A Age-Old Conundrum: Commercialism vs. Christ (Struggling to Focus on The Reason for the Season)

Every year we say we're not going overboard, we're not gonna get everything on their wish list, but what happens...we end up doing just the opposite.  Society, commercialism and even being in a a blended family make the challenges of not competing to give the best gift or please the masses a difficult charge. This year we attempted to keep things simple by telling the children to write down one dream item and 3-5 sensible items.  They complied but it was us; the parents who couldn't stick to their lists.

We still have two that believe in Santa (and are having a great time with Redd the Elf of the Shelf) and two that know they have to 'believe' in the presence of their younger siblings.  Madison, even asked if he could use his own money to buy what he wanted for himself because the dream item (a cell phone) was stricken from the list.  We decided to wrap up our shopping and begin the process of wrapping the gifts.  As we get closer to Christmas we will continue to discuss the true meaning of the holiday season with our kids with the hopes of them being focused on that as they open gifts and spend time with family and friends.  I'll also prepare myself for the not so pleasing reactions that may come as a result of them not getting what they wanted.  This actually happens every year; children walking away from the mountain of wrapping paper and retreating to their rooms to complain about what they didn't get or even worse, to remind us that they wrote down specific things that didn't miraculously appear under the tree. Micah will go full throttle into his lecture about the unfortunate children right here in our midst and how appreciative we all need to be, but some of his talk may fall on deaf ears.  You see, we have done our part to contribute to the sense of entitlement that resonates with many of today's youth and I think the holiday season only exacerbates this.

I chuckled a few weeks ago when Nayada Cowherd posted on Facebook that her son asked what he was getting for Black Friday.

Sure, culture has created some of this but we add fuel to the fire. Micah saw a news report that said we should only give three gifts.  I laughed and walked away and I heard him exclaim "We're taking all this other stuff back."  "Yeah right!" I said under my breath but the question I ponder is why it's so challenging to create a culture that would accept this as a season of reflection and selfless giving to those in need.  Some of us try really had to keep the true meaning alive, but the distractions keep coming.  Case-in-point: I'm sitting in the driveway and on comes a Toys R Us commercial.  "Buy one get one free...50% off all dolls and accessories!"  I'm thinking, I can take the stuff back to Wal-Mart and head to Dover to Toy R Us and get even more stuff.  Luckily enough the huge brace on my leg kept me from wanting to venture out; when it should have been the Holy Spirit that kept me from a day trip to a toy factory. 

As parents I think we do a good job year-round keeping our family grounded spiritually, but I'm not sure why it becomes difficult to keep this same focus from November 26 or so until we ring in the new year. Out of guilt I grab a mitten from every giving tree I come in contact with, I volunteer and bake cookies and treats for those who provide a service for us throughout the year, but what I'm really praying for is the courage to really scale back and one day have a humble Christmas.  Yes, I said courage.  It's a frightening thought to be known as the parents who gave their children nothing for Christmas, but the necessities - -boots, coats, hats and the traditional undergarments. Even worse, is the disconnect that this may create between  us and our children who try as they might won't understand why they didn't get a bunch of stuff like they've grown so accustomed to getting in the past.  For now, I'll have to chalk it up to commercialism, push-over parenting and just plain getting caught up in the frenzy of shopping at Amazon.com and getting free shipping.

My utopia-like holiday would be one with  no bells and whistles, just a wonderful Christmas Eve/Christmas Day with family and friends and few necessary gifts under the tree Oh...and Jesus not American Express or Visa charges on my mind.

I'm Back...and Looking Back.

I can’t believe it's been almost a year since I've posted to my blog.  I remember when I first started Mahogany Mom; I had a vision of blogging bi-weekly (or realistically, monthly) and someday turning my blog posts into book with a dual purpose - - raising scholarship money (as all proceeds would do towards a scholarship fund) and creating a platform for moms, dads, parents, mentors, etc. of all shades to engage in a discourse that empowers and motivates us to take it back to the old school where the village in deed did its part to raise our children and support  families.  Well a dream deferred but for good reasons.  This past year was spent in the academic abyss of tenure submissions and scholarly publishing.  For those of you who share my beloved profession, you know exactly where I've been for the last 10 - 11 months.  Writing and reading journals, calculating and thematizing data for content analysis (I hate quantitative data collection but was forced to embrace the numbers this time around), crying after a myriad of rejection letters and struggling through revisions only to prevail in the end...the very end, or so it seemed. 

