My Quest To Teach

August 15, 2018

Reading is Fundamentally Fun

Filed under: Literacy,Reading,Uncategorized — William Jackson @ 11:45
Tags: , , , , ,

Reading is Fundamentally Fun and Powerful
by William (Coach) Jackson and
Nancy (Fancy Nancy) Rentz (Media Specialists)

“There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children.
One of these is roots; the other, wings.” Hodding Carter

The celebration of reading is special, storybooks ranging from the
Cat In The Hat, High School Musical, Clifford The Big Red Dog,
Naruto, Star Wars, Captain Under Pants, Spiderman, Billy Goat Gruff,
Skippy John Jones, Ramona Quimby and other novels opens doors
to imagination for youth, teens and young adults.

Grades Pre-K to fifth should be reading,  experience the joy,
excitement, engagement and imagination gained from reading
diverse books. All learning embraces reading that opens doors to the
imagination as a lifelong value and direct impact on future success
academically and career choices.
Reading has the inclusiveness of all ages even infants in the  celebration
of literature. Involving the community that brings about change in
mentalities and values.

Community involvement is critical to the success of all students,
they must have reading mentors and role models. Parents should
be seen reading, newspapers, novels, comic books, the Bible and
diverse literature. Children will copy what they see the adults in
theirs lives do.

The libraries in and out of schools are a parade through the
neighborhoods and provide an opportunity for the community
to see great successes in literature. Books are the key to sparking
imagination, dreams and looking up to see what is never
impossible or implausible.

Mrs. Nancy Rentz AKA Fancy Nancy encourages reading and the
beauty of language development for children.  Encourages parents
to promote reading at home. Reading embeds in youthful minds
that they are capable of graduating high school and attending
colleges, vocational education and even owning their own businesses.
Children need to see their parents, relatives and friends reading
to see themselves as readers.

This takes the term, “It takes a village to raise leaders” to a new
level of accountability because readers are leaders.
“Reading is Fundamental” to the success of all students, from infant
to toddlers, to elementary ages, to rising middle school students
of graduating high school students. National and district reading
scores have shown that early success in reading leads to academic
success from elementary school to high school and influences
higher education and career success.

Students that are reading on grade level are more likely to graduate
high school and enroll in college. Learning is continuous,
comprehensive and can be made fun.
Students should be taught to take advantage of every moment to learn,
to apply their learning and encourage their peers to read and learn.

Looking at the joy and excitement of the written word.
The pure desire to become great readers and given the opportunity
to show what they (students) know when time comes to begin
the process of graduating, finding internships, scholarships or
start careers.

Reading is Fundamental to not just academic success, but career
and economic success and stability.

William Jackson, M.Ed.
Teacher DCPS

 

 

 

April 30, 2017

POWHERFUL Women and BROTHERHOOD of MEN

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POWHERFUL Women and BROTHERHOOD of MEN
Girl Version 

by William Jackson
Twitter @wmjackson
Blogging #MyQuestToTeach

The recent summits for teen and young adults in Jacksonville
shows that the community understands the need for engagement
with young ladies and young men of this city and Northeast
Florida.
To build leaders, strengthen community, encourage personal
self-esteem and the importance of applied educational knowledge
to help young ladies and young men build into leaders and
activists.
High schools; private, public and charter were represented
well by the participants that showed young people in Jacksonville
are among the best and brightest in the nation.
Both teen and young adult women and men need to understand the
value of applying their learning to potential careers and
future growth in economics, commerce, business, politics,
community services and as entrepreneurs that will run businesses
employing their peers.
Education is not just gained in school classrooms; networking
is a learned skill and having self-esteem, self-respect,
life goals and long term aspirations is vital.
The POWHERFUL and I CHOOSE BROTHERHOOD summits each empower
their unique audience of teens and young adults geared to
that audience. The diversity of attendance represents the
cultural diversity of Northeast Florida and that all cultures
are valuable and contibute to the success of our city.
Each summit had local and national influencers in a various
industries that draw local and national attention to issues
important to teens and young adults.
Summits like these touch on a broader audience and has
a ripple affect in teens and young adults becoming themselves
influencers and smart creatives in their community and schools.
The unique nature of each summit is that there were not gender
distractions. POWHERFUL was dedicated to young ladies and
I CHOOSE BROTHERHOOD dedicated to young men.
Jacksonville needs to continue to provide summits, workshops,
and conferences that focus on teens and young adult issues,
they cannot be ignored nor denied the constitutional rights
they are guaranteed of opportunities of speak and assembly.
Jacksonville is learning that issues are not settled by law
enforcement, laws, curfews or other legislative embargoes.
Children, youth, teens and young adults need interactive
engagement with the adults in their lives to talk about
the issues that are important to them.
As a parent, educator, mentor and community activist the best
results are gained by caring and showing that you do care about
young people by being engaged and active. Society can only be
best served when our children, teens and young adults know
that they can be seen and heard.

