Guy Benjamin Elementary is Closing; What Now?

Guy Benjamin Elementary is Closing; What Now?

So in many recent reports that I've read the Department of Education is receiving a lot of ‘heat’ from the general public, and members of the St. John community. I completely understand it of course; I mean the situation is one that no one would have hoped for. The students, faculty, and staff at the Guy Benjamin Elementary School along with parents have long voiced their opinions and concerns about lack of support it receives, declining numbers, and more recently an ‘invisible operating budget’. The school closing didn’t really come as a surprise to many since there have been rumors of such all year since the removal of kindergarten and first grades to the Julius Sprauve Elementary School in Cruz Bay. So, exactly what is all the fuss about?

At a meeting held at Guy Benjamin School for parents and students on Monday, Education Commissioner and Superintendent gave the awaiting parents the daunting news they’d feared for so long. While education officials only cited one reason for closing the school, declining students and operating costs, all of the arguments coming from parents and even teachers involved had little to do with the benefit of students. Attendees of the meeting cited how the school has always met the standards of the AYP report, and that residents of Coral Bay would now have to ‘commute’ to Cruz Bay in defense of the children. Other concerns expressed pertained to the area of the school (being around bars) and the amount of funding being saved by closing the school.

Those remarks almost seem selfish to me. In a school that has been operating without a principal or ‘checkbook’ how parents can and teachers alike expect the institution to continue with the same results. And while there were a few in attendance, mostly those affiliated with the school, haven’t heard of any actions taken by the community or the parents of students at Guy Benjamin Elementary to thwart the long awaited decision of closing the school. I did however read reports of education officials urging residents of St. John to consider enrolling their children within Guy Benjamin to hinder the pending decision, but one can only assume it was to no avail since the enrollment ratio for the next school year compared to the last were still very slim    While all students can benefit from a lesser student to teacher ratio, parents and educators should look at the benefits of this merge;

·         With the space at the closing elementary school new, necessary programs like an head start or even a K-12 institution may be implemented (which is well needed on the island)

·         Funds saved by the department can be used to enhance student life on the island itself as well as at the remaining school

·         Education official spoke of transportation for students of Coral Bay to the Julius Sprauve school in Cruz Bay under the supervision of teachers/aids; that is much more than most, if not all of our students within this territory (At least in my own experience it is mainly/solely the bus driver) and abroad.

Anyone can appreciate that change can sometimes be challenging, especially for children so young, but as adults (teachers and parents) should consider working on making the transition easier for all involved and encouraging already discouraged students to look on the bright side of things, after all the children are the ones who are really being affected the most aren’t they?

For further readings on the U.S Virgin Islands on topics of education and our children please read “Alternatives to Suspensions and Expulsions”, “Families Matter for the Achievement and Development of Goals”; and “ So Carnival Warrants Closing School Now!?”

This blog post is the opinions of Ms. Child Advocate and does not reflect on the institution’s she is employed for nor is those she affiliated with through volunteer work or otherwise. For more opinions from us please visit our blog page usviearlychildhoodlearning.blogspot.com or email us at usvi.childhood.learning@gmail.com  and like us on Facebook or follow Ms. Child Advocate on Twitter.

A True Leading Revolutionary; Malcolm X Day

A True Leading Revolutionary; Malcolm X

As a child growing up in the Virgin Islands, I was taught to have a lot of pride; self-pride, female pride, island pride, and most of all black pride. I grew up with a slew of books in my room (house) all dedicated to educational aspects, inspirational leaders, and leading innovators around the world. One the walls in our living room hung only one family portrait, the rest where pictures of leaders who have paved our way with their life’s work and their lives; Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, and Malcolm X. As an adult now, I’ve held the same ideals near and become overly excited to convey all that I’ve learned to others. I also have pictures of my favorite inspirational revolutionaries on my walls at home and while some of the faces have changed, the theme is still the same.

“A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything”- Malcolm X

Many of the children of the Virgin Islands are also raised with similar values, norms, and ideals. It’s displayed in the way that they choose to promote culture through music, hair and clothing trends and even traditional events like Carnival. But there should be more to our culture than those things, there is much more we are responsible for with regards to preparing our children for their futures. Our ideals have been distorted to fit the views of a few ignorant minds. Norms and values are being discarded for attention and popularity. If we cannot teach our children what they do today affects everyone’s tomorrow how can they be expected to grow, participate and strive to make a better community/society for them as we once did.

