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
by Marcia Davis-Dawkins | May 13, 2020 | Education, Kids, Parents, Teachers, Teens
Springtime!
By Dr. Marcia Davis-Dawkins
Hello everyone,
Message for you. Click to listen
I’m bringing you this blog in a different format primarily because of the topic for discussion. Since it is springtime, which brings about change and change is not a new topic to my blog as almost 2 years ago, I wrote on the topic “Change Our Positions!” Why the same topic you might ask? Well, change seems like it is ongoing and like the seasons – always changing. Hence, Springtime. What do you know about Springtime? Well, you are right when you say it brings rebirth, renewal, blossoms, growth, productivity, newness, cleansing, among other things. Not many people like the word “change’ because it means getting up and actually doing something instead of being stuck doing the same routine every day. I, for one, don’t really like change. In fact, I had to think long and hard about changing the way I am presenting this blog and when it was brought to me by a colleague, I thought it was different but seemed interesting, so here goes! 
I am sure you are tired of hearing and/or reading about COVID-19, and I can’t help but say that COVID-19 will help us to make changes whether we like to or not. This pandemic has forced us to change our perspective and look at many things differently. It has and will help us change the way we relate to each other. One thing that is already etched in my mind is that this year I had my first virtual birthday party, all because of COVID-19. I would never dream of this happening and guess what? It was a fun filled party with no expense, no frills or horse & pony show. It will indeed be memorable because it was different, and my friends were not in the same house, state or even country with me. The important thing is that I was present. Apart from being present, I had fun and so did my guests (friends). The COVID-19, Corona virus changed our norm, changed our standards and charged us to change our foundation and make sure it was solid. We were/are forced to change our direction, slow down and do some self-love. We didn’t embrace the changes, but we can embrace the way we do things and make the best of the situation.
As we make changes in our personal lives, educators are making changes in the way we teach, present lessons, and even we way think for that matter. The newness in education seems frightening for some and for others adventurous. Most of us are accustomed to changes in curriculums, to evaluations, students, schools, new school year, administrations, policies, laws and other things, so then why not a new way of teaching because of the threat of COVID-19? Well, might I say that it is because most of us are afraid of the unknown! Change sometimes seems slow but then can also come quickly and suddenly.
I believe it is important to approach the change and the new norm without blinders, learn from all the opportunities that will present themselves and stay focused, so we are not left behind. Covid-19 came without warning and suddenly, there is a new norm, we literally had to obey the order to “Get work for students, give work to students, stay home, and teach from home!” We are now forced to make a difference in the way we teach. As we are teaching from home, we are realizing that we have to be more patient in the way we give students directions as well as what work we are expecting them to give us. We have to refuel, when our tanks are empty, so I believe the call is for us to use the time to refuel so that the seeds we plant in our students will bloom when all is said and done. Teaching and learning are now online – Life as an educator after this dreaded COVID pandemic should be a reflection of “good” change in this unchanging world. We should seek to change our norm to a new way of teaching. The teaching profession is normally very nurturing, yet some of us are not nurturing, we could change the way we relate to our students, help them feel like they belong. Help them feel better about themselves, maybe they have another way of learning and we didn’t realize, well, it’s our job, to find the way they learn and be more accommodating. The idea is that when all of this is said and done, everyone, including educators should come out better than we did before. In this Springtime, and Covid-19, this pandemic is teaching us to let go of the old way of communicating with our students, parents and colleagues. Fresh perspectives! Embrace the new and shift to better! Like Zig Ziglar once highlighted “The 3 C’s of Life:
You must make the choice, to take a chance, if you want anything in life to change.”
Education and Success
by Marcia Davis-Dawkins | Mar 24, 2020 | Education, Kids, Parents, Teachers, Teens
Generational Impact – What is Your Legacy?
By Dr. Marcia Davis-Dawkins
February was Black History Month in some countries, including the United States of America. Throughout the month, time was set aside to highlight and celebrate some notable history makers in our lives. At times, it seems as if we only celebrate certain people while omitting others. Maybe we can’t celebrate everyone, but at least highlight a new person or two, and not continue to celebrate the same every single year. Maybe we should celebrate people who make a difference in our lives daily and not simply wait for February. This could, no doubt, help students to learn to celebrate and feel good about themselves.
