I was asked by Kihei to comment on our parents and education in Kansas City. The following are some points as a Special Education Teacher in the Kansas City School district:@ Kihei- - We must revolutionize the way we think about education for our youth! As parents We must return to “Dynastic” thinking. What I mean by this is- passing on a heritage and leading by example. This is how the elite think in provision for their children. “PRO-VISION” -Visioning for the Long term future with expectations and outcomes! I’m talking about 10-20-50year plans for the outcomes and expectations for their youth and their children’s place in their family business, neighborhood and ECO-NOME.
- PARENTS NEED TO TEACH THEIR OWN VALUES, FAITH SYSTEMS AND HISTORY- Learn and Practice a value system like- the Nguzo Saba- (Principals Seven)... Celebrate Umoja Karamu AT HOME Celebrate Kwanzaa AT HOME-
- THEY MUST READ TO THEIR CHILDREN- AND let their children catch them reading- by example- talk about books, Find Local Black writers and authors, and talk about current events in the news. This helps with values and critical thinking. If the parent is not teaching and passing on their values- some one else is/will. Buy the Final Call(There is a man standing right in the street to give you knowledge and/or a delicious bean pie!) and other local black newspapers and magazines. Places like The Urban League give away magazines free of charge.
- WE NEED TO HOMESCHOOL! I want to start an underground homescholar network system!
- The only way the ELITE would put their child in a boarding school or institution, is after they personally build the institution with a state of the art Environment and materials, equipping their child with what they need-TO LEAD- Not to follow. When we think about accreditation- That should be the PARENTS going through the school with a fine tooth comb- From the toilets, the Cafeteria, Classrooms and Teachers.
- High Expectations and belief in our youth- When you have parents, teachers and administration that have low to no expectation for their youth and family- “every bodies grunging for the dollar and surviving from day to day in a “by-design-system” We were too quick to decapitate the heads of the giant district. We have gone through so many superintendents- but we were too quick to replace one with another who may be taking under-the-table deals to sell out our youth. We fail to acknowledge that when the head comes off the body falls and our children suffer from the collateral damages.
- We forget that our youth are learning from EVERYTHING and EVERYONE -ALL THE TIME!
- When the children come home to a latch-key world of an empty unsupervised house with Acidic Chicken nuggets(pink slime)- “?Chips-salt and grease” and Cinnamon rolls from da corna-lika-stow- or poptarts - potpies or some other frozen microwave meal of GMO playfood… When Mom & Pops are outa sight- the child is outa they mind- you have “Da katz away da mice will play” situations- Drug use, delinquency, violent desensitizing videogames, Sex- pregnancy- HIV, mind-numbing TV couch-potato- childhood-diabetes-obesity beasts. All under a truculent background of misogyny-ated message music dope buzz beats and Rap... It's a setting for gang indoctrination.
- We have Amen Par Ankh(Sacred Temple of Life) on my block... Any scholar can come by my door and get free fruit and tutoring... Just by word of mouth they come by...
- We need Teachers–who are invested in the neighborhood’s development to teach our children- how to return –Come right back and work in the neighborhood to take ownership and re-develop community.
- So Parents need to stop thinking about (getting their child- “OUT of the ghetto”) “Work to live” NOT “live to work”.
- Another issue; Putting a child into college with only a remedial background is - like playing our children in a lottery – 9x out of 10 you lose -setting our children up for failure- THESE COLLEGES KNOW THIS and take the child in anyway- use their money for remedial classes then kick them out with a debt for life.
- I would like to encourage the Parents who sit down with their families at least once a week and have a family morning, day, night, weekend- lock-in- turn off all electronic media- and eat a home cooked meal- Our children need MORE fresh fruits and vegetables in their bodies to grow properly- not milk. So a fresh salad or smoothie... -to eat and talk with NO distractions. Have a smoothie breakfast- or Sunday dinner with Elders to teach family history, values and establish goals and objectives together...
- Go outside and enjoy the weather and observe life around, Look at the moon and read the stars... take a walk- go to a park,
- Sit with them in a court room, bring them to a bank, or any career vocational setting, let them see black business owners, talk to automotive, or lawn cutting business owner, a black judge or attorney,
- Visit the elderly and volunteer in a nursing home, Community Garden, Urban Farm or Hospital ...
- Teachers should be identifying our struggling children not only academically but socially for the students success... It is a war zone in the neighborhoods in many cases, with child custody issues and 2 youth dying every week...
- We NEED Counselors on staff for crisis counseling. when a youth dies in the community- it effects all of the people who knew that youth...
"It takes a village to raise a child"... this may be an over saturated Afrikan Proverb- (And I personally don't like the term "village" to describe aboriginal or indigenous communities) - I like Knome-Gnome Nome , Council of Elders- "The Griots" or as Sasteh uses "the Klan" (is this upstaging Kanye West or what-LOL) the "X-Klan" lol... But my point is - We need to help the parents and/or single parents who are overwhelmed or dysfunctional. - "We are only as strong as the weakest link" also comes to mind. You Can't just ignore the whole child and just isolate academics... We are Mind, Body, Soul and Spirit...
Father Daughter
Amen Par Ankh (Sacred House of Life) and Amen Ankh Urban Farm; is a local Urban Farm nestled around a Spiritual Outreach Center in the heart of midtown Kansas City, Missouri. Contact Us and become a member as We Celebrate the Cycles of Life! Email: amen.parankh@gmail.com , or amen.ankh@live.com, and Call: 816-304-7240 to sign-up for courses and support: http://www.gofundme.com/amen-urban-farm , information: http://emwot.ws/Amen_ParAnkh , http://amen-parankh.blogspot.com/ , Look for us on FaceBook & Twitter We Celebrate the Cycles of Life, Wellness and Balance in our everyday existance on earth. We assist in Wellness for Physical Fitness, Mental Health, and Spiritual Attunment - to realize the fullest capacities of life, health, prosperity and strength. We provide Whole Life Coaching, Energy work, A Par Ankh Reading Room, Org-Ankh Electric food Boxes, an Herbal Tea House & Juice bar, Outdoor Experiences, classes such as Cultural Headwrapping, Natural Hair oils, beading and Lox twisting, Cosmetics, and Hebal products. We offor Classes in ASCAC (The Association for the Study of Classical African Civilization), Art Healing Mandalas, Jewelry Making, Gentle Yoga, Canning and preserving food, Health and Wellness Study Courses. We make Gifts and Accessories. We Celebrat and show our respect of nature with Cultural Ceremonies, Workshops and special events. Amen Par Ankh means sacred House of Life. We Celebrate Life! We provide a space for your own personal discovery with quiet reflection and time for internal work, as well as an active space for expressions of our original ways of life. Ceremony, Counseling, Coaching, Cleansings, & Classes Amen Ankh Urban Farm is an urban agricultural enterprise with the goal of achieving environmental justice and sustainability by Healthy local food production and improving local neighborhood access to healthy Foods. We run Aquaponic Systems of farm raised fish, Herbs and microgreens. We sell Org-Ankh Electric Food Boxes! We also provide Farm-a-See tours of successful Local Farmers. We grow selected local indigenous Herbs, Fruits, Vegetable and plant life of the Three Sisters: Corn, Beans, and Squash and cruciferous vegetables: Cabbage, and Kale, With Wheat Grass and other Sprouts, Herbs: Basil, Sage, Chives, Rosemary, Parsley, Peppers and Moringa nutritional drink supplements, -From our foods we produce Baked Goods, cosmetics, & liniments to provide Healing and Sovereignty: Through the inspiration of Kujichagulia (Self determination) All Original people. Dua (Th-ankh you!) ♥.