“Stumbling is not falling”- Malcolm X

Malcom X is a great example to lead the young men in our society. He was a black man, who wasn’t afraid or ashamed to admit when he was wrong. He continued to strive for education and for the betterment of the human race despite what others said of him. He is a role model and the epitome of what many of our youths strive to be, a conscious member of their society.

“Without education you’re not going anywhere in this world”- Malcolm X

Throughout this post I’ve included some of my favorite quotes from Malcolm X, as I have shared with you please share with others, we’ll never know who these words may resonate with most.  

“Do not be in a hurry to condemn because he doesn’t so what you do or think as you think or as fast. There was a time when you didn’t know what you know today”
“A race of people is like and individual man; until it uses its own talent, takes pride in its own history expresses its own culture, affirms its own selfhood, it can never fulfill itself”
“I am not a racist. I am against every from of racism and segregation, every form of discrimination. I believe in human beings, and that all human beings such be respected as such, regardless of their color”

Thank God Your Not My Mom II: Who Leaves An Infant In The Car To Shop?

 Thank God Your Not My Mom II: Who Leaves An Infant In The Car To Shop?

     Alright everyone, I guess it's about that time that many readers won't agree with my sentiments, but I ask you to keep in mind that I don't agree with the sentiments of the author of this blog post either! Neither the women commenting on the post acknowledging their own past transgressions. NO One is perfect, but does that mean that we shouldn't strive for excellence still? Does that mean we should not do better when we know better because we don't have to? Because it's expected of us? I think not! It isn't expected of me, any member of my family, nor will I expect it from my children, because we need not to make mediocrity a norm although in many ways we already have.

       So a mother in New Zealand found probable cause to leave her infant in her car while she went out shopping, or so the note that she left on the apparent baby girl read, along with a number saying to please call mum if I need anything. Now while there are many situations in which many people leave their children in the car I don't think that leaving an defenseless infant in the car that could easily be broken in to or worse damaged and both of them or any of the above could be fatal. In such cases we tend to blame negligence on others instead of placing the blame where it should be, on the person themselves. A child that doesn't know how to talk, move or even scream is literally defenseless against perpetrators and incidents of all kinds. Anything can happen at a moments notice and those of us that like to stay informed are usually aware of how fast things can go sour or even how the most senseless things tend to occur to those who least deserve such treatment. Had there been a car accident where someone or thing had collided with her car while that precious baby was on board whose fault would it be? Where could one place the blame accurately? And suppose you were the other driver? How would you feel to know that you may have injured an infant, trying to save a cat in the street or swerving to avoid hitting another pedestrian or a group of people. They could be children crossing the street, or the elderly, suppose your decision to damage a parked car only lead to the destruction of a life that you were completely unaware was present. Would you blame yourself, or the mother that needed to shop hassle free (as so many mothers consider a blessing including me, but never left my infant to do it)?

       Last but certainly not least is the common fact that her baby could have been abducted. Now I don't know if that sort of thing doesn't regularly occur in New Zealand so parents aren't weary enough to take precautions, if such is the case then her ignorance is understandable to a certain extent, but other wise it just seems irresponsible at best. While sifting through the comments I noticed there where quite a few people that agreed with her actions and others that stated through their own personal accounts how far they supported the actions of the mother in case whether to a mediocre extent or all the way. In the accounts of parents that have left their children in the car to return the shopping cart, carry groceries (loading/unloading), or even dropping off one sibling while the other waits in the car, these are all situations everyone can empathize with and I'm sure most if not all would agree these instances aren't worth mentioning. But as it pertains to the situation itself I don't understand how anyone would think that it is OK to leave an infant in the car while they went shopping. Minors aged nine through eleven are targeted for such crimes and are unable to help themselves in most cases so how can anyone agree with such foolish tactics as an excuse for parenting. I noticed that many seem to think that I may be on a 'high horse' for acknowledging such foolishness, but I simply say this to those nay sayers most parents strive to give their children better than they've received so if your parents left you unattended regularly and nothing traumatic happened, kudos to you and yours but that doesn't mean you should settle. My mother didn't practice such parenting, as her mother taught her for those of us that are continuing trends and cycles that we went through although you know it isn't really right. I urge you to stop the cycle and kill the trend that has many of us facilitating the demise of our future; our children. Think about the mothers that thought it's OK to drink and smoke while pregnant because their mothers did it and had still births or now have babies with birth defects, or the fathers that figured they didn't need to be their for his children so his son repeated his 'sad song' and the daughter sang a tune of her own being left to raise a child alone. It doesn't only stop at leaving children unattended to go shopping it stops when we put our children before ourselves.

