Musing with Gratitude

Growing up, I was fortunate to instinctively develop discernment-that was necessary for survival. Observing those around me, I saw differences and that what seemed obvious might not be so. Quite left to my own resources, a small group of people welcomed myself and my brother into their homes. The sadness at being neglected was assuaged by learning that soft-loving hearts were not the property of one race or religion. Among the open-doors were the local Syrian families and Armenian's. George the barber cut my hair at not cost until I left the area at eighteen.I will never forget his kindness nor that of his family. What a treat to have delicious meals where I encountered a life-long love of Middle Eastern food. Hospitality and inclusiveness was without pity or self-aggrandizement. Such kindness, built my heart of compassion and not bitterness and to them I bow.

A Path to the Ivies

My path to the Ivy League, began like most with good grades, however, the key was not grades. Registration for classes junior year at the University of California at San Francisco, I met two girls Diane and Debbie. Long time residents of the city, one was of Italian heritage and the other African American. We formed a team took classes and studied together. Soon after the semester began we heard about the Reading Improvement Center led by William P.J. Costello. If myth is right, he was fired from the Boston school system for using comic books to teach reading. We took the requisite training in phonemic awareness, phonics and comprehension in a great workbook that I still have. Costello, had a mantra, " The alphabet has 26 letters and 44 sounds..to learn .. you can do it", We did some research and asked if we could implement the program at an alternative Rooftop School and a Girls detention Center. At first they were hesitant, but agreed.. especially because the girls were locked up. Off we went twice weekly teaching reading-incorporating creative dramatics and lots of TLC. I remember going to a dance with the girls at a boys center, Our volunteering took hours, literally, Friday nights, and continued after we graduated. Fond memories.. when I applied to Columbia with the lowest test scores since I had no math since high school-I found out that the head of the entire education department wrote a recommendation. Here is the key, get out of the box, do something that is impassioned, be a self-started in whatever the discipline. Diane, Debbie and I did not spend hours to get into the Ivies.. we did our job to be better teachers and for love.

Thinking back to when I began counseling college and graduate students

This past weekend, I consulted with a family that asked about my background and how I became a college and graduate school counselor. It had been many years, since I went back to thinking about working in Graduate Admissions at Columbia.I learned how students were selected, and that being rejected did not mean that they were unqualified-just not right for the program. A short time later, opening my learning center, I received a call from Stanley Bosworth, the founder and Head of St. Ann's School in Brooklyn Heights. He asked if I would be willing to hire one of his students as a tutor. Ian was brilliant and stayed on for years. I kept in touch with Stanley through Ian and other students he recommended and was able to observe and learn how special his college prep program was. Ian left us when he graduated from St. Ann's attended MIT and later received a doctorate from University of California at San Diego. Other peer tutors followed, many of whom are friends on Facebook. Other schools sent students in need of a job including Carmine Farina the current Chancellor of Education in New York City whose daughter Marisa worked in as a peer tutor for years.It felt so good to give teens meaningful work. In my own background, my jobs were mostly horrible and exploited my time and talents. Everyone of the peer tutors has become an amazing adult productive adult...and I do what I did way back then to the best of my ability.

Red Lantern

Growing up, hours were spent listening to the radio. One the most memorable Saturday morning radio programs theme still haunts me. A fatherly fish named Red Lantern guided two children (who surely I identified as my brother David and me) deep into the Land of the Lost. Every show opened with the same line: “In that wonderful kingdom at the bottom of the sea” lost objects are stored beneath the waves. In the fathomless deep could be found precious objects waiting to be claimed by their child.

I remember going to sleep with the voice of the Red Lantern, most memorably played by the late Art Carney, soothing me deep to the land of dreams. At the bottom of my sea was a teddy bear I particularly loved and slept with every night until once, sick with a bug, I vomited all over it. I remember crying and crying when I could not find him again, and those dream times in the depth of the ocean helped make the loss more palatable. I seemed to know that love, although no longer tangible, could always be found in the heart.

Paying for College-Work can Work

How to pay for college, is on the mind of many families. My own experience, way back was the knowledge that any education I received would be paid for by work. Good fortunate, and being observed by experienced teachers allowed me to find jobs in my field from the second semester at community college. Small scholarships, were supplemented by full time jobs. At Teachers College - Columbia University​, I found a position through the employment center at Alfred Einstein Hospital which unbeknownst to me was affiliated with the Health and Hospital Workers Union, that contributed to my education. I graduated owing $13,000. Today, I am working with students who are doing the same, of course their college experience (fun) is measured differently. But life always has gives and takes, my Community college students often have 4 jobs.Here is a hint.. if this is your situation-make sure to find positions in your field or related to it. This means like me working in schools/hospitals, editing for a professor, restaurant work (hospitality major's), etc..This requires effort, and results in a strong resume and employment upon graduation. The adage Theory without Practice-world firm.

