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Prophetic Words From the Ancestors Message #8

Learning to Step into Our Legacy

Learning to Step into Our Legacy

Walk together, children, don’t get weary,

Walk together, children, don’t get weary,

Walk together, children, don’t get weary,

There’s a great camp meeting in the promised land.

Pray together, children, don’t you to get weary,

Pray together, children, don’t you to get weary,

Pray together, children, don’t you to get weary,

There’s a great camp meeting in the promised land.

Work together, children, don’t you to get weary,

Work together, children, don’t you to get weary,

Work together, children, don’t you to get weary,

There’s a great camp meeting in the promised land.

Sing together, children, don’t you to get weary,

Sing together, children, don’t you to get weary,

Sing together, children, don’t you to get weary,

There’s a great camp meeting in the promised land.

Listen UP people!  WE are supposed to have prepared “The Promised Land” for our children and the ancestors are angry!  We know better and we need to do better or else-

We have “done those things that we should not have done, and left undone the things that we should have done”!  Simply, we have screwed up this world that our most precious and divine beings-children- have to try to not thrive in but survive in.  This is not what a child’s life should be like, and from thousands of years of evolution we should not be in this condition if we were vibrating at the spiritual level that by now, we should be.  What in the world is wrong with us.  Drugs, homelessness, dysfunctional families, miseducation systems designed to promote low self-esteem and illiteracy, hunger, constant threat of diseases because some governments-ie. now the United States, is stifling and dismantling research to try to heal them, and in this country the United States-the land of the free and the home of the brave, we have forfeited the sanctity and care of our children to succumb to the paralyzing demented agenda of the rich and power hungry soulless beings that are engaged in an attempt to rule the world.  This is not working, and we are not going to allow this vile agenda to destroy this planet, and any sound just form of government that is our children’s birthright and inheritance.  We need governments in place that are founded on the principles of justice, inclusion, diversity, ethics, compassion, and are established to serve the needs of its citizens. The forefathers of the United States struggled to provide a system of government that put in place safeguards that would prevent any kind of dictatorship or reign of any kingdom power.

All of the elements that are plaguing world and hence, impacting our children have got to be addressed, but the destructive behavior that is disturbing me the most at this time is the acknowledgement that there are more than 21+ wars going on simultaneously on this planet!  As of 2024 there are an estimated 473 million children -which is about one in five globally, that are living in areas affected by conflict.  We are in a crisis to bring to the world’s attention and to find tangible ways to protect and support “OUR” children.  There is absolutely no excuse for our lack of support and concern for the plight of our children. We are being called by the ancestors to take up the badge of courage and determination and Speake Up! Stand Up! And Show Up! for the children of the world.  There is no such thing as your children and my children, there is only “OUR CHILDREN”. So, get busy people!!!!!  It I time to “Walk side by side with our children”.  It is time to “Pray together with our children”.  It is time to “Work on behalf of our children”!  If we don’t care for them in the way they deserve, we will never be entitled to “Sing songs of joy, peace, compassion, and more importantly, actions that justify us singing songs of love to them and for them! 

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Tiny Tips for Moms and Dads- Ingredient #7

Children are the greatest gift to humanity.

Tiny Tips for Moms and Dads- Ingredient #7

What does it take and whom must you be to serve children as their teacher?

You must be patient.

They say, whoever they are, that patience is a virtue.  I know as a teacher and a mother, that being patient is a necessary element that we must develop in our character.  I confess that it is an everyday skill set that we as in our human nature, struggle to be consistent with on a daily basis and from one situation to the next.  I believe that in terms of the character assets that we need to approach the world with, patience is one of those acquired assets that can make life more doable and enjoyable.  Patience sets the tone of how the world will respond to us.  It can be quite a challenge to be patient with adults because our expectations for their behavior and attitude is that because they have life experiences under their belt and an archive of lessons from which they should have learned and evolved, that adults would operate from a space of wisdom and integrity. 

