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Mobilize Forces that Work

Posted Fri, 08/13/2010 - 20:40 by Pam Joyce

Urban Education is a puzzling field. It has been weighted down for decades with glaring roadblocks that choke change efforts but yet change is always in progress. There are new and revised education policies that continue to hinder student progress, burned out teachers who cannot count on the system for replenishment, students who have lost the motivation to learn, antiquated teaching techniques and/or teaching materials, lack of parental support at times, and the list of negatives go on. 

 

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Going to School in a Detention Room

Posted Mon, 04/12/2010 - 21:09 by Pam Joyce

Traditional options for school punishment are robbing challenged students of an equal education. Students who spend more time in "In School Detention" or who are Suspended one or two times every month have been programmed by an institution of learning for failure. Usually students who fall into the "detention" category are failing already and basically think they have nothing to lose by being out of the classroom. The message from the school aligns with their thinking. Excessive detention is an accepted way for the school to handle  the child.

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Joe -- My Teacher, My Mentor, My Friend

Posted Fri, 12/26/2008 - 11:56 by Pam Joyce

Joe having fun with his studentsI am still trying to come to terms with the passing of my teacher, mentor, and friend. In an attempt to accept the horrific news, I chose to reflectively celebrate my history with Joe, rather than dwell on the loss. As I think about our short five-year history together my tears are replaced with a smile. I can only smile and allow myself to be cloaked by his warm and enveloping spirit. Joe had a wonderful gift of making everyone who came in contact with him feel special. As a student, he made me feel that my every thought was valuable. His mentoring style was respectful and effective. He would devote time to having lengthy conversations with me until a new understanding appeared in me, an “AHA moment”. It was a natural and painless way of learning that left me with dignity and new knowledge.

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World Atrocities are Reflected in Student Behavior!

Posted Mon, 07/28/2008 - 10:38 by Pam Joyce

FIGHT! An eye for an eye. Right or wrong it doesn't matter. This is the message we send to the children of the world.

Is talking about difference now totally out of the question?

Should we stop and ponder what motivates violence?

What part does each individual play in allowing violent acts to occur in the world?

Questions, questions, questions! Are we ready for answers/alternatives? I would argue that alternatives are within each of us and we have an obligation to the children of the world and ourselves to constantly strive for alternatives.

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Thanks and Tribute to Joe

Posted Sun, 06/22/2008 - 23:14 by Pam Joyce

Walk the Walk and Talk the Talk

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911Educator/Critical Consciousness Stimulates ACTION!

Posted Fri, 06/13/2008 - 19:08 by Pam Joyce

Dear Freire Bloggers, Consider International Spherical Achievement Networks! It is my intention through the 911Educators website to stimulate voice from varied sources and alert the international public that immediate ACTION is imperative in order for young people to achieve their full potential. The mission of this site is to engage and merge global input concerning the topic of literacy. Literacy, in the context of 911Educators, encompasses 21st century aspects of reading, writing, speaking, viewing, and listening. It is an all-encompassing approach involving a 3D perspective, self, school and society which introduces the idea of Spherical Learning Environments. The distinctive puzzle piece site logo is representative of the goal, which is to find the pieces that have broken the spirits of young people and take the challenge of reconstructing this massive puzzle. The number, 911, is symbolic of an emergency situation.

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Safety - School Hazard Zone

Posted Mon, 06/02/2008 - 21:02 by Pam Joyce

I am concerned that schools are ill equipped to deal with all emergency situations and as a result the safety of students and staff are at risk.

A team of staff members at my school developed an emergency plan following the Columbine High School tragedy. The plan is to be used in the event of imminent danger such as a bomb threat, if the school is under attack, or if an armed perpetrator is in the interior or exterior of the building. It is a reactionary plan. It focuses solely on events that happen after an incident occurs within a specific radius of the school building.

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Creating Spherical Learning Environments

Posted Mon, 04/28/2008 - 10:25 by Pam Joyce

If one considers education as an act of learning that occurs minute by minute on a daily basis, then it can be said that everything in the universe that surrounds us is located in a learning space. In addition, when people learn from others, from textbooks, from nature, or from catastrophic events these collective varied experiences make education an on-going event within the universe. Taking continuous learning into consideration, it is my belief that learning is experienced in all facets of life and that there are multiple aspects of education that constantly nurture the core of the changing global society. Under this umbrella, education is omnipresent and consequently available to all in different ways through a myriad of evolving experiences. The intermingling of these circumstances, within the world of people “of color”, inevitably conjures up duel results, dominant deficit influences as well as occasional affirming influences.

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