Today I received the news of the passing of a previous neighbor of mine. Apparently she was found in her house. How sad that she left this world without a loved one by her side. Its a terrible thing, and its making me think about life.
What if I were to leave Earth today and join my Father in heaven? What would the thoughts of others be? I know how I would WANT to be remembered....but would that really happen? What are the impressions I last left with everyone? Is there someone out there who would say what a compassionate person I was? What about my love and care for children and elderly? Would someone be able to testify to my positive characteristics, or would I be leaving this world with people wondering if I'll be missed? Would I be leaving a former friend remembering broken promises i've made or would there be memories of fun times and laughter?
If I passed away right now, there are family members who would wish they saw me more often, friends who never got the apology they were seeking, and goals that I had yet to reach. What about you? If you died today, what impression would you leave? What was the last thing you said to a family member or friend? Was it friendly or evil?
What if a family member died today, what was the last thing you said to them? Was it that you love them? Was it something you regret?
When we get angry we say things we dont mean, but we seldom go back and make things right once we've calmed down. How foolish the person must be who fought with a loved one, then showed up at their funeral trying to play catch up.
We all get angry, we all may say things we dont mean, it happens, but the important thing is to realize what we did and make it right. I once heard that its only a mistake if you don't fix it.
If we all lived today as though it were our last, i'm positive it would change how we handle our personal and professional lives. Would you yell at the guy who just cut you off on the road or would you enjoy the scenery God provided as you drive cautiously and casually? Would you fight over a parking spot or realize this life is only temporary and a parking spot is too? Would you walk over and meet your neighbor and hold a conversation? Would you shout at a child for being silly during dinner, or appreciate their laughter? When you think about life, and how precious life is, these small circumstances become as small as a grain of sand compared to the treasures and greatness you could be getting out of your short time here.
I forget what I was reading, it might've been the Daily Bread, but it mentioned your qualities as a person and as a Christian. It said, would God want to write about you? Just something to think about....are you the kind of person God would want to write about? Do you try to live a life where you're portrayed as a good person? Or have you left that path and maybe have joined the gossipers?
Live today as though it was your last and make every effort to reconcile with family, friends, acquaintances and make your life a positive one that will be remembered when you leave this Earth.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
AAL vs. English
I received a journal from the National Association for the Education of Young Children the other day. Its about teaching literacy and different socioeconomic backgrounds.
Before I begin, I should tell you that I've only made it a quarter of the way through, so maybe it will make more sense the further I get into it. However, my understanding so far has me frustrated.
According to this publication, public schools are teaching children one on level, and since a typical group of children in the classroom come from different cultures and income levels many of the teachings going on are not including all children. My experience supports this, however, the following is what I disagree with::::
The discussion between the children and the language they speak. Suburban children speak english, urban white children speak english, urban african american children speak African American Language (AAL). They give examples of AAL vs. English in the journal and i disagree with it being a language. An example they give is when talking about Jesus being God's son, it was phrased "He really son" which is being called AAL and He really is God's son would be English.
There was a case study on a girl who spoke AAL but was taught proper English in the classroom, once it was mastered (by the end of first grade) they had her read a book that was written in AAL. As the child began to read they noted she had trouble reading it since she knew it was not proper English. As she read she would stop to make corrections of how it should be written. After the story she was asked if she liked the book. Her reply was that it was okay but it needed to be corrected a lot.
Okay, finally here's my issue. If you're going to label slang and improper use of pronouns and verbs a new language AAL, then why teach them to 'correct' themselves when learning English. If a little suburban child were to say "baby crying" it would be labeled as a developmental difference among her peers, however, if an urban child says "baby crying" they are labeled as an AAL speaker and the language would not be corrected.
I grew up in the city, I learned how to use proper English from the start and I think it has helped me become a great reader/writer, I did fairly well in Comp classes at Owens :) If urban children are not being taught proper English because we are labeling the slang they learn in homes as a language, this could explain how public schools have so many children who are falling behind by the first grade. I think whether they are spanish speaking, AAL speaking or just haven't learned how to use verbs, pronouns or sentence structures correctly, they need to be taught from the beginning how to speak and write in proper English.
I understand that all children are different, and they should be taught at their levels, I am all for this, however, I think that to provide all children with the best education they need to be taught what is right as early as possible instead of excusing it for the first six years of their life and then telling them what they've learned is all wrong.
It further states that AAL was derived from the times of slavery, my only concern with this, is that means suburban children are born knowing this language as they begin to speak it until it is corrected.
There is a huge difference between the graduation rates in the suburbs compared to those in urban areas, I cannot help but feel that the gap would be closed if the idea of AAL were either omitted or treated differently. What if it was acceptable to let us city kids talk slang, but also teach us the use of proper English, its been proven that young childrens minds are like sponges and can learn different languages at once, if slang is going to be treated as a language, why not teach English along with it? Why avoid teaching them English until the middle of first grade?
Before I begin, I should tell you that I've only made it a quarter of the way through, so maybe it will make more sense the further I get into it. However, my understanding so far has me frustrated.
According to this publication, public schools are teaching children one on level, and since a typical group of children in the classroom come from different cultures and income levels many of the teachings going on are not including all children. My experience supports this, however, the following is what I disagree with::::
The discussion between the children and the language they speak. Suburban children speak english, urban white children speak english, urban african american children speak African American Language (AAL). They give examples of AAL vs. English in the journal and i disagree with it being a language. An example they give is when talking about Jesus being God's son, it was phrased "He really son" which is being called AAL and He really is God's son would be English.
There was a case study on a girl who spoke AAL but was taught proper English in the classroom, once it was mastered (by the end of first grade) they had her read a book that was written in AAL. As the child began to read they noted she had trouble reading it since she knew it was not proper English. As she read she would stop to make corrections of how it should be written. After the story she was asked if she liked the book. Her reply was that it was okay but it needed to be corrected a lot.
Okay, finally here's my issue. If you're going to label slang and improper use of pronouns and verbs a new language AAL, then why teach them to 'correct' themselves when learning English. If a little suburban child were to say "baby crying" it would be labeled as a developmental difference among her peers, however, if an urban child says "baby crying" they are labeled as an AAL speaker and the language would not be corrected.
I grew up in the city, I learned how to use proper English from the start and I think it has helped me become a great reader/writer, I did fairly well in Comp classes at Owens :) If urban children are not being taught proper English because we are labeling the slang they learn in homes as a language, this could explain how public schools have so many children who are falling behind by the first grade. I think whether they are spanish speaking, AAL speaking or just haven't learned how to use verbs, pronouns or sentence structures correctly, they need to be taught from the beginning how to speak and write in proper English.
I understand that all children are different, and they should be taught at their levels, I am all for this, however, I think that to provide all children with the best education they need to be taught what is right as early as possible instead of excusing it for the first six years of their life and then telling them what they've learned is all wrong.
It further states that AAL was derived from the times of slavery, my only concern with this, is that means suburban children are born knowing this language as they begin to speak it until it is corrected.
There is a huge difference between the graduation rates in the suburbs compared to those in urban areas, I cannot help but feel that the gap would be closed if the idea of AAL were either omitted or treated differently. What if it was acceptable to let us city kids talk slang, but also teach us the use of proper English, its been proven that young childrens minds are like sponges and can learn different languages at once, if slang is going to be treated as a language, why not teach English along with it? Why avoid teaching them English until the middle of first grade?
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