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Resources:
POWHERFUL – Instagram – Twitter – Facebook = @powherfulfdn
Soledad O’Brien, Starfish Foundation – Twitter @soledadobrien
Sheba Turk , News Anchor – Twitter @shebaturk
Akia Uwanda , Entertainer and Entrepreneur
FB – akiauwandaentertainer – Twitter – @akiauwanda

Videos:
Akia Uwanda how she started her career
https://youtu.be/eMLFq_Vs0AM
Blue Print for Success
https://youtu.be/lkI4TnMoy1Q
Financial Aid for Higher Education
https://youtu.be/rmDMpz0AGSU
First Step to get Money
https://youtu.be/JQIdQbKvbn8
Free Money for School
https://youtu.be/RMc0e2Mh2s8
Getting Loans for Higher Education
https://youtu.be/38Fjt7ITmas
How to Address Bullying In School
https://youtu.be/fr4NmN09WYM
Scholarships for Higher Education
https://youtu.be/sgyfi7cthtA
Starting A Music Career Akia Uwanda
https://youtu.be/gABGgFXpFKU
Starting Your Careers
https://youtu.be/cNI_lnSiXdY
The Stress of Bullying
https://youtu.be/PEfNaVqTzns

My Photos:
http://s1211.photobucket.com/user/williamdjackson/POWHERFUL%202017/story

 

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August 15, 2016

HBCUs Must Inspire Next Generation of Bloggers

HBCUs Must Inspire Next Generation of Bloggers
by William Jackson, Edward Waters College
Educational Technology

The explosion of blogging has transitioned beyond the
limitations of text, there is VBlogging, MicroBlogging, Podcasting
and other platforms to share cultural, political, educational,
and dynamic content.
The importance of writing can never be understated in the
areas of education and business writing, it is still crucial to the
sharing and disseminating of information. Writing shows the
foundation of intelligence  and engaging ideas and concepts.

As an instructor
teaching Educational
Technology and
Social Media at
Edward Waters College,
I have always felt that
blogging allows  for
growth and

networking. The challenge is to get HBCU students to see beyond
their personal perceptions that are limited by lack of exposure
and expand their digital vision to see the benefits of creating and
mastering their digital footprints.
This exposure can expand  networking opportunities and
collaboration that can lead to employment and the start of careers.
Content can make or break an HBCU student’s ability to gain
employment.
Businesses are looking for talent that has a passion for challenges
and diversity; looking at HBCUs’ for professionals. HBCU men and
women that can integrate technology with creativity and innovation
have valuable skills that are sought after.
HBCU students should be taught to be aggressive, confident and
prepared. The increase of conferences show there is a need for
professional development, workshops, seminars
and teaching Marketing/Branding in the 21st century by creating
or branding with knowledge in areas of need.

Blogging, Microblogging, Podcasting Vblogging can aid in
the Marketing and Branding of HBCU students.
Students need to attend conferences like:
1. Blogging While Brown
(the premiere blogging conference for bloggers of color and culture)
Blogging While Brown
2. Florida Blogging and Technology Conference
(FLBlogCon educates and empowers bloggers by
teaching best practices for blogging)

 

 

 

 

 

Just to name two, Google other conferences like:
WordCamp, BarCamp, EdCamp

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There is even a Florida Writers Conference that
provides access to literary influences and thought
leaders.
Check with local libraries and even MeetUps
to see what events are coming up.

Colleges and universities across the nation are
teaching the intricate dynamics of writing and applying
writing to integrating with technology. The growth and
influence of blogging can be seen in its infusion
in Social Media platforms that are now money
makers,  business ventures based on content creation.
Social Media has a local impact on the events that
happen in communities where individual citizens are
reporters and content creators that keep neighbors
informed and engaged.

Writing influencers such as Chinua Achebe and Buchi
Emecheta have been influential in my blogging because
of the passion they have for their native Nigeria and
empowerment of education and literacy.
One of the best influences for HBCU students is to find
a blogging/writing mentor, either virtual or in person.
It is important to find writers with similar interests and
abilities to model and direct passion to create content.

My other mentors are Malcolm X because of his love
for learning, Richard Wright for intellectualism,
Earnest Gaines, James Baldwin, Carter G. Woodson
to name a few.

Reading is important because content
is based on research and background information
that will validate and carry your blog.

Buchi Emecheta
“I believe it is important to speak to your readers
in person… to enable people to have a whole
picture of me; I have to both write and speak.
I view my role as writer and also as oral communicator.”
These are strong words that can be applied to bloggers.
Engagement and communication is important.
Involvement in a community and speaking up is
important as well. HBCU students, what is your passion
to blog about to help effect positive and
transformational change?