However, when it comes to children we have a responsibility as the adults in their life, to be mature and far more understanding and patient as we lead them, guide them, and nurture them through their childhood experiences.  They are truthfully and righteously are supposed to be able to depend on us to be compassionately patient.  What does this energetic response of patience need to sustain itself?  Well first, it calls for us to be patient and understanding of who we are as a human being coming from our own life experiences and come to a realization that we are not perfect, we are called to, as is everyone , knowingly or not, called to practice the art of perfecting ourselves in our own unique divine identity, and that this art of perfecting the evolution of our soul expression is what life is all about. 

We must see each other, especially children, in that light so that they are free of judgment and other people’s expectations.  Can you imagine what the world would be like, and even better, what a child’s childhood would be like if they were surround by, and showered with patience, which in the core of patience love is the foundational element?  Can you imagine how much children would learn in their school environments and in their home environments if they knew their caregivers nurtured them with patience?  How do you feel when someone has treated you with “compassionate patience”? I know from my life experiences that not only does it instill more patience for me to share with others, but it inspires me to take flight and soar.  It makes me feel like I am valued and that I have unlimited potential.  I believe that this is what we want for our children.  Think about it?

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Tiny Tips for Moms and Dads- Ingredient #6. What does it take and whom must you be to serve children as their teacher?

Children are the greatest gift to humanity.

The Ingredient:

You must be clear- this is living a happy, whole, physically and emotionally healthy life.

I can’t begin to tell you how important it is to be physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthy.  One of the first things I tell my student teachers in their first Child Development course is that they must do a survey on where they are in these 3 domains of their life, before they commit to becoming a teacher.  It is not a one time check in!  It is an ongoing ritual that we as both teachers and parents have to do in order to have a loving and functional relationship with the children we are serving or parenting.  If we owe it to them and to ourselves to live a life that is in alignment with our best life and highest expression of our unique “Divine Identity”.

When we are out of sorts and not feeling well, it is our responsibility as teachers to take a mental health day and re-center our emotions and spiritual well-being so that we can re-enter the environment in a healthier more stable expression of ourselves.  I knew I had 10 full sick days a year and I committed myself to taking one day a month every year to just “Care for Myself”.  I was intentional about doing something special that gave me an opportunity to just “breathe”!  I would get up and take a walk on the beach or take myself out to breakfast.  Sometimes I would just stay in bed and watch shows that did not take any of my thought processes being activated.  WE all need a “Time In”!  We all need to realize that balancing and aligning the elements that propel our existence have to be cared for and nurtured. 

This is not something we have to ask permission to do or have to apology for, it is something that is required of us in order to live a happy and healthy life.  When we come to children, we need to be whole, healthy and happy.  Now in terms of happy, I am not saying that children expect us to be in a fixed static state of being every day.  They need to see us as our authentic selves so they know that we will provide a space for them to be in full expression of who they are and that expression of their “Divine Identity” is respected and accepted.  The thing is that as adults we should have grown in our ability to be cognizant of how we are coming off to them, and with that sensitivity we do what we have to do to “Check Ourselves”. 

The benefit to children when we can self-adjust, is that it makes them feel safe, secure, and cared for.  Another thing I share with my student teachers is that it is really important for them to check in with their inner child, because that holds the “truth of who they are and what they are capable of” being.  What a gift it is to be in service to children because we get to discover more and more about ourselves every day we share with them.

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Små tips för mammor och pappor – Ingrediens #5 -Svenska- Vad krävs och vem måste du vara för att tjäna barnen som deras lärare? Du måste vara fylld av glädje.

Barn är den största gåvan till mänskligheten.

