by Marcia Davis-Dawkins | Jul 7, 2021 | Education, Kids, Parents, Teachers
Good Things Come to Those Who Wait!
By Dr. Marci
I have always enjoyed flowers and gardening has become a hobby. This Spring was no exception, I was anxious to begin planting. I went to buy plants and even 
decided to buy bulbs that I remember seeing my grandmother planting when I was growing up. I couldn’t wait for the spring to begin so I could plant the flowers and especially the bulbs. I waited and waited and saw no sign of the bulbs growing. I had even shared some of the bulbs with a friend who loved gardening just like I did. We compared notes and questioned why there seemed to be no growth. When we almost lost hope and gave up, I looked to water my plants and spotted a tiny bulb unfolding its beautiful head! It was a great way to start my day after my tiring three-mile morning walk.
As I took in the moment, I started to consider what this means in terms of a life lesson. Surely this can mean one of two things: 1) All you need for growth is patience and consistency 2) “Good Things Come to Those Who Wait!” For sure, there is a lesson for everything we experience in life, and it got me thinking of how this can apply to education as well.
One of the things that I always promise myself is to never have a preconceived notion of my new students. In fact, I don’t ask previous teachers to give their perception about a student, as I wanted to form my own opinion about each. I have often found that since one size does not fit all, I shouldn’t assume that they will react the same way that they did for another teacher. I simply must give them a chance. I should not quit on a student before they have a chance to prove themselves, just like I patiently waited on my bulb plants to show who they are. Not everything nor everyone grows at the same pace and simply giving loving care and molding them according to their needs can help.
I spent 180 days teaching online and to be honest, I really didn’t think I would survive. There were many things that came new to me: a new school, new grade, new tasks, new teaching methods, new students who were eager to learn, and many others. There were days when I had my lesson plans and realized after the first five minutes that they were not going to work, based on the students’ moods or it simply was not the right time for that lesson. They were just not ready to grow yet. Interestingly, I had to think quickly since I also had the things to do, and the order of the lessons already lined up in my laptop’s browser. As if I didn’t wear enough hats, I had to navigate the laptop quickly and ensure that I was meeting the needs of all the students, who weren’t physically in front of me, but were virtual. Who would have thought I was capable of this task?
Each day was met with anticipation as I sat in front of the laptops wondering what could go wrong and how they would be fixed or even better yet, how my many rambunctious six-year-olds and sometimes parents, would react to the shift in schedule or planned lessons. And yes, Murphy’s Law showed up for class very often. There were also days when some parents would question why I made sudden changes, they would challenge my professional judgement or better yet leave me wondering if I would get out of the situations without me questioning my ability to teach or manage my group of students.
In general, I do know that I made long lasting connections, kept high expectations, saw wonderful progress with my students as we navigated the rather unusual school year. For the first time I choked up and felt tears as the students and parents told me how they felt about me being the teacher. I heard how inspirational I had been, how much their students grew academically and even that they became brave! I too grew as a person and professionally. It’s the little things that matter and makes it all worthwhile. I know for sure that I really love teaching, especially the ah, ah moments. I do feel like there is more in store for me too, even more for me to learn!! To my students and parents, I say, “Thank you for helping to bring out the best in me!” I’ve always said that my class was hand-picked by God and each day I was more convinced. Each student was special in his/her own way. I encouraged them daily to have a positive outlook by starting the day with a positive affirmation and they bought into it. I encouraged them to dream big and not give up and to continue reaching for the stars. I suppose the idea is to wait for the goodness and continue being the best that I can be. I am hopeful as I get ready for the summer to rejuvenate and look forward to the new buds that will be planted. It always fascinating how from little seeds mighty and beautiful trees or flowers can grow.
Stay Rooted!
by Marcia Davis-Dawkins | May 3, 2021 | Education, Kids, Parents, Teachers, Teens
Compassion or Indifference?
By Dr. Marcia
You might know or have heard the lyrics of the song below. I wanted to write all the words so we could get to focus on the words and maybe even sing or listen to it at your convenience.
