Words Set Me Free: The Story of Young Frederick Douglass

I am in love with this book,Words Set Me Free: The Story of Young Frederick Douglass.
Our  third grader has a poster report this month. It was not easy to find a non-fiction story at his ready level. We were in the library for 3 hours!!! We picked  books on Gandhi and Einstein  because let's be honest, I did not want to go there...I really tried to avoid slavery!!However this book is so well written and the illustrations are amazing. The author and illustrator did perfectly delivered this story with grace, compassion and pride.
So we  really loved  the story of young Frederick Douglas. First, it is a true and beautiful story.  Second,  it  did encourage our son to write and believe that "words can set him free". Finally,  as parents we had to confront our discomforts about slavery and race discrimination. I wished we had access to story like that when I was a kid...
I also love this story because it is an eloquent and subtle way to teach children that nothing in life comes easily. Finally, it is encouraging me to write children books one day about being immigrant, specially when our son asks if he is African, African American, or French American or just American...
Thousands of thanks to the author Lesa Cline-Ransome and illustrator James E Ransome for this book.
Thank you!!!
It is a perfect gift for African American History Month...
Same Moonlight for our Dreams

Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters by Barack Obama

Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters is simply wonderful. We did read it this week end.  It is beyond politics. And it is about the real meaning of politics, children. The book sends a message of hope and unity. In my opinion, it celebrates multiculturalism and multilingualism. On which I talk about in a previous post.  

It captures the diversity of America to inspire all children to be themselves. I love the illustrations; it conveys a sense of optimism and awareness while preserving the insouciance of childhood.  It was written before his presidency and all profits go to charity for the children of disabled veterans. Again when Obama won, I won something priceless. Our son was proud to be him, in his multicultural complexity in this global community. This book is a great educational tool, and sends the message of “same moonlight for our dreams”.

Thank you to Barack Obama and Loren long

 

Book of the week: The Alchemist: A graphic Novel

Being in my graphic novel therapy, I am searching  the web for my next read. And here, I found  it, The Alchemist; A graphic Novel! I am ordering this one!! It will be a new project for my favorite second grader as well as a perfect educating tool. This a perfect addition to the original version and accessible to new dreamers.
Same Moonlight  for our Dreams

Social and cultural dilemmas of the snacks and lunches trends.

When I was in first grade my mother, would give me sandwiches which I loved. They were made with warm French baguette. I loved all of my sandwiches. However, I always hid to eat my smashed super ripe banana sandwich. I could not take the mockeries of my wealthy classmate and their fancy “store bought” snacks. Yes…I did hide and eat it as fast as I could with my warm milky tea in my small thermos…(Thank you mom) Some children were joking that I was eating "poop" like food. Of course to them, all my snacks and lunches were weird and smelly. Their food looked ultra fancy and expensive.I could feel my mother love in each meal that was why I did not tell her.  She did figure out !!!

So as a mother, I try my best to give my son healthy tasty snack. But I refuse to completely give in on trends. As for lunch, I always packed him leftovers with fruits and vegetable. And we agreed that he could eat twice a week at the cafeteria to be like “everybody”. I did figure out that he too was not eating his favorite lunches at school because people were staring…He even told me that for African or French food, people always stare or say something. It was annoying however for Chinese, Italian or Mexican food; people are just used to it.  My little padwana explained that he likes his food but it is hard to be different on everything. In his words “Mom you know what: I am taller.I am a lot of stuff they are not. I want to be me but for the