FEATURE STORY

Searching for Global Literacy
By Christie Jones, M.Ed., M.J.

The blood that flows through her veins connects her to a rich heritage and gives her a deep appreciation for human life in the world. Nicole Osei’s international travels to far off places like Ghana, Belgium, and France have allowed her to view the world through a larger lens than most Americans.

Nicole decided to study political science and international relations at Georgia State University, but her experience yielded different results than she expected. Although Atlanta, Georgia is a bustling metropolis that attracts more than 400 people to move there daily, it still is a place that is drowning in a sea of narrow views, and plain ignorance. “I was the only one who knew who Kofi Anan was in a classroom filled with political science majors, and at that moment I realized how sheltered Americans really are,” said Osei. “At that moment I knew I needed to be back in London.”

She had previously studied in London, but the deep yearning in her heart to be reunited with loved ones led her back to the states. Her broad scope of knowledge about international law and third world countries surpassed her peers, making her feel like a pariah. Going to class was a constant battle trying to force feed new information to people that operated in a segregated world.

The confederate flag adorned cars, homes, and t-shirts; racism, bigotry, and intolerance seemed to be a ritual for the people she encountered in school and throughout the city. To Nicole, people in Atlanta were lacking global literacy, something that was essential to the life a political science major.

It became very difficult for Nicole to understand her peers’ resistance to her global perspectives. “I felt so misunderstood because my world views were alien to them.” Disgusted with her experience at Georgia State, Nicole ventured across the Atlantic Ocean back to London to fuel her desire to study among international students and to be in a place where her ideas would be embraced.

“Growing up, my family traveled the world, so I was enticed at an early age by cultural differences.” London was the perfect place for her to spread her wings and express herself freely without fear of ridicule. Nicole finished with her undergraduate degree in political science and international relations from the Richmond International University of London.

Her academic endeavors in London were refreshing in that she experienced a cultural baptism. She lived and studied among a diverse population with just as diverse opinions and views of the world. She was submerged in an academic oasis where her critical thinking and global literacy skills were fine tuned. When she finished her undergraduate degree, she reflected upon her experience and decided that it would be most beneficial to move back to America to study journalism so that she could expand the minds of other Americans.

Nicole Osei graduated from the University of North of Texas with a master’s degree in Journalism. Her career goal is to become a broadcast journalist. She wants to cast a new image of African-Americans to the world by promoting global literacy to everyone.


Read more about the Richmond International University of London:

http://www.richmond.ac.uk/

Model of Instruction for African-American Students

The Global Literacy Model
By Christie Jones, M.Ed., M.J.

When students participate in a learning community of researchers, they will develop global literacy. Global literacy is being able to read the world and everything in it. I have developed the Global Literacy Model based on years of teaching writing and studying sound pedagogy. The Global Literacy Model places the student at the center of learning. Learning is social and cultural, so as students collaborate and learn about themselves and others, they will become socially conscious. This social consciousness provokes students to take action, which leads them to create change. This model of instruction was developed for African-American students to train them to become leaders and world changers. My method of teaching and training is unlike mainstream instruction that you are used to. My method of instruction recognizes the African-American experience and ethos.

POETRY

URBAN NOISE
By Christie Jones, M.Ed., M.J.

I AM FROM THE CORNER OF CURIOSITY AND DESIRE,
WHERE I WAIT FOR THE BUS TO TAKE ME SOMEWHERE FAR AWAY FROM HERE.

I SEE FEAR, RAGE, DESTITUTION, POVERTY, VIOLENCE, AND DRUGS.
SOMEONE IS TRYING TO VANDALIZE THE BUS, BUT IT TAKES OFF TOO FAST.

I SEE YOUNG PEOPLE BOARD THE BUS, LOUD AND UNRULY.
THEY GET OFF ON THE CORNER OF CONFUSION AND HOPELESSNESS.