My mentor Professor Leslie R. Williams

Goodbye, Professor Leslie R. Williams Every so often, I receive an alumni newsletter from Columbia University Teachers College where I completed my doctorate. This month brought sad news: my department chair, dissertation advisor, mentor and friend — Dr. Leslie R. Williams — had died at the age of 63 from colon cancer.  Leslie was a remarkable woman; one who changed the course of my own life and many others as well. She saw potential, had the highest expectations and demanded rigor. Her will to provide the highest standards for every child was unshakable.  Leslie was devoted to advancing the importance of early childhood education in general and specifically multicultural education. The author of 15 books, many articles, even an encyclopedia, this woman was a tireless advocate for children.  Her influence extended well beyond these United States, especially with educators dedicated to establishing early childhood programs, including those for indigenous peoples. Coming from a large family of limited means, she financed her own education through scholarships and jobs. Dyslexic at a time when the term was primarily equated with a lack of intelligence provided an extra struggle. Defying these odds, she was accepted at St. Paul’s for advanced studies after high school followed by an undergraduate degree at Wellesley, master’s at Harvard and education doctorate at the Teachers College. An amazing education, indeed, and having achieved this pinnacle, she wholeheartedly believed others could as well. Leslie recognized every student deserved to be taught with the highest standards, and it was the job of the teacher to find out what strategies best-suited individual children.  My first choice for graduate school was the Bank Street College of Education with its outstanding programs and long history of excellence. Having earned honors in California with all the requisite experience and recommendations, I felt fairly confident I would be accepted.  Well, that was not the case, evidenced when the thin envelope arrived at my apartment. Needless to say, I was devastated.  Several weeks later, I received a call from graduate admissions at Bank Street. They were re-evaluating my application to see if a mistake was made in rejecting me. I inquired as to why I had been denied in the first place. ”From what we ascertain, you have been responsible for yourself since childhood. We do not know how you will be with a mentor or if you can work under someone successfully,” was the reply. I assured her I had had no difficulties working under people, especially when given respect. The committee again reviewed my application, but I was again rejected, much to the expressed sorrow of the woman who called me. Further demoralized, I was at a crossroads. In retrospect, the Bank Street rejection opened the door to another and more personally appropriate situation.  Depressed about my future after having worked so hard throughout my schooling as an adult learner, I was close to giving up. A friend suggested going up to Columbia. I was doubtful: how in the world would the most prestigious education school in the country even look at my application after the debacle at Bank Street? Nevertheless, I made an appointment where I first encountered Professor Leslie R. Williams, who then was fairly new to the department of curriculum and teaching. She was a formidable yet friendly presence, and her eyes spelled welcome.  She took me into her office, and we spoke for quite a while. I told her about my background, the tutoring program I started in San Francisco and my goals for children.  She shared her story of being dyslexic and working her way through Wellesley, Harvard and then Columbia University Teachers College.  At the end of the interview, she encouraged me to apply into the doctoral program rather then for a master’s degree. Leslie told me that from our interview she believed I could make a unique contribution to the lives of children.  That short visit changed the course of my life. I did complete the application and was one of the few students admitted to the doctoral program in curriculum and teaching that year.  This acceptance has led me to believe in the miraculous with my own students, knowing that, without exploration and even risk, you may never find that right school and the educators best suited to develop your particular talents. Leslie’s classes were difficult with voluminous materials to be mastered. She was distressed at educational trends that fostered so-called “dumbing down” or oversimplification of curriculum.  Rather then a degradation of intellectual standards, she taught us the converse: to prepare each and every student with the optimal education. Having Leslie R. Williams as a mentor left an indelible impression on my philosophy of education as well as my heart. It is her influence that makes me disheartened when potential teachers in my foundations classes reveal their most admired teacher was like a friend or used the word “crap” in class.  Such teachers make it more difficult for those with higher more professional standards on the part of instructors. Used to being spoon-fed diluted materials, students squirm and kvetch when higher standards are expected.  Several high school students recently complained to me about an English teacher who requested they call her Mrs. instead of by her first name. They were also frustrated that diagramming sentences was a requirement and essays had to follow the professional MLA format. Used to informality and the latitude of having been taught by “pal” teachers, this more rigorous instructor received a plethora of negative comments on the student-driven Web site — Rate My Teacher. Those instructors that dumb down the material often receive four stars, and the ultimate criteria for approval is the easy A for the course.  How sad this lax and demeaning attitude is! Instead of dumbing down the curriculum, why not try ratcheting it up? Yes, ratcheting up the curriculum is exactly what my highly rated professor would have agreed to. Well before No Child Left Behind, this was her philosophy. Sounds old-fashioned, I know, yet I believe Dr. Leslie R. Williams would concur that by raising educational standards, we raise potential and each student’s ability to achieve.