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No not just for some, but for everyone
Lord, we don’t need another mountain
There are mountains and hillsides enough to climb
There are oceans and rivers enough to cross
Enough to last ’til the end of time
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No, not just for some, but for everyone
Lord, we don’t need another meadow
There are cornfields and wheatfields enough to grow
There are sunbeams and moonbeams enough to shine
Oh listen, Lord, if you want to know
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No, not just for some, oh, but just for every, every, everyone 
The lyrics to this song written by David Hal and composed by Burt Bacharach gives such a wonderful message and even though written in 1965, is still applicable today. This song is beautiful and has been sang by various artistes. The world is in always in need of love and to step it further it should be filled with compassion. What is the difference you may ask? Even though closely related love can be viewed as that deep feeling of fondness or even warmth towards another person and compassion on the other hand is a concerned pity and deep concern for people’s misery or their adversities.
Covid-19 has brought about so much sadness, in many forms and it is easy to say that people have been frustrated and overwhelmed with the various forms of sadness through deaths, sickness, joblessness, unpaid bills, depression, anger, loneliness, social injustice, just to name a few. To add to the ongoing misfortunes, people have become unkind and even lack compassion. To me, it seems as if we have become indifferent and less caring, to the point of being selfish or even rude. At times some people have said unkind things to each other without even thinking about what the words and the impact on the person/s hearing them. There are those who might say that the recipients of words are too thin skinned, and these persons are not realizing that they are demeaning and disrespecting the recipient’s feelings. How can we show compassion, you may ask? I have always thought that if we are kind to ourselves, then it follows that it can be easy to pass on being compassionate to others. There are several persons who have compiled various lists and a few of them include
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Being kind
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Being courteous
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Giving hugs if it’s appropriate
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Giving a listening ear – people like to know that we care, simply by listening to them
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Listen without interrupting
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Being verbal, yet temper how we say things to others
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Being encouraging and supportive
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Being a team player
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When communicating watch our body language as sometimes that speaks nonverbally
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Being respectful – call the person by his/her name and make sure it’s pronounced correctly
Some people are known to say things without even knowing how it might affect the person who is hearing the words. It is clearly not what we say but how we say it! Of course, we can deliver bad news by choosing how to deliver. We sometimes get indifferent towards the needs of others. Let us try show love and a little more than love for each other even steering away from being indifferent. Elie Wiesel once said,
“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.” Always try to be giving, forgiving, compassionate and loving. It is necessary to do the right thing by being compassionate, since doing the right thing is always liberating!
Love is Patient and Kind
by Marcia Davis-Dawkins | Apr 16, 2021 | Education, Kids, Parents, Teachers, Teens
I Can Be Made New
By Dr. Marcia
On two separate occasions, while growing up, I was bitten by two dogs. Ever since, my love for dogs changed drastically. I have been traumatized! 
On one of the occasions, I was visiting my grandfather and was going back home. At the bus stop I wanted to use the bathroom so badly that my aunt said I could go ask one of the women in the neighborhood to use the bathroom. As I turned to go, I could see a dog without leash and I hesitated, however, the woman’s daughter reassured me that I was safe. As soon as I got to the door, and before I got a chance to even think, the dog pounced on me and hung onto my knee! Maybe some of you are thinking that it was a little scratch, but a chunk of my knee was literally taken out and eaten like a piece of meat. My world turned upside down as I started screaming in anguish. I trusted this lady – and yet my trust was broken. It felt like I didn’t want to use the bathroom again. Come to think of it, it was a good thing I didn’t pee on myself! I remember the woman cleaned my wound and put bandage on it and I went back to the bus stop and carried on as if things were only derailed for 5 minutes.
