Be Encouraged

Over the last few months, I have been quite frustrated with the belabored issues occurring  in the district and around education in our city overall. It's tough to keep listening to the vicious complaints about what each stakeholder's belief that one entity is doing something "right." Most ignore the public education option in our inner-city. Others move to the outskirts of the city or into suburbs seeking safety and a quality education for their children; and then the rest of us are so focused on what use to be or this is how it is, we now have a depleted inner-city and an educational system so marginalized at every level that we have forgotten about the children.

As tough as it some aspects of life may be, we will pack up after our meetings and continue to churn the same mindset of what use to be. I often express to people, I am looking at how this will be in 2020 and 2065. I'm staying encouraged about the possiblities. If we live another ten to fifty years continuing to fight and disagree about how to make decisions about the education and safety of the children, we won't be a viable, progressive city. We are discouraging our next generation by not equipping them with the tools they will need to be come a productive Kansas Citian. So if we are going to change education in this city, I encouage all of those who are willing to see Kansas City change and are quite unsure of how to make it happen to get engaged in the process. We have so much to learn abbout each other instead of wasting time juding one another. If you want to really step out and get involved, contact me cleekoba@gmail.com or via Facebook.

Candace

Travel Reflection

In my travel to this week packed with workshops, I had a little time to reflect where the DAC and other Parent Groups in the school district are. At times it becomes daunting and we can grow weary and I believe in the time to step back and reflect. There are times I can get caught up in what I want or what doesn't feel right to me regarding the school district and I realized that can make the task a lot easier than just continuing to press in and continue the work. As I tell people all the time, we sit in these meetings making "big decisions" without consulting the idea children in our community are wondering the streets, looking for the next meal, wondering how their clothes will get clean and if they will even live through the night to see tomorrow.

Our work is bigger than what we personally feel. If we keep being defeated because we are the lone rangers making noise for KCMSD Scholars or parents or community members, then we will totally miss the mark. We will continue to cultivate 20-30 more years of the same monotonous circles in Kansas City. Parents, I encourage you to remove yourselves from what the school district may or may not be doing and hold them accountable for what they are supposed to do.

Bottom-up accountability...

What's the Unifying Parent's Message

As a community member who wants to live in a city of advanced education, technology, transportation and a myriad of other things, I am continuously disheartened by the progression of our city. I work with parents daily who continue to stand up for their rights and are continuously turned off by the blatant attempt to fractionalize their inclusion concerning their child(ren)'s education. As a person who is waiting for Kansas City to catch up to the rest of the world, I want to live in a city that progresses and values it's citizens. I won't belabour the point with socioeconomic and racial history nor will I forget this history; but I am willing to belaobur what can occur in the future.

I was asked a while ago what kind of Kansas City would I want to see in 2020? I named the usuals: better schools, transportation and commerce back into our city. Then I was asked, what is stopping these from occurring? I was puzzled because I couldn't yield to the idea of it being everyone else's decisions stopping it. I had to accept some responsibility in the matter. I pondered the question for a few weeks. I asked some parents their thoughts on the matter and they helped me come down to one conclusion: everyone wants thier child to have a good education. Class, race, background nor can divert this point.

How do the parents in Kansas City, MO (district, charter and private alike) ensure everyone's child gets a good education?

UNPLUGGED: Disconnected from Reality

It amazes me how much the scholars in this district know about their schools! Scholars have the largest B.S.'ometer and yet, we still disregard what they say. As we are sitting in a room of scholars, parents and staff at a program, the disgruntlement of disorganization and the unwillingness to work together (adults)...and we ask them to come to school and learn?!?!?! How can we when downtown, parents and the community are still disconnected from reality. I express very vividly as we sit in our business clothes and business meetings, simultaneously there are scholars who experience this reality. We praise schools where a portion (minute) are barely academically making it, we continue to be concerned with positions...who doesn't benefit...the unprepared scholars who come out into the world and will one day live, work, socializes with my family. I'm currently living, working and socializing with scholars of this district from the last 30 years, and am very saddened. some of these people have NO CLUE as to how to get out o certain situations. Yes, I would love to not have to pay so many taxes for unemployment or health care, yet if we keep producing unequipped people, then that's what we are set up for.

I am told time and time again, I do not have children in these schools so I shouldn't have my nose in the business. Yet, when we continue to have uninspiring insiders who live oblivious to these realities,  what do we expect? It is indicative of the citizens in this community to stand up and not want KCMSD to be the laughing stock of KCMO for the next 30 - 40 years. Wouldn't it be nice to wake up at the crack of dawn and listen to the news for at least 2 weeks straight (during the school year) and not have any poor press about the district. It disappoints me we can continue to act as if we need a silver spoon at the top level and when it' shared, leaders across the city are more despondent because they couldn't think of it nor have the resources to pull it off. I hope we can get to the day of loving what we do so much, no school board...SAC...DAC...principal...Administrator....Associate Superintendent nor Superintendent will ever approve of a decent board meeting while simultaneously our children have disorganized and dysfunctional activities across the district. SWECC scholars and every other in this district deserve better than this!

So I challenge the board members to get out into the schools and quit being afraid of micromanaging! You all are professional people and know how to handle yourselves!!! Get out and see what your constituents are saying. I know Brookside isn't the only area of town that has a voice.