Dr. Mae Sakharov introduces associate James Warren

My practice as a college, grad school and career counselor began many years ago in New York City. Since then along with associates we have supported families across the globe in need of services.(www.maesakharov.com) I am happy to share information about one of my associates, James Warren, who works out of the Washington DC area.
James Warren brings together a love for helping people tell their stories with an extensive background in leadership and coaching to help individuals reach their fullest potential. He has successfully directed university recruiting efforts at the University of Virginia, the University of Richmond, and Virginia Commonwealth University, and for one of the nation’s largest CPG companies. Influenced by his experience in Columbia University’s Creative Writing Program, he has, for more than two decades, nurtured a personal passion for storytelling and leads the development of sharemorestories.comas its current CEO. (www.sharemorestories.com) Based on his significant experience in recruiting, training, leadership and organizational development, James helps high school students and young adults capture the attention of admissions officers and navigate their next steps to college and graduate school, and brings a unique perspective to help guide those he works with toward better career planning decisions. James completed his undergraduate work in Economics and Literature at Princeton University, graduate work in the Creative Writing Program at Columbia University, and Marketing at the University of Richmond. He is an advisor for the Enactus campus chapter at the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce and mentors middle school students through Richmond-based MEGA Mentors.

Why Write about the Weather?

The doors opened. in the back of a daycare center on Court Street in 1983-where I sat in a little desk awaiting my first clients. I was grateful to a former fellow doctoral student at Teachers College - Columbia University who let me share her space. Advertising, was doing door to door and writing letters on pasteboard that were placed in the shop window. Over fifteen years-that storefront was home and holds such special memories and love. One of my earliest collaborators was Maryanne Miceli since deceased-way too early. She was a special education teacher in Park Slope, Brooklyn and tutored students with reading and writing problems on the side. We wrote many proposals together, and often discussed teaching methods. This was the time that learning disabilities were barely acknowledged and special education classrooms were often dumping grounds for children will kinds of needs. Maryanne and I were both fortunate to have had prior experience with Orton-Gillingham methods-and had taught remedial writing. One of the tried and true topics of story starters was to write about the seasons, which I found impossibly dull. The reasons behind this choice were that seasons were neutral. Who wants neutral writing, I wondered? And from my own perspective this topic was meaningless. Fast forward over the decades and we find Common Application topics which can be interpreted with the same cliches as the story-starters of old. Maybe that is why these topics were picked-but since the change of options two years ago--so many personal statements that I see, need to be rewritten or cast aside. Summer is hot, winter cold, spring warm, fall, pretty---who cares? I miss giving students the chance to talk about a book, artist, piece of music, film that inspires them.. and yes topic of your choice...sigh excuse the diatribe..but having been deluged with essay's about seasons this is probably why although I love being in Talk Story the topic of Tales told in Winter brought back memories of correcting so many papers that said exactly the same thing.

copyrite JA

The Hidden Saints- Dr. Janusz Korczak

Sharing an article that I wrote years back for the Father's Heart Urban Prep School and later revisited in Princeton Packet Publications and Elephant Journal...for children --what a harsh week.http://www.maesakharov.com/articles-publicati…/hidden-saints

"Hidden Saints" antidote to world in chaos

The holidays are upon us when families and friends come together from far and wide to bask in the felicity of the season.

This year, however, some may find loved ones missing at the table; young men and women in the armed services will not be homebound. They are stationed in dangerous corners of the world, both prey and predator, combing ancient lands at a time of war.

Peace can seem as far off in the new millennium as during the '60s when young men and women fought in the marshes of Vietnam. I salute the sacrifices of these young people, and I hope their courage does not go unheeded. Keeping abreast of the daily escalating horrors is overwhelming.

My personal antidote, since childhood, when faced with a world in chaos, was to think about those individuals who were not afraid to keep their eyes on the power of love and peace, often at grave personal cost, even death: the hidden saints.

According to the Talmud, the hidden saints are responsible for the welfare of the universe. The righteous are just 36 in number and are amongst us in every generation. At times of danger, they use their hidden powers to defeat enemies, and as mysteriously as they appear, they fade into obscurity.

