Showing posts with label Knowledge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Knowledge. Show all posts

Sunday, May 10, 2020

The Only NYC Department of Education Resources You Will Ever Need

“If kids have the opportunity to come together to get to know one another, they can judge for themselves who they want their friends to be. All children should have that choice. We, as adults, shouldn’t make those choices for children. That’s how racism starts.” ~ Ruby Bridges.

Good morning; afternoon; and evening friends and fans! Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there. I’ve been researching more resources for parents and teachers alike. And it’s different from my Public Assistance Resources blog in April, I mean, I’ll be providing certain information pertaining to what you need to know from my own personal knowledge. If you have any additional information that I may have missed or overlooked within this blog and feel free to pass that information along at your leisure. As I’m listening to music on Spotify and continuing to search for any additional information so I’m not missing any important information. Since the Corona virus had closed many educational facilities, and as well as non-essential stores/restaurants since March making it a challenge to keep up with your children’s remote learning or finding little odds and ends for financial purposes, which ties into Public Assistance Resources and an upcoming blog about vegan because at some point your children will eventually take up health classes in high school. In a way, when I was attending Benjamin N. Cardozo High School, I honestly didn’t know what a vegetarian or a vegan was in high school up until several years ago when I had found several cookbooks with vegetarian recipes and until the last five years when I began hearing about celebrities going vegan. I’m not going to get too heavily into the topic of veganism, it’s a conversation for another time. Here is a New York Times article on the Coronavirus: New York Times: Coronavirus in N.Y.C.: Latest Updates; and New York Closes Schools Through End of Academic Year to read at your own leisure.

If you have young children and enjoys coloring, I’ve found Coloring Castle and there’s different coloring activities such as Valentines Coloring PagesBirthday Coloring PagesMother’s Day Coloring PagesState Coloring Pages; and just to name a few. However, there are some educational coloring pages such as: AlphabetsStates Coloring PagesFood Pyramid and everything from this website are printer friendly or you can save them onto your flash drives. Again, you can refer to my previous blog, Public Assistance Resources to check out flash drives from Adorama or B&H and I would stay away from Walgreens, Staples or wherever flash drives are sold. If your dependent(s) have an upcoming [dental or pediatric] appointment or an unexpected trip to City MD: Urgent Care, make sure you have all of the forms that your child’s school sent home early in the academic school year which includes: Child & Adolescent Health Examination Form: NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene; and other documentation on hand but make sure you scan every piece of document onto your Kingston 128gb DataTraveler SE9 G2 USB 3.0 Flash Drive. My best advice is to create a folder for each of your dependents and make sure you put each of these documents in each of their designated folder. Send an email to your dependents teachers with these documents so your dependents teachers (including school nurse) cannot say shit that they’ve “never received” any of these documents and it’s always good to have proof if in the event that these teachers have something to say. Create a folder for your dependents which would include the year for each school semester, for example: if the school year begins in September then put the year (meaning from September 2019 - June 2020) then create ten folders in each of your children’s folders and also scan your children’s report cards per report card term. It’s best to be prepared than under prepared. Also include a scan of Allergies/Anaphylaxis Medication Administration Form: School Year 2020 - 2021; Emergency Contact Card; Child & Adolescent Health Examination Form: NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene; Consent to photograph, film, or videotape a student for non-profit; and Housing Questionnaire to your children’s folder. Another excellent reason to scan your dependents’ Child & Adolescent Health Examination Form is if you are planning to go back to college but your dependents aren’t old enough to stay home alone without ACS - Administration for Child Services making visits to your home and think of it this way, it’s best to make it less stressful for your children’s pediatrician to fill the same form twice. Best to do yourselves a favor by scanning and print a second copy for the college you wish to attend for the upcoming semester.

I’ve also found additional forms for IDNYC Middle School Card Application; IDNYC Application For Applicants Ages 10 - 13; RESIDENCY ATTESTATION for Applicant Age 10 -21; NYC DOE Student Verification Consent Form for IDNYC; RESIDENCY LETTER for a Student Enrolled in any Private, Parochial, or NYC DOE School; or a Head Start or Early Learn program; and RESIDENCY LETTER for Student enrolled in a Private or Parochial School you can send to your children’s teachers by email in hopes of them having common sense to print and fill out the forms so you can take your dependents to your local library. Only two Queens Public Libraries are: Central Queens Public Library and Flushing Queens Public Library. I’ve noticed that many grade schools aren’t teaching cursive writing much and I remember learning cursive writing in the fifth grade. Yes, I sadly realize technology has dumbed us down but many people are dependent on technology. I am not 100% sure which other Queens Public Library participates in the IDNYC program and it’s best to contact your local Queens Public Library at your earliest convenience. Links will be provided below for IDNYC applications and similiar forms for legal guardians to fill out. I’ve found a website where parents or guardians can print out pages for their children can learn cursive writing because these children are gonna have to eventually have to sign their names on the dotted line. Here are some websites for printer friendly pages: Cursive Writing Worksheets and Cursive Writing Worksheets to encourage your children to improve their penmanship. Best to be prepared for their future and you’re welcome. I encourage everyone to do their own personal research and let me know if I had missed anything within this blog. To a certain extent, this blog ties into the Public Assistance Resources blog.

