by Marcia Davis-Dawkins | Sep 17, 2018 | Education
By Dr. Marcia Davis-Dawkins
I have often heard the expression, “Bloom where you are planted”, but never fully really thought about it until a few months ago. This expression might mean different things to different people. For me, it could means that even when things seem dim, in my work, at play, in my personal life – career, weight, friendship among other things, I should keep going, stay on course, and persevere. Even when things seem hopeless, I might not know who I am being an inspiration to. I strongly believe that nothing happens by chance – wherever I am and whatever I am called to do, to do it heartily and the rewards will flourish.
Opportunities
I consider that with opportunities in our lives, I should be thankful for whatever and wherever the situation or space we find ourselves in, I should do the best with what I have and even give back to people who are in a less fortunate situation than I am in. In this way, I will find out that things will just begin to flow because I am giving back. I still believe that there are good people in this world – despite what seems despicable I will be rewarded. The important thing is that I should stay on course and stay focused. Even when I think that our teachers, co-workers, bosses, and fellow students, unfairly treat us at home, at work, we can continue doing great things. The notion is that nothing lasts forever.
As educators…
As educators this expression “grow where we are planted” – we are called in a sense, to maximize our potential as well as maximize the strengths of our students. Let’s think about planting a flower for instance, we might plant a seed and it eventually grows into a plant. The seed, then plant, and flower, would have had the correct condition (sunlight, water and sometimes care), the plant would then blossom or bloom beautifully and admired by many. The teacher might be in a certain school where he or she was planted (hired) and then a student is planted in that teacher’s classroom. With the correct condition and nurturing both the teacher and student are blossoming in the process, since they are both growing and blossoming. The teacher through collaboration with other teachers will become an expert and then pass on the nurturing process to the student. The cycle continues and teacher helps the student to be an amazing person. Of course, the process will be not always perfect because the weather conditions might not be great all the times. There might be stormy days and the does not get to blossom or flourish. With that said, even though life can have many issues (good and bad), we should not let the downs or bad keep us from pushing forward. At times we might feel trapped in our space but we have to remember that we were placed in a situation or a space for a reason. With creativity and pruning via corrections, teachers are meant to grow where God plants us.
Serve With Gladness
by Marcia Davis-Dawkins | Sep 3, 2018 | Education, Parents, Teachers
Giving Back
I was recently privileged to participate in an amazing philanthropist’s foundation, the purpose of which was to give back to the people of the home where she was born and raised. Like most people that I know, this woman grew up in an environment in which she had little or nothing financially or economically. Yet, she was able to provide medical and dental services and clothing to members of that community. How was she able to do this singlehandedly? Well, she wasn’t, but she realized that what “I” cant do, “we” can. She possessed the wherewithal and initiative to enlist the goods and services of eighty-four volunteers, committed to a common purpose, to achieve her vision.
Though disadvantaged by a shortfall of funds in her youth, there was no scarcity of love in her family of fourteen children. As I reflect on the experience that I had with this philanthropist as she served her community, I thought of a quote by author Mitch Albom, from Tuesdays with Morrie: “Money is not a substitute for tenderness, and power is not a substitute for tenderness.” This woman showed that while it takes money to achieve and accomplish goals, the motive and passion to endow springs from the heart. She was able to be educated and did not stop at the bare minimum. She went on further to obtain her doctoral degree and is now giving back to her community. What an accomplishment and joy!
Her gesture and her organization further encouraged me to want to give back to my community to students who are needy and still willing to learn. It shows that even when I think that I have nothing to contribute, there are always others who are worse off than I. This summer I was able to give books to students who enjoy reading so I could help to foster their reading. I was able to restore a school’s library. The books and shelves in the library were ancient and termite eaten. I can’t wait to see the joy on the students’ faces as they see the newly restored library and the books that they can actually read. This giving back process lends a level of satisfaction, pride and a sense of purpose. It will be my job to continue supplying the books for this library and encourage students to read and provide an environment that supports the love of reading. It also reinforces the quote, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” It tells me that something done for the right reason can make the community, or better yet, the world, a better place. I can and will make a difference in students’ lives.
How can we give back to our students in our classroom, school, school district, or students in another country? We can start by giving/sharing our knowledge of the curriculum, be a role model, and show them that they matter in life. We can show how to give with a positive attitude. We should teach our students how to give with a purpose because sharing is caring. As a teacher my mantra has always been that if I can get one student to say, “I get it!” and watch the sparkle in his/her eyes, then I am giving back and I have a great job! As we go back to the classroom, let us go willingly and see how we can give back in our own small ways that which might be BIG to our students. It is worth remembering C.M. Taylor’s words “The only thing that any child should hunger for is knowledge.” Best wishes as you cure this hunger!
A Word
I was Born Marcia Angela Davis in Jamaica, West Indies I have traveled and lived in various parts of the world including United Kingdom and Europe. In my mid-twenties I was presented with the opportunity to migrate to the United States and experienced the following: – culture shock, racism and different class system. In a state of confusion I tried to find my identity as I was surrounded with a vast array off sub-cultures. I was a dark-skinned, Black woman of Afro-Caribbean decent and lived in mixed middle class community in the state of New Jersey. My skin-color meant many viewed me as poor, even though in my native country, I attended a private school and dressed similarly to the middle-class students.
Read More
– Dr.Marcia Davis-Dawkins
by Marcia Davis-Dawkins | Jun 21, 2018 | Education
Reading, A Thing of the Past?