One of the righteous is Janusz Korczak (1876-1942), a doctor and child psychologist from Warsaw, Poland, whose story I would like to share. I first read about Dr. Korczak 20 years ago from an article in the New York Times.

The accompanying picture was of a girl was of a young, round-faced girl with a captivating expression. The article described the orphanage where she lived in Warsaw, named for Dr. Korczak, and described the theories of education Dr. Korczak had used with Jewish and Catholic orphans in the 1930s:

"He envisioned a world in which children structured their own world and became experts in their own matters."

Peer and staff review maintained order, not harsh discipline or adult supremacy. Every week, a children's court was scheduled to voice grievances, allow the accused to present evidence and mete out punishment, if necessary.

This reminded me of how Father Edward Flanagan disciplined his beloved urchins at Boys Town USA. I was intrigued by the piece and wanted to learn more about Dr. Korczak.

Those bygone days were before the Internet and immediate responses to questions. My search entailed calling the Midtown Manhattan Library, which undertook a search of the literature available on this man. The materials that turned up were written primarily in Hebrew and Polish, neither of which was known to me.

Finally, two small booklets, printed in Israel and written in English, came into my hands. His remarkable contributions to child welfare and sacrifice of this unique man rendered the search more than worthwhile.

Dr. Korczak was an exceptional human being and advocate for all children. He was an assimilated Polish Jew who had served in the Russian Army.

Born Henryk Goldszmit in Warsaw, Poland, in 1876, he coined the pen name of Janusz Korczak when, as a young man, he began publishing children's stories. He went on to become a medical doctor and educator and had a popular radio program in which he offered advice to parents on child rearing.

Eventually, he gave up his medical practice and served as director of the Polish and Jewish orphanages in Warsaw. Never materialistic and disdaining pomp and artifice, he chose to live in a small room at the Jewish orphanage.

Dr. Korczak was known throughout Europe for training teachers in moral education and humanizing orphanages. His theories of education were child-centered and stressed tolerance and patience.

Many visitors came to the orphanage where he resided to observe the famous Dr. Korczak and found it difficult to distinguish him from the domestic staff.

Children sensed Dr. Korczak loved them and wanted to please him. A shy and socially awkward man, he was most comfortable in their presence. The orphanage was a secure, safe and orderly place — the only home many of the children ever knew, and many remembered their time there as the happiest they ever knew.

Eventually, most of the staff was comprised of people who grew up at the orphanages.

When Poland was invaded in 1939, he had many opportunities to emigrate to freedom on a kibbutz in Israel, but it was not in his character to seek personal safety when others had no recourse. Dr. Korczak and devoted members of his staff stayed in Poland, knowing full well those who remained put their own lives in jeopardy.

Soon, thereafter, the orphanage was moved behind the wall of the Warsaw Ghetto.

Dr. Korczak became a master of the black market, securing foodstuffs and medications that were necessary to keep the children as healthy as possible. The staff tried to keep the ghetto orphanage organized and adhered to the same routine that existed on the outside with few exceptions.

The children began to perform in plays that were opened to the public. The material chosen often had an underlying message of courage and fortitude.

August 1942, after two years of near starvation, declining health standards and privation in the ghetto orphanage, the end came. The children were ordered to report to the train station at Umschlagplatz for relocation to the East.

The night before the children were to be led away, they put on a performance of a one-act play by Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath Tagore entitled, "The Post Office."

When Mahatma Gandhi saw this play in Calcutta in 1917, he wrote, "I did not have enough of it, but what I did have had a most soothing effect upon my nerves which are otherwise always on trial."

Irish poet W.B. Yates echoed these sentiments, noting, "On the stage, the little play shows it is very perfectly constructed and conveys to the right audience an emotion of gentleness and peace."

When Dr. Korczak was asked why he chose the "The Post Office," he answered "Eventually one had to learn serenely the angel of death."

The audience was riveted by the play. Amal, a gentle, imaginative boy who has been adopted by a poor couple, is confined to his room with a serious illness. Forbidden by the village doctor to go outside, he is shut in from the world of nature, like the orphans awaiting an uncertain future.

The children at the orphanage were aware of their real destination; news of the extermination of the Jews had flooded Warsaw. Dr. Korczak and his staff were prepared.

Bold and courageously, they led the "Army of Children" to overcrowded trains and certain death at Treblinka.

Jehoshua Perle later wrote an eyewitness account in his book, "The Destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto: "A miracle occurred, two hundred pure souls, condemned to death, did not weep. Not one of them ran away. None tried to hide. Like stricken swallows, they clung to their teacher and mentor, to their father and brother, Janusz Korczak."