Jag vet att med allt som händer i världen och i våra enskilda länder så har vi kommit till en punkt där vi inser att det är avgörande att vara involverade och stödjande för våra lärare och det utbildningssystem som de navigerar i och lär sig i.  Vi måste komma till insikt om att de människor som undervisar, vägleder och fostrar våra barn i en fysisk institution inte bara är mänskliga i sin utformning, utan också försöker navigera i sitt eget personliga liv och de livsutmaningar de möter dagligen, utan lärare och administratörer försöker också navigera i förväntningarna på ett ålderdomligt system som inte är barncentrerat.  Livet tär på oss alla och lärare är inte annorlunda.  Det är intressant att inse och erkänna att precis som ett barns relation till föräldrar, vet barn när en lärare inte är glad och kämpar för att balansera deras känslor så att det inte får ett barn att känna sig otryggt eller oomhändertaget. 

Det finns en unik relation mellan ett barn och dess lärare. Det är viktigt att den första kontakten etableras med kärlek, respekt, medkänsla, hängivenhet och engagemang.  Barn är realistiska, mer än vad vi ger dem kredit för.  De vet att vi inte kommer att vara lyckliga 24/7 och de är på sitt eget sätt intuitiva och uppmärksamma på var vi befinner oss känslomässigt och fysiskt.  De älskar när lärare kan dela med sig av sin glädje och spänning över vad som händer i inlärningsmiljön och läroplanen.  Glädjen smittar av sig och får dem att känna att vi som lärare är i samklang med deras önskemål och behov och är engagerade i den näst viktigaste platsen och delen av deras dag.

Jag säger alltid till mina lärarstudenter att det är viktigt att ta hand om deras mentala, fysiska, känslomässiga och andliga hälsa. Det är viktigt för lärare att ta “Ta hand om sig själv-dagar“, när de vet att de inte kan vara balanserade och friska med de barn som de har hand om.  Föräldrar måste praktisera samma modalitet i sitt föräldraskap.  Ingen av oss kan vara på 24/7 så vi måste konstruera tider och sätt att ge oss själva en “Time In”!  En tid då vi tar bort oss själva från vår rutin och “går inåt” och återfår vår frid och vårt lugn.  Jag använder “Time In” inte “Time Out”-metoden med barn, eftersom jag känner att när de är ur balans ber de om en tid för att vara i kontakt med någon som “ser dem“! 

Det är så viktigt och hälsosamt för oss att söka de människor, saker och upplevelser som stöder och upprätthåller den “glädje” som finns i vår själs uttryck.  Vår “Glädje” är skapad av oss och finns i vår “Själ”!  Vi är ansvariga för att skydda vår “glädje” från någon, vad som helst eller omständigheter i livet som försöker “regna på vår parad eller kasta skuggor på vårt solljus”!  Vi har alla stunder då vi kommer att känna smärta och bli stressade, men nyckeln till att vara “Glädjefylld” är att bara tillåta dessa känslor att passera genom oss och att inte tillåta dessa känslor att ta sin boning i vår “Själs uttryck”.  VI förtjänar alla “glädje” och för att kunna bli utvalda att tjäna barn, eller att vara deras föräldrar, måste vi låta vår “glädje” föra in ljus och kärlek i deras liv.

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Tiny Tips for Moms and Dads- What does it take and whom must you be to serve children as their teacher? You must be joy filled. Ingredient #5

Children are the greatest gift to humanity.

You must be joy filled.

I know that with all that is transpiring in the world and in our individual countries, we are at a point that we realize that being involved and supportive of our teachers and the educational system that they are navigating and learning in is critical.  We have to come to the understanding that the people that are teaching, guiding and nurturing our children in a brick and mortar institution, are not only human in their design, but are also trying to navigate their own personal life and the life challenges they encounter on a daily basis, but teachers and administrators are also trying the navigate the expectations of an archaic system that is not child centered.  Life wears on all of us and teachers are no different.  It is interesting to recognize and acknowledge that just like a child’s relationship with parents, children know when a teacher is not happy and is struggling to balance their emotions so that it does not make a child feel unsafe or uncared for. 