By Dr. Marcia Davis-Dawkins
Reading takes you places; unfortunately, as a little girl my trips were limited because I didn’t enjoy reading as much as I should. Why didn’t I like to read? Maybe I didn’t have books I like to read or maybe I was, dare I say, forced to read books that weren’t interesting to me. Or maybe I had no reading role models. But thank goodness, whatever the reason, I started developing an interest in reading when I saw my peers reading the Nancy Drew series. I wanted to fit in! It is safe to say that students who are encouraged, motivated to read, and taught how to read, will read.
As an educator, who works with students who are at risk learners, I encourage and teach students how to read and love reading. I am reflecting on the growth and improvement that I have seen over the last nine months of school and wonder what will happen after the summer months of no reinforcement. Research shows that summer reading loss grows over time and by middle school, some children who lose reading skills over the summer have accumulated a two-year lag behind their classmates. Most times the ball is in the parents’/guardians’ court to encourage and pass on the reading baton during the summer. The parents are often times not good reading role models, therefore the students’ reading fall by the wayside. As a child, I used to look forward to the summertime and the exciting outdoor games and activities. Part of the fun would be to read a book and do book reports for my aunts who were teachers.
Of course, there are the critics who think that reading is dying because with improved technology, reading physical books is unnecessary due to tablets. But what about those in other parts of the world who have no tablets or technology? Is it acceptable for them not to read? Are the uses of libraries dying? In some towns/places libraries have computers that members of the library can go and play games. Coincidentally, those are the same people, who, if they had computers at home, would opt to play games instead of finding a book to read or even use the tablets to read.
It’s interesting how through reading, I learned to visualize things and places, because I understood later as I got the opportunity to travel, I was able to see places that I read about and appreciated how wonderful the authors painted the pictures whether through figures of speech or imagery. Thanks to reading I could smile and think about the authors’ magic use of words, the figurative language used and I understood how their word choice helped to enhance the stories. I knew that reading was important and special. It also encourages me even more to emphasize the importance of reading to my students. Reading, without a doubt, broadens my horizon and I will try to find opportunities to reinforce that to parents of the students I meet.
Ten Reasons We Should Read Daily
• Mental Stimulation
• Stress Reduction
• Knowledge
• Vocabulary Expansion
• Memory Improvement
• Stronger Analytical Thinking Skills (Develops Higher Order Thinking)
• Improved Focus and Concentration
• Better Writing Skills
• Tranquility
• Free Entertainment
In general, it can be assumed that the value of reading is being reduced. For me, reading has made a positive change to my education and I know it can make a difference to students I encounter. Even though reading seems to be competing with technology and other gaming activities, it still makes a difference in education – it helps with students’ success. Hard to believe especially since the tests are being done on computers and students are required to read questions on the computer.
I do find that my favorite book, the Bible, has something to say and I relate it to reading “A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feed on trash!” Proverbs 15:14. I hope most people will incorporate reading in their daily lives so we can feast our minds. Happy Reading as it really drives learning and transforms lives!!
Education and Success
by Marcia Davis-Dawkins | Jun 14, 2018 | Education, Kids, Parents, Teachers
Emotions/Feelings
By Dr. Marcia Davis-Dawkins
Please Read My Poem on Emotions! Sadness and Happiness
Brave Fabulous Talented
Lonely
and more …
The Power of Words
The Power of Words II
by Marcia Davis-Dawkins | Jun 6, 2018 | Education
Serve With Gladness
By Dr. Marcia Davis-Dawkins
“Sweep streets so well that all hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, “Here lived a great sweeper who did his job well,” articulated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This encourages us to work diligently in whatever fields we are called, to do it well as if our lives depended on it and it’s the best job ever.
I recently wrote a tribute about my friend who passed away and one of the things that I vividly remember about her was her work ethic. I had the privilege to work with her as we volunteered on various church committees and board. Even when I sat, watched and waited as she worked on numerous occasions, she would be so gracious and earnest. She would organize her work so neatly. For the most part, I was simply admiring her work ethic and her beautiful penmanship.
Like my friend, we should serve diligently and faithfully in what we do – a stalwart. We should strive to be a person who never wants human recognition, works day after day, year after year in service. Those people have value, virtue and honor. They sacrifice their time, energy and sometimes, tears. While serving others is rarely convenient, it brings nourishment to the souls of the receivers, as well as the giver. I consider serving a part of me, as I love to give back to my community and to others. I have decided to make a concerted effort to give books to children who have none to inspire their literary journeys. Through imagination, reading can help to take them places they wouldn’t otherwise realize.
As educators
As educators, no matter what capacity we serve, we should serve with diligence so that we can be mentors to our students. We serve with a smile, even when the road seems rough.Don’t fall prey to the notion that only great tasks done should be accounted as accomplishments. There are small acts of service that are admirable and can make a world of difference. When you bring in a snack for the students because you know they need it and some grumble because they think it is not enough or they don’t like that particular snack – it should still rouse us to serve with a smile. We are encouraged even when we realize that our paycheck does not match the work we put in, to serve anyway. The idea is to touch lives by serving with love. As we serve, we are putting the needs and interests of others beyond ours. Most of all, we teach our students to give of themselves – because we are role models. Let the students see that you care and that they matter. As teachers we can encourage our students to visit nursing homes and read to the residents or simply just to visit them. The students will not only learn more about the residents, but they will appreciate their grandparents and other elderly whom they encounter. Overall, whatever we do to serve, we should make the best of it and not do it for recognition, but with compassion. Serving should become natural and inherent, and not viewed as a chore. We rise by lifting others, and our actions prove to our students that while they can’t help everyone, everyone can help someone.
The Joy of Giving