The children wal

ked quietly to the station in clean and meticulously cared for clothes. German, Ukrainian, Polish and Jewish policeman fired upon their procession as they walked by them. Perle describes the last march of the orphans foreshadowed the destruction of the ghetto itself.

The memory of that sad day lives on memorialized. The Poles regard Dr. Korczak as a martyr, who, had he been born Catholic, would have been canonized a saint.

The Israelis revere Dr. Korczak as one of the "Thirty-Six Just Men" whose souls make possible the world's salvation.

And when the notorious Treblinka was transformed from a vast crematorium into a memorial rock garden with 17.000 thousand stones representing the millions of men, women and children that died there, there was only one that was given a personal inscription — "Janusz Korczak and the Children."

And so ends my story, and I go back to the news of bombings and death.

The importance of Focused Curriculum in Teacher Training

Last night, Talk Story-Tales told in Winter gave a brief reading at the Lambertville Library. We were asked to describe what work we did and a little about our background. After the reading was a question and answer session, in which I shared that at college (undergraduate school) I had majored in storytelling and Children's Literature. How could this be? Well, at San Francisco State University it was the first year that the Ryan Act was implemented (Leo Ryan, later murdered at Jonestown)--this teacher preparation program was to my memory curriculum based and these topics were my choice having been an actress. How wonderful, our major instructor majored in Children's Literature at Northwestern University (Can no longer find this major)-our course were so interesting with an emphasis on storytelling of all kinds- I remember my final, overly ambitions, reducing Wagner's Ring for Young Children. Concurrently, myself and several classmates took classes at the Reading Improvement Center where we learned how to teach reading. Putting these skills together we designed programs for incarcerated teens, and for an experimental school. These projects, continued after we graduated on to other things. I feel so fortunate to have had that focused curriculum background which has served me so well as I continued to study at Teachers College - Columbia University for my doctorate--and today teaching Literacy and Language Development. While I was focusing on my areas of interests others were focusing on art, science, mathematics..I believe as specialists those of us fortunate enough to attend college at that time in all likelihood made significant contributions to our students.. excuse the diatribe.

Talk Story at the Bucks County Playhouse.. I will be sharing a few

Hester Kamin: TALK STORY: TALES TOLD IN WINTER on tour! December 8 at Lambertville Free Public Library, 7:00PM. December 10 at Bucks County Playhouse, BIG SHOW, 8:00PM. December 16 at Farley's Book Shop, 7:00PM. Real people. Real stories. Join the circle.

FIND YOUR GIFT

Comprised childhood's, in fact an honest examination of one's impressions of a life can open the door to untold gifts. Sharing as an extension of my yesterday's status, a little anecdote. My first learning center was located in a basement on Court Street in Brooklyn Heights. This to my knowledge was the first of its kind outside of the great Stanley Kaplan who was focusing on test preparation. My brother happened to be in town, and quietly observed me working with a high school student named Matthew. This young man was having social and academic problems at school. He was Gay at the beginning of the AIDS pandemic in 1982, parents divorcing, and Mom diagnosed with Breast Cancer. His reputation amongst many was horrific. When I spoke with him, perhaps and yes tapping into my own memories-he left our session with Hope, and returned often. My brother later told me, "You have found your gift"--and that is my hope for all...

Avoid College Debt

I know that I often pontificate about colleges-that is my job. Here goes, many families tell me that attending a community college will not provide a 'college experience'. These good folk have been putting aside funds since the birth of their child and have about $70.000 or so. Sounds like enough to pay for college? Hardly, just a little over 2 years at some and 1 year at others. Of course their is merit awards at some schools, and scholarships--but not all will quality. It is important to read the fine print on individual college websites. Then why not think about a 2 year start at a place like Bucks County Community College. This college and others like them have activities, sports, and in this case an Honors program. Doing well at a Community College, can assure a successful transition and lack of debt. What a student experiences is up to them be it Ivy or a commuter school. Debt ties a noose around someone's neck, freedom from debt in my opinion is a much better choice.

http://www.bucks.edu

Personal Statements Rock

I liked it better when college essay's were called Personal Statement's. What formally, were reflective pieces that delved and perhaps illuminated a person's heart, are being plucked over as if they were in school essays. The problem is many become generic-and not probing. Over the years, I have known so many students that shared really unique interesting pieces from Math problems they designed (Princeton acceptance), poetry, and fictional noir romances 9

Tray Lovejoy---

Oberlin)...have always been careful to tell my students not to share too much until spring perhaps-as the reflection should be their own.. copy-editing of course for grammar--but ah...probably this is the wave of the future and it will be almost impossible to tell one essay from another..except for those that really stand out-the creative iconoclast that goes right to the big envelope.

