Principals must be...

Here's a random Saturday thought for you, I'm opposed to "quickie" principals, principals that haven't spent but a half a second in the classroom and now are in roles where they are instructional leaders and set the tone and course for the entire building! What do you know?

Principals must be instructional leaders. To become a great TEACHER it takes years of teaching, trying, failing, and trying again, a willingness to learn and collaborate, a solid foundation of at least undergraduate coursework, etc. But fast track to be the "boss"? Nope.

If you are 20-anything and are a school principal, it's highly unlikely that you spent at least 10 years teaching (which is what I think the minimum should be). I know it's unrealistic because outsiders have beat up so much on teachers, that some cannot take another bruise and would rather be the ones doing some of the bruising. Self-preservation, I get it (or nah?).

I may be provincial in my thinking and may be limiting myself to become an even better educator, but I'm also honest. If I ever have to answer to a principal who hasn't taught but maybe a year or two, or even three, take a seat in the back of the class and learn something.

At 8 years in, I'm still learning and am enjoying it! I couldn't imagine having three years in and then become a teacher-leader or principal. Credibility lost!! Go brush your baby teeth.

Legacy of black educators in my family

Shout out to the members of my family on both my father and mother's side of the family who are/were teachers! This teaching "thing" didn't just begin with my generation. On my mother's side, we have generations of Philly public school teachers, beginning with my grandfather. On my father's side, New Jersey's and Philly suburban public school teachers.

Proud legacy of educators! Now my sister and I are currently Philly public school teachers with a couple of my other siblings going back to school to get graduate degrees in education so they, too, can join the most noble profession on the planet!

Roebuck

Why the SRC shouldn't approve the 39 new charters...

Want to know why the SRC shouldn't approve the THIRTY-NINE (39) NEW charter schools?

Multiply John B. Kelly Elementary School's story by SEVERAL DOZEN real public schools and feel free to add things that at the moment I can't think of because I'm irritated:

1.  We don't have a nurse five days a week, we have her 3x per week (and some schools less than that)

2.  We have an art teacher once a week. On a Tuesday. (many schools don't even have that much)

3.  We have four Noon Time Aids for 700 kids at the lunches

4.  Kindergarten classes are sitting at 30 kids (contractual limit yes, but why max out?)

5.  One secretary for 700 kids, more than 100 adults, and a host of parents, delivery persons, outside agencies, etc. who need to be "buzzed" in. But security is a priority?

6.  I buy dozens of books so that my kids can have NICE, clean, new books to read and not tattered, old, donated books from the 1980s and 1990s

7.  I painted my own classroom from whatever old, jaded (is that the word I want? Probably not, but I'll use it anyway) color it was to reflect a classroom that says, "You're Welcome Here" and not "I don't give a rat's houtinany about you"

8.  With my own money I purchased magazine subscriptions and have purchased whole class sets of grade level (or slightly above) books that are relevant (i.e. The Story of Ruby Bridges)

9.  A guest teacher, during her prep and lunch is organizing Afro-centric books and placing them  in clear view for teachers to use in class because we have no librarian

10. I haven't seen a raise since January, 2012, nor have I seen a step increase since 2013 or an upgrade in pay when I received my M.Ed (and Reading Specialist cert, by the way...an area that many of our children struggle in...I'm just saying...)

I'm sure I'm missing a TON of other things that I'm not thinking of that truly make our schools, schools and places where teachers feel respected and appreciated.

But there's a whole movement out there that is pushing for the approval of 39 NEW charter schools which would all but completely bankrupt our district and cause more harm than good! We have 86 charters already. The second largest district in Pennsylvania can be found right here with our charters along with the largest district, our district run, real public schools!

Stupid people we have in this world. Just idiots! Sheesh!

Scholarly Orderly Chaos

Just sitting here reflecting, as I often do, on my classroom. One of the aspects that I was thinking on, was on what some unenlightened soul could perceive as "chaos" in my classroom. It is anything but!!

There are times when they are sitting and quietly working, but there are times when we:

1.  get up and converse with other classmates about what we read during our silent reading time

2.  get up and converse with other classmates about the math that we're working on

3.  take several "30 seconds to stretch" breaks throughout the day

4.  are scattered all over the floor with personal rugs, pillows, or on the larger area rugs to read

5.  are up and moving and dancing to the beat of some educational rap/rap video

6.  are up and moving to a wall or corner of the room where the answer to some question I asked
about grammar or figurative language is posted on construction paper in the teacher's handwriting

7.  when we just sit quietly and doodle after lunch, in the dark, with filtered light from the sun and the sound of WRTI 90.1 FM's classical music playing in the background

8.  are doctors performing sentence surgery on sick sentences

9. quickly make our way back to our seats as the teacher counts down from 5 with the warning starting with "original seats in 5, 4..." or to the tune of a preschool song, "Everybody take a seat, take a seat, take a seat! Everybody take a seat, right in your chair. Not in the ceiling, not in the air, everybody take a seat right in your chair"

Chaos for lack of classroom management? No sir! Scholarly Orderly Chaos!

The Church

This post is dedicated to a huge part of my life, the church.
I was born and raised in church and am appreciative of the many Godly principles that I've been taught and the countless experiences and encounters that I've had with God.

My parents raised us to be people of prayer, faith, and the Word of God, the Bible.
We were also raised to live the life; that our faith isn't something that we put on and take off as we would our school clothes, but that this is our way of life. Prayer, Bible study, praising God, singing and glorifying the God of our salvation, living a clean and sanctified life...this is how we are to live.