After submitting my tenure portfolio earlier this year and waiting almost three months for a decision, I received that ever-important 'confidential' envelop with the embossed school crest!  To God be the glory for enabling me to navigate over 800 pages of documentation and I'm so very thankful for having an old as hell IBM Thinkpad laptop which is the only device in my tech-savvy home which has PDF merging software that works. 

 

In between teaching, managing my busy household, pageant mentoring, girl scouts and sports and a few Applebee's nights with the fabulous MOT Moms, I managed to write two training workbooks for a community college and an athletic department, I published articles in three journal and joined the ranks of many of my colleagues by publishing my first research textbook "Empirical Communication Research:  Letting the Data Speak for Themselves".

I really had no time to write, although there were moments in which I truly needed to purge, I stayed focused on the career journey for most of the year.  That’s often one of the biggest challenges for moms; finding that balance between career/self and others.  This year, I didn’t dive head in and take over science projects, I didn’t make last minute shadowboxes or storyboards or write essays for homework assignments that were forgotten. I relinquished the ironing of school clothes for the older boys to them (and yep, there were days when they went to school looking as wrinkled as an old piece of aluminum foil, but they were clean), and I threw a pizza in the oven a few times and didn’t care if there wasn’t a vegetable in site.  I couldn’t and refused to try and do it all.  My brain literally hurt and to make the journey even more challenging…yep you guessed it, my flash drive with EVERYTHING crashed.  After downloading a bunch of retrieval programs (which I think have infested my computer) I prevailed. 

I taught all summer, which is something I rarely do and we spent our weekends at the beach instead of our usual big family vacation.  As each day of summer faded; as the sun gently set over the rolling hills of the 11^th hole behind our house, I can honestly say this was one of the best years of my life.   

By the time August arrived, I was anxious to start a new academic year, but I also wanted to get back to my word therapy. There’s never a true break for those who have a vision, but this year, I can step away from the scholarly world and return to a part of my life that I truly enjoy. 

I appreciate those in my life who offer unwavering support, those who offered patience and kindness and even those folks who were realists and reminded me to incorporate a bit of fun. I hope that you will rejoin me on this journey because this Mahogany Mom still has a lot to share! 

Funding Cuts…No Fun for Students

I submitted this article to an online publishing site however it was rejected because it was 'academically' heavy but I believe it is worth posting.  For those of you living in Delaware, remember this as the vote for the State referendum approaches in February!


How Budget Cuts in Education Impact Students

It is not unheard of for school systems to face budget cuts, but what often happens is that cuts are made and very little is done to reestablish priorities for school with limited financial resources.  At the primary and secondary school levels, budget cuts mean fewer teachers, reliance on dated textbooks, cutbacks on extracurricular programs, and larger class sizes. At the collegiate level, budget cuts mean that students end up paying more for less and campuses find themselves stretching their resources in ways that they might not recover from.

Slashing educational funding in the U.S. has far-reaching implications for everyone.  Let’s look specifically at the primary and secondary school levels. In February of 2012, it was reported that 120 school districts had moved to a four-day school week while others were forced to cancel field trips or charge students to play sports. In Keller, Texas, the school systems opted to charge students for bus transportation rather than cut busing all together and in numerous states, programs like drama and art are dwindling because of limited resources.

In a 2011 interview Steve Ellis, principal of Fike High School in Wilson, North Carolina said that many teachers find themselves using the funds they do have in unique ways.  For example they do not have textbook money anymore, so they make workbooks. Teachers often spend their own money to furnish classrooms or provide students with needed supplies.  In many school districts, parents also subsidize the classrooms by providing everything from tissues, cleaning supplies, and snack stipends. Even with federal stimulus dollars, which fizzled out and the end of the 2011 fiscal year, school systems still struggle to find a balance and fill the gaps.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 26 states will spend less per pupil in 2013 than in 2012 and even though several states increased funding in 2012 it was not enough to restore the cutbacks that were a direct result of the recession in 2007.[1]  Hundreds of educators have lost their jobs and vital student services which benefit low-income communities have been terminated.  This ultimately widens the achievement gap even more.