We are Still waiting for Affordable Childcare

The year 1971 was slated to become a seminal year for supporters of affordable child care.

Advocates concerned about meeting the needs of working parents and ensuring the benefits of early childhood education had long lobbied Congress to take up their cause, and the dream was within reach.

The Senate and the House of Representatives both approved a Comprehensive Child Development Bill, which mandated the right of all children to be given child care with a priority to those in economic, social or family need. The bill included federal standards for quality control, staff training and securing facilities. The fee for service would be on a sliding scale according to income. 

President Richard M. Nixon was on record as supporting a federal role in child care. The passage of this bill would permit mothers, especially those heading single-parent households, to seek employment.

It was a time of great optimism, which soon faded as Nixon vetoed the legislation under pressure from his conservative constituents. Nixon's change of heart dashed the hopes of advocates and families who were unable to either find or afford adequate services.

His veto continues to have vast ramifications in the kind, type and accountability of services provided for children in this country. 

At the time of Nixon's veto, I was completing an undergraduate degree with a specialization in children's literature and a credential to teach reading at San Francisco State University. As a student teacher, I spent hours observing classrooms and substitute teaching in San Francisco's long-standing Child Development Program, which had been established in 1943. 

This program was much like that mandated under the Comprehensive Childcare Bill. The department was opened during the World War II when women worked around the clock in factories to support the war effort. Twenty-four hour day care was necessary for these brave "Rosie the Riveters," who proved middle-class women were fully capable of working outside of the home. 

Other parts of the country had similar programs, which were closed when the war ended.

Yet the San Francisco programs have continued to grow. Teachers at these centers are qualified and credentialed experts in early childhood education. They meet health and safety standards required of all schools and reflect the diverse populations of that city. 

Working with and observing these programs was a wonderful opportunity and illustrated how outstanding early childhood programs served communities and could do the same if similar programs were in place countrywide.

A federally funded grant I worked under in New York exposed me to the ramifications of what can happen in unregulated day care. The grant to train and evaluate programs was headed by the late Dr. Martin Deutsch, a professor at New York University. He was well known as the father of Head Start, which evolved from the programs he developed in Harlem during the early 1960s.

Head Start programs continue to thrive and are federally funded. These centers have accredited teachers, assistant teachers and class size restricted to 15 students. The children are exposed to a range of literature, music and the arts.

A goal of our grant was to translate many of Head Start's successes into the non-regulated programs.

Happily, some of these child-care centers stand out in memory as outstanding. In particular, the Haitian American Day Care Center, had a cohesive program, was spotless, with a top-flight administrative staff. Although many of the teachers were not certified in this country, they had the necessary accreditation from Haiti. 

The program was bilingual, administered in English and Haitian Creole. When children grew too old to attend the daycare center, they passed on to a local elementary school with a similar mission.

When the school day ended, it was back to the Haitian American Childcare Center for after school and homework assistance. The children in this program certainly could not have been better served.

At the opposite end were several child care centers that were a disaster. One with an infant care program that had tiny babies placed in cribs all day while teacher's aides watched game shows and soap operas. The ceiling tiles in this particular center were never replaced, and water dripped on the floor from the leaky pipes. Books were so scarce and torn children had little or nothing to read. 

This administration was negligent; one can only imagine how a different situation with high and established standards might have made proficient advocates and teachers out of the staff. 

The sad fact is the knowledge of how to establish outstanding early childhood programs is available. Developing the prerequisite skills for later successful schooling have been thoroughly researched and can be successfully implemented.

The results of comprehensive research have documented pre-reading strategies that would alleviate much of the frustration students face in elementary school, which, if not attended to, can translate into a lifetime of functional illiteracy.

Yet the funding to create and sustain such programs (and the oversight necessary for their success) has not materialized.

Nixon's veto of the Comprehensive Childcare Act in 1971 was a disaster, particularly for those in the middle-class who do not qualify for federally supported childcare. 

Barbara Beatty, chairperson of the education department at Wellesley College, laments, "Time's a wasting for 3- and 4- year olds despite bipartisan support from broad-based coalitions of stakeholders from public and private sectors."

A high-quality early childhood system building on Head Start that serves all parents and all children would have untold benefits.