 Warm blessings,
Jennifer 

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Don't Stay in School

“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” ~ Malcolm X

Good morning; afternoon; and evening friends and fans! Namaste. 🧘🏾‍♀️ I was watching this this television show, Right This Minute on Fox 5 and they showed this viral video: 'Don't Stay in School' of this guy talking about things that you do in the real world such as paying taxes; current events that's going on in the world. I agree with this guy because things like this you'd have to figure it out within your own life upon graduating high school. When I was in school, I wasn't taught how to balance a check book or anything of that nature and when it came down to using algebra, when at some point are we ever going to use algebra; calculus; geometry; and trigonometry? The only arithmetic we ever use in our everyday life are addition; subtraction; multiplication; and division. It's different if you're teaching math in school but all in reality, when will the average person going to use algebra beyond high school or college? I'm not sure what jobs that actually deal with all things mathematics other than accounting; retail (i.e. retail, restaurants, bodegas, etc) and just to name a few. For me personally, it's nice knowing algebra but as I feel that it is wasted knowledge if never used in the real world and keep in mind, I have a fourth grade math level, no matter how many times you explain it to me, I'm still going to be very much lost; confused; and frustrated. All things math is my kryptonite and all things involving reading and writing are my super powers so to speak. Just because math isn't my strong subject doesn't mean I'm incompetent but it doesn't mean that you have to treat me any different than the next person and end of story because I'm not going to convince anyone anything different. What I know is what I know and what you know is what you know, no one can take that knowledge away from either one of us. Yet, I agree, schools don't teach us how to get or find employment; showing us how to balance a check book or assist us in creating resumes and cover letters, ways to get past job interviews the first time around successfully or learning CPR. Nonetheless, I feel that teachers should teach students how to create their cover letters and resumes starting in their sophomore of high school so this way by the time the student is about to graduate high school, they would have already perfected their cover letters and resumes by then. Hopefully it's a useful suggestion to every school across America and globally but not limited to just public schools but expand the knowledge of knowing how to create cover letters and resumes to private schools and Yeshivahs if they haven't done so already. Give us the proper life saving skills in order for us to survive in the real world other than providing us the basic knowledge of knowing how to read; write; and do math. Also show us how to perform CPR because it's a life saving skill and it's a shame it's not even taught in all schools around the world. BoyInABand talks about how things are not being "used" in the real world beyond high school and college. 

 "In a world that is constantly changing, there is no one subject or set of subjects that will serve you for the foreseeable future, let alone for the rest of your life. The most important skill to acquire now is learning how to learn." ~ John Naisbitt

This dude had done a follow up video of 'Reacting to “Don’t Stay in School” hate comments' and you can find his videos on YouTube at BoyInABand. He makes a valid point because there are certain things the school systems don't teach you how to deal with a broken heart or teach you to be street smart but then at the same time be book smart, there are benefits of remaining in high school like graduating with your friends. I personally don't agree with dropping out of school just because you feel a certain way about education and I'd rather encourage people to do what they have to do and graduate, even if you don't have the grades to graduate on time. I'm rooting for you. Here's a clip from America's Top Model: ANTM - Tyra screams at contestant (Legendado) aka Tyra goes crazy! That's my message for those considering dropping out of high school. I understand if life got in the way such as cancer or pregnancy. I believe there's still hope for you. Either way as I see it, you're going to be in a classroom setting anyway getting your G.E.D when you can get your high school experience of over with is by sticking with it until graduation and it's understandable if life got in the way preventing you from graduating high school. Granted, there are parents who work two jobs just to make ends meet and may not have the time or the energy to properly teach their children how to accomplish the real world issues such as going out interacting with people in the community but as a collective, we have to do better. Both parents and teachers have to work together in case if the parents work two or three jobs to make ends meet in this day and age where the cost of living is uncomfortably expensive.

"I've been making a list of the things they don't teach you at school. They don't teach you how to love somebody. They don't teach you how to be famous. They don't teach you how to be rich or how to be poor. They don't teach you how to walk away from someone you don't love any longer. They don't teach you how to to know what's going on in someone else's mind. They don't teach you what to say to someone who's dying. They don't teach you anything worth knowing." ~ Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones

