foreigners every day of the week.  These folks are the ones who live in vast, rural areas of the country.

A sun dial.

The Forbidden City

We're leaving the Forbidden City.

A really interesting side note is the more than a dozen times people stopped us to ask to take pictures with them.  It appears that black folks are a rare sight in these parts.  The folks who asked were the bold ones.  There were many others who took our pictures on the sly.  It really was kind of funny.  This was not unique to us though.  Other black friends who have been here said the same thing.  Our tour guide said it was happening because we were foreigners, but there were blond folks near us who were not getting any attention.

This is a demonstration of how silk is extracted from larvae-encased egg looking thingy.

This is the Temple of Heaven.

Me in front of the Temple of Heaven.

A close of the temple.

This is where the sacrificed animals were burned.

A second temple.

A really cool, twisted tree.

Also located at the Temple of Heaven.

It is believed when you stand on the circle platform,
your prayers go directly to heaven and are guaranteed to be answered.

This is really beautiful, in spite of the fierce looking dragon head.

An oyster is opened for us.  I guessed there would be three pearls inside.  There were 22!
We were each given one as a keepsake.

Close up of the pearls.

A panda eating apples.

I have more pictures of the pandas, but I'm having technical difficulties uploading them.  I'll post them when I get home.

This was a wonderful trip.  Although it was a quickie, but I'm thrilled with what we were able to see and do.

As always, thanks for taking this ride with me. 

From CHINA to CHINA

This week the Muslim world is celebrating EID (which is the closest thing they have to Christmas, in that this is a gift-giving holiday), so I took advantage of this time off to visit Beijing, China.

As I noted recently, I was born and raised in China, Texas, but seeing the "real" China, has been a special treat.

There is a teacher I know from the UAE who is also in Beijing this week, and we're touring the city together.

Today we visited the Great Wall.

First some thoughts about the city.

Our guide said there are 25 million people living in Beijing.  Wikipedia states the number at around 21 million.  I'm guessing her number includes the suburbs.

With that many people, I expected to see massive crowds, and a congested city. Neither was evident as we were out and about.  In fact, New York City and San Francisco both "feel" more crowded than Beijing.

Bicycles were everywhere, competing for road space.  There are bike lanes, and in some areas, there are barriers to separate the bikers from automotive traffic.

They drive like we do in the US, and the driving is civil.  Nobody was racing or creating lanes.

The weather was spectacular with crystal clear blue skies.  This was fantastic because sometimes the air can be so thick with fog/smog, you can hardly see your hands in front of you.  It was a brisk day, about 60 degrees when we started out in the morning, warming nicely midday, then cooling off again as the sun was setting.

Now, the Great Wall . . .

Is absolutely as magnificent as I imagined.  Of course, we only saw a small section of the more than 13,000 miles of it, but the views of this area of the wall, and the views of the countryside from this area, were breathtakingly beautiful.

Tomorrow we're off to see the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.

More soon. 

Learning New Tricks

This is a quick (five minute) TED Talk with some pretty cool tricks to save you time on your computer and on your phone.

I learned a lot!

Check it out at the link below.

http://video-subtitle.tedcdn.com/talk/podcast/2013U/None/DavidPogue_2013U-480p-en.mp4

Football

 I couldn't help loving football with all of the testosterone in my world.  I don't know the rules, and don't pay attention to the positions, but I love the game nonetheless.

Ben and Frankie played in high school.

However, when I saw this documentary linked below, on the dangers of concussions caused by the repeated hits by football players, it changed my mind completely.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/league-of-denial/

It is an hour and a half long, but worth every moment to see the extent of the damage to players, and the extent of the NFL in denying those damages.

If there's a hell, these folks representing the NFL are in the fast lane heading there.

Just as it was mentioned in the piece, this level of denial is reminiscent of the tobacco companies and their denial of the harm tobacco posed to smokers.

Something radically different needs to change in the way the game is played.

Success on the field is not worth an early grave, or a lifetime of pain and suffering, to the players.

