WHY WE MUST READ

I was truly saddened as I watched Rachel Jeantel struggle to keep any modicum of pride and self respect that she could as she attempted to soften her letting the world know of her inability to read by stating that she could not read cursive. Ms. Jeantel looked to hold on to just a little bit of self esteem when she tried to make the issue her inability to read "cursive writing" and not her inability to read words.  She did not say that she could not read her friend's handwriting or penmanship as we used to call it, which is maybe what she had hoped to convey, she said she could not read cursive which really meant that she could not read.

Many criticized or poked fun at the situation, but the truth of the matter is, Ms. Jeantel's inability to read is not a laughing matter at all. Someone or many "someones" dropped the ball including Ms. Jeantel because in order to be helped you have to seek it and accept it when it is given. The problem with this though is, Ms. Jeantel could not have been the only one who knew she could not read. Parents? Guardians? Teachers? Principals? Neighbors? Congregants? Pastor? Friends? Ms. Jeantel?  

It is hard to believe that in 2013 we have people who are illiterate and yet we do. I am writing this post not to ostracize or criticize Ms. Jeantel, because the truth of the matter is, it really it not about her; but for those of us who are parents; guardians, teachers, principals, neighbors, congregants, pastors, friends, etc. etc. etc. to read to our children and have our children read to us. I cannot overemphasize the importance of being able to read, enough. There was  no way as an advocate for reading and an avid reader, I could let this opportunity pass without taking it to encourage everyone to learn how to read and then if you know how to read, teach someone else how to read.  I also need to be clear that reading is not just about being able to recognize the words as reading is much more involved than that. I oftentimes hear children say "I can read," and then when I ask them what the passage or story was about that they just read, they cannot do it. They look at me with a blank stare. The ability to decode words is different from being able to comprehend the combination of the words together.  We must teach our children (and adults for that matter) how to decode, be fluent and be able to process the words in order for them to understand the information they are reading.

As an advocate for reading, it was painful for me to watch Ms. Jeantel because she symbolized so many people who will find it impossible to truly function in a society where reading is not an option but a requirement. Have you ever been in line at an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) behind someone who could not read or understand the ATM prompts?  How about traffic signs? Menus? Directions? The list of things that must be read goes on and on. What type of jobs/careers will the Rachel Jeantel's of the world be able to ascertain? What type of salaries will they be able to earn? It's all connected and reading is one of  if not the most important pillar.

I host a radio show on Saturday mornings where I interview authors with the hopes that those who are in the listening audience will increase their interest in reading. The intent and purpose of the show is to encourage people to read more. Reading can take you to other countries without you having to leave your recliner or sofa.  There are so many benefits associated with reading such as being a better writer to a recent report in Men's Health News entitled The Pastime That Boosts Your Brainpower extolling how reading now strengthens your memory later in life.

Please share this post with anyone and everyone you can to help get the word out that we MUST read. Talk about it. Think about it. Strategize about how you are going to help someone who cannot read learn how to read and comprehend. The new Common Core Standards will require students to be able to read and comprehend "informational text" and they will not be able to do that by just decoding words. They will have to be able to decode the words, triangulate the information, explain what the writer meant to them and then cite in the text supporting evidence as to how they came to their conclusions. 

This post is my little part in helping us to act to end illiteracy in both our children and adults. I implore all of us to read with our children. I implore all of us to have our children read to us. I implore all of us to turn off the television sets and every other electronic device and to sit down and read an old fashioned hard cover or paperback book.  Rachel Jeantel ought to serve as yet another wake up call. The question for us is are we going to wake up or are we going to continue to hit the snooze button. 

Something to critically think about and act on. I welcome your commentary in the comment section and you are invited to follow The Critical Thinker on Twitter @thinkcritical01 and on Tumblr @ thecriticalthinker01.tumblr.com. You are also invited to tune in to my radio show The Reading Circle with Marc Medley on Saturdays at 6 a.m. ET on gobrave.org and WP88.7 FM. 

http://www.rif.org/

http://www.readingrockets.org/

http://www.firstbook.org/partners-in-ending-illiteracy

http://www.englishliteracyinfo.com/tag/ending-illiteracy/

http://literacy-research.com/

READ    READ    READ    READ    READ   READ READ    READ  READ   READ   READ   READ 

It's Been A Rough Couple of Weeks - What's Going On?