There is a unique relationship between a child and their teacher. It is important for the initial connection be established with love, respect, compassion, devotion and commitment.  Children are realistic, more so than what we give them credit for.  They know that we are not going to be happy 24/7 and they are in their own way intuitive and attentive way going to be responsive to where we are emotionally and physically.  They love it when teachers can share their joy and excitement about what is transpiring in the learning environment and curriculum.  The joy is contagious and makes them feel that we as teachers are in tune with their wants and needs and are invested in the second most important place and part of their day. I always tell my student teachers that it is important to take care of their mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health. It is important for teachers to take “Care for Self-Days”, when they know that they are not able to be balanced and healthy with the children that are in their care.  Parents have to practice ethe same modality in their parenting.  None of us can be on 24/7 so we have to construct times and ways to give ourselves a “Time In”!  A time when we remove ourselves from our routine and “go within” and re-capture our peace and composure.  I use the “Time In” not the “Time Out” method with children, because I feel that when they are out of balance, they are asking for a time to be connected not disconnected with someone that “Sees Them”!  

It is so important and healthy for us to seek the people, things, and experiences that support and sustains the “Joy” that lies within our soul’s expression.  Our “Joy” is created by us and is housed in our “Soul”!  We are responsible for protecting our “Joy” from anyone, anything, or circumstance in life that tries to “Rain on our parade or cast shadows on our sunlight”!  We all have times when we will feel pain and be stressed, but the key to being “Joy Filled”, is to only allow those emotions to pass through us and to not allow those feelings to take up residence in our “Soul’s expression.  WE all deserve “Joy” and to be able to be chosen to serve children, or to be their parent, we must let our “Joy” bring light and love into their lives.

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Pequeños consejos para mamás y papás- Ingrediente #4-Español

Los niños son el mayor regalo para la humanidad.

¿Qué se necesita y quién debe ser usted para servir a los niños como su maestro?

Debes estar preparado intelectualmente y comprometido a ser un “aprendiz de por vida”, porque entiendes que “siempre hay más verdad y conocimiento” que aprender. Debes entender que a medida que continúes aprendiendo y mejorando tu vida, no solo te beneficiará a ti, sino también a la vida de los niños a los que sirves.

Como educadores, es nuestra responsabilidad seguir aprendiendo y mejorar nuestras vidas para que crezcamos en todas las áreas de nuestra vida.  Quiénes somos y lo que sabemos y tenemos que compartir con los niños es una parte fundamental de la enseñanza y la tutoría de los niños.  Si no hemos participado en actividades que proporcionen recursos y contenidos para nuestro currículo para los niños, entonces estamos limitando y privando a los niños del acceso a la riqueza del conocimiento que el mundo tiene para ellos.  Muchos maestros y administradores experimentan “agotamiento”, porque se resignan a creer que no necesitan volver a la escuela, viajar, unirse a grupos de interés, leer por placer y desafiarse a sí mismos a hacer cosas que están “fuera de la caja” para ellos. 

Nosotros, como educadores y padres, somos modelos a seguir para los niños.  Si nos ven disfrutar de la lectura y explorar el mundo como aventureros, ellos también quieren explorar y descubrir los tesoros del mundo.  Por su propia naturaleza, los niños son curiosos e intrépidos.  ¡Quieren saber el “por qué” de las cosas!  ¡Quieren saber cómo funcionan las cosas!  Necesitan experiencias prácticas y tiempo para aventurarse en un aula ambiental o en su aula al aire libre que proporcione una gran cantidad de contenido que sea apropiado para su edad y cognición para su edad y/o madurez.  Creamos el contenido y los entornos que apoyan el crecimiento de los niños en los 4 dominios de su ser.

 Sé a título personal que me comprometí a ser un “aprendiz de por vida”.  Me comprometí a hacer siempre cosas y aventurarme en cosas que ampliaran mi aliento de conocimiento sobre la vida y el mundo para seguir siendo un recurso en mis escritos y defensa.  Es una parte importante de nuestro diseño humano alimentar nuestros cerebros y mejorar las expresiones de nuestras almas.  Los niños merecen lo mejor de lo que somos y de lo que podemos llegar a ser para que podamos guiarlos y nutrirlos en su “Viaje Divino de la Vida”.