It really takes a village to raise a child and even though some period don’t believe that we can and should say anything to children in the 21st century, it really makes a difference when you do have certain people in the village who are still willing. A few months ago, I lost a colleague, a friend and a mother figure to me. It was sudden and unexpected. This loss hit, dare I say, “Like a ton of bricks!” I knew she was sick, but I kept praying for the best, or plainly put, for her to come through, I believed she would recover and come back to work where we would sit and exchange wise and pleasant talks about human nature and how we could help shape some of our troubled students. The weight from the bricks sent me in a downward spiral because I soon realized that she was really gone and we weren’t able to talk again. Needless to say, I miss her warmth, her wise talks, her understanding and calm sense or twist on a bad situation? Well, even when things just seemed unbearable, this friend/colleague/mom would speak wisdom into my heart and make me realize that “we must look on the bright side of life.” In fact, I can envision her sitting up in her chair, moving her neck from side to side and then saying, “Dr. D, let’s see what this means and how we can get another perspective.” It is as if changing her stance and moving her neck were the signal that she was getting more wisdom to pass on to me.
This person I cannot claim for myself, because she represented the same “idol” to so many other persons. Truth be told, she was like that to so many other people and, in particularly, to the students at the school where we worked. Students would get in trouble and be sent to the principal’s office and she would be a ray of sunshine to the students. As a matter of fact, it seems as if some students wanted to get in trouble and be sent to the office so they could get some of the “good wisdom talk.” The fact that she was able to mold and mentor them simply made my heart melt, and it didn’t matter who the student was, she saw potential, possibility, and promise in that student. Her calm spirit, her presence, her elegance, her aura, her demeanor were evident when she was around.
At school, she was honored during Black History Month, and while this effort was laudable, I would propose a somewhat different approach. She was an ardent proponent of the Amistad initiative and pressured the school board to make it a reality. If we truly want to honor her legacy and continue her work, we must TEACH WHAT SHE PREACHED. In place of a memorial that will come and go, ensure that black history is an integral part of the curriculum, all year long, not limited to a shallow exercise during February and then abandoned. Reject merely teaching about historical “ firsts,” such MLK, Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson, etc. While every student should, of course, recognize these people, limiting lessons to this leads students to believe that Black History consists of a few heroic characters. Focus on and highlight the often-unacknowledged contributions that so called “ordinary” people of color make EVERY day. In doing so, her passion lives on, long after the plaudits and commendations of a memorial fade.
It is my aim that I am able to leave a legacy that would make this person proud and that people will remember me for my sense of peace and kindness. That somehow, I am known for the fruit that I grew based on the seeds that were planted or sowed. Did I spread good news or spread love and peace just like my former colleague? Did I spread the good news to my students or people that I meet, to imply that they were special in their own special way/s?
I, without a doubt, want to hear the words as quoted below:
“If it falls to our luck to be street-sweepers, sweep the streets like Raphael painted pictures, like Michaelangelo carved marble, like Shakespeare wrote poetry, and like Beethoven composed music. Sweep the streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth would have to pause and say, “Here lived a great street sweeper.” ~Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addressing the Jamaican crowd in the National Stadium in 1965.
(Source: Dr. Rebecca Tortello, Pieces of the Past ~ The Gleaner)
I want to be the sowers of great seeds so others reap beautiful and tasty fruits.
Family is Everything
by Marcia Davis-Dawkins | Jan 6, 2020 | Education, Parents, Teachers, Teens
Perspective
By Dr. Marcia Davis-Dawkins
“The difference between a flower and a weed is a judgment.” I wish I could take the credit for those words but I can’t. The credits go to the late Wayne Dyer, an American author and motivational speaker. Then Ralph Waldo Emerson puts a further twist to it by expanding that a weed is a plant whose virtues have never 
been discovered. There are so many people who have varying points of view and ways of seeing things; yet, some are not willing to have an open mind or even opening the lenses. As I get older, I have learned not to cast judgments because I don’t know the situations that people are in and I don’t even know how I would feel if I were in the same circumstances – as a result I don’t judge. Instead, I think or wonder what could cause the person to act or respond a particular manner. It is often easy to assume, or even do the stereotypical norm, rather than to ask people if they are okay or just simply to respond with a smile.
As we enter this New Year and decade, one of my mantra is that I should encourage others to not be judgmental. Also, where possible, perish the thought of having had similar experiences and therefore believe it is shameful to be emotional or wear emotions on the sleeves. Technically, I am a stranger who does not have a full grasp of the person’s issues nor I am capable of looking at it from their perspective. So often, we are quick to make judgments without knowing the person reasoning behind the actions. I recently saw a cartoon, which I considered funny. A man and woman are sitting at a table in a restaurant, dining, the woman had a huge plate of food in front of her and she said that it was the man who was supposed to pay because of the word, ‘MEN-U’. The man on the other hand, (who had only a glass with water), said it was both since the word said, ‘ME-N-U’, clearly this was a matter of whose perspective – the man’s or the woman’s!
