The Writing Revolution’s Post

Over the last two weeks, I’ve had two inspiring, but vastly different civics education experiences. One was a wonderful 11th grade civics class in New York City that I observed as they deliberated about which civic action project to select in their Generation Citizen class. And the second was a wonderful #CivicLearningWeek event in DC today. First, there is more agreement on the power and potential of civic learning than is often reported. - National Governor’s Association Chair Spencer Cox (R-UT) says it is critical that we can ground our young people in civic education which helps them to navigate complexity and have empathy. He noted that 4 in 5 American parents want schools to spend more time spend on civics. - Eric Liu deftly facilitated a discussion with US Supreme Court Justices Sotomayor and Coney Barrett, about civic knowledge and skills, bridging differences in the workplace and power. Justice Sotomayor shared an inspiring story about community service when she was 17, realizing that she did not need to be old enough to vote to help solve a community problem. Second, there is more disagreement amongst young people about civic issues than is often reported. - Gen-Z is not an political monolith. Over half of adult Gen-Zers, choose Independent as their party identification. The 11th graders I listened to shared personal experiences, quantitative data, asked each other provocative questions and explored traditionally “conservative” and “progressive” policy positions in the course of forty minutes. They discussed economic and social policy vigorously without canceling anyone or raising their voice. With a problem-solving mindset instead of a partisan one, they engaged in rich and complex civil discourse. Of course, the complexity is in communities and still thorny questions about belonging in our civic life. Powerful research shared today from the Rand Corporation reminded us that 20 million American students have restrictions on their social studies learning that render open discourse more difficult and reduce students sense of belonging and empathy. I’m excited to talk about this and much more in the virtual panel on Thursday afternoon as a part of Civic Learning Week. I hope you’ll join us and share your questions and reflections.

What a great example of creating STRATEGIC IMPACT through Business & Community Collaboration! ❤️ It started as a simple "Lunch & Learn" event, hosted by Lin Adi & Credit Union of Texas - Plano, attracting over 70 Business, Community & Civic Leaders from the City of Plano, City of Frisco & #CollinCounty - a suburb of the City of Dallas. As Guest Speaker, I focused on "What is STRATEGIC IMPACT through Business & Community Collaboration & Why It Matters." As part of the program, a very generous Door Prize of a Credit Union of Texas FOOD TRUCK, was won by Kelley Thomas of #PTA. This photo captures that great event, now on a wall in a #CUTX Conference Room! Over several months of meeting with Kelley, brainstorming & looking at data of #PTAs in #CollinCounty, we created a vision & amazing program, leading to a Proposal, "Family Life Skills Fun Fair!" sent to prospect Corporate Partner Sponsors. Creating a PTA in ACTION Program, we focused on "Making Every Child's POTENTIAL a REALITY," a #NationalPTA slogan & goal. Credit Union of Texas was already a Corporate Partner Sponsor & through key deliberations, we tweaked our initial program to a more manageable project, with Credit Union of Texas being our Corporate Partner Sponsor - for which we are so grateful. Our initial concept may be woven into #PTA programming in the school year for Children & Parents, focusing on #FinancialLiteracy, #VisionBoarding & #LifeGoalsPlanning, #HealthWellness & more in STRATEGICALLY IMPACTFUL ways. The primary focus of our event will be "What is PTA & Why Is It Important?" Through a New School-Year Kick-Off Community-wide event next September, a "PTA Family Picnic Day" with fun activities including Face-Painting, Video Game Truck, DJ & Music, Community Booths & other fun activities, we will be bringing families together & showcasing #PTAMembership & the Importance of PTA. For many of us, we know through our own life experience in growing up in America & our parents'/Mom's engagement in our local PTAs, how important & valuable this School-Teacher/Administration-Parents-Children-Family-Home Connection truly is. It is part of the fabric of American Life & central to our local #Communities & #ChildrenEducation. However, in studying the data & demographics of Communities & Families in what I call Today's America, we realized that many parents today did not grow up with PTA as a Partner & Support in the School-Family-Home Connection. Many of Today's Parents may have come to America as Children & their Parents were not yet acclimated to American Life in these ways. That, in turn, has led to the decline of #PTA Memberships throughout America. Kelley Thomas, Lin Adi & I want to CHANGE & IMPROVE those statistics to STRATEGICALLY IMPACT the Lives of Children, Families, Communities, Public Schools & Society. Supporting the #NationalPTA's pillar of #FamilyEngagement, we are excited to create #STRATEGICIMPACT through Business & Community Collaboration. ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

