Nia brought home an intriguing assignment weeks after becoming a second grader. A note from her homeroom teacher came attached with a worksheet and detailed a lesson using Kevin Henkes’ book, “Chrysanthemum.” The lesson was intended to help learn classmates’ names while also demonstrating the harm of teasing: “In ‘Chrysanthemum,’ a little mouse is given… Continue reading Consequences & Repercussions: The Societal Significance of Chosen Names
Category: Raising Families
Sex As A Weapon: ‘Blameless’ Boys, ‘Guilty’ Girls & One Misguided Mom
Last week, Darius turned in his first assignment for World History class, a project requiring him to assemble top news stories from the year he was born. In newspaper format, my son listed 1997’s hottest film (“Titanic”), the price of gas ($1.22 a gallon!) and the fact that William Jefferson Clinton took his second oath… Continue reading Sex As A Weapon: ‘Blameless’ Boys, ‘Guilty’ Girls & One Misguided Mom
Sugar, Spice & Navigating” Nice”: Raising Well-Balanced Girls
Every year, our oldest daughter Nia prepares weeks in advance for the first day of school. The backpack jammed full of notebooks and school supplies waits by the door, her new outfit is assembled nearby and she’s eager to meet her new teacher, familiar classmates and the challenges of a higher grade. Aside from the… Continue reading Sugar, Spice & Navigating” Nice”: Raising Well-Balanced Girls
Action, Not Avoidance: Keeping Kids Away From Bullies And Bullying
Back in February, I expounded on discovering that my then first-grader, Nia, was being bullied by a transfer student I referred to as “Eric.” After discovering that his misbehavior was escalating instead of improving, I had a phone conference with Nia’s homeroom teacher and was advised that the issue would soon be resolved. However, despite… Continue reading Action, Not Avoidance: Keeping Kids Away From Bullies And Bullying
The Zimmerman Verdict: Unfettered Racism, Unequal Justice
Sunday’s weather was overcast and turbulent, the clouds obscuring any presence of brightness and creating an atmosphere weighted with tension and gloom. Normally, I enjoy summer storms. But this time, the tempest overhead was a fitting backdrop underscoring the sadness I felt as an American and a Black parent after jurors found George Zimmerman ‘not… Continue reading The Zimmerman Verdict: Unfettered Racism, Unequal Justice