“Dominic, are you paying attention?” asked Mrs. Janice in a serious voice. To be honest, I wasn’t paying attention. I was talking to Daniel about the new toy car my cousin gave me yesterday. That’s more exciting than reading a story. I don’t...
A New Day of Hope: Affordable Child Care Solutions to Help Families Succeed
Exhaustion. That is the only word I could think of to explain how I felt walking into my Granny’s house that night. The day had begun bright and early, with an interior paint job in West Toledo. My next job took me to...
Finding Superhero Powers: Early Education Support for both Parents and Children
Looking at my sweet son Jamile pretending to be superhero as he “flies” across the room, one would never suspect he has a learning disability. Yet he does. And, if anyone understands what this hurdle is like it’s me. In fact, it’s...
A Love for Learning: Helping Kids Find their True Potential
“Mom, I hate school!” Yelled 9-year-old Josiah as his mother questioned him about his low grades. “You just don’t understand. I’ll never be as smart as the other kids.” Tonya knew that her son could achieve anything he put his mind to. She...
AVID: Be Better, Every Time
A school is like a theater, and each classroom a stage. Well lit. Tables, desks, and chairs. Set decorations to match the subjects taught within. Mine, however, is an AVID classroom. My walls are adorned with posters, college pennants, and enough blank space...
The Last Pencil: Having Supplies for our Students
“Mrs. Thompson!” shouted Louis in a very disgruntled tone. His little arms crossed, barely able to see over my desk. “What’s wrong? Why the long face?” I said with a smile. He took a deep breath, “My pencil broke and it’s the last one...
A Path to Success: Finding Potential From A Big Brother
Three years ago, I was really struggling, feeling unmotivated and honestly… I felt worthless. In addition to my school studies, I was responsible for taking care of my aging and disabled grandmother, who suffered from heart disease and COPD. There was so much...
Let’s Read Together: Overcoming Language Barriers
Emilio’s preschool teacher asks us a question and I look at my husband. “Yes,” Eduardo says. “We understand.” We understand? What do we understand? I understand we are meeting because Emilio needs to take an assessment to see if he is ready for kindergarten....
Turning the Page: The Power of Reading and Mentorship
This post is brought to you by the generous support of The Image Group, a national promotional product distributor and marketing-service provider, with a focus of supporting local, philanthropic initiatives. ~ Being a member of African American Leadership Council, we often...
Emotional Anxiety: Seeing Through The Eyes of a Child
It was Tuesday morning and the sun was beaming beautifully with only a few clouds in sight. I couldn’t picture a more perfect day. Looking around my classroom, I could tell most of the children in my preschool class were cheerful, enjoying the...