It's been a rough couple of weeks to the point where I haven't been able to figure out my words and thoughts for this post. One of Bob Grant's most popular lines as a talk show host is "It's sick out there and getting sicker"  and there seems to be more and more merit to his statement. Not that any of the events of the last few days are new; it just seems like it has been a bombardment of "sickness" out there. Sickness ranging from the Aaron Hernandez case; to Rachel Jeantel exposing her illiteracy on a worldwide stage; to one of my former students being charged with a senseless murder; to a caller named "Marcus" defending why Black people should be able to use the word "nigger" on the Geraldo Rivera show that was hosted by Larry O'Connor in Geraldo's absence. The sickness seems to abound; to flurry. For once I am truly at a loss for words as I have watched these events unfold.

The caller Marcus actually shared on the air his nonsensical rules with talk show host Larry O'Connor as to who and how the word "nigger" should be used by Blacks and Latinos. It was an absurd conversation. In 1971, Marvin Gaye melodically crooned the question "What's Going On?"  That is still a relevant question in 2013, probably even more so. In fact, since I am at a loss for words, I will close this post with Marvin singing his classic "What's Going On?"  Something to critically think about. I welcome your commentary and invite you to follow The Critical Thinker on Twitter @thinkcritical01.

Probably The Biggest “Little” Step You Will Take in Your Academic Journey.

The following is my written address in the programs for my upcoming "Moving Up" ceremony for my kindergartners. I intentionally worded the message in a way that lets the parents and the children know that while the little graduation like ceremony is nice and cute, it is a far cry from the end. I have to say that because too many of our parents come to the moving up ceremony with balloons and other trinkets and in an extreme celebratory mode when in actuality it really is only kindergarten. What I am really trying to get at is the work has just begun and I need the same amount of energy that was expended to purchase balloons and new clothing and to yell and scream "OOH My Ba-Baaaayyyy" when it comes time for homework and study in the upcoming years. The same amount of energy for attending PTA/PTO meetings, report card nights, school board meetings, making sure the child is reading and everything else that goes into making a successful student. So indeed congratulations to my kindergartners who are moving to first grade, however, everyone must know that the work has just begun. 

Moving from kindergarten to first grade will probably be the biggest “little” step you will take in your academic journey. I say this because in the grand scheme of your educational career, it is a tiny step; however, unless you were a preschooler, it is your first step in the right direction.  We pause to celebrate this first step with you because we want to make sure that you know that you must take this same type of step at least three more times with pauses at eighth grade, high school, and then college. We also hope that you will pursue additional degrees participating in this process yet another time.  Some may be saying that it is too early to talk about a kindergartner obtaining his or her doctorate degree, and I say to you that I disagree. It is never too early to chart the course. To our kindergarten parents, congratulations, but you have a long way to go in making sure that this is repeated at a minimum of three more times. To our kindergartners, congratulations as you enter the first grade. Don’t ever lose your love for going to school. As your principal, I wish you nothing but the best and I look forward to seeing you in September in grade one.

Something to critically think about. I welcome your commentary and you are invited to follow The Critical Thinker on Twitter @thinkcritical01. 

Show Them All The Beauty They Possess Inside

12/3/87-5/7/13

"Show them all the beauty they possess inside" is a line from the song "The Greatest Love of All" written by Michael Masser and Linda Creed originally recorded by George Benson and later popularized by the late Whitney Houston. I vividly remember accompanying on the piano many high school and Hal Jackson's Talented Teen talent show contestants who chose this song as his/her competition piece in the late 70's and early 80's and by now I am sure most if not all have heard one rendition or another of the inspirational ballad.

10/24/95-5/21/13

If you are an educator reading this post, I believe you will particularly relate to it and even if you are not an educator it ought to resonate with you as well.  The impetus for this post is the worst nightmare for those of us who are in education. We as educators work with thousands of children over the course of a career and it is always our hope that these children will one day become productive members of society. It is our hope that we can learn of, read about, or have a child who has made a success of him/herself come back and visit us letting us know how they have fared in life. To that point, as a school principal myself,  to this day I still keep in touch with my second grade teacher, Mrs. Elma Royster and many others such as Fran Kubian, Marilyn DiMartino, and Peter Nelson who impacted my life as a student and as a person. Mrs. Royster was present at my fiftieth birthday party last August proudly letting everyone know that she had taught me as a second grader.  