S. Lewis. (2013). I leave my baby alone in the car. Retrieved February 5, 2014 from http://blogs.babycenter.com/mom_stories/03262013-i-leave-my-baby-alone-in-the-car/

The Assessment and Placement of E.L.L students in the U.S Virgin Islands

Assessment and Placement of ELL’s In the U.S Virgin Islands

     ‘I once was blind, but now I see’ a quote I've heard within the forms of theater and music, but one that hadn't applied to me until this course began. As I previously noted within my blog post reflection I was one of the people within our society that stigmatized those of different nationalities (particularly Santo Domingo’s) wondering how is it possible to be born in an English speaking country and attend native English institutions without ever understanding English. I am now ashamed of my ignorant thoughts; I can’t believe that I had let such things blind me from the real issues and truths; it was the fault of our own governments and educational institutions. The only reason they are unable to comprehend and understand English fluently was because they were never accurately taught how to do so. Because of standardized testing and the high demand for better results from schools, many things fall through the cracks and bilingual programs have been a constant variable in the equation. It is my intent to illustrate the purposes and challenges met by teachers when assessing and placing students within bilingual programs and offer some solutions that may help to make the identification and transition smoother.
     
       Assessments, formative and summative, are pertinent in the placement of English Language Learner’s to ensure progression. Formative assessments ensure the appropriate selection of instructional strategies, while summative assessments are basically used as a test to ‘rate’ or ‘scale’ a student’s progression. Teachers depend on this performance based assessments to be able to assess a student’s understanding of skills and to determine initial placement within classrooms. Through visual observation as well as portfolios that illustrate the student’s progress teachers monitor student’s language acquisition/ proficiency. Student’s progression rates will vary due to environmental factors and social interaction through language, formally known as BICS (basic interpersonal communication skills).

       The most complex part of assessing a student for placement is using the results of said testing to create instruction. The report teachers receive, report of students overall level of acquisition, is most useful in this aspect. The scores for each domain are listed which makes it easier for teachers to plan instruction to best fit the needs of their students. This sheet should be upgraded by all staff members involved with the students learning so that all teachers are aware of progressions and can make the appropriate changes to meet those students needs academically to help them further progress. Teachers are expected to create differentiated assessments for students, and it is more than understandable for none of us are the same or two of a kind, but it is also a tedious job for an educator with students from different levels and nationalities within their care. Working with others (colleagues, conferring with parents) can prove to be rewarding for both teachers and students.
All teachers working alongside one another, ESL and mainstream, to create the assessments needed for incoming or returning students annually would elevate a lot of the stress involved within making those assessments. Creating assessments annually even though testing is done quarterly saves a lot of time, as well as having a team of teachers all specializing in different aspects contributing to the creation; it all equals a recipe for success. Through this strategy teachers are afforded more time for instruction, individualized or otherwise. Teachers are also giving better rounded assessments so in return the information received on their students is vast and accurate, giving them the ammunition needed to fuel their progression onto a pathway of success. Through this solution teachers are afforded an opportunity to help each other help the students, as well as themselves.

        Other ideas that help in developing differentiated assessments include familiarizing yourself with the state’s English language proficiency standards for your grade level, and only plan tasks for the levels of the students in your class. Keep all assessment tasks as simple as possible, while noting that students at level five or nearing there should be conducting tasks similar to that of natives. I also personally think that it would be effective for all school to utilize a supplemental grading report which reflects the progress make in each of the four domains; listening, speaking, reading, and writing. This is not something that I am aware of in our school within the territory but I think that it would be quite effective for students and parents would be able to identify target areas and work on them outside of the classroom to help reinforce skills learned.  Engaging a student is the best way to ensure participation and progression, by involving the community and the families within a student’s academic endeavors students are given three times the amount of support than they can ever receive in the classroom, as well as instruction from those who identify with them the most and those who know who they learn the best.