I AM THE PERSON TRYING TO CONVINCE THEM TO KEEP RIDING TO THE END OF THE LINE WHERE THEY CAN TRANSFER BUSSES, AND CONTINUE ON TO NEW POSSIBILITIES, BUT MY ENCOURAGEMENT IS DROWNED OUT BY URBAN NOISE.

I AM DETERMINED FOR THEM TO HEAR ME. ONE DAY THEY WILL HEAR ME. ONE DAY THEY WILL HEAR ME.

I AM AN ADVOCATE.
I AM EXPERIENCE.
I AM AN EDUCATOR.
UNTIL THE DAY I DIE.

THE BLACK EXPERIENCE WILL BE RECOGNIZED.

Image taken from: http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A9G_bF9Aow5I8F0BQZijzbkF/SIG=130qo83fd/EXP=1209005248/**http%3A//www.damianbpipkins.com/South_Central_Los%2520Angeles_Tour/album5.html

Soul Sistas

"Music is every moment of our lives," says Helene Faussart, one half of the Afropean hip hop/R&B duo Les Nubians. Helene and her sister/bandmate, Celia, found that this feeling connected them with people in Jamaica, Egypt, Cameroon, Chad, London, their native Paris and other locales around the world as they embarked on the journey that led to their newest album One Step Forward.

Their 1999 U.S. debut Princesses Nubiennes (HigherOctave/Virgin) became the most successful French-language album in more than a decade on Billboard charts. The sisters have traveled the world, soaking up the sounds of reggae, afro-beat, pop and electronica while collaborating with a host of respected musicians.

Listen to beautiful music now: http://www.lesnubians.com/

and http://www.myspace.com/lesnubians

Image taken from these sites.

Book Review

Black Journalists
The NABJ STORY
By
Wayne Dawkins


In the book Black Journalists, The NABJ Story, Wayne Dawkins answers this basic question: why did The NABJ form as an organization? The author does a great job of giving a historical background to help the reader understand the motivation of forming this organization. Throughout the book, the author thoroughly documents the social complexities of the past and weaves it to the profession of journalism for Blacks from the Civil Rights Movement up until December 12, 1975 when the organization was officially formed by forty-four journalists in Washington , D.C. The author, a Black journalist and member felt compelled to write this book so that people just learning about this organization for the first time can learn about how far the organization has come.

From the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s, Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most prominent figures to lead the Civil Rights Movement in America , a fight to end legal racial discrimination. During the 1960s, many laws were passed, such as voting rights, fair housing, and equal employment. These laws changed the landscape of America and helped to facilitate Black Americans’ career expansion. Blacks were beginning to move beyond preaching, teaching, and undertaking- the only jobs that were available to well educated Blacks during this time era. When legal segregation ended in this country, Blacks were given the opportunity to compete in the workplace. Many Blacks felt that they needed to maximize their potential to survive in the job market. In order to cultivate more Black professionals, and offer support to one another, Black professionals started to organize themselves into dozens of national associations.

According to the author, the news media played a very significant role in the civil rights revolution. “The pictures on the evening news of black demonstrators in the South being assaulted by police with guard dogs, nightclubs and water cannons exposed America and the rest of the world to the disgrace of legal segregation (page 2).” Although the media exposed many racial injustices of the time, ironically it was the mainstream news media that perpetuated segregation and racism. For example, the 1968 report by the U.S. Commission on Civil Disorders (appointed by President Johnson and led by Illinois Governor Otto Kerner) examined the causes and symptoms that set off the explosion of riots by Blacks in American cities in the mid-to-late 1960s. The report concluded that America was moving toward two societies, and that much of the media maintained segregation and discrimination in the newsroom while they were exposing segregation and discrimination in other institutions.