In October, 2011, 1,850 students responded to a survey (http://www.layouth.com/wp-content/uploads/Jan12_Budget_Survey_results.pdf) in which they were asked about how budgeted cuts have impacted their schools. Sixty-seven percent of the students reported that overcrowded classrooms made them feel as if their teachers did not have enough time to teach and another 57% stated that they had to copy information from overheads because there was not enough paper to make copies of a lesson for everyone in class, while 52% reported that there were not enough working computers in labs.  An overwhelming 97% of the respondents said that they were planning on attending college, which ironically may placed them in an environment where financially strapped colleges and universities increase student fees and raise tuition to cover operating costs. Let’s turn our attention to higher education.  

Maintaining educational quality and access for students from diverse backgrounds remains a priority on campuses across the nation, but as states continue to reduce funds, colleges and universities will be forced to raise fees, making it more difficult for students from lower-income backgrounds to afford a college education.  Those students from high-income backgrounds may opt to attend a private school which has a direct impact on public higher education.  Much of the education funding is discretionary – meaning it is not mandatory and does not have to be funded.  Other financial aid programs are being cut as well, which makes it difficult for any student across the board to see the light of day in terms of any financial relief.  To make matters worse, those programs that remain have increase or revised eligibility requirements making it harder for students to qualify for these loans. 

Budget cuts affect public higher education in all areas, not just student access and affordability. Campuses are surviving by using reserve funding but this too will vanish as an option. At the higher education level, if the government does not stop budget cuts future implications include but are not limited to, a decline in the quality of education, increased student debt, more time to complete a degree program, and diminished access for veterans, students with disabilities and people from groups historically underrepresented in higher education.[2]

Overall, the education system in the United States is being crippled because of fiscal challenges. In terms of educational reform, research suggests that teacher quality is the most important school-based determinant of student success.  However, with current budget cuts, it is difficult to recruit the best and the brightest teachers, making it more challenging to prepare students for the future.  While the White House continues to make education a priority to keep America moving forward, cuts in significant building block programs (e.g. head start and the arts) and funding for college students makes the prospect of educational excellence in this country bleak.    

Earlier this year, the National Education Association (NEA) called on educators and friends of public educators to take the “kids Not Cuts” pledge (http://educationvotes.nea.org/KidsNotCuts) – a promise to speak up for American’s kids and working families, and to make sure Congress makes the right choices.  Across the board cuts scheduled to go into effect on January 2, 2013 would cut billions from education.  The NEA recognizes that these budget cuts impact real people and are often hard to bounce back from but their focus is on working to preserve the educational system and fight for a balanced approach to budget reductions without cutting more in education.

 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

http://www.layouth.com/wp-content/uploads/Jan12_Budget_Survey_results.pdf

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[1] Education funding drops in more than half of states. (2012, September 09). Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/05/education-funding-drops-i_n_1855826.html

[2] Newell, M. (2009) Higher Education Budget Cuts: How are they Affecting Students?

http://www.cpec.ca.gov/completereports/2009reports/09-27.pdf

 

A Mark in History

As Dr. Louden began his commencement address at the first winter graduation ceremony on the campus of Delaware State University we were all reminded of the fact that the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut makes moments like this more precious and important than ever. He said that those children will never see this day. They will never see a school dance, a prom or a wedding. He talked about the fact that we live in a world of crisis and that the longer we live the greater chance we have for our hearts to be hardened by some of the cruelties of this world but he also noted that we should be inspired to keep going, keep hoping, keep working to improve the quality of life for all Gods children.  We live in a troubling time but because of faith, we are given opportunities to test that faith and perserve.

As I looked around Memorial Hall I saw faced of proud students, parents, family and friends but I couldn't help think about the events of the previous day. My hope is that this moment truly sinks in for each of the candidates and that they realize the true measure of  their worth before its too late. None if us know what is waiting around the corner or down the road. We don't know what challenges lie ahead but we do know that we must seize every precious moment and make the best each opportunity before us.

We live in a world where pain and anguish cripple the soul. As we move forward in the coming days protect that very soul.  Be prayerful, be humble, be tenacious and be grateful for the life He has to offer.

God Bless.

Is Thanksgiving Going Away

I cooked the turkey, mashed the potatoes, dressed the dressing, merged every table in the house to make one long beautiful setting for the feast and shared my day with family and friends, and when it was all over, hubby and I (like millions of others) took to the streets in search of hot items on what's now called 'Gray Thursday'.

I don't know who coined the term, but maybe it's gray for a reason. Gray is the color of sorrow but in some cultures it symbolizes responsibility and conservative practicality. Whichever meaning you choose it could be applicable to this blog.