The second time was not as dramatic, but I knew I would never trust anyone who was near a dog ever again. There were other times when I wanted, I was told to ignore the dogs I saw because they were friendly, but I knew better and would not go near any dog. I am not a fan or dogs, and I am really cautious when I hear people say that they are quiet, friendly and can be petted. It seems as if they usually sense my fear and without a doubt always move towards me to show how “friendly” they are. I don’t usually try to find out either as avoid them as much as I can. With that background in mind, it is no wonder that read with skepticism, an article in a Jamaican newspaper which talked about some Jamaican mongrel dogs that were “rescued” and sent to a shelter to Canada. https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/144_Royal_Caribbean_Terriers_off_to_Canada?profile=1228
Days after I read the article, I started thinking about the dogs who were considered just “ordinary” who were not cared for properly but now because of a dogs’ shelter there was a change of course for them. These dogs were less fortunate than most but now they became visible. I drew a correlation to my life and the lives of people in general. There are times when we might get an opportunity and that could change the trajectory of our journey. That change could mean that we are moved to higher heights simply because a door was opened, and the course of the journey has changed. The journey of the dogs changed even their names seemed more sophisticated – they are now Caribbean Terriers instead of simply mongrels. They migrated from the streets to travel on a plane and onto a shelter.
Like the Caribbean Terriers, there is a purpose for all of us – even when things seem to be spinning out of control, we are encouraged to use every opportunity that we have to shine our lights. In the midst of chaos, we must remember that Our Father is still in control. Covid-19 has brought us so much sadness and we tend to want to give up, we must not give up – we must fight on and lift our heads above the waters. We must surround ourselves with people who will support and encourage us to connect to the best version of ourselves.
The lesson of that I got from the Caribbean Terriers is that there is greatness in each of us. There is a purpose in us and shouldn’t fear. Most of all we should encourage ourselves as well as those we encounter. We can make a positive impact on everyone. We cannot give up on ourselves or even our students – most times we might be the last person they can hear positive words from. The question is, how can I help to make someone’s life new simply by being positive?
Empowerment
by Marcia Davis-Dawkins | Mar 6, 2021 | Education, Kids, Parents, Teachers, Teens
No One Should Steal Your Happy
By Dr. Marcia
“I apologize for what happened yesterday, and it won’t happen again. Today, no one is going to steal my happy!” Those were the words of my seven-year student who had a temper tantrum the day before and he declared that he was responsible for his happiness. This bold statement from a young child hit me like a rock because it also made me think about the days when I would allow someone to steal my happy. The same days that I may have even thrown a tantrum of my own because I was frustrated and even confused. What about you, have you ever allowed someone to steal your happy? 
It is interesting to say that even though I am a) many years older than seven and b) the teacher and leader for children. This was a huge lesson for me and a reminder that I am definitely in charge of my happiness. It had me thinking of so many ways that I can make myself happy as well as helping others to be happy. Of course, there are days when things just seem overwhelming and overbearing but there has to be some ways to be happy and claim our happy. For me, being happy spiritually will lead me to greater happiness. I am reminded of the Bible verse in Nehemiah 8:10 NIV, “Do not grieve for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Strength and happiness go hand in hand, those two words also help with our affirmation. Let’s not clutch on to sadness – choose happiness. We are sometimes addicted to being sad.
Our children can teach us so much, but we may marginalize what they have to say and miss their point. Let’s help them and ourselves to reach out towards being the positive emotion. Let go of the familiar negative energy. Happiness may seem like it’s hard to find, but we should meditate on this quote from an author who is unknown, “Don’t let the entire staircase overwhelm you. Just focus on that first step.” Remember being happy is really up to you! Sometimes we allow others to really steal or happy or we rely on others to decide when we are happy.
There are many people who have written about ways to encourage us to be happy. I will list some of them, even though I don’t think the list exhausted. Maybe we can look at see if some of them will help. According to Cyndi Calhoun in an article in Lifehack. She shares this list.
Start with a good dose of gratitude.
Make sure you are giving back.
Laugh every day (it’s better than money)
Foster good relationships with family and friends.
Take some alone time.
Do what you love.
Volunteer your time.
Get enough exercise.
I can only wonder if anyone or anything is stealing our happy. Believe me I have really been thinking and taking stack of what is stealing my happy or joy.