That price is too high.

If I had known then what I know now, Ben and Frankie would not have played football, at all.

No question about it.  Football would have been off limits to them.

I'm convinced, if enough moms say no to this in the formative years, it will bring this game to it's knees, demanding changes to protect the players.

But it will take more than that.  Football is big business.  As long as there's greed associated with this game, there will be folks who will go to extremes to protect their investment, no matter how much harm is being done.

Remember this when you're enjoying the games this weekend.

My Journey

This post requires your patience.  I'm noting dates and places, more for me than for you.  As I was jotting these down recently, it took a minute to remember all of the dates.

So here goes . . .

1956 - 1974 = China, TX.  This is where I was born and raised.
1974 - 1979 = Tallahassee, FL.  These are my college years at Florida A & M Univ.
1979           = Married in Corpus Christie, TX
1979 - 1982 = Patuxent River, MD.  This was our first Navy duty station.
1981           = Ben was born in Maryland.
1982 - 1985 = Columbia, SC.  This was our second duty station.
1983           = Frankie was born in South Carolina.
1985 - 1987 = Lakehurst, NJ.  This was our last Navy duty station.
1987 - 1989 = Tulsa, OK.  Frank attended Rhema Bible College.
1989 - 2011 = Sacramento, CA.  Ben and Frankie were 8 and 6 when we arrived.
1999           = Divorced

This information bubbled up in my mind as I read an interesting article about Oral Robert's grandson who discussed growing up gay.  His descriptions of his "Christian" life brought back a lot of memories.  The link is below.

http://thislandpress.com/11/18/2012/something-good-is-going-to-happen-to-you/?read=complete

I was raised Catholic.  Frank was not raised in any religion, so it was an easy decision to be married in the Catholic church.

Soon after though, Frank delved deeply into "spirituality" for lack of a better term, and being the dutiful wife, I followed.

By the time we arrived in New Jersey, we were immersed in the Charismatic movement.  This also marked the only time we lived close to family.  We were about two hours south of where Frank was born and raised in New York.  So, we found a church in that area, and trekked that four hour round trip every Sunday.  Frank's sister and her sons, just a year or two older than Ben and Frankie, also went to this church.  This was the first time our guys were able to interact with any of their relatives, on either side of our families, so it was a real treat.  It made the trips doable and bearable.

When we left the Navy, Frank attended Rhema Bible Church, with the intention of becoming a pastor.  As I have said many times, God knew I cuss way too much to ever be a preacher's wife.

Thankfully, as luck would have it, flying opportunities came up as we were deciding where to go after Oklahoma, and that led us to Sacramento.  Frank was working for United, based in San Francisco, but we couldn't afford to live in the Bay Area, so we settled in Sacramento.

We found a local church, and was very active in it, quickly moving into leadership roles.

Then, the incident with Ben's haircut, at Capitol Christian School, brought out the true colors of the church/school leaders there, and of the leaders of our congregation.  We were encouraged and expected to back off and not "air the dirty laundry" publicly.  The publicity was not helping either church, but it was especially damaging to Capitol Christian, the church that oversaw the school.

Some of the most painful, hurtful, disappointing times in my life, happened at the hands of Christians.  The way we were treated was appalling. So, I wiped my hands of the whole bunch.

This was also the tipping point in our marriage, and marked the beginning of the end. Honestly, we had been heading this way for years, this just sealed the deal that Frank and I were moving in different directions.

I stopped going to church then, in 1995, and didn't return with any regularity until 2011.

I was angry and disappointed with "church folks."  They represented God, so I was angry and disappointed with God.

This was my state of mind in 2005, when Ben had the accident.  The hospital chaplain came around a couple of times, but I was rude and nasty to him.  I didn't want to hear anything he had to say.

There is no doubt, Ben's recovery was miraculous, but it was years before I could thank God for getting us through those tough, tough times.

Now I'm at a place - believing in God - in a greater way than I ever have.

What changed?

Me.

I chose to forgive . . . myself, others, even God.

