College Dreams

"A high school diploma will no longer be sufficient. But that post secondary education does not have to be a four-year university or a four-year college. It can be a career technical education, vocational education, community college." ~ Raja Krishnamoorthi

Good morning; afternoon; and evening friends and fans! Namaste. With the mandates, having to be fully vaccinated in order to attend your child's school event (such as graduations, PTA meetings); hold down a weekly/bi-weekly income in the New York City area or even attend any CUNY and I also believe all SUNY colleges, you'd have to be fully inoculated in order to attend college. I pray that this does not effect those who are attending online courses and if this is my only available option at the moment, I'm open to the experience, although I prefer going in person. I do miss the experience of being around people in my own age group. Nonetheless, I don't mind being around people of all ages but not for a long period of time. At the end of the day, as long as I get to have a career that I truly enjoy and something that is fulfilling because I'm used to being pushed to the slide like I don't exist, like I'm shit, nobody, someone without talent. Furthermore, I realize I have so much to offer in this life and not many people can see that, maybe they do see it but they choose to keep me in a cage locked up keeping me from flourishing talent wise or they simply turn a blind eye as to what I can do. Maybe I'm doing this to myself, who knows and I don't believe in blaming people because I would rather raise above it and go on with my life. I don't feel the need to get into other people's business, I don't expect people being all nosey in mine and I'll be fine as long as I stay in my own lane. Meaning, what I do during my spare time is none of your damn concern, however, I do appreciate your concern (just know that I am perfectly capable of keeping myself out of trouble) and whatever you do during your spare time is none of my concern. I need to make my own decisions in life, whether if you agree with it or not and at the end of the day, I can only be me. As much as I would love to go back to go back to school, at the time of this blog, I unfortunately cannot go back to college because I'm not inoculated and for the time being, college will have to be on the back burner until further notice. I hope the mandates in all schools will be lifted so I can go on to earning an Associate's Degree from LaGuardia Community College so I can transfer to another school such as Fashion Institute of Technology; The New School | Parsons School of Design; International Center of Photography; or even New York Film Academy for a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Photography. I've read articles on fellow photographers who are in the photography industry who have not finished college and they've made a steady career as a photographer from the time they've decided that college wasn't for them. I'm contemplating whether if I should also major in business once when I have my Bachelor's of Fine Arts and I am shying away from business because of calculus [and all things relating to arithmetic]. I'm leaning more towards Fashion Institute of Technology for photography.

On the other hand, I'll shy away from business as a major because I only have a fourth grade math level and it sucks when all things mathematics are my kryptonite. I'm not all that confident with my math and no matter how many times or showing me different ways of solving a math problem that is so simple for someone else to solve but a challenge for me to understand on so many levels. Whenever I look at a math problem in algebra, I'm instantly confused and it's hopeless to explain to me and anything to do with reading and writing I would consider my super powers. It's not easy having a learning disability and a speech impediment but it doesn't mean that I'm incompetent or any less human than the next person who does not have a developmental disability. I know what I know and no one can take away my knowledge and personal experiences because that makes me who I am today! I figured with having a college degree in business will help me become successful but I doubt I need a degree in business and it will be very interesting to have my own photography business here in New York City. If I play my cards right, I hope to expand my business and every three to four years sounds good to me to slowly expand since I don't need for my business to collapse like a deck of cards.

At the moment, as much as I want to go back to school but can't due to the [vaccine] mandate and it's going to be a bit of a challenge because I'm a photography major at LaGuardia Community College. Therefore I don't have access to the darkroom at school if I were to take online courses, on top of the tuition and cost of text books; film; chemicals needed to develop my film or make prints; cost of special Ilford paper used in the darkroom; and transportation costs, it's not going to leave me with much to go to Bushwick Community Darkroom. If I'm not mistaken, it's $25 per hour and I'd have to contact them for the correct information but don't quote me on that exact price just yet until I get the correct info from them. It would make my life so much easier if I created my own darkroom at home, it would be a headache to set up, however, it'll be worth it but again a headache of having to properly dispose of the chemicals used when developing your own film or making prints. It's going to be one expensive bill on my end! 😬

Blessed be,

Jennifer

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 Pages; Birthday Coloring Pages; Mother’s Day Coloring Pages; State Coloring Pages; and just to name a few. However, there are some educational coloring pages such as: Alphabets; States Coloring Pages; Food 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.

• Allergies/Anaphylaxis Medication Administration Form: School Year 2020 - 2021
  
• Child & Adolescent Health Examination Form: NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
• Consent to photograph, film, or videotape a student for non-profit
• Emergency Contact Card
  
• Housing Questionnaire
• Kingston 128gb DataTraveler SE9 G2 USB 3.0 Flash Drive
  

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.

• IDNYC Application For Applicants Ages 10 - 13
• RESIDENCY ATTESTATION for Applicant Age 10 - 21
• IDNYC Middle School Card Application
• 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
• RESIDENCY LETTER for Student enrolled in a Private or Parochial School
  

 Warm blessings,

Jennifer 

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