 References

Baralis, C. L. (2009). The long-term effects of a K-5 dual language program on middle school student academic achievement and biculturalism. (3405271, Hofstra University). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, , 242-n/a. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/231001355?accountid=32521.

Holloway, L. (2000, Oct 04). A challenge to bilingual programs in teaching English. New York Times. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/431580464?accountid=32521
Brian, A. G., & Fabiano, L. (2007). Assessment and intervention for bilingual children with phonological disorders. ASHA Leader, 12(2), 6-7,26-27,31. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/218087462?accountid=32521

Syrja, Rachel Carrillo. How to Reach and Teach English Language Learners: Practical Strategies to Ensure Success. John Wiley & Sons P&T, 08/2011. <Vbk: 9781118397077#page (35)>.

A Tarnished Trophy; Progress

A Tarnished Trophy; Progress

On November 5, earlier this month the governor extended congratulations to two teachers within our territory Shabre Providence and Diana Tyson as District Teachers of the Year and to Ms. Providence who has been selected as the State Teacher of the Year. I too would like to personally graduate both women on displaying exemplary excellence in a time where their professions are considered stagnant (if recognized appropriately at all). Their dedication towards their profession and the children that they help to progress should be used as an example for all, but it is not. We do still have teachers and professionals within educational institutions that aren’t worthy of their positions or titles, and because of such children are suffering. During the past week I’ve heard of two accounts, one through public news/resources and the other a first hand account, of which undermine the norms and values that most teachers/ educational professionals work so hard to uphold.

One of my readers expressed to me earlier this week a problem that they noticed with their daughter who is two years of age. They had recently enrolled her in a preschool program from a daycare facility closer to home and was beginning to notice some changes. Their daughter seems to be having a lot of loud outbursts of hostility where she would scream and yell ‘NO’ repeatedly while threatening to hit or pointing her finger. The parent first assumed that something may be taking place at school that shouldn’t, and upon her visit for an investigation, she realized that the teachers yell harshly at the students. Children are very impressionable, unfortunately I was familiar with the preschool and could affirm their beliefs with my own knowledge. It is actually a common practice to use only one ‘tone’ when parents are present regardless of which child it may be, for it is suspected that parents would assume that it is truly their nature and practice with the kids. In such a case one has one of two options, enroll with another program or request that teachers utilize a ‘different technique’ with regards to verbal discipline, neither of which is necessarily going to be a pleasant experience. It was my suggestion to bring it to their attention at the next PTA meeting or at the end of the quarter when the children's progressions are assessed with parents. While it may seem as though the matter is being ‘pushed aside’, in truth it is not, by making note of such practices it makes the argument stronger for the necessary points to be considered for the best interest of the students.

On Saturday, November 9, 2013, The Virgin Islands Daily News detailed an account of a 15 year old student on the island of St. Croix where he alleged that he was choked unconscious, by a school monitor, causing him to fall down several flights of stairs and sustain several injuries. Injuries reported includes a laceration to his face that required 17 stitches and a busted lip. This student was reportedly treated by EMT’s and regained consciousness, but as of then no VIDE official nor school officials followed up with the family of the minor who went to the emergency room for treatment and stayed at home the following day to recover from the injuries he sustained that Thursday. Such actions undermine all the hard work that teachers and educational officials alike strives to maintain and progress. With our schools lacking teachers, much needed equipment and repairs, and new programs such negative actions from one member tarnishes an already rusted trophy. As Virgin Islanders we need to strive for a better USVI for all and our children, for if not we will be looking to a future of uneducated aggressors that can only cause our stagnant community to decline at a much more rapid pace.

http://virginislandsdailynews.com/news/woman-says-monitor-at-alternative-education-s     chool-on-st-croix-choked-student-till-he-was-unconscious-1.1582772

http://stthomassource.com/content/news/local-government/2013/11/05/fyi-dejongh-congratulates-state-teacher-year-and-district-t

www.usviearlychildhoodlearning.blogspot.com