There 
are studies that say that happiness really begins with showing gratitude, so that’s a good place to start – Give thanks for everything!
Determination and Perseverance
by Marcia Davis-Dawkins | Jan 28, 2021 | Education, Kids, Parents, Teachers, Teens
Add Value
Dr. Marcia
Like everyone else, Covid-19 caused many changes and through the changes, we have had to weather some kind of storm. During this time, we taught virtually, we had meetings virtually, we had church virtually, we had birthdays virtually, we had funerals virtually and on and on. Many of them we didn’t even think we could have done, but we did. I never dreamed that we could actually teach from home especially elementary school-aged students, but we did and even doing a great job too.
For me, I have been navigating teaching virtually and each day seems to bring many challenges yet somehow, I have been weathering the storms. One of the storms that I go through is, how do I use this challenging time is trying to encourage my students, so they don’t get down and despondent. This has definitely not been easy and I greet each day with hope and openness as I begin each day. I encourage my students with positive affirmations, so they feel valuable and special. This takes some time during the day, yet I feel like once they feel special and I add value to their lives, then learning can take place. Believe it or not, it has also been teaching me to be more patient which is also adding value to my life.
What does it mean to add value? Value as defined by the dictionary, is when we regard something as important, worth, or usefulness. It can even go further as based on the standards of someone’s behavior or judgment.
So, if I value someone, it means I respect his/her principles based on my standards. So, to add value to other people’s lives including students, I must live my life with integrity so I can be a role model for them. It also means being sincere and authentic.
Just by giving someone a call or sending a message to someone can help the person to feel special and feel valid and valuable simply by saying hello. Even if I am thinking of someone, it was not by mere coincidence, I shouldn’t miss opportunities to make an impact on that person. Add value to the person by the choice I make, even if it means making a sacrifice to visit or spend time doing something for that person/that student. It makes a difference in the long run.
I feel like I make my points better when I use examples from my life. I recently visited a friend whom I have known for a long time. I have been putting off visiting this friend because of time constraints and just because of life getting in the way. I finally decided to visit and put off other things that I could have been doing. On my arrival I realized that my friend was so happy to see me and that I was spending time with her, that she cooked a delicious meal, she had gifts for me and on top of all of that she had a beautiful cake for me. 
She said that she wanted to “celebrate me for me”! Talk about a surprise! I was so excited; I could not even think. When I finally figured it out, I was saying how grateful, I am to have someone who value me and think of me as a special friend to “celebrate me”. I wanted to talk about this and let everyone know that this is how we should add value to someone’s life by simply saying how special the person is. It does not necessarily have to be where you buy a gift, or even be as lavish, but simply a phone call or a text message or a card.
By adding value to my life, my friend saw the best in me because she felt like I needed to know that I was special, and she didn’t even know what I was going through. She felt as if I needed to hear that I was special. The interesting thing is that there were no strings attached, it was just being kind to a friend.
In my virtual classroom, I can add value to my students because some of them might be longing for love and kindness. This to me is a way to help them to step into their greatness and produce more of their potential. By being passionate and always giving love, they will be willing to learn. I also believe that when I give a listening ear, I am adding value to their lives.
Another thing that is being reinforced during this pandemic is that I should take the labels off people especially my students and help to emancipate their minds from mental slavery. Love them without limits and be kind in many ways. I can also be willing to help those in need and give of myself by using my talents
Cake my friend gave me 
When all is said and done, I can be humble and encourage those I meet even though there can be dull moments at times, let positivity reign. I can be patient and make sure I take other’s feelings into consideration. I can speak to my students using gentle words and give advice. Affirm them every step of the way and add more value to their lives. We must press towards our goals. Even though the times seem dark and dreary, I can, and must be the change agent and don’t render evil for evil. I can add value to someone’s life. I can find it in my heart to love even when I don’t feel loved! I think you can too, especially since we are ALL valuable in His sight!
Love is Patient and Kind
by Marcia Davis-Dawkins | Nov 12, 2020 | Education, Kids, Parents, Teachers, Teens
Please, Call Me by My Name….