Middle-class families with two working parents are left in the lurch, having to spend exorbitant fees for childcare. Perhaps it is now the right time to look toward San Francisco and how it has managed to keep outstanding early childhood programs within the school district for more than 60 years.

Of course, as is often lamented, children do not vote, are not a priority and have minimal clout on the Beltway.

It took more than 100 years to have kindergartens attached to public schools; perhaps the time of subsidized child care is on the horizon. 

For the sake of children and parents, I hope that horizon is not long in coming. 

Stop with the birds

I have been reading college applicant's essay's or personal statements for quite some time. The Common Application, which most student's use as a portal changed its topics after many decades. The earlier question's were very straightforward, asking about person's that influenced you, and a topic of your choice. The new topics require more critical thinking, but are basically similar. One that has caught the eye of students is a place where they are content. (Many students now prepare these essay's in English classes and receive grades-which I find questionable. Another topic the efficacy of writing a personal statement for a class assignment.) What I am beginning to read on the contentment topic are some statements full of far too many cliche's:  birds chirping, sound of a brook. I would rather read about contentment sitting on the toilet, reading a forbidden book or magazine. Imagination and creativity goes out the window when succumbing to what you think someone wants to read. Ditto goes for an essay about saving the world after spending several with an expensive summer service program.
Good essay's start with introspection taking time to share what is truly meaningful. What is it that makes you tick and it does not have to be a thesis? A very simple statement carefully constructed can be more effective then endless platitudes. Several days ago a former parent checked in with me and we discussed her three children all of whom I worked with. Two have successfully launched careers, and the third is on the way. All three wrote vastly different essays one was journalistic, another service oriented,and the third metaphoric. Each topic came from their heart. I hope that I can reach some kids and get them on track--pretty difficult task after they have been affirmatively graded---and please.. stop with the birds....

Why You Should Try Service Learning

Why You Should Try Service Learning

By Mae Sakharov June 26, 2014 Blog of Shanti Generation

A group of Haitian students enjoy a daytime yoga class led by our team of Urban Zen Integrative Therapists.

Service learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection. Adding service learning to mindfulness curriculum can be a key towards opening the heart of youth participants to the world. To serve others is an act of love when it is based on reciprocity.

My most recent journey with service learning began in 2008 when I discovered Urban Zen. Founded by Donna Karan, Urban Zen’s Integrative Therapist program trains practitioners to transform patient care in hospitals, healthcare education in nursing schools, self-care in the home, and emergency relief in disasters. 

In the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, I traveled with Urban Zen’s integrative therapists to the country to provide respite for workers, administration and volunteers at St. Damien’s Hospital–the largest and free pediatric hospital in the country. In preparation for the trip, we received support from the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in working with trauma relief.

Haiti is home to courageous people who, along with the devastating earthquake, have lived with poverty, high crime rates and despotic politics for many generations. It cannot be denied that Post Traumatic Shock Disorder (PTSD) abounds. Despite catastrophic misfortunes and natural disasters, many Haitians remain resilient and work toward a brighter future.

On the second floor of St. Damien’s hospital in a beautiful light-filled facility overlooking the mountains of Haiti, our first class included a group of women whose job was washing diapers, some for over 25 years. Leaning over a bucket, hour after hour they labored with seemingly beatific continence. These women quietly took their seats for a chair yoga session. Behind the chairs, fellow therapists applied Reiki and the lavender oils. Later we were told that these sessions were the first time our participants had ever been given a break during what was a very long and labor intensive workday.

Session after session filled with people of all ages and a variety of backgrounds. Men who were responsible for maintenance sat next to pediatricians and oncologists. Simple yoga moves relaxed and focused the body, the healing touch of Reiki, along with awareness of the gift of breath provided a universe of healing. The simplicity was transcendent. Toward the end of the each session, time was given for integration and meditation. Each participant left revived, relaxed and ready to go back to the ever-present bustle and atmosphere filled with the unexpected that exists in hospitals.

Since that first trip, six additional Urban Zen teams have continued to win the confidence of staff at St. Damien’s. The patient interaction has increased, as has our permission to work in expanded sites including the adult hospital St. Luc’s, the school for children, another day school for severely special needs children, many pediatric rooms for HIV positive children, those with cancer, and abandoned babies. Although there are an overwhelming number of disparate needs, the hospital has created a community feeling, and the atmosphere draws one in immediately.

Small efforts make a difference. Standing with the Haitian people in whatever way is requested to look toward a better tomorrow is an honor that I cannot overestimate. I encourage you to find a service learning project in your community that allows you and your students to give back with compassionate mindfulness.