And that forgiveness changed me and brought me to this place of peace.

So, that's my journey.

What's yours?




   

Priceless!

These are actual comments received by a tour company.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/blogdramedy/idiotic-travel-complaints_b_4073107.html

Foggy

When I entered the underground parking garage today, the first thing I noticed was the air.  It was thick and sticky.

When I exited the garage, I saw the fog.

Usually foggy-looking weather is just sand that's swirling around, kicking up a fine dust.  Today's fog was the real thing.

This is significant because we very rarely have any change in weather.  It is bright and sunny 99% of the time.  Any deviation from that stands out.

Also important is the temperature.  On the extended forecast, it looks like today will be the last day of triple digit weather.  Thank God!

Side note - Sports are really big here.  Soccer (referred to as football) is the biggest with a brand new stadium just completed, probably followed in popularity by rugby (looks like a combination of soccer and football, with no pads) and cricket (looks like baseball with a flat bat).  Each sport has it's own field.  Golf is also very popular with the ex-pat community.  I had dinner at the golf clubhouse recently, and this was the first time I'd seen this sports complex.  It is very impressive.  It appears to be top notch facilities.

Side note 2 - The cycle 2/3 schools (grades 6-12) all have olympic size pools. Interestingly, they are not in use.  I'm not sure if it's because there are no swim instructors, or if there is a concern about wearing swimwear.  At the beaches in Dubai, local women can be seen playing in the water in their abayas (the long black dresses), next to ex-pats in string bikinis.  Dubai is definitely more lenient in their dress code.  As it works hard to become the vacation destination in the Middle East, it tends to be more tolerant of what they would consider inappropriate dress.

Side note 3 - Perfume and incense are sold everywhere . . . in the grocery stores, malls, souks.  Both for men and women.  Gifts are almost always perfume or chocolate (more on that in a minute).  Bottles of perfume are in the toilets in the state-owned airlines.

Side note 4 - There are at least three stores that sell chocolate on every block (OK, maybe not that many, but there are a lot).  The chocolate is displayed beautifully. Cubes of it are individually wrapped, typically arranged on a platter, made into a mountain, then wrapped in fancy bows.  Chocolate displays like this are in most offices, and are given as birth presents, and are bought and shared for monumental events, like the purchase of a car.

Side note 5 - Unlike Saudi Arabia where women were just allowed to drive, most of the local women here can drive themselves, although many of them have drivers. One of my ex-pat friends, a principal who worked out in one of the remote areas, had a driver.  He picked her up in the morning and he stayed all day at school (there is a lounge for drivers at most schools).  Then he would take her shopping, and any other place she needed to go.  He worked 12-hour shifts, and he drove his own car. For the local women, the drivers use their cars.

And finally . . .

Side note 5 - There are two things I'm still trying to get use to after almost two years . . . the workweek beginning on Sunday (the weekend is Friday/Saturday) and the Arabic books, magazines, brochures, etc., are printed from right to left.  So what we would consider the back of the book, is the front for Arabic speakers.  The local weekly magazines are printed in both languages, beginning with English, and then halfway through the book, it changes into Arabic.  They begin reading at the back, working their way to the middle where the English ends.

That's it for now.

Good night to you.

Good morning to me.

Great History Lessons

Instead of dressing up like a princess, this Mom had her daughter dress as famous women.  Who doesn't like make believe?  This was a clever way to have fun and teach her child about these fabulous women.

https://www.upworthy.com/see-the-5-kick-ass-women-this-mom-dressed-her-daughter-as-instead-of-a-disney-princess?c=upw1

Great history lessons indeed!

Google Executive

It is refreshing to see this African-American woman, who is an executive at Google.

Check her out below.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/04/the-one-place-this-google_n_4026079.html 

More Random Thoughts

Thought #6 (continued from previous post)

A child born in the UAE does not get UAE citizenship unless the father is Emirati.  If that is not the case, the child would assume the citizenship of his or her father. Getting a birth certificate is a tedious process, so many women go back to their home countries for the birth of their babies to avoid any problems.

