Classroom Conversations with LaShona Dickerson

It takes a village to .... "raise a child."  Let me add to that statement, "and educate a child." The days of sending your child to school to be returned to you with the knowledge and skills to become successful adults are long gone. Learning does not occur only during the hours of 7:45 and 3:30. It is continuous. Therefore, the village has to be prepared and committed to invest in the wonderful human resources we are so privileged encounter. Learning is continuous and there are so many aspects we have to develop. Children require emotional, social, intellectual, and kinesthetic stimulation and development. Which means, we have to build their knowledge about subject matters, teach them how to behave and interact with others, and how to be mobile beings. Who is the "Village?" The village is the parents, teachers, administrators, custodians, bus drivers, extended family, business owners, and community members. No individual teacher can prepare students ...

Whatever happened to getting to know people? It seems like we are so caught up in shoving knowledge down students' brains that we forget one of the most important essentials to learning, RELATIONSHIPS. Has education system labels become a detriment to the very reason we are in education? Let's get BACK TO THE BASICS . Most schools have been in session for a week or more now, but it's never too late to make things right with students, to show them that you care, or that their state of being is most important in your classroom, school, program, or home. Be genuine, they know if you are not. Handle their minds, hearts, and spirits with great care (the whole child). A little theory... Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs  Every teacher is exposed to this in their teaching programs. Simply stated, these needs must be satisfied (starting from the base) for an individual to be receptive to any content (school content or work skill).  Once the basic needs are fulfilled the others ...