Finding Your Way

30 days in,  what an amazing blessing to be alive today, one we have never seen before and we have another opportunity to do whatever it is that is going to impact our lives, families and communities in a positive way. I have been working on a new project that's just about wrapping up now as I continue on the journey.  So make sure you stay tune for updates as we go into our second month of 2021. I pray that you and your families are safe and cared for during these times as well as from my family to yours well wishes love peace and abundance.

Here's an update should anyone have any interest or need for services, Life Guides now offers friends/family/community peer to peer counseling sessions with a Life Guide for the low cost of $9, should you not be a part of the companies that are already associated with Life Guide opportunity and services.  Feel free to contact us to learn more or visit https://LifeGuides.com

This pandemic has been something as the new year rolls out the parents in my community ( Camden City, Camden County) are fighting to save our schools as I have gotten just a bit of information on the subject. Now the schools on the list for closing are Sharp Elementary, Cramer Elementary, Wiggins Elementary and Yorkship Elementary schools located in Camden City. Camden City Schools is a subject close to my heart as I am a graduate of the Camden City Public School district.  I served on the Parent Teacher Student Organization during my children's schooling years around 1994-95 to 2005. It was an amazing experience to partner with the schools principles and their staff and connecting with fellow parents and community and state wide organizations in efforts to create a better learning system, and  environment for our children.

The task is, has and never will be easy as Camden City and their school district administration has always not seen eye to eye in a variety of areas. We have been fighting for better quality education, courses, books, and buildings for years and some schools have and are being upgraded. Then the discussion of charter schools came up and we went back an fourth on that issue and it appears to be an ongoing discussion. Now my personal research on the difference between the Public and Charter schools was that public schools weren't allowed to have the parents sign parent participation agreements and charter schools were doing such at that time not sure how it is now.

Charter schools had the choice to select the student population, public schools can not. Because, I was not well knowledgeable on the schools curriculums and the teachers that had to train on it and they apply it in their classrooms. I relied heavily on their expertise in that area and they also reported challenges with how it was being implemented in our schools and the affects it was having on our children's ability to grasp the lesson's so I followed their lead as they are the experts and they have our children's for  at least 7to 8 hours out of the school day's so they practically are our family.

My question to the leaders of the Camden City Board of Education is your doing away with the schools that are in the children's residential communities. Will the schools be done over, rebuilt better and more environmental friendly for the students and staff, and what's the plan as to the time frame this will be done and completed? Yes, I understand that right now we are doing remote learning and how will these changes affect our students and teachers job wise and how will children be transported to and from the new schools that will be accommodating the students of the planned school closings in June of 2021? Will the new improved schools be built up and running within the 4 months starting the new school year coming 2022?

I sincerely hope that our leaders really think this out and how it will impact the Camden City school district and their families. I see that Camden High's rebuild is coming along not sure of the opening date but it is an improvement. Camden City and it's public schools district has been taken advantage of for many years way before I became involved and I'm sure those that are actively involved are watching closely the activities that are going on now.  Now parents if this pandemic has taught us anything it taught us just how much we appreciate the educators that teach our children.  We may not agree on everything but we agree that our children are our future and they won't have one if you do not step up and join with your children's teachers get informed and get active to save our Public Schools. 

Speaking from a parent of two and now grandmother of 6, worked and went to school full time, getting involved with my children's education was a must in order for me to keep up with the times and try to understand the experience that my children were experiencing during their educational former years. I worked days and I worked nights, yet I was still able to make their education an important part of my and their life. It was important and it still is today even more so but if you want the best for our children. I ask you today, to contact your child's teacher, school staff member you feel comfortable speaking with or go to the Board of Education directly to get some information and began to get involved and take some action, join your school team in this fight because together we stand and divided we will fall and we all will lose and we not having that now are we?

Believe me it may not get you the best parent awarded from your children now but later on it will be what they speak about for years to come as your involvement will not just change your life but it will change your whole family life as you continue on in the journey.

 

 One value lesson that I learned from my parental involvement days is that protecting your children, their education and the homes and communities we live in will always cost you something. Your time, money, energy, action steps and even standing up and speaking out. They say an once of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I will tell you one thing prevention will cost weather your involved or not. You will have to look at all the risk and non risk factors of the two. But if it's your child and you care about how their life will be in the future get involved now today because it will be a long but short journey of the children rearing experience and soon they will become young adults. I would advise to take your children with you to the meetings have them speak from their experience and how they are feeling on the subject matters at hand. Teach them it's okay to speak up and stand for what's right and they will learn the process of communication and problem solving along the way.

Parental involvement is a whole other level of education and it is giving of yourself to ensure that our children will have a future. If our children are going to become the best we have to become the best and getting involved in their education is the key to other doors. I talked about prevention costing and to clarify it up just a little more, many programs that work with our at risk children are set up that the child can attend their program on a volunteer bases which means the child has to want to be apart of the program to be accepted. Now, this was my biggest struggle because if my child was interested in doing what was right at the time I would not have needed the at risk program services (Laughing). Well, you get the picture sometimes our children may choose to take another way in life at a young age, that leaves many working parents very confused and distraught but it's through the collaborations of the schools and community that makes it all work. It's won't be easy but it will be worth it. So, yes prevention can cost either you pay the courts, juvenile systems, or you jump on in now and pay with your time, knowledge and input to ensure that even if your child goes off track that we are all working together to bring them back. Again we all have choices so just make the best one for you and your family. It may require you to juggle your schedule a bit but your child's school will never win without you. Get involved today. 

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