I challenge the parents to let go of petty arguments of position and resolve what needs to occur for your children's education, programs and school environment. I accidentally meet KCMSD parents all the time (hairdresser, KCMSD security guards, at the Wal-Mart, work etc.). 

I challenge the Administrators to get off the soap box and appearance that these schools are unplugged from you. This is an organization, from the Sup to the Janitors, we are all responsible for the scholar's success. the day of saying we don't do this at the school level are over. How can you know what's going on if you are not out there? Yet again, we are professionals, we know what it will take to educate our scholars!

At What Point Will the Parents Unite?

As the community (parents & neighbors alike) continue to sojourn on this quest to educate the children of Kansas City, MO, we continue to encounter bureaucratic roadblocks that perpetuate the mis-education of our children. Our children are continuously denied to reap the benefits of what every child in our district is entitled to, a world-class education. It is the vision (see the full vision below) of the school district to ensure our children receive the opportunities to pursue higher education, obtain decent employment to sustain their own families and become active citizens - the pursuit of happiness. Yet, how can they receive this when even the most minute opportunities they work so hard for are pulled off from under them? How can we ask them to hope for this happiness if we continue to stay divided? Parents, community and district staff alike are unable to peaceably join forces on strategies to enable them to become world-class global learners. We are continuously divided by policies, regulations, changes, neighborhoods and to put it simply personal agendas that our children cannot reap these benefits. 


Everyday parents grow weary from having to fight small battles such as discontinued programs, power-tripping principals, micro-managing administrators and uncommunicative staff. The parents are sick of it! We want to believe in KCMSD, yet these stumbling blocks continue to knock the wind out of them. Time and time again parents have expressed all they want is that their children go to school and learn in a safe and healthy environment. They want to be involved in their child's education. They want to ensure their children go out into the world prepared for what life will throw at them. We as a community want our children to succeed and to produce successful children. It is appearant parents and community no longer believe in KCMSD and the City of Kansas City, MO because they leave. When customers or stakeholders are dissatisfied with the level service, they either remove the barriers or change providers. Look at our failing corporations across the United States...their customers left.


The children of Kansas City are still crying...so the bigger question is, at what point will parents unite? 


When  the parents of Southwest, Paseo, Brookside, Hyde Park, Northeast, the Urban Core, Eastern KC, West Bluff and thE South end all come together and support one common vision: educated and successful children; then and only then is when the REAL CHANGE in our district will occur. THE PARENTS & COMMUNITY ULTIMATELY HAVE THE POWER! YOU ARE THE STAKEHOLDERS! When we begin to reach out to one another, unite and demand better service, then the small battles will come far and few in between. 

Vision of the District

The Kansas City, Missouri School District envisions its schools as places where every student will develop deep understanding of the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue higher education, obtain family-supporting employment, contribute to the civic well-being of the community, and have the opportunity for a rewarding and fulfilling life. (http://www2.kcmsd.net/Pages/AboutKCMSD.aspx)

The mistresses never makes them leave...

I jokingly tell people that a domestic women's shelter is my mistress to KCMSD. At times I hate to think of it like that, because domestic violence is an important issue we need to address...yet my time is overindulged in education. Over the last month, I have watched the new school year begin with many bottlenecks and promises to come. Were we perfect in every effort? No but we tried our best and we are continuing it.




So what does infidelity have to do with KCMSD?



In a marriage, two wholes are taken and made into one. They both bring their individuality and come together as a union for love or procreation. Why would a mistress play a factor in a marriage? They do not! As long as both individuals are fervently working towards a matrimonial union, then I believe mistresses and lovers are not a factor. Instances that make a partner leave is disrespect, being shut out, physical abuse…which are bottom-line ways of saying they feel unwanted.



If I send my child to school, I want to feel wanted and cooperatively work with the school to better my child’s experience. This is what a majority of our parents feel and still gets disrespected and ignored…parents would rather leave KCMSD for the mistress. Community members would rather live oblivious to the politics and antics from the parents to the school board .



KCMSD makes parents and community members file for divorce daily. How can I stay committed to my marriage with KCMSD when we are continuously being ignored, shut out or divided?



HOW CAN I CHANGE THIS?

HAVE A GOOD FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL KCMSD SCHOLARS 2010-2011!

As I sit here, with the anticipation of a 3rd grader barely sleeping from the excitement of a new school year, I can only hope that we (adults) have done our best to prepare our children for the school year to come. Last school year was emotionally turbulent because of the many changes we experienced as a community. I believe as parents, administrators, teachers, custodians, security officers, older siblings, aunts/uncles, grandparents, mentors, community leaders and neighbors it is our mission to ensure our children's school climate is everything and more than what we experienced as children. I remember the transition from the crisp first days of school beginning after Labor Day to the warm late August sun beaming down on us as we stood waiting for the bus. I remember this was the one time my whole family worked together to ensure everyone was enrolled and had supplies or clothes. I remember I was so excited to start a new year, meet a new teacher and potentially learn something new. So as we begin waking our scholars up and getting them ready for school, I challenge us all to focus on their excitement of meeting a new teacher, seeing old friends, entering a new school building and even walking to school or catching the bus for the first time. I challenge us to listen to what the scholars have been saying about many of the changes and entertain their approaches. I challenge us to work together to make KCMSD School Year (SY) 2010-2011 the best school year our scholars could ever imagine.

HAVE A GOOD FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL KCMSD SCHOLARS 2010-2011!