Como padres, tenemos la responsabilidad de desarrollar una relación con los maestros de nuestros hijos y apoyarlos y alentarlos a continuar aprendiendo y proporcionar un plan de estudios relevante y emocionante para nuestros hijos.  Podemos traer recursos para que exploren.  Podemos ayudar a proporcionar excursiones, y siempre tuve padres que formaron un pequeño grupo de apoyo para padres interno para que siempre tuviéramos recursos más allá de lo que la escuela ofrecía a los niños.  Los maestros necesitan saber que nosotros, como padres, colaboramos con ellos para guiar, nutrir y enseñar a nuestros hijos.  Tiene que ser una colaboración entre el hogar, la escuela y la comunidad.  ¿Quién mejor que los padres para solicitar apoyo para nuestras escuelas que los padres que trabajan y/o residen en la comunidad de la escuela?  La inversión de la comunidad en nuestras escuelas da como resultado la sostenibilidad de la calidad de la educación. 

P.D.

Solo quiero agregar que esta relación con los padres y la escuela de su hijo no termina cuando el niño se gradúa de la escuela primaria.  Nosotros, como padres, tenemos que mantenernos involucrados en las instituciones educativas de nuestros hijos desde la escuela primaria hasta la secundaria.  Incluso cuando se van a la universidad, si hay oportunidades para que usted apoye la experiencia universitaria de su hijo: juegos, eventos para padres o eventos artísticos en los que estén y lo inviten a apoyarlos, ¡preséntese!

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Tiny Tips para sa mga Moms at Dads- Ingredient #4- Pilipino.

Ang mga bata ang pinakadakilang regalo sa sangkatauhan.

Ano ang kailangan at sino ang dapat ninyong maging para paglingkuran ang mga bata bilang kanilang guro?

Dapat kang maging intelektwal na handa at nakatuon sa pagiging isang “lifelong learner”, dahil nauunawaan mo na “laging may higit pang katotohanan at kaalaman” upang matuto. Dapat ninyong maunawaan na habang patuloy ninyong natututuhan at pinahuhusay ang inyong buhay, na hindi lamang kayo ang nakikinabang dito, kundi ang buhay ng mga batang pinaglilingkuran ninyo.

Bilang isang tagapagturo responsibilidad natin na patuloy na matuto at mapahusay ang ating buhay upang tayo ay umunlad sa lahat ng aspeto ng ating buhay.  Kung sino tayo at kung ano ang alam at mayroon tayong ibabahagi sa mga bata ay isang kritikal na bahagi ng pagtuturo at pagtuturo sa mga bata.  Kung hindi pa tayo nakikibahagi sa mga aktibidad na nagbibigay ng mga mapagkukunan at nilalaman para sa ating kurikulum para sa mga bata, kung gayon nililimitahan at pinagkakaitan natin ang mga bata na ma access ang kayamanan ng kaalaman ng mundo para sa kanila.  Kaya maraming mga guro at administrator ang nakakaranas ng “burn out”, dahil sila ay nagbitiw sa kanilang sarili sa paniniwala na hindi nila kailangang bumalik sa paaralan, maglakbay, sumali sa mga grupo ng interes, magbasa para sa kasiyahan at hamunin ang kanilang sarili na gumawa ng mga bagay na “out of the box” para sa kanila. 