August Class Achievements: Let’s Celebrate YOU! It’s not just about racking up the number of classes—it’s about the number of times you showed up for yourself, especially on those tough-as-nails days when it would’ve been easier to stay home. 💪 In full transparency, this is a new program for us, so I KNOW many of you have some incredible achievements waiting to be celebrated! If you haven’t seen your name yet, hit us up and I’ll personally look up your class count and make sure you get the recognition you deserve. Now, here’s something super special I want to highlight—this amazing crew is made up of brand-new members, Yourh Girls, AND some of my OG day-one girls who’ve been with me since before I even had a proper system in place. That’s why some of these numbers might look WILD. (Like, 1,300 classes for Mary and Jess and Cassie’s 500 day 1s! 🤯) But let’s keep it real for a sec—life happens, we all fall off track. What matters is that you JUMP BACK ON. Around here, we say everyone has a day one, and some of us have several. And you know what? We celebrate them ALL. Whether you’ve hit 500 classes or had 500 day ones, you showed up for yourself each and every time—and THAT is what we’re proud of. 👏 If you want to be part of a community that celebrates ALL the wins—big and small—drop us a message today. Let’s keep crushing it, together!

There are many different ways to celebrate school anniversaries and milestones. The key is to create events and activities that are meaningful and engaging for alumni – that help to strengthen their connection to YOU! 🎉🎓 Below are just a few of our ideas, more inspiration can be found here: https://lnkd.in/eyTg6b9g #Schoolanniversary #Anniversaryevents #AlumniEngagement #AlumniRelations 

#weneedblackteachers We need less gatekeeping measures. Potential teachers must test to get into teaching prep programs, pass test to graduate from those same programs, test to be certified. Go through additional programs after certification. Graduate from undergrad and pay for a Masters to keep certification. All that for pay that you can barely live on. #weneedblackteachers

When I was first approached to share my journey as an Adult Educator through a video production, I had many questions swirling in my mind: - Why share my story on social media? Opening up about my personal experiences means exposing parts of my life to the world. Is there a strong enough reason to embrace this vulnerability? - What impact might this have on my family and me? My goal was to express gratitude to those who have influenced me and to inspire others who might be struggling with self-doubt. Is this intention worth the potential loss of privacy? - Is my story compelling enough? There are so many sensational stories out there. Does mine stand out enough to make an impact as envisioned? The project team, production team and I had multiple conversations. I took time to reflect on my journey—the highs, the lows, and everything in between. It helped me reconnect with the emotions and key lessons learnt. I am sharing them here in hopes they inspire and encourage you as well. 1. Your WHY Matters Embarking on this journey as an adjunct adult educator was unconventional. The traditional path seemed safer, and many were skeptical. However, clarity on my purpose—supporting individuals in realizing their potential—has been my driving force. This clarity is both an engine and an anchor, guiding me through challenges and fueling my actions. 2. Be Pragmatic Yet Idealistic Dreams need both ideals and practicality. I’ve used a concept to assess my readiness: - Passion: The drive and love for what you do. - Talent: Your skill and capability in your field. - Market: The demand for what you offer. Finding the intersection of these elements provides a solid foundation for success. Making time for reflection helped me gain confidence and make informed decisions. 3. Learn and Practice, Then Repeat Supporting others in achieving their potential is complex and requires continual learning. The more I know, the more I realize how much there is to learn. Staying open to new knowledge and translating it into action ensures growth and readiness to serve effectively. 4. Do Our Best and Trust the Rest  Our journey is not a straight path. The highs can be exhilarating and the lows, excruciating. Trusting the process and valuing every opportunity, even the challenging ones, is essential. Sometimes, opportunities come in unexpected forms, and their value becomes clear over time. 5. Change is Easy AND Hard  Evolving into the best version of ourselves requires embracing change. It’s often difficult and uncomfortable but necessary for growth. My experience taught me that change is a catalyst for overcoming limitations and realizing true potential. I am a work-in-progress and the chapters of my life are still being weaved together. It might be plain and undramatic; but it is my story to tell.   Your story is most worthy of being told too. Define success on your own terms and remember that life is too short for regrets. You never try, you never know.