Clarence written for Talk Story at Bucks County Playhouse--Father of the Heart

Clarence was the handyman at Sunny Oaks a hotel in the Catskill Mountains of New York where my father sent me every summer after my mother died. He knew the owner from volunteering at the Hebrew Home for the Aged in Brooklyn.

 I loved going to the mountains, where I had little supervision and could spend my days swimming and rock climbing and nights talking to Clarence. He was from the south and came up north to Philadelphia with his wife Theola and their son Willy.

Clarence was a very religious Southern Baptist and I considered him to be my second father. Every night we would sit out near the shed on a bench near where the garbage was kept and he would tell me stories that began with “Praise the Lord”; I loved to hear him share Bible stories and about his life down South. 

Once, Clarence asked Theola to comb my hair; which was unruly and unkempt. “Every little girl has to have someone come their hair real nice and you have such pretty curls” Theola took me up to the attic room where I stayed and spent what must have spent hours,combing out the knots. When she was satisfied we came back to where Clarence was sitting, “ Praise the Lord, you sure are pretty.”

During the winter, I missed Clarence so much and when feeling poorly, I would cry for his comforting presence. I looked foreword to seeing him every summer, and our talks on the bench near the shed where the garbage cans were kept. 

When I was thirteen, Clarence told me that we could not sit together anymore because people would talk.  “One day all this will change” That summer Sunny Oaks lost its luster, and I never returned or saw Clarence again.

Dr. Mae Sakharov and Associates: Kirby Fredendall Art Portfolio Development and Review

Art Portfolio Prepartion

•  KIRBY FREDENALL helps students to develop a strong, coherent art portfolio. She will assess the work that the student has already and discuss work that needs to be done. Meetings are structured to completely cater to the individual needs of the student, whether they need critique on continuing work or simply help organizing. She can help students photograph their work for digital submission or organize their physical work for an interview. 

If you are applying to a liberal arts program and you are a strong art student, including an art portfolio with your application is a great idea.

If you are planning to attend National Portfolio Day you will need a strong portfolio to take with you.

Kirby Fredenall, has lived in the local Bucks County area for 44 years. She was raised in Carversville, left the area to receive her BA in Art History from Duke University and returned to earn her MEd in Art Education from Arcadia Universtiy and is certified in K-12 Art. She has taught at Solebury School in New Hope for 21 years. 

Students have taken classes ranging from begining to advanced painting & drawing, design, collage, life drawing, ap art, and portfolio presentation. Her students have gone on to attend Moore College of Art & Design, FIT, MICA, Chicago Institute of Art, & Tyler to name a few. 

Please visit the Glendale Art Studio

http://www.glendaleartstudio.com

No Dream Schools-Please

This season is my thirty-first year as a college advisor and career counselor. Prior, I spent a time working at Admissions at Columbia University and volunteered as a tutor and dissertation advisor. I find myself, as excited as ever and eager to lend support this year’s group of students on an adventure whose results are months away.

Things have certainly changed over the decades, in terms of rabid competition, outlandish costs, and uncertain prospects for employment. I have been mulling over the concept of a dream school, based on a student’s imagination, glossy photographs, and choreographed tours.

Prospective students, oftentimes get fixated forgetting that dreams are best when grounded in reciprocity. The best college for most aspirants is the one that wants them and is going to be affordable.

Sharing from my mind’s legacies:

1)   A talented student was accepted to an Ivy League college and another fine school with a full scholarship and living expenses. After some lamentation, he went for the one that funded his education, and later came back to grad school at that same Ivy.

2)   Barely distinguished students, from a local high school with most abysmal grades-found themselves with rejections. Each was accepted to the same more liberal minded, more opened enrollment school in Washington State. Once at college, they became star students on their way to become physicians

3)   One student hated city schools and was fearful of leaving the suburbs. She was accepted into a wonderful urban school with a guaranteed admission to graduate school in Occupational Therapy. After a short period of adjustment, she is thriving.

4)   His so-called safety schools rejected him, a student with less then average grades and a wonderful heart.  added another college, more competitive, and dedicated to seeing individual potential. This same student was accepted to the more competitive school and awarded a Merit scholarship. His mother received an email from admissions saying how wonderful a person her son was.

5)   A student was unhappy about her college choices, decided on a gap year was set on a small liberal arts school. After the year, this girl had many acceptances and chose an urban university where she thrived.

6)   A boy had his heart set on playing soccer and realized that the school he pontificated about attending was totally wrong. After one semester, he changed course and found himself exactly in the right environment.

   

I have so many more stories to share—but will close with the warning—no fixations—leave the door open-for opportunity to knock.