By Dr. Marcia
Being called my correct name has always been an issue for me. It started years ago when I migrated to the United States and my new journey began. Little did I know that it also meant having a “new name”! Well, the pattern began when a couple months after my move to a new country and a new type of climate, I had to go to the doctor’s office to check my on my health as everything seemed to be rebelling because of the new temperature that I had to live in and the hay that was close to where I resided. As I sat in the waiting room, I was reading a book to pass the time but could hear one of the nurses come out and yelled, “Marsha Dawkins”! This happened several times but of course it didn’t hit me that she was calling me until I got a sharp jab in my side. “That’s you, you know. She is calling you!” I got up hesitantly, to move towards the nurse. I was still puzzled. Later as time went by, I realized that most people in the United States pronounced, “Marcia” as “Marsha” and I was constantly reminded that “I was Marsha, Marsha, from the Brady Bunch!” I grew tired of hearing it and I was always explaining that my name was not “Marsha” but “Marcia” as in “Garcia”. There were many who attempted to correct but more who simply shrugged their shoulders and said, “well, that’s what I know and it’s okay!” No, it’s not okay, that is not my name and I should be called by my name.
I think of the many times, I enter my classroom and I have new students and as I look at the roster, I try to pronounce the names phonetically, but then realize that it’s not the best way to go about it. So I tried a new approach. I have been asking the students to introduce themselves and as they do I write how they said it phonetically so I can say it the same way as they do. If I plundered, I would ask for their help because I didn’t want to “mess up” their given names. How many of us take the time to do so? How many of us realize that when you miss pronounce a person’s name that you are dehumanizing them? I might even go further to say that you are being dismissive and being ignorant. I often put myself in the students’ position, how would I feel if they were messing up my name? Well, I have been there and it has been done to me several times and still being done to me and I must say that I really dislike it and as a result I don’t want to do it to any person, let alone a student. I think it is a way of getting to know your student and also learn something new about names and the students.
We must recognize that our names are our identity and if we say the names wrong, we are stripping the person aside, damaging their self-worth and self-confidence. Whatever effort it takes to learn the person’s name, we should, and learning the name sends the message that we really care about the person especially our students. Some of us might not even think it is important since it has never happened to you. If it happens that you mess up the student’s name and the student tell you then you, should make every effort to correct. Or if you say it, make sure to tell the student to correct you since some might be shy, too scared or too polite to tell the teacher. This I, again, sending a message to them the students that they are important, and they matter in your classroom.
A few weeks ago, I asked 35 college students how they felt about their names being pronounced as given and it was interesting to see the response. These future teachers were telling how they really feel valued when teachers, including professors, pronounced their names properly and it would be a priority of theirs to make students feel valued if they pronounce their names as given. The future teachers were adamant about this matter since some of them had been through the same kind of problems and wanted to implement the same kind rule in their classroom so the students will feel respected and valued. I even referred them to the book, Your Name is a Song, written by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow. In this book highlights a student who was frustrated because her teacher didn’t pronounce her name correctly. She didn’t want to go to school because of that. Many of us might even think it as trivial, but we must be mindful of our students and how we can make an impact on them and encourage them to feel valuable. It was Dalai Lama who once said, “When educating the minds of our youth, we must not forget to educate their hearts.” What a great way of reaching students’ hearts, by calling them by their given name, the correct way of pronouncing them.
The link below highlights yet another story where the vice president nominee’s name was mispronounced and she was mocked because of her name. It further proves that time and time again, persons are disrespected because of their names. Why is it so difficult to take the time to get to know the correct pronunciation of someone’s name? Are they not important or is that we just think others are insignificant?
https://www.theroot.com/david-perdues-mocking-of-kamala-harris-name-is-turning-1845406435?rev=1603035814272&utm_campaign=The+Root&utm_content=1603036196&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR12UuF_98zGN6Ss1zSkKCDqPtvi1vgMeYb_M2npRWaVnMOmxPl8qzOxA1A
The Power of Words
