By chance, I met Daisy Copelin on Instagram. I was immediately impressed to find out more about her children’s book No More Bad Secrets, A kid-to-kid guide on Safe Body Touch. Read More
Children’s Dreams are not meant to be Doubted but to be Believed!
Tuesday, February 12th, 2019 approximately 9:35 am in the children’s brightly colored library at the preschool I work for, the children sat row by row on the carpet in anticipation of what book the librarian would read to them this week. My heart leaped with joy as I realized that the book she chose to read was an autobiography based on a true story of an African American girl named Mae Jemison. The book was entitled Mae Among The Stars by Roda Ahmed. A child instantaneously made the connection by looking at the cover that the book would be about an astronaut. The children silently and curiously listened intently to the story. Out of all the stories read in that library this one resonated with me the most as it triggered a painful memory that I remember vividly to this day as if it happened yesterday. Read More
Are we proactively teaching Children to love and embrace Their Race as well as Others?
Rarely people take pleasure in talking about the “Elephant” in the room, especially if that elephant is race. Because it is such a difficult topic to address we much rather prefer to choose a colorblind approach to race acting as if we can not see it and it does not exist at times. We are guilty of wanting to sweep the issue underneath the rug as opposed to educating ourselves around it and collaboratively coming together as educators,parents or caretakers with the best strategies on how to address it effectively. The fact still remains that it is not an issue that is going to go away so why not confront it as opposed to avoiding to talk about it? Read More
I was ashamed of being Black
I hated black history month as a child. In February as I sat in my brightly colored classroom in an elementary school that was filled with pictures of historical black figures it was not a joyous occasion for me. When my teachers began talking about Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks and other black historical legends I was ashamed and embarrassed. I desperately wanted to sink my brown self down in my chair till I can no longer be seen I wanted to run out of the classroom, and even scream to the top of my lightly pink colored lungs for my teachers to stop talking about black history. With myself being one of the very few black children in my class it was uncomfortable. I could recall children’s eyes nervously taking glances at me throughout the lessons considering I was the minority. Read More
Do Children suffer in silence when Schools fail to educate on Personal Body Safety?
Sexual abuse is a worldwide epidemic that affects children of all ages, ethnicities, races and gender. All over this world children are suffering in silence. Whether we as educators want to believe it or not there are children in our classrooms, schools or even children we pass by on the streets and wave a friendly hello to that are are being sexually abused. However they do not have the knowledge, skills or the courage to speak up about the abuse because of lack of training, fear, or even lack of understanding as to what it is they are experiencing. More importantly how do they speak up if they never even had the training that enabled them to do such a thing? Such is the case with Jada Pierce. Read More
What is the alphabet and why is learning it so crucial for children?
What is the alphabet and why is learning it so crucial for children? The alphabet is a collection of letters, with each letter representing a sound or in some cases more than one sound. The alphabet is literally the foundation for children being able to achieve literacy also known as learning to read and write. Nonetheless learning the alphabet should not be a chore but should be fun for both you and children. The Letter of the Day is a fun as well as engaging way to teach children the alphabet. Learning with Li Li a YouTube series does just that. Read More
January 2019 came quicker than we all anticipated. And with a new year comes New Year’s Resolutions. It is time to put into action the changes in life choices that we desired to make year long. However we held off until January, subtly known as procrastination which were all guilty of. Some educators are going back to school with the mindset of marking down the days until the school year ends. Nonetheless on the contrary some are looking forward to change and a fresh start. Wherever, you are on your journey here are some resolutions that you can add on to your list that is sure to leave you revived, reinvigorated and recharged for the duration of the school year.
PBS Kids!
9 out of 10 times if a fire was to break out a child as early as 3 or 4 years old would immediately know what to do. If it was to transpire in school children’s young ears would either be startled by the bell or amused and some maybe even a combination of the two. Regardless of either response children would then immediately seek out a Teacher/s that will in return lead them to safety which would be the nearest EXIT. Similarly if a fire was to break out in the home younger children would immediately seek out a parent or caretaker to lead them to safety. How is it that children this young know what to do if they are ever put in that predicament? Fire prevention is the answer that you are looking for. Read More
Is 2 years old too young to learn about Personal Body Safety?
As we begin to recognize more and more that there is a NEED to discuss Personal Body Safety with children as early as possible, the question then comes into play how early is too early? What is an appropriate age to begin this discussion with our children and students?
I was thinking about an idea for my next blog post when I came across an instagram post of mine that was re shared. Read More
Three sexually abused Women SURVIVORS that changed the Educational system for the better!
What do you get when you have 3 courageous women + 3 powerful stories? The results = countless children’s lives changed!
You have these three different women from three different walks of life. Jenna Quinn, Erin Merryn and Lauren Book.However they all have one thing in common. Unfortunately they were sexually abused but refused to be victims but instead CHOSE to be victors and CHOSE to turn their pain into purpose. Their stories look a little something like this……. Read More
Child Sexual Abuse is a crime. Is it the Parents or Educators job to Teach Prevention?
As an Early Childhood Educator and one who genuinely loves children, just the mere thought of an innocent but yet vulnerable child becoming the target of an older individual’s sexual sick and perverse fantasies is enough to make my stomach turn. As I began conversing with Educators on the topic of Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse, I kept hearing a similar but yet alarmingly shocking response that sounded along the lines of this “It’s the parent’s job to do that.” My heart sank deeper than the ocean as I immediately began to think about those children in the foster care system who don’t even have parents. Whose job is it to reach those in the system that are silently being violated behind closed doors? Read More
A Child I know has been abused what do I do?
Posted on January 12, 2019 Leave a Comment
Just when you thought the unthinkable couldn’t happen it did. Nothing possibly could have prepared you for this moment. (Your thinking) A tear stricken child had just enough strength and courage to confide in you about the “Secret” they had been holding on to. They reveal to you in whatever language is comfortable and appropriate for them that they had been abused. (Sexually)Although those exact words are a foreign language and are likely not the language they would use with you, as an adult you know enough to know that is what transpired. Whether you are a parent, teacher, caretaker or anyone with a sense of empathy, you instantaneously go through a mixture of emotions. Emotions ranging from outrage and anger to concern, worry, sadness, betrayal, and fear then grip every fiber of your being taking the right words to say right out of your mouth leaving you speechless. Hopefully, you never find yourself in this predicament but if this is the case the most IMPORTANT thing you can do in this situation is to LISTEN! Read More
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