Board of Education should hire teachers who are genuinely invested in their students by being stern and I remember when I was attending Benjamin N. Cardozo High School, a lot of the English teachers I've had during my sophomore and junior years of high school, weren't strict. I started high school as a sophomore because I graduated from Louis Pasteur Middle School 67 from the ninth grade in June of 1998. I feel like the teachers were too freaking soft on us at the time and there was this one teacher I had, her name was Ms. Stecker, she was strict. She gave us homework every single day, Fridays included and although she taught special education at the time, she treated us like weren't special education students, she treated us as though we were college students. I'm not sure if that makes sense but I'm sure that sounded very confusing to a lot of you reading this. Now that I'm older, I appreciate Ms. Stecker because she wanted us to succeed in life and even though a lot of the writing is now via text messaging or emailing people, it's rare to see people actually writing letters or anything that includes paper and pen. Nowadays, it's not necessary for teachers to teach cursive writing to students and it would be great if penmanship was still encouraged in schools, as well as out in the world more so than the concept of technology both in schools and out in the community. Well, times have changed and life as we know it is not the same since I've graduated in 2001. I realize a lot has changed since I've graduated high school in June 2001 and there's pros and cons to this particular topic of what should be taught in all schools for that matter that will help people be productive members of society with the knowledge of knowing how to balance check books; creating cover letters and resumes; preparing for going on job interviews, etc. It's a plus if you're both book smart and as well as street smart then I'd call it survival. I don't expect many of you to agree with me and this is how I view the world through my eyes and draw my own conclusion. That's just me because I am my own person with a sound mind, body, and soul. 😋 When it comes down to all things algebra, when will we ever use algebra equations such as (-2 + 6) + (-8) = -2 + [6 + (-8)] or even 258 + (-43) -27 -(-145) out in the real world? 🤔 I highly doubt we will ever get to use algebra; geometry; calculus or trigonometry and I wonder what those have to do with the kind of math we use every day (addition; subtraction; division; and multiplication)? Maybe my way of thinking is wrong and I don't expect many of you to fully agree with me 100% but I am open to hearing your arguments out of respect. Keep all comments respectful and no bullying. It's okay to agree to disagree. In public schools don't teach us how to get jobs or pay taxes and I'm not sure how things are done in private schools since I've never attended private schools since it wasn't in my mom's budget at the time and she wasn't receiving the financial help from my biological father (although she allegedly claimed she had a court order that my father pays child support). Let's change our education systems here in America and as well as around the world each generation will be able to flourish and prosper!

This meme makes complete sense if you think about it! May as well just figure it out for yourselves. I'm not encouraging you to drop out but these things are not even taught in schools such as The Black Panther Party; Fred Hampton; Malcolm X or what they stood for. It's like you have to do your own research and it's interesting how they briefly teach students about Adolf Hitler. Think about it and you have to learn about The Black Panther Party from those who lived through that time period. Insane how the KKK still exist while The Black Panther Party dwindled away by 1980.
Warm blessings,
Jennifer

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

57 Secrets You Didn't Know About Me

Have you ever...?

[X] Been drunk.

[X] Smoked pot

[X] Kissed a member of the opposite sex

[X] Kissed a member of the same sex (I got hit on by a drunk white woman once in July of 2013 on the streets of Manhattan)

[X] Shoplifted.

[_] Been fired (I've been laid off before, does that count?)

[_] Been in a fist fight.

[_] Got hit by a car.

[X] Snuck out of your parents' house (Good times...)

[_] Been arrested.

[_] Been in love.

[_] Gone in a mosh.

[_] Stolen something from your job (Why bother stealing when you could work for it?)

[_] Celebrated New Year's in Times Square

[X] Lied to a friend.

[_] Had a crush on a teacher.

[_] Celebrated Mardi-Gras in New Orleans

[_] Been to Europe

[_] Skipped school (I've only cut classes)

[_] Thrown up from drinking.

[X] Lost an immediate family member.

[_] Played 'Clue.'

[_] Had a sleep over party.

[_] Cheated on a boyfriend/girlfriend.

[_] Been cheated on.

[_] Had a sweet sixteen (I didn't have a sweet sixteen because my grandmother passed away several days before my sixteenth birthday)

[_] Had your tonsils out.

[_] Had a car.

[_] Driven


Do you...?

[_] Have a boyfriend.

[_] Have a crush.

[X] Feel loved (...Sometimes)

[X] Feel lonely.

[X] Feel happy (Depending on my mood)

[X] Hate yourself.

[_] Have a dog.

[X] Have your own room.

[_] Listen to Hawaiian music.

[X] Listen to rap (Sometimes, depends on who it is)

[X] Listen to rock.

[_] Listen to country (Too depressing)

[X] Listen to Reggae (Once in the blue moon)

[X] Paint your nails.

[X] Have more than one (1) good friend

[_] Get good grades (Maybe when I was in junior high school? Does that count?)

[_] Play an instrument (Does 'Guitar Hero' count?)

[_] Have slippers.

[_] Wear boxers

[_] Like the color blue

[_] Like the color pink

[X] Like to read.

[X] Like to write.

[_] Have long hair.

[X] Have short hair.

[X] Have a cell phone.

[X] Have a laptop.

[_] Have a pager.

I hope everyone enjoys this entry and finds it interesting. These are just random facts about myself.

Warm blessings,
Jennifer