Then there is the other end of the spectrum which is what this post is about and that is when we as educators learn of the premature deaths of students we have taught or have had in our midst for a period of time. During the last three weeks I learned of the deaths of two students who were in my care at one point in time or another in their academic careers. One I learned of from a text message from my current vice principal and the other I learned of when scrolling through the obituary section of the local funeral home to learn about the arrangements of the first one. My heart was saddened because I knew both children so well. Both would light up when they saw me around town yelling "Hey, Mr. Medley," as they both had moved along to other schools or had graduated high school altogether. I was saddened even more when I learned that one death was by suicide and the other's cause of death is still pending. 

That's when the song "The Greatest Love of All" came to me and that line about "showing them the beauty they possess inside" leaped out at me. Suicide and a pending cause of death at such young ages................  We are losing too many of our young people; too many of our children. Are we as adults showing these children all the beauty they possess inside? Are we giving them that sense of pride to make it easier?  Children do not ask to come here and in far too many cases we as adults become and are their biggest problem. Too many children have to become adults before their time because of what they are born into. Too many children have to struggle with adult issues as children because of the irresponsibility of the adults who created them and abdicated their parental responsibilities in the delivery room. Too many of our children are angry and don't know what to do with that anger, so they take it out on themselves and others even to the point of suicide or homicide. 

So after reading this post, go out and find a young person and make it your business to help him/her understand the beauty that he/she possesses inside. Do not rest or quit until you have helped him/her to gain that sense of pride to make it easier in order for you to hear his/her laughter and allow it to remind you of how it used to be. If we do that, maybe, just maybe that child will make it to have a fiftieth birthday party to invite us to. Something to critically think about. As always I welcome your commentary in the comment section of the blog and you are invited to follow The Critical Thinker on Twitter @thinkcritical01.

When The Abnormal Has Become Normal and the Normal has become Abnormal

I open this post with a chilling account taken directly from CBS News to illustrate how the "abnormal" has become "normal" and what used to be normal is now seen as abnormal.  Normal things such as values, respect, decency, honor, and good will that are now seen as abnormal while killing, urinating in public, bullying, disrespect,  and indecency are the "norm."  We even had a television show titled "The New Normal."  Let's take a look at the real "new normal" in our lives in 2013 according to CBS News. 

"Elliot Morales began his downfall early Saturday by urinating on the wall outside an upscale restaurant just a few blocks away from the Stonewall Inn, the site of 1969 riots that helped give rise to the modern gay-rights movement when patrons at a gay bar reacted to police harassment. 

Fifteen minutes later, Morales stands accused of shooting and killing Harlem resident Marc Carson, who did not know the alleged gunman and was walking around Greenwich Village in New York City with a companion. Police have called the act a hate crime, and it highlights a stunning rise in bias-based attacks in a city known for its diversity and progressiveness on gay issues. 

After going to the bathroom in public, Morales, 33, then went inside the restaurant and asked if someone was going to call the police about him. Police said Morales told both the bartender and the manager, "if you do call the police, I'll shoot you" and opened his sweatshirt to reveal a shoulder holster with a revolver and made anti-gay remarks, police said. Out on the street minutes later, the gunman and two others approached a 32-year-old identified by police as Harlem resident Marc Carson, and a companion. One of the three men yelled out a gay slur and asked, "What are you, gay wrestlers?" according to Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. 

The two men stopped, turned and, according to Kelly, said to the group taunting them, "What did you say?" - then kept walking.

• Police call fatal NYC shooting a hate crime

"There were no words that would aggravate the situation spoken by the victims here," the commissioner said. "This fully looks to be a hate crime, a bias crime."
Two of the men kept following the victim and his companion, Kelly said, adding that witnesses saw the pair approach from behind while repeating anti-gay slurs.The gunman asked the men if they were together and when he got an affirmative answer, Kelly said, "we believe that the perpetrator says to the victim, 'Do you want to die here?'"That's when suspect produced the revolver and fired one shot into Carson's cheek, Kelly said." 