Thought #7

An unwed woman who gets pregnant is advised to leave the country as soon as possible, or risk jail time for herself and her child.  If she remains here, she will be jailed for a length of time determined by the courts, then she and her baby would be deported, never to return.  If she leaves before the pregnancy is discovered, she would be able to return alone, without her child, if she so desired.

Thought #8

Homosexual activities are a crime here, punishable by fines, jail time, deportation, and even the death penalty.  See this link:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_the_United_Arab_Emirates

Interesting, right?

OK.

On this happy note, I'll end.

Random Thoughts

Thought #1

For those of you enjoying the briskness of fall weather, think of me each time you reach for your sweater or jacket.  The heat here is still in triple digits (106 today), with no end in sight.  To be fair though, it feels a lot cooler when compared to 120. So, yes, we're thankful for 106.

Thought #2

It occurred to me recently that Ben and Frankie have never met their cousins, my oldest brother's kids, who are now 47 and 50 years old.  My brother Terry and I were closest to them in age, but their mother didn't appreciate the tight rein my folks had on us, so their visits were rare.  I can count the times on one hand that I've seen them.  It's a shame really, but it is what it is.

Thought #3

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm reading, David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell.  It is about how people, when faced with a disadvantage, oftentimes propelled themselves to greatness, in spite, or maybe because of, the difficulties.  One example resonated with me.  He described a man who was raised in the Midwest by parents who survived the Great Depression.  He was raised to appreciate money, and the importance of saving money.  As a young child he worked for his neighbors mowing grass, raking leaves, and shoveling snow.  Business was so good, he hired some of his friends. He maintained this business all through high school.  He went to college, ended up in Hollywood, and became a huge success, using some of the skills and talents he learned as a child.  He has a family and wanted to teach his kids the value of money that he learned while growing up.  However, his kids will never learn these lessons, to the degree that he did because they have never wanted for anything.  So, the disadvantage of growing up poor caused him to look for and create ways to succeed.  And, the advantage of living in abundance, turned out to be a disadvantage for his kids, in learning those same lessons.  This book is very interesting and very highly recommended.

Thought #4

Scandal, the TV show, premiered season three this week.  It was well worth the wait.  If you're not a Gladiator yet, you're missing some delicious fun.  Check out seasons one and two and see for yourself what all the fuss is about.

Thought #5

Random thoughts bring to mind, random acts of kindness.  Being on the receiving end is nice, but being the giver of random acts of kindness is even nicer.  Make someone's day today.  Smile.  Strike up a conversation.  Let someone go ahead of you in line.  Buy the coffee for the person behind you at Starbucks.  Pay someone's toll.  Feed someone's expired meter.  Small gestures mean a lot, sometimes more than you'll ever know.

Here's wishing you a happy day.

Guilty!

I am guilty as charged for being a super proud grandma who wants to share my joy with the world.

So, here are two more pictures of my girls.

Zadie & Frankie working hard

Milu enjoying the pumpkin patch

Recurring Theme

I'm reading an absolutely phenomenal book, Malcolm Gladwell's latest,
David and Goliath:  Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants.

It never ceases to be amaze me how Mr. Gladwell takes extraordinarily complex theories, and makes them easy enough for me to understand.

This man has a great gift, and I'm grateful to be a beneficiary of it.

I downloaded the book yesterday, and I'm more than halfway through it.  And as much as I want to finish it, I am compelled to pause and write about forgiveness . . . again.

The first notion that comes to mind when forgiveness takes over my thought life is . . .

Where have I missed the mark?

Who do I need to forgive?

Family, friends, strangers?

If no other person comes to mind . . . do I need to forgive myself?

There is no one that is harder on me than I am on myself.

When I blow it, I used to beat myself up.  Now, I'm still tough on me, but I temper my response with some hard-earned wisdom.  

Things used to derail me.

Now.  Not so much.

It's not that I care less, it's just that I'm understanding more and more that "this to shall pass."