Can you believe it? That’s half of 2024 done. WTH! I will be honest, it wasn’t the start to the year we wanted. -the uncertainty of 2023 followed us into the new year -we lost some key and integral team members -our resources didn’t meet our ambitions -things weren’t moving as fast as we wanted - some key initiatives didn’t come to fruition That said, six months is nothing in the whole scheme of things. It’s a cliche that time flies, but somehow this week has been a stark reminder. Perhaps I’m being overly sentimental as my eldest finished her Alevels and returned from her rite of passage girls’ holiday. It was her final prizegiving on Saturday and the theme was about the importance of character. The keynote speaker was Georgie Fienberg , founder of Afrikids, and she gave a thought-provoking and inspiring talk about the importance of: ⚡️Energy 🧠 Ability 🔗 Community Parents will have learned as much from this speech as the senior school pupils themselves . A few key takeaways for me: * You need to earn your character. If we don’t; the worst version of your character will emerge (something I’m guilty of). Focus on developing the best version of ourselves by connecting to our passions * Dont ask “am I smart?”, ask “how am I smart?” - find out what your talents are even if they may not be conventionally recognised in academic terms * When at a cross roads, ask yourselves, “Will I look back on this decision and feel proud? This speech was accompanied by those of the leaving sixth formers and one of them made a poignant point. She will no longer ask herself “What do I want to have when I grow up?” but instead ask “What do I want to become?” A reminder that becoming the best version of ourselves needs to be the ultimate goal for us all.

To wrap up the school year effectively, it's best to reflect on the past year, celebrate achievements, and look forward to the future. The ABCD would be a good method for accomplishing it. Idea from Edutopia, from Wendy Turner: Everything SEL on our recent article, “How Teachers Can Benefit From End-of-Year Reflections”: https://edut.to/3ywVza5

Driving Community Impact: Strategies for HBCU Business Students This summer, let's harness our skills to drive positive change within our communities. Here are three impactful tips to guide your journey: 1️⃣ Identify Community Needs: Start by understanding the specific needs and challenges faced by your local community. This insight will guide your efforts towards creating meaningful impact. 2️⃣ Collaborate Effectively: Partner with local organizations, businesses, or fellow students to amplify your impact. Collaboration enhances resources, creativity, and community engagement. 3️⃣ Measure and Reflect: Establish metrics to track the outcomes of your initiatives. Regularly reflect on the progress made and lessons learned to refine your approach and maximize impact. Motivational Phrase: "Small actions can lead to big changes when driven by a shared vision for a better community." Journal Prompt: Reflect on a time when you made a positive impact in your community. What were the challenges you faced, and how did you overcome them? How can you apply these lessons to future initiatives? Let's commit to making a difference this summer by leveraging our skills and passion to uplift and empower our communities! #CommunityImpact #SocialResponsibility #BusinessStudents #HBCU #ChangeMakers

The Countdown is On! Just Weeks Away! Join our two-part workshop for residential and student life leaders at the TABS (The Association of Boarding Schools) Pre-Con! Some of the most compelling workshops and gatherings happen before the Conference begins on Wednesday, October 30th, 2024! Trust-Based Relationships and Data-Driven Insights for Student Care: A Two-Part Workshop for Residential and Student Life Leaders 9am–12pm Part I: All Within Reach: Practical Insights for ResLife and Student Care Brian Murray, Director, REACH Dive into the most useful residential life modules within the Reach platform and gain practical insights for implementation and optimization from industry experts and fellow Reach users. Existing clients will deepen their understanding of Reach modules and expand their networks. Potential clients can experience Reach’s capabilities firsthand to understand how it supports school life. 1pm–4pm Part II: Foundations of Trust-Based Relationships in Boarding Schools Brooklyn Raney, Ed.D. Raney, Founder, One Trusted Adult We know that boarding school students who experience connection, care, and trusted relationships have more positive academic and development outcomes, but it can be challenging to determine the limits of appropriate connection, care, and trust. Register Today! #TABS #PreConference #TABSConference #StudentLife #DormLife #OneTrustedAdult #WithinReach