After returning from a victorious Gray Thursday/Black Friday spree I watched the news the next morning and kind of got a kick out of looking at live shots of people still in the hustle and bustle of it all. I even gave Micah a high five, because as usual, the hot items that we wanted to get seemed only to be hot to us (there was no mad dash to buy the things that were on our list so we were in and out of our two friendly retailers within minutes). However, what made my victory dance turn into a moment of bewilderment was the fact that I heard one financial analysts say that the success of Gray Thursday may mean the end of Thanksgiving as we know it.

Is that possible? Could a holiday be obliterated because of a three pot crock pot, a pre-paid cell phone or cheap bath towels? Have we come to the point in our lives where all we can think about at this time of the year are bargains? Maybe. For some of us (and one shopper said it best during his interview) "We have to save a few pennies" but for others it's the sheer enjoyment of the madness and a time to stock up for self. NBC 10's anchor Tim Furlong interviewed a few young ladies who had bags of loot from a famous lingerie store and when he asked if they had gotten gift bargains, they all said "No! We got stuff for ourselves!"

I admit I got caught up in the frenzy, even though our holiday shopping was completed in October but to do away with Thanksgiving? Not hardly. Even I need a reminder of what Thanksgiving really means.

Come with me for a moment while I put on my teacher hat. If we interpret the meaning of the word thanksgiving based on its cultural definition we tend to embrace the dictionary definition and apply it to the holiday. Merriam Webster defines thanksgiving as the act of giving thanks; grateful acknowledgment of benefits or favor. If we look at the Biblical meaning of the word it is revealed that thanksgiving is not an extemporaneous or spontaneous expression of thanks for a good deed, but it has to do with our spiritual attitude toward life. It has nothing to do with outward expressions but an introspective look at ourselves. In other words we live a life of thanksgiving and it becomes a daily expression of His life. From a spiritual perspective (and not everyone is a believer but follow me), I believe that God wants us to be thankful in all things and to rejoice in both the pain and sorrow of our life. Thanksgiving isn't a question of whether we are going to give thanks or not, but a question of what spirit we will allow to rule us (Netbiblestudy.com, 2012).

Now maybe that's a bit much and I'm stealing your holiday shopping joy, but I think you can agree with me and Netbiblestudy.com. Think back to October, July, March and even February of this year? How many times did you give thanks? How many times we you reminded of how blessed you were? Was there a turkey on the table? Were you camped out in a parking lot waiting for doors to open at your favorite retailer? Probably not. So in actuality, we've probably all live a spiritually thankful life but for some reason, that balance is taken away because of the official start to the holiday shopping season.

The major retailers probably won't read this blog from a mom in Delaware and change their marketing habits for the 2013 holiday season, but we can all be more introspective and give ourselves that little pinch before we get swept away in the hoopla that will probably continue to begin on Thanksgiving Thursday at 8:00 p.m. when those doors open to priceless bargains.

 

Have a wonderful holiday season!!!

 

100%

Is being Black and Articulate an Anomaly?

I listened to a short interview with actor Keith Powell (cast member on NBC’s “30 Rock”) and was immediately able to connect with some of what he had to say, especially his comments about sounding ‘black enough’.  I can recall the first time that it was brought to my attention that I was articulate.  I actually went to interview for a job and when I arrived I was greeted with “Wow! I thought you were white!  You were so articulate over the phone.”  At the time, I was young and didn’t take offense to it.  In fact, I took pride in the statement and relished in the fact that I had worked so hard not necessarily to ‘sound white’ but to sound professional as a new entrant into the job market.

Oddly enough, prior to that, the issue of being black, smart, and articulate wasn’t one.  I wasn’t called a sell out or told that I sounded/acted white because I was grouped in with the smart kids.  Again; no real problem for me because I was smart.  I got good grades and took school seriously.  It wasn’t until I got to college that people (probably the group of students in search of their black identity at a traditionally white school) questioned the commitment to the black race by those who didn’t necessarily associate with all of the cultural norms of the black community; including embracing what was called Ebonics.