I've learned to be kind to me.

I recognize the areas in my life that need help, and I work at making the necessary adjustments.

Now, I strive to treat myself, the way I strive to treat others, with patience and understanding.

I would never intentionally try to hurt someone, and yet it was OK for me to intentionally degrade and hurt myself.

Nope.

Not anymore.

So, what's the bottom line here?

Be quick to forgive others, no matter what.

And . . .

Be quick to forgive yourself, too, no matter what.

Because . . .

No matter how we may have blown it, if we're lucky, we can ask for forgiveness from others, and ourselves.  Then, we can choose to take a mulligan, learn from our mistakes, and try again.

Thank God for the "do overs."

Good night to you.

Good day to me.

The Importance of Talking to Kids

One of the things I'll always remember from my time as principal of a socio-economically depressed school, was how many of the kindergarteners arrived lacking language.  Our ESL (English as a Second Language) students were much more fluent, and had more language and language skills, than our EO (English Only) students.

It was as if the EO's were hearing language for the first time when they arrived at school.

How could that be, you ask?

Well, how is language acquired?

In these formative years, mostly though conversation.

So, it stands to reason, our EO's were engaged in conversation at a much lower rate than other kids.

Even if they had been raised in front of the TV, if they watched Sesame Street every now and then, they would have acquired some language.

And yet, they were beginning this academic marathon, already miles behind.

It was a common site around campus to see many of the moms walking their kids to school, which was great, but instead of chatting with their children, they were engrossed in cell phone conversations.  So, they were talking, just not to their kids.

Of course, I'm painting with a broad brush, which I should not do, but this description could accurately describe over 90% of the EO kids.

Why is this gap so wide when we look at affluent students versus poor students?

I suppose part of the issue is, many poor parents are busy about the business of providing for their families, and thus are away from home a lot more, and are maybe too tired to engage their kids when they get home.

But that description did not hold true for the parents at this school.  Most of them did not work because having a job would have interfered with their welfare stipend. (That, I might add, is a serious flaw in the system.  Every able-bodied person should be required to work for any government support.).

So these folks had the time to invest in their kids, but for the most part, chose not to.  Or maybe they just didn't understand the help they would be providing their kids simply by engaging them in conversation.

Anyway, reading this article linked below, took me back to that school and that neighborhood, where my desire to make a difference was far greater than any tangible success.

It takes more than hard work to make a positive impact on academic achievement because if it was just hard work, many of our failing schools would be successful.

No, it takes more.  Much, much more.

I think it takes a shift in mindset.  The kids have to come to school appreciating and valuing education, and that is learned at home.  Whether parents can help their kids with schoolwork or not, is irrelevant.  What matters most are the parents teaching their kids the importance of education.  Until that happens, we'll only see random, isolated success stories in schools serving the poor.

In education, we talk a lot about collaboration, but the most important collaboration is between home and school, with everyone working on the same page, focused on the same goal.

Some would say I'm blaming the parents for the failure of schools.  I disagree.  I'm simply saying parents can no longer passively stand by while educators pull out every trick in the book to teach their kids.  All of us, the school, the parents, and the kids, have to have a vested interest in a positive academic outcome.   When this happens, the tide will turn and the chances of finding successful schools serving poor students will be the norm, rather than the exception.

Until then, we'll keep plowing along, hoping for the best.


http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/09/children_s_language_development_talk_and_listen_to_them_from_birth.single.html

Great TED Talk

The presenter is Freeman Hrabowski and he is the president of University of Maryland, Baltimore County.  He explains his university's outreach to increase minority students in the areas of math and science.  What they discovered is that their four-point focus helps not just minority students, but all students, and the results prove it.  They have one of the highest graduation rates in the US of students with degrees in math and science.

It is easy to get discouraged by the progress, or lack thereof, in education today. This message was a shot in the arm, a boost to continue to find ways to help all kids succeed.

It's worth watching.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/15/opinion/hrabowski-minority-scientists/index.html?hpt=op_bn2