According to the author, Black reporters who worked and got their stories published in the newspapers battled with their white editors over objectivity. Many Black reporters attempted to cover Black Americans with more depth and breadth than just crime reports or riots, but they were dismissed by Whites as advocacy reporting. The Black perspective was mostly ignored. Black journalists during this time era were mostly politicized because of constant exposure to racism and bigotry; they felt that the journalistic doctrine of objectivity was a farce. Black journalists felt the heat in the Black communities they tried to cover. White editors criticized them for being “pro-black,” while some community activists and spokesmen dismissed them as “Uncle Toms” and “sellouts” to the Black struggle. Black journalists struggled with the constant pressure and frustration of how to deal in a daily newsroom culture while staying true to themselves and the Black community.

This book is vital in regards to exploring the journalism/mass communication canon in regards to studying the history of Black journalists in America and the struggles they endured to get their stories published. When I think of my own scholarly pursuits as an educator and journalist, I am vexed at how the media ignores marginalized people’s perspectives. I am even more vexed that as an African-American woman that it is likely that I will not get a job in journalism upon graduation. I feel that a journalism program should arm minority students with enough knowledge and practical training to help them overcome these obstacles that still exist in the newsroom. I suggest this book for any scholar to read because it reinforces the power of the media to affect how people think and feel about other minority groups.

Dawkins, W. (1997). Black Journalists, The NABJ Story. August Press.


Additional Readings:

Dawkins, W. (2003). Rugged Waters: Black Journalists Swim in the Mainstream.

Ainely, B. (1998). Black Journalists White Media.

Image taken from: http://www.augustpress.net/nabj.html

Washington Prep High is now a Performing Arts Magnet in LAUSD

I graduated from Washington Prep High School 11 years ago. I was in the Math/Science Magnet. Mrs. LaMotte (my principal, speaking at the beginning of the video) is still a fierce leader in the community today. I remember giving a speech at graduation……………so many memories!
Washington Prep is located in South Central Los Angeles. The band was #1 then, and they are #1 now! PREP!

Watch them now:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qvo8qcCd9s

Myrlie Evers: Words of Wisdom

Did you know that Myrlie Evers, wife of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers spoke to UNT students back in 1972? Her words of wisdom about education being more than learning facts, that it should be about teaching students to help their fellow man really inspired me. Sweet social justice! Read the article now:http://www.unt.edu/northtexan/timetracks.htm

(image taken from this site).

Feature Story

Bridging the Gap Between Students of Color: Implications for Curriculum and Instruction


By: Christie Jones, M.Ed., M.J.


When I taught in the Florida public school system, my Haitian students were constantly being made fun of because of how they looked, dressed, and spoke. Many of the other students in my classes looked down on them and made them feel like they didn’t belong. Many of my Haitian students did not want to participate or read out loud because other students laughed at their accent. Many of my Haitian students didn’t reveal that they were Haitian; they pretended to be something else, but I always knew the truth.

Haitian Flag Day was also a huge problem in the school districts. My Haitian students expressed that this day was a time when they could show others how proud they are to be Haitian by displaying their flags. They said that they had to protect themselves from Jamaican and African-American students by bringing weapons to school and having fights. The Jamaican and African-American students shared different views saying that Haitians were starting the fights by insulting their culture. The discussion of Haitian Flag Day allowed my students to talk about painful issues of racism, discrimination, and prejudice. Many of my students said that no other teacher had ever allowed them to have an open forum on the topic. After the discussion, I taught a lesson on Africa and the Diaspora to show my Haitian, Jamaican, and African-American students that Africa binds us all together. I also took the time to highlight the achievements of all cultural groups to promote solidarity and tolerance. Even though Haitian Flag Day continues today, I feel that as an educator, opening the lines of communication will slowly alleviate the misinformation that all cultures involved receive from the media and other sources and begin to heal the hurt that these students felt.

Since my Haitian students were self-conscious about the way they spoke English, I helped them attain English proficiency through pronunciation and the use of normal stress patterns. I would model carefully how to say words for meaning and also pronounce phrases quickly and casually to show ESOL students the difference in aural/oral clues under both circumstances. I also demonstrated to the students that most frequently used one-syllable words are mostly unstressed in sentences and phrases, weakening their vowels to schwa. It is important to note that native speakers divide all but the shortest sentences into two or more parts. This helps to make the meaning clear, for emphasis, and to take a breath.