How much do you want to bet that Mr. Morales and his attorneys will do everything humanly possible to keep Mr. Morales alive even though he has just taken the life of Mr. Carson. Just watch how Mr. Morales fights to keep his life even though he has taken the life of another. What kind of mind or what kind of thinking must be going on in one to be able to take a gun and shoot at point-blank range in the face of a stranger who has done nothing to you?  What kind of people have we raised? I ask this question because I am willing to bet that this aberrant behavior did not start with Mr. Morales as an adult man. Based on what I experience and see every day, this started when he was a child, likely a toddler.

We are now living in a time where no one feels he or she has to respect anyone or anything. A life means nothing, except for when you're trying to save your own after taking someone else's. Take a couple of seconds and reread the opening line of the CBS account  where Mr. Morales urinates on the side of the wall of an upscale restaurant. I've actually seen people urinate on the side of a church. There was a time when if you did not respect any building, you respected the church. We are in the new normal.

In the new norm accounts such as these no longer even gets a head turn. Sadly we have become so accustomed to killing and shooting that it doesn't even phase us anymore. We are in the new norm. Look again in the account above and read where Mr. Morales goes inside of the bar threatening to shoot the bartender and the manager if they call the police on him for urinating outside. We are in the new norm.

I see the new norm every day as parents come in defending the blatantly wrong behavior of  children as young as six and then blaming their behavior on everyone else and everything else except the fact that the child had refused to listen to authority or instructions to begin with. I see the new norm every day as aberrant behavior is celebrated. I see the new normal all around me as pants that are designed to be worn up over the hip bone with a belt are worn hanging at the thighs exposing the better part of underwear. I see the new norm everyday as caps that are designed to be worn bill/visor front are worn flipped around, upside down and all around and those same caps not being taken off when the male wearer enters a building. I see the new norm every day as children curse out adults where in many instances the adults are their parents (the same ones who will defend their horrific behavior).

I will wager that Mr. Morales was one of the children who misbehaved as a child in school and had a parent come in and defend his wrong behavior and now look where it has lead. His urinating in public, threatening to kill anyone who may call the police on him and ultimately killing an innocent person walking along the street minding his own business.

From where I sit, the new normal is not a good thing and sadly the new normal is only getting worse. I welcome your commentary as always in the comment section of the blog and you are invited to follow me on Twitter @thinkcritical01.

Why Social Consciousness Must Be A Part Of The Church

This post was prompted by a combination of observations and reflective thoughts over the last couple of weeks. The reflective piece was actually prompted by an article titled Governor Christie Warned About Visiting Church Location appearing in NJ Pulse, a local newspaper seeking statewide coverage. Within the article an unnamed source made the following commentary: 

"St. Luke's is not a church. It's a political arena to satisfy their (St. Luke's officials) lust for power in the Democratic Party, which I happen to be of."  

As I write this post as a member of St. Luke Baptist Church since birth, I do not write it from a defensive standpoint because I do not have to defend such statements as St. Luke's eighty-six year history in the city of Paterson, NJ and the world speaks for itself. The bulk of her life was pastored by the Rev. Dr. Albert M. Tyler (62 years) and for the last sixteen years has been shepherded by Rev. Kenneth D.R. Clayton. The narrow mindedness of the commentary, however, did make me think in terms of how the many roles of the church are misunderstood.

The church MUST have a social consciousness. We must go beyond the walls of our individual sanctuaries and denominations and address the issues of human beings.Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of this in his speech delivered exactly one year to the date in 1967 prior to his assassination in 1968, titled "Beyond Vietnam"  This address was delivered to the Clergy and Laymen Concerned about Vietnam, at Riverside Church in New York City. An excerpt from the speech appears below: 

The truth of these words is beyond doubt, but the mission to which they call us is a most difficult one. Even when pressed by the demands of inner truth, men do not easily assume the task of opposing their government's policy, especially in time of war. Nor does the human spirit move without great difficulty against all the apathy of conformist thought within one's own bosom and in the surrounding world. Moreover, when the issues at hand seem as perplexing as they often do in the case of this dreadful conflict, we are always on the verge of being mesmerized by uncertainty. But we must move on. 