The churches that we were brought up in were a part of the larger Pentecostal Assemblies of the World (PAW). This organization is historically significant to the African Americans and the Pentecostal movement in America, tracing its roots back to the small mission in California in the early 1900s and great Azusa Street revival.

Even with great moves of God, the country was still deeply divided over race. Unfortunately such differences found their way into the church, no fault to the Lord. As a result, the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World became a predominately black Pentecostal church organization with many of our white brothers and sisters forming our sister organization.

Today, however, PAW and other organizations are much more inclusive than they once were, realizing that God is not God of an organization but over his organism, the church of the living God.

The church is still very much a huge part of my life and I'm grateful to my parents for raising me in it. I couldn't be thankful to them without paying tribute to our ancestors who yielded themselves to the move of the Holy Ghost, not only in the early 20th century, but also back on the day of Pentecost spoken of in Acts chapter 2!

OYPD

Huh? OYPD???? "Whatchu talkin' bout Flem?"
This Black History shout out goes to lol my former employees at the West Philly YMCA, where for 7 years I worked and was eventually one of the directors.

I started as a camp counselor and worked my way up the ladder to be a Youth Program Director, in charge of most of the Y's youth programs. There were many teenagers and young men and women who worked for me during my tenure. My goal was to give promising young men and women and teens a chance and to teach, especially the teens, them what it meant to be a professional, how to carry one's self, how to put together quality youth programs, and how to be prepared for "whatever" especially working with a parent's most prized possession!

I had the BEST STAFF a director could have on this side of heaven! We were a team and we stuck together through thick and thin!! We were visionaries and excited to work for the Y, even in the face of others who couldn't stand the ground we walked on because we were so tight!

Because we were visionaries, we went on and renamed ou r little program office and called it the Office of Youth Programming and Development (OYPD)! We were proud to serve the youth in our communities as sports coaches, dance and drama teachers (at one point more than 100 girls in our program in classes all week and on Saturdays), camp counselors, after school program teachers, grant writers, administrative assistants, school bus drivers, tutors, contract gym teachers, etc!!!

We are no longer an OYPD, but though the evolution of modern media and technology, we all "like" and "post" and "share" and 💓 on IG!

Many reminisce and thank me, even this past week. You're welcome, but let ME be the one to thank YOU!!! Even as a young leader, I knew then that bed every good leader is an EXCELLENT staff!! You made easy look good and in ret I did my level best to treat you right at every turn!!

So shout out to the former West Philly YMCA OYPD!!!!!!!!

Our Family

This month, I'm taking the time out to acknowledge my black family, friends, organizations, and causes important to me!

One of many things that I can appreciate about our family is the fact that we didn't grow up rich, but my parents taught all of their children the value of hard work and an education. As a result, we are all college educated!!

Dad - BA Urban Ministry Management (Geneva College)

Mom - B.S. Accounting (Temple U.), MBA ( Eastern U.)

Brother - BA Political Science (West Chester U.)
(currently back in school for M.Ed Secondary Social Studies)

Sister - B.S.Ed (West Chester U.) M.Ed (Cabrini College)

Sister - BA Psychology (West Chester U.)
(headed back to school for M.Ed)

Brother - (currently a junior and a marketing major)

Yours truly - B.S.Ed (Temple U.) M.Ed (Cabrini College)

The realest thing...

Enough said

My sister

My Brother

Young King's Brand

Black History Post #3
Again, my purpose this month is to write/discuss people, organizations, entities, etc. with which I have a personal connection!

Big ups to my cousin for pushing black organizations and individuals, particularly young black men into the limelight!

She calls it, "Young King's Brand"!

Check them out online http://www.youngkingsbrand.com/ and all over social media!

#BlackHistory

Black History in the making...

This month I'm dedicating any posts about Black History to those individuals, causes, organizations, etc who are near and dear to me one way or another.

This one is dedicated to all of the students who I have ever had! You are making history one way or another! I still have many, if not all, of your autographs because I know that you will make something of yourselves!!!

From my days at the Y to my years as a teacher with the school district, I'm looking forward to your future!!

Black History Month

Welcome to February! The purpose of this post is not to debate the myriad issues surrounding Black History Month, but rather to take the time to celebrate African Americans who are near and dear to me for one reason or another.

This first post of the month is dedicated to my parents, Stephen and Jackie Flemming. There are formative figures that have trailblazed and paved the way for our people as a whole, but without my parents, *I* wouldn't be here! (Neither would my four siblings...lol)

We weren't raised with silver spoons in our mouths and there were, undoubtedly, struggles at times to provide for us, but that they did, provide! My mother is an accountant by profession and my father worked for the Philadelphia Electric Company for many years. They tried to send us to private schools a few times, but very early on settled on public education and were determined to make sure we received a quality education!

We were born and raised in a very conservative household. They taught us to revere and respect the very character of God, to serve and trust Him with all of our heart, mind, body, and soul! Our Christian heritage still drives each of us today, not only as people of God, dedicated to prayer, the reading and studying of the Bible, and serving in multiple ministries in the church, but also in our service to others outside of the four walls of the church building.

Even though my parents currently reside in the South, I'm grateful for modern day technology that helps keep us connected!!

So, on this first day of Black History Month, I salute and celebrate my parents! Our family has a rich history and I am appreciative to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ for allowing me to born to such great and wonderful people!!! I love you dad and mom!