Kami bilang mga tagapagturo at mga magulang ay mga huwaran ng mga bata.  Kung nakikita nila tayong nag eenjoy sa pagbabasa at paggalugad sa mundo bilang mga adventurers, gusto rin nilang galugarin at tuklasin ang mga kayamanan ng mundo.  Sa kanilang likas na katangian, ang mga bata ay mausisa at walang takot.  Gusto nilang malaman ang “bakit” ng mga bagay-bagay!  Gusto nilang malaman kung paano gumagana ang mga bagay-bagay!  Kailangan nila ng mga karanasan sa hands on at oras upang makipagsapalaran sa isang silid aralan sa kapaligiran o sa kanilang panlabas na silid aralan na nagbibigay ng isang kayamanan ng nilalaman na edad at cognitively angkop para sa kanilang edad at o maturity.  Lumilikha kami ng nilalaman at mga kapaligiran na sumusuporta sa paglago ng mga bata sa lahat ng 4 na domain ng kanilang pagiging.

 Alam ko sa isang personal na tala na ipinangako ko ang aking sarili sa pagiging isang “lifelong learner”.  Nangako ako na lagi kong gagawin ang mga bagay at makikipagsapalaran sa mga bagay na magpapalawak ng aking hininga ng kaalaman tungkol sa buhay at sa mundo upang patuloy akong maging sanggunian sa aking pagsusulat at adbokasiya.  Ito ay isang pangunahing bahagi ng ating disenyo ng tao upang pakainin ang ating utak at mapahusay ang mga pagpapahayag ng ating kaluluwa.  Ang mga bata ay karapat dapat sa pinakamahusay na kung sino tayo at kung sino ang maaari nating maging upang gabayan natin sila at pangalagaan sila sa kanilang “Buhay ng Banal na Paglalakbay”.

Bilang mga magulang responsibilidad nating magkaroon ng relasyon sa mga guro ng ating mga anak at suportahan sila at hikayatin silang patuloy na matuto at magbigay ng kaukulang at kapana-panabik na kurikulum para sa ating mga anak.  Maaari tayong magdala ng mga mapagkukunan para sa kanila upang galugarin.  Maaari kaming makatulong upang magbigay ng mga field trip, at palagi akong may mga magulang na bumubuo ng isang maliit na in house na grupo ng suporta sa magulang upang palagi kaming may mga mapagkukunan na lampas sa kung ano ang inaalok ng paaralan sa mga bata.  Kailangang malaman ng mga guro na tayo bilang mga magulang ay nakikipagtulungan sa kanila sa paggabay, pag aalaga, at pagtuturo sa ating mga anak.  Kailangang maging pakikipagtulungan ito sa pagitan ng home-school‐at komunidad.  Sino ang mas mahusay kaysa sa mga magulang na humingi ng suporta para sa aming mga paaralan kaysa sa mga magulang na nagtatrabaho at o naninirahan sa komunidad ng paaralan.  Ang pamumuhunan ng komunidad sa ating mga paaralan, ay nagreresulta sa pagpapanatili ng kalidad ng edukasyon. 

P.S.

Gusto ko lang idagdag na hindi natatapos ang ganitong relasyon sa mga magulang at sa pag aaral ng kanilang anak kapag nagtapos na ng elementarya ang bata.  Kami bilang mga magulang ay kailangang manatiling kasangkot sa mga institusyong pang edukasyon ng aming anak mula elementarya hanggang hayskul.  Kahit mag-aaral na sila sa kolehiyo, kung may mga pagkakataong masuportahan ninyo ang karanasan ng inyong anak sa kolehiyo- mga laro, mga kaganapan ng magulang, o mga kaganapan sa sining na kinabibilangan nila at inanyayahan kayong suportahan sila, magpakita kayo!

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Tiny Tips for Moms and Dads- Ingredient #4

Children are the greatest gift to humanity.

What does it take and whom must you be to serve children as their teacher?

You must be intellectually prepared and committed to being a “lifelong learner”, because you understand that “there is always more truth and knowledge” to learn. You must understand that as you continue to learn and enhance your life, that it benefits not only you, but the lives of the children you are serving.