As I ventured into the academic environment, I began to study something called code-switching, which I believe many African Americans whose lives are intrinsically woven between their cultural roots and a rich and demanding professional life become experts in.  Code-switching is defined as the practice of selecting or altering linguistic elements so as to contextualize talk in interaction. This contextualization may relate to local discourse practices, such as turn selection or various forms of bracketing, or it may make relevant information beyond the current exchange, including knowledge of society and diverse identities.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid took heat for making the statement (2010) that President Obama lacked ‘negro dialect’ and the comment shined light on the practice of code-switching, when one alters his or her communication style to closer identify with the audience or setting he/she is in at a given moment.  While some were shocked at the comment and thought it to be racists, for many African Americans, such choices about how to talk and present yourself are normal. 

Somewhere between high school and college and the first job interview many of us find that sounding proper, educated, and capable is a necessity…not sounding white.  It doesn’t mean that you’ve surrendered your “black card” or (any other race card for that matter) it just means that you’ve been blessed with the understanding that the way you joke around, fraternize and talk with your peers may not be appropriate for the boardroom or any other professional environment.  The downside is that unfortunately if you employ dialect or vernacular associated with urban culture there is also the assumption that you are uneducated, incapable, and more ignorant than most. 

Historically African Americans have lived in two worlds and have learned to navigate them, simply by code-switching.  Some may even view the ability to shift linguistic styles as a survival skill that blacks use to counter stereotypes and discrimination in a historically dominated white male society.

As an educator, I am an advocate from presenting your best professional self.  I want students to do this through every form of communication in which they engage.  Whether it is a simple Tweet, Facebook post, a question asked or answered in class or a simple conversation during office hours.  Get into the practice of using correct English and grammar.  Learn how to carry on a conversation with substance and style and know when to deploy tactics such as code-switching. Like Powell said in his interview, it’s time that we move forward and change the dialogue about how we actually dialogue.

 

See the complete interview at:

http://www.aol.com/video/youve-got-keith-powell/517533523/

Once Again Education Takes a Hit

This entry has a serious tone, but it’s important for me to share these thoughts.  As a parent and educator, I believe we have to fight even harder to protect our children’s right to a free and quality-filled education.  I hope you read on.

 

We recently received a letter from the Appoquinimink School District here in Delaware apprising parents of the fact that the school districts across Delaware had be faced with a growing number of state and federal funding cuts since 2008 and that while enrollment has increased 16.7%, the discretionary state funding per pupil has decreased by 10%.  Yesterday (October 22, 2012) I received an email from a colleague informing us of that fact that as a result of a decision to cut educational funding by more than 10 million dollars, programs like TRIO have been ‘defunded’ which means our esteemed McNair Scholars Program will no longer exist on the campus.

 

Blah, blah, blah!  So what does all of this really mean?  At the public school level, it means that our children may not have the resources they need to learn and those current operations and programs will soon be unmanageable because of financial constraints.  The excellence in education that we desire may be at risk.  This isn’t just a problem for the state of Delaware.  The financial security of our school systems is challenged everywhere.  Of course one solution to this problem is to increase taxes or address old referendums which did not require states to raise taxes.  Other states look to lotteries and gambling to provide supplemental funding for educational purposes, but until the federal government stops making education a top cutting block item we will always be faced with these challenges.

 

At the university level, the elimination of funding for programs like TRIO means that a wide range of services for student who need assistance will go away.   Programs like the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program (a grant program that was designed to prepare students for master’s level and doctoral studies through intensive research) will no longer be in place to help participants that are usually selected from a pool of candidates who come from disadvantaged backgrounds but have demonstrated strong academic potential.

Another strength of the McNair program is that it also provides additional activities like education or counseling services designed to improve financial and economic literacy of students; mentoring programs involving faculty members at institutions of higher education and exposure to cultural events and academic programs not usually available to disadvantaged students.

We can’t just blog about it…we have to be about it!  I’m going to the Referendum Information meeting in my school district.  I want to have a clear understanding of the issues and I want to be a part of the solution.  Like many of you, when we moved to Delaware one of the things we looked at besides location was the quality of the school districts we had to chose from.  I want to make sure that all of my children as well as my college students have access to the best education, faculty, mentors and opportunities possible. 

As Election Day hits the two week mark, I have to say that I don’t just want and economic-fixer upper in the White House.  I want a strong proponent of education at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for the next four years.  How can you say that you want this country to produce its own engineers, scientists, mathematician, educators, doctors, lawyers, etc. when the funding doesn’t correlate?  The Commander in Chief has to stop cutting funding for education.  I’m sure that Sidwell Friends hasn’t seen a budget cut in years!  Why should my kids school!