” ¡Qué inteligente es mi mamá!” (How Intelligent is my mother!” Spanish Poem in Trenzas-Braids

” ¡Qué inteligente es mi mamá!” (How Intelligent is my mother!” Spanish Poem in Trenzas-Braids

ByJorge D. H. Prosperi

“Pretend Reading” differs from culture to culture.
It was a traditional intervention by mothers, who did not have a formal education, but pretended to read to their child.
All it took was some crumbled papers and a mother who would not allow her past to become her child’s future.

Such a nurturer was my mother who never saw the inside of a school.
So she pretended to read to me, by way of the oral tradition, sharing stories of ancestors, elders and traditions.
Love, resiliency and perseverance were always at the core of each story ~ that continue to resonate.

“Cuando en puro inglés . . . trago tierra” (“When in English . . . I swallow dirt”) ~ Poetic from Trenzas-Braids

“Cuando en puro inglés . . . trago tierra” (“When in English . . . I swallow dirt”) ~ Poetic from Trenzas-Braids

ByJorge D. H. Prosperi

A major obstacle in assimilating and acclimating to a culture is learning its language.
Many Americans take German, French, Spanish or other languages in a learning environment for 2, 3,, 4, even 5 years.
Can they have a fluent conversation with a native speaker without an interpreter?
Learning a second language is an arduous challenge emotionally and psychologically, not in a classroom but when it matters – in real life situations.
It impacts mind, heart and spirit.

Fronteras ~ “Dólares cuestan dolores” ~ “América es un país sin alma” ~ Immigrants Humanizing America

Fronteras ~ “Dólares cuestan dolores” ~ “América es un país sin alma” ~ Immigrants Humanizing America

ByJorge D. H. Prosperi

Immigration is often thought of as a collective noun.
On the contrary, each immigrant is an individual and comes to America for a plethora of different reasons.
Most often to enhance the quality of their lives and in turn the lives of others.

“Scripture tells us that we shall not oppress a stranger, for we know the heart of a stranger — we were strangers once, too. My fellow Americans, we are and always will be a nation of immigrants. We were strangers once, too.”
~ President Obama, November 20, 2014

Life and Literacy ~ Poetry and the Whole Person

Life and Literacy ~ Poetry and the Whole Person

ByRoger Frank

This past year, All Saints Literacy Center piloted a supplemental program called  “Whole Person Literacy” focused on spiritual and cultural literacy based on concepts of knowing, understanding, and self-development. We had monthly activities that were carried out in pairs or in groups. Learners and tutors participating in the program gained knowledge and created meaning individually and socially as they took part in the activities. The needs of the whole person were explored through an alternative lens of literacy.

Voices of Columbine: Echoes from Inside the Tragedy – Part I of II

Voices of Columbine: Echoes from Inside the Tragedy – Part I of II

ByCarolyn Lundsford Mears

“How could this be happening in this safe, comfortable middle-class neighborhood, in a high school noted for academic excellence; where arts, music, and theater were prized; where parent involvement was without equal, and graduation rates were among the highest in the state. It was simply inconceivable, and yet it had happened . . . here, at Columbine.” Carolyn Lundsford Mears

Voices of Columbine: Excerpts from the “Columbine Mosaic” – Part II of II

Voices of Columbine: Excerpts from the “Columbine Mosaic” – Part II of II

ByCarolyn Lundsford Mears

The complete Columbine narratives are included in Experiences of Columbine Parents: Finding a Way to Tomorrow (available through ProQuest UMI AAT 3161558). Detailed explanation of my approach to research may be found in my text Interviewing for Education and Social Science Research: The Gateway Approach published by Palgrave Macmillan (2009, 2015).
I have made available stories of experiences of educators involved in mass violence events, including shootings, natural disaster, and terrorist attack, in my book Reclaiming School in the Aftermath of Trauma published by Palgrave-Macmillan (2012).