I helped my ESOL students acquire a good English speech rhythm by showing them how to give proper emphasis to stressed syllables and make them recur regularly. I taught them that they must weaken unstressed syllables (obscure and unstressed vowels). Students must be able to organize and break thought groups meaningfully. The only way that my students were going to make any sense of English stress was for me to demonstrate to them that stress can be used in several distinct ways. I taught my students how to blend the final sounds of words within each thought group and how to fit the entire sentence into a normal intonation pattern. If a particular student was having trouble with pronunciation and stress, I would give a lesson to the entire class to reinforce practice for everyone and to make this student feel comfortable.

I would use a lesson from the Jazz Chant book. My favorite chant that I have used with my Haitian students is “I Love to say I Won’t.” I gave all of my students a copy of the chant for them to follow. I started out with activating prior knowledge and the attention grabber, which was and overhead that we did as a group. After that, we all started to recite the chant. I walked around the room and observed students, listening closely for stress and intonation patterns. If I heard something pronounced wrong, I just simply said it correctly for them to hear. The next round, I listened again and everyone was starting to get into the rhythm. The most common mistakes that my students were making were that they were pronouncing every syllable in every word. They did not sound natural. I helped them correct this mistake by having them listen to me reduce vowels to schwa during rapid speech. I then increased the tempo of the reciting of the chant to force them to speak faster and shorten those vowel sounds. It felt funny to them at first, but after a few rounds of reciting, they began to feel the rhythm and use schwa.

This activity was not only fun for the entire class, but it really boosted my Haitian students’ self-confidence by creating a positive environment for them to practice speaking without being laughed at or looked down on. It is my hope that this experience gave them the confidence to keep speaking and not be ashamed of their culture, native language, or accent.

Read more about Haitian Culture:
http://www.heritagekonpa.com/abouthk.htm

To learn more about Jazz Chants:
http://www.esl.net/jazz_chants.html

Image taken from:
http://www.haitixchange.com/article_0040.asp

Africans in Texas?

Did you know that there were Africans in Texas way back in the day?


Alwyn Barr, a history professor at Texas Tech University breaks it all down in his book The African Texans.


Read an excerpt now:
http://www.tamu.edu/upress/BOOKS/2004/sample/barrchap.pdf

For more information:
http://www.tamu.edu/upress/BOOKS/2004/barr.htm

Interview with Royond Hendrix, Assistant Principal

Royond Hendrix is currently an Assistant Principal at Nancy Cochran Elementary School in Dallas, Texas. She is also a doctoral student at the University of North Texas. She is passionate about teaching urban students. Here is what she had to say about teaching African-American students:


B.E.N.: How do we teach African-American students effectively?

R.H.: Teaching African-American students takes much creativity and innovative thinking! It requires the educator to be a problem-solver, motivator and one that sets high expectations. African-American students must feel empowered in the classroom. Also, they must have the opportunity to connect with the various aspects in the learning environment. This connectivity must occur during classroom discourse, learning tasks and curricula. Such assigned tasks must promote higher-order thinking and practicality. Providing a culturally responsive atmosphere will enhance the emotional, social and academic growth of the students being served. Additionally, the classroom should be an environment where mistakes are used as opportunities for growth. This student population must be actively engaged in the learning process and understand the rationale of learning the skills and concepts. Providing cooperative learning opportunities promotes higher levels of participation and positive interaction. Teachers should take advantage of the “teachable moment” as often as possible. For example, teachers must understand the purpose enlightening African-American students the purpose of speaking grammatically correct.


B.E.N.: What characteristics should a teacher have if he/she wants to teach African-American students?

R.H.: This teacher must exhibit the ability to connect with students and allow each individual to use their background knowledge to deepen the understanding of what is being taught. His/her disposition should be firm, but fair, strong, but caring and entertaining. This teacher must realize that it is essential for parents and community members to be looked upon as partners in education. The teacher has to set a purpose for learning and provide motivating tactics for accomplishing this task.