Then we can look at it from the classroom, one teacher might grade a paper based on his or her way of interpreting while another give another grade, who is to say that either teacher is wrong? I suppose that is why there is a rubric used to grade papers so that each person involved will know the established standards.
Then there is cultural perspective which, simply put, refers to the manner in which individuals are shaped based on their environment. Just thinking about “culture” and the way various people view things and situations can be interesting. A cultural perspective is also the point of view from which each individual person sees the same situation – when culture is mixed with point of view it or perspective it means that one person is seeing a situation based upon their beliefs, values, experiences that are commonly found in their own culture. I suppose that’s one of the reasons if people marry outside of their culture there can be chaos or misunderstanding. Even words can be misinterpreted in one culture versus another. I once experience this where my sister was braiding someone’s hair and based on the braiding process, she was hurting the person’s scalp. My sister’s word was “hush”, which meant that she was saying, “never mind, the braiding process will be over soon.” On the other hand, the young lady whose hair was being braided did not take kindly to that word. She thought that my sister was say that she should be quiet! I realized the misunderstanding and immediately had to explain the confusion. I suppose it would be remiss of me to talk about 
perspective without giving a few more examples of how perspective affect family. One person might think that family is important and another think it is not. Yet whatever the person is doing does not adequately demonstrate the importance of family. One person might be saying it is important but does not want to spend time with the family during special ‘family’ holidays. Similarly, another might believe that bigger is always better or that entertainment is more important that the value placed on education. Are we able to separate our perceptions from our decision making? In all honesty, we sometimes allow our perception to get in the way of a new learning experience or simply getting to know someone. Are we willing to run that risk by simply casting judgments? This decade, we should seek to understand and be ready with a possible alternative suggestion rather than cast judgment. Who says that one person’s weed isn’t another’s flower? Similar to one person’s trash being another’s treasure!
Misunderstood
HOME
by Marcia Davis-Dawkins | Oct 21, 2019 | Education, Kids, Parents, Teachers, Teens
Life is Not About Getting What You Want!
By Dr. Marcia Davis-Dawkins
We often strive for the best and nothing is wrong with that. In fact, I say keep reaching for the stars, since only the best is good enough! However, there is always the “What Ifs?” What if the best I am reaching for is not enough? What if it’s not time yet? Time to get that big promotion, dream job, or even dream house? The question that always haunts us seems to be, “Should I give up trying or find new ways to make it work?”
I have come to realize that I should not give up on whatever dreams I have, rather, I should keep striving. The consolation is that life is not about getting what we want immediately, but about working with what we have at the moment until things work out. Will things be ever perfect? Of course not! Perfection for my neighbor might be the ability to find the next meal, while perfection for another might be having a roof over their head and avoiding a life on the streets.
Seeking perfection may even manifest in the classroom or in studies. One teacher might wish to have the perfect class in terms of behavior, while another teacher might see perfection as being able to communicate effectively with one student. This particular teacher is looking at winning one student at a time instead of the whole group at once. No matter what your goal may be, it is important to remember one solid philosophy that has always worked for me. The good Father won’t give us more than we can bear. He usually takes care of us and give us the “tools” to deal with whatever may come. He will give us strategies to deal with those seemingly unpleasant situations we face.
Life is about working with what we have at the moment. Then again, do we confuse my wants with my needs? There may be times when getting what we want is highly impossible because of our economical situation. I find that sometimes when I want to treat myself, I remind myself that I’ve worked hard for this and I deserve a gift from self. In the classroom, this kind of gift could come in the form of a simple break for students who have worked hard and have gone above and beyond to get work done correctly. The teacher might then give a well deserve and unexpected gift. This gift is seen as encouragement for the students to always work hard on a project/assignment. This might also challenge the student to work harder on another project so there could be more treats. Nothing is more rewarding to me than an educator that has seen a light switched on a student’s face when he or she has gotten a concept. I then know how well it’s worth my time and patience to reteach and retell. Brian Tracey reminded me in his quote, “I’ve found that luck is quite predictable. If you want more luck, take more chances. Be more active. Show up more often.” What say you, do you always get what you want or do you leave everything to luck? Don’t even try to answer immediately simply,
| “Become the impossible, do the unreal, be yourself
and be it all the way.”
– Hindi Krinsky |
Determination and Perseverance