BlackBloggersConnect.com
leading SM / Blogging site:
Social media is the thriving pulse
behind the blogosphere.

ThyBlackMan.com
http://thyblackman.com/about-us/

HBCU students
create change through intellectualism and developing
themselves as a thought leader and influencer.
Choose your words wisely and apply your passions,
you will make an impact in the world and be heard.

scsusite2011_r1_c1
I’m a proud graduate of South Carolina State College

July 30, 2016

Bullying and Girls: A Time for Discussion

Filed under: Uncategorized — William Jackson @ 11:50

Bullying and Girls: A Time for Discussion

The issues of bullying, harassment, teasing and intimidation
were discussed, role played, and even acted out through
artwork and acting. Twenty young ladies from elementary thru
high school participated in the presentation:
“I Will Survive Bullying” developed by
William Jackson educator with Duval County
Public Schools and Professor with  Edward
Waters College.

Arranged by Journey Into Womanhood held at
Community Connections in Jacksonville, Florida.
JIW a program designed by Mrs. Coleman-Moss
(Empowerment Resources), the mission is
to “empower youth and their families, but to
establish community partnerships and expose
families to community resources.”
Empowerment Resources Inc

Empowerment Resource’s Journey Into Womanhood™ (JIW)
provided an interactive presentation with William Jackson
(My Quest To Teach) to discuss bullying and cyberbullying,
harassment, teasing and intimidation. Mr. Jackson a teacher,
presenter on Social Media, Internet Safety, Youth and Technology,
and Guest Host on BlogTalkRadio designed an interactive
presentation called, “I Will Survive Bullying” focusing
on self esteem, bullying prevention, nonviolent strategies,
empathy, local laws and self confidence when dealing with
bullying and other forms of harassment.

This presentation was attended by 20 young ladies from
elementary to high school. The young ladies all had
experiences with teasing andbullying, but at various degrees.
Some were bullied because of their clothes, some their hair,
some even because of the color of their skins (Colorism).
Colorism is not a new form of bullying, but a
dangerous form of inter-cultural racism.

This workshop provided an opportunity
for the young ladies to talk about the seriousness of
events happening at schools locally and nationally. The
information shared was guided by a discussion from
current school topics and questions that youth
have about why they maybe picked out and bullied, the
appropriate nonviolent responses to bullying, involvement
of teachers and administrators and communicating with parents.

The use of Social Media was integrated into the discussion
because of the increase of CyberStalking and CyberBullying
through computers, Smartphones, and other devices that have
access to online content. Teens major mode of communication
is with electronic devices and CyberStalking and CyberBullying
along with Sexting are growing.

Educators and administrators are the first lines of
deterrence for bullying in classrooms and schools, the
young ladies shared their lack of trust for many teachers and
administrators because as students they feel they are not taken
seriously about this issue that is creating an atmosphere of fear,
mental and emotional trauma and missing of school.

Studies of bullying by various organizations found that
students threaten repeatedly suffer from various forms of
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that is commonly
associated with combat veterans. Several students in high
school openly stated that teachers have disregarded
their reporting of bullying that students receive in schools
and are fearful of violence because “no one takes it serious
at my school” says one high school young lady. They do not
want to be labeled as “snitches.”

Statistics show that students are stressed,
http://Bullyingstatistics.org,
“77% of students experience bullying in some form: mental,
verbal, or physical.”

The incidents that can be measured are determined by the
regularity of the events. If bullying is consistent and
continuous there is cause for alarm and intervention at
schools. Students may feel imprisoned if subjected to regular,
consistent and continuous bullying.
They may feel no way out of what they perceive as a
trapped situation creating stress that builds and may cause
mental and physical challenges.

Through the efforts of organizations like Empowerment
Resource’s Journey Into Womanhood, young ladies can talk
about incidents of bullying and build strategies to deal with
and prevent potential incidents.
A very important element is that students have a parent or
guardian to talk to, to have a mature adult that values what
the student feels and acts upon their stresses by inquiry
and finding solutions. Stated by several young ladies the
support from parents is very important. Knowing there is
someone they can go to and share how they feel and values
their feeling empowers them to be strong and confident.

Schools need to provide support in more ways because
traditional strategies are not working.

Resources:
Empowerment Resources Inc.
http://www.empowermentresourcesinc.org/aboutus.asp

Bullying in School
http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/400553/william-
jackson/2010-11-03/bullying-school-physical-and-cyber

Bullying Resources
http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/400553/
william-jackson/2010-11-17/bullying-resources

Understanding Bullying and Violence
http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/400553/
william-jackson/2012-02-29/understanding-bullying-and-violence

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