B.E.N.: If you were to mentor a young African-American educator, what would be the first lesson you would teach him/her?

R.H.: I would teach the individual the purpose of “setting the stage”. This will include how the classroom should be structured, including its physical appearance and the importance of the clearly defined limits. Additionally, I would share how crucial it is to for him/her to be a model of everything that is expected.

B.E.N.: If your children wanted to grow up and teach African-American students, what would you tell them about our profession?

R.H.: It would be most beneficial to thank them for being a part of this profession. The majority of teachers are white females. It is important that we have strong, African-American individuals in the classroom, especially inner-city schools. Even though this field does not pay well, the benefits of educating the African-American child is priceless.

B.E.N.: What has been your experience as an African-American educator?

R.H.: Teaching African-American students has been extremely rewarding to me. I have always enjoyed applying best practices from leading scholars of culturally relevant teaching to the classroom. My students have always been exposed to an integrated curriculum that has been ultimately modified to meet the needs of the individual learning styles present. I have found that out-of-the-box instruction that is tailored to the multiple intelligences in the classroom have been very effective. Providing differentiated instruction and assignments have motivated my students to achieve at high levels. Most importantly, I have bombarded my students with extra doses of positivity. I can hear them say as their morning greeting, “Good morning, Ms. Hendrix…I am at the right place at the right time…my attitude determines my destiny and my education will set me free!”

Dear Black Education News

Dear Black Education News,

I am a single African-American male middle school teacher. I have been teaching for 8 years. I entered the profession right out of college. Because I am youthful, many of my students’ parents flirt with me. I mentor male students in an after-school program. Many of their mothers have approached me for dates or told me that I was attractive. When this happens, I just smile and politely change the subject. I haven’t told anyone about this because I do not want my professional integrity to be questioned; I take my career seriously and I enjoy mentoring young black men. Some of these women are my age, and a few are younger. Although we are peers, I would never feel comfortable dating a parent. How do I maintain my relationship with my students without breaking anyone’s heart?

-Not sure what to do,
Detroit, MI



Dear Not sure what to do,

You have to continue to be a professional. You are doing the right thing by politely changing the subject. Dating parents is never a good idea because it leads to a bad reputation. In our profession, image is everything. You don’t want to ever compromise your career for misconduct. As educators, we have an obligation to our students and their parents to demonstrate good work ethics and moral character. Young black men need a role model like you to demonstrate professionalism and tact. Young black men already have too many images of other black men as pimps. Don’t add to it. Keep all romantic relationships outside of school. When these women approach you, be assertive and gently let them know that you do not in any circumstances date parents. Some of the mothers will give you attitude because you are not interested in them, but at least you will have their respect for not playing with their hearts.

-Black Education News


Need advice or have a testimony? Email short letters to: blackeducationnews@gmail.com with Dear Black Education News in the subject.

Howard University Honors Phylicia Rashad

Link to article: http://www.blacknews.com/news/howard_university101.shtml

Desperate for Black Male Teachers

CNN reports that African American students are dropping out in record numbers in urban cities across the nation. Can the presence of black men change this? South Carolina Schools use TV ads to attract black male teachers. How do we convince black men to become teachers? Watch video: http://video.yahoo.com/watch/1594884/5389145

African American Educator Ready for Action

This image inspired the creation of this blog. I am the African American woman featured in this ad for the University of North Texas. Graduating with a master’s degree in journalism was a very profound moment in my life. My experience teaching and learning in various parts of the nation has provoked me to examine the educational experience of African Americans. I thank you for your participation in the movement to advance the educational experience for African Americans. It is my aim to inspire a new generation of African American teachers, journalists, and academic scholars. It is my desire to attract veteran African American scholars to this site to share their experiences and mentor a generation of young African American scholars that are thirsty for change.