As an educator it is our responsibility to continue to learn and enhance our lives so that we grow in all areas of our life.  Who we are and what we know and have to share with children is a critical part of teaching and mentoring children.  If we have not engaged in activities that provide resources and content for our curriculum for children, then we are limiting and depriving children access to the wealth of knowledge the world has for them.  So many teachers and administrators experience “burn out”, because they resign themselves to believing that they don’t need to go back to school, travel, join interest groups, read for pleasure and challenge themselves to do things that are “out of the box” for them. 

We as educators and parents are role models for children.  If they see us enjoying reading and exploring the world as adventurers, they too want to explore and discover the treasures of the world.  By their very nature, children are curious and fearless.  They want to know the “why” of things!  They want to know how things work!  They need hands on experiences and time to venture into an environmental classroom or their outdoor classroom that provides a wealth of content that is age and cognitively appropriate for their age and or maturity.  We create the content and environments that support children’s growth in all 4 domains of their being.

 I know on a personal note that I committed myself to being a “lifelong learner”.  I pledged to always do things and venture into things that would expand my breath of knowledge about life and the world so that I would continue to be a resource in my writing and advocacy.  It is a major part of our human design to feed our brains and enhance the expressions of our souls.  Children deserve the best of who we are and who we can become so that we can guide them and nurture them in their “Life’s Divine Journey”.

As parents we have the responsibility of developing a relationship with the teachers of our children and supporting them and encouraging them to continue to learn and provide relevant and exciting curriculum for our children.  We can bring in resources for them to explore.  We can help to provide field trips, and I always had parents that formed a little in-house parent support group so that we always had resources beyond what the school offered the children.  Teachers need to know that we as parents are in collaboration with them in guiding, nurturing, and teaching our children.  It has to be a collaboration between home-school- and community.  Who better than the parents to solicit support for our schools than the parents that work and or reside in the school’s community.  Community investment in our schools, results in sustainability of quality of education. 

P.S.

I just want to add that this relationship with parents and their child’s school does not end when the child graduates from elementary school.  We as parents have to stay involved in our kid’s educational institutions from elementary school through high school.  Even when they go off to college, if there are opportunities for you to support your child’s college experience- games, parent events, or artistic events that they are in and you get invited to support them, show up!

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Tiny Tips for Moms and Dads- Ingredient #3 What does it take and whom must you be to serve children as their teacher? As An Educator-You are charged with teaching children to “love the art of learning”.

Children are the greatest gift to humanity.

You are charged with teaching children to “love the art of learning”.

We are as educators and as parents responsible for not only the quality of education that we provided our children, but the curriculum, the environment, and the context of our philosophy of what our mission is to educate, guide and nurture our children.  Our primary tenant of our philosophy that drives our mission, modality of teaching and educating children, as well as the curriculum and environment has to be that we give them the gift of learning to “love the art of learning”.  We must be so intentional about ensuring that what we are providing them is steeped in this mission!  We want learning to be exciting, relevant, transformative, informative to expand their breath of knowledge and comprehension.  We want this process of learning to love the art of learning to be reflective in curriculum and the modalities of teaching so that the process and outcomes are in alignment with what children need in order to grow and develop and what they want to learn. 

There are those of us that are under the impression that learning only takes place when children are quiet and passive, and the curriculum is adult centered and prescribed.  I believe that when children are unengaged in terms of experiential learning modalities, and when the curriculum and environment is not child centered and driven, learning is stifled, unimpressible, and does not translate into the fabric of their life.  When children are not in a collaborative relationship with their teacher, the curriculum, and the environment in which they are expected to learn, we don’t get integrated and utilitarian content that evolves into knowledge and consequently we are nurturing them wholistically and appropriately.  We are afforded a great opportunity to support the teachers of our children and the school administration in fulfilling the core tenants of our mission and philosophy of want we want and how we want our children to be educated.  It will take everyone being on the same page and equally involved and invested, but I know we can make a difference in the lives of our children and provide an opportunity for teachers who have been ”called” to this immensely sacred profession to fulfill their “Divine Purpose” in service to children.

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Tiny Tips for Moms and Dads-Ingredient #2. What does it take and whom must you be to serve children as their teacher?