Some of us who have already begun to break the silence of the night have found that the calling to speak is often a vocation of agony, but we must speak. We must speak with all the humility that is appropriate to our limited vision, but we must speak. And we must rejoice as well, for surely this is the first time in our nation's history that a significant number of its religious leaders have chosen to move beyond the prophesying of smooth patriotism to the high grounds of a firm dissent based upon the mandates of conscience and the reading of history. Perhaps a new spirit is rising among us. If it is, let us trace its movement, and pray that our own inner being may be sensitive to its guidance. For we are deeply in need of a new way beyond the darkness that seems so close around us.

In 2007, NPR as a part of a special series called Religion in Black America included a segment  on Social Consciousness in the Black Church and also expounded upon through interviews with pastors their thoughts on the role of the church.  Show host FARAI CHIDEYA asserts that from the sanctuary to the soup kitchen, religion and civic responsibilities have always been closely linked. An excerpt from Pastor John Hunter of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles during the interview is as follows:

Pastor HUNTER: Absolutely. We believe that our theology is one that, not only ministers to the soul, but to the entire person. Thus, we have a housing for over 3,000 families, economic development, incubator business programs, micro loan programs, all kinds of economic development vehicles that encourage thrift, economic development entrepreneurship, employment, the whole array of needs that low income families face.

So as I walked through St. Luke Baptist Church this morning observing our "Jewels" ministry, a ministry targeting our young girls, and thought about our "Boys Bootcamp," and I spoke with one of the members of the church who was cooking a dinner to be delivered from St. Luke to a prison ministry service this afternoon and as I reflected on all of the ways that St. Luke Baptist Church has helped and continues to help the city of Paterson; the state of New Jersey; the United States of America and the world; I thought back to that statement in that little newspaper made by that narrow minded unnamed source that said "St. Luke is not a church." St. Luke is indeed a church and social consciousness is and has always been a part of her fabric. She has always been about social consciousness from the days of Rev. Tyler providing hot chocolate to the students at Public School Number Six in the 30's to hosting Governor Chris Christie in 2013. St. Luke has always ministered to the "entire person" that  Pastor Hunter refers to in his NPR interview.

There is too much pain, poverty and brokenness for the church not to be socially conscious. The Church is not and ought not just be about "jumpin' and hollin' " as my mother can say. We must be about economics. We must be about politics. We must be about poverty and homelessness. We must be about social consciousness. I welcome your thoughts in the comment section of this blog and you are invited to follow me on Twitter @thinkcritical01.

 

I Have Yet To Figure Out This Sexiest Woman/Man In The WORLD Thing

Mila Kunis

I have yet to understand this "Sexiest Woman/Man Alive" thing in magazines and tabloids.  Sexiest Alive according to who????? I did a tiny bit of research and found that there are approximately 3,301,112,087 on the planet and someone is able to boil that number down to one? I am always amazed when I am in the check-out line at most stores and see the various magazine and tabloid headlines (When Jennifer Aniston is not on the cover and sometimes even when she is) and it reads the whatever category "alive." Usually somewhere in the year the "sexiest,"  "most beautiful,"  "most handsome," etc. etc. appears on the covers of various meaningless reading material displayed in the racks. I guess it's that time because I seem to be seeing it more and more of late. Now don't get me wrong, as a strong proponent of reading, I'll even take folks reading that dribble if it means they are reading, however, just critically think about that for a minute. A panel working for or with one of these magazine/tabloid companies are able to select the "sexiest,"  "most beautiful,"  "most handsome," etc. etc. out of 3,301,112,087 (with the number being a little bit higher for men) and call him/her the "sexiest,"  "most beautiful,"  "most handsome," etc. etc. in THE WORLD???  THE WORLD!!! I ask you............ Yes, this blog is designed to encourage you to think about stupid stuff like this that you might just gloss over or take for granted otherwise. The Critical Thinker is designed to bring things like this to your attention in order for you to stop and pause and see just how silly some things are. It is designed to take us off of autopilot and think. Something to critically think about. I welcome your thoughts and you are invited to follow me on Twitter @thinkcritical01.