Woke up Flawed ...

I was recently slapped in the face!  Call me idealistic, but I misjudged the allure of self-improvement to those who have been disenfranchised.  In an effort to address the needs of my school’s parents (and the community at large), I both conceptualized and scheduled a Health & Wellness Series, consisting of the following workshops, to which all interested adults can attend:

February 12^th 2014

Eating Healthy on a Budget

(Plus food & mood, asthma and diabetes)

Provided by Renaissance Healthcare Network

February 26^th  2014

Asthma Workshop 

(General triggers)

Provided by A.I.R. Harlem/A.I.R. Bronx

March 5^th 2014

Financial Literacy

(Make the most of your money)

Provided by Food Bank of New York

March 12^th 2014

Behavior Management 

(Effective childrearing methods)

Provided by PS 30M’s Guidance Dept.

March 19^th 2014

Provisions of the Affordable Health Care Act

(Obama Care)

Provided by The Children’s Defense Fund

Outreach was conducted: backpacked flyers, school messenger, one-on-one calls by a CLS Parent Committee, neighborhood flyer distribution and postings, an outreach collaboration with the other co-located DOE school, yet only 13 parents attended; we have roughly 300 students in the school.  I felt defeated.  In a last-ditch effort to recruit additional parents, both the pre-k guidance counselor and I went to the school lobby to enlist some additional parents to attend.  My school is not merely co-located with another DOE school but also one of several Success Academies (Eva Moskowitz’s network of charter schools). 

I hate to admit this, but the charter school parents where happy to attend the workshop while parents of my school expressed little to no interest, even when personally approached.  There is no distinction in socio-economic status! The charter school parents who agreed to attend resided in the neighborhood, as do the majority my school’s parents, yet there was a desire that they possessed that some of my parents lacked.

It was a disheartening revelation that honestly made me lose a degree of faith. My job is to turn my school into a hub of the community to the extent that the hurdles that hinder academic success are lessened if not completely eliminated. This requires the identification of those needs, whether they are mental, physical, or emotional health assistance, and the subsequent enlistment of local services/programs that address these needs, which honestly go beyond the child. A child’s ability to learn is impacted by his/her environment, which includes the home and community.  Thus, the Community Learning School (CLS) Initiative requires me to also identify and answer the needs of students’ parents and community members, which is an aim of the Health & Wellness Series.

But what do I do when the very thing that my parents deem is needed, is also the very thing that they disregard? I now realize that it isn’t merely a matter of identifying the need, I most also contend with a flawed mentality before I can really spur change.

A Writer's Nightmare (Sometime in October 2013)

There is this pain in my wrist. My right hand suffers from an occasional numbing sensation and an ache between my thumb and pointer finger with rather persistent wrist pain.  My years are catching up with me, so I attributed the pain to the woes of aging...

I purchased a wrist/arm brace to combat the pain and continued with my regular routine: recruiting (and carrying material to do so), writing, editing...

Then about two weekends ago, while I was heading to work, I noticed that my hand hurt a bit more than usual. It progressed to the point that I wasn't able to correct my students' papers.  I slid the papers toward them and handed them a pencil advising them to read aloud so that I can help them catch the mistakes. Normally, I make corrections while we read together but my hand hurt like heck, and I couldn't really move it.

On my way home, my hand was throbbing and by the time I made it to my apartment, my hand had began to swell. The pain was unbearable and the swelling was accompanied by a persistent throbbing. It was late and since I live alone and had no one to call, I opted to wait until the morning before heading to Urgent Care (City MD).  Sleeping was difficult and as the swelling grew, I couldn't handle the pain.  I cried until I fell asleep.

The morning came, and I quickly showered while holding my hand; it was now double its normal size.  It hurt so badly that I believed I had broken it. I cried on the ferry, then on the train; all the while I securely held my injured right hand in the left.

The doctor advised me that I had nerve damage. My eyes widened at the news. I was a victim of the Carpal's infamous tunnel, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.  This condition has sense progressed to include tendinitis in my lower thumb and a sporadic twinge that travels from my wrist and up my arm.

Now, writing has taken on a whole new meaning. It is truly a labor of love...