Children are the greatest gift to humanity.

Ingredient #2:

You must have been “called” into the service of children to care, guide, nurture, protect, and provide opportunities for them that will allow them to discover themselves and their world.  This sets the stage for them to develop in the 4 Domains of their being: Cognitively, Physically, Social-Emotionally and Spiritually.

The Chat:

We really have to come to an understanding and commitment that when we are engaging with children whether we are parents advocating or our children, teachers, coaches, or extended family, children have in their design developmental stages that evolve at different times for each child.  We must also understand that it is our responsibility as parents, and as teachers that have pledged to be parents and teachers, that it is our responsibility to support our children in discovering not just the many wonders of the world, but that we support them in discovering who they are and to love themselves, respect themselves, and value the “divine gifts that make them who they are and what they have the possibility of contributing to humanity.  Their education and the modalities that we utilize in our classrooms and at home need to be in alignment so that there is continuity in the practices and approaches we use with each child. 

We know that it is not just unrealistic, but inappropriate to think that the same modalities work with each child, which is why we acknowledge that it is our responsibility to observe, record, and analysis the character, interest, and the modalities by which that child learns, dissects, and absorbs knowledge.  We need to experiment with different kinds of teaching tools that work with all the children to ascertain if there is a commonality, and at the same time implement tools that works with each child as an individual.  Teaching is not a one approach to learning fits every child!

Our children’s teachers make a lifetime impression on our children.  They remember the nature of every teacher that they engage with.  They remember if that teacher saw them for who they were.  They remember if a teacher was invested in what they learned and how they learned.  We have as teachers, the responsibility to make sure we are working with and nurturing the “whole child”.  Teaching children is so much more than addressing their academic development.  We have to be aware, sensitive to and responsive to all 4 domains that constitute who they are as human beings.  We are responsible, as are their parents are, responsible for the development and enrichment of their cognition, physicality, social-emotional, and spiritual well-being.  Don’t let the spiritual well-being frighten you or feel that is not your responsibility! The spiritual well-being is the soul essence of who that child is!  If you do not tap into this aspect of a child, there is no way for you to be in relationship with that child.  This is the divinity of who that child is.  It is the most sacred and important aspect of who that child is and how they respond to life and the world around them.

You feel like this is a lot?  You feel like this is not what you signed up for when you decided to become a teacher?  You feel that you don’t want to delve this deeply into this profession and don’t think you really want to invest that much of who you are into children?  You feel that what you are being compensated for financially does not warrant you making this kind of commitment to a “JOB”?  If you feel any of these emotions, then you honestly do not belong in the teaching profession, and parents need to assess whether they want to allow you to teach their child. As a professor who taught teachers how to teach children, I never had a problem assessing if a student should or should not become a teacher.  I taught the classes that took the student teacher through the entire program, which gave me a lot of opportunities to develop relationships with my students. I was always open and honest with them I had no problem taking them aside in a one-on-one conference and counseling them out of the field of Child Development, and at the same time supporting them in discovering what their gifts were that would direct them to their “divine destiny calling”.

Parents have a huge responsibility and challenge to carefully and methodically invest time and energy into assessing who their child’s teacher is.  Parents must critique if their child’s teacher is invested in teaching and even more specifically “Sees”, who their child is.  Observe the interactions with the children in your child’s class.  Is the teacher open, warming, and inviting to the children when she greets them in the morning?  Does the teacher prepare the classroom so that it is child centered, set up for discovery and engagement?  Does the teacher make the children feel that the classroom belongs to them and that it is a sacred and safe place for them? Does the teacher provide “hands on experiences”, that allows the children to internalize what they are learning?  Is the teacher prepared each day for the unexpected and flexible enough to create substitute activities that although different form the routine schedule of the day, the children feel safe and are able to adapt? Does your child come home happy and ready to return to school the next day? If your observations provide a yes to these questions, your child has a teacher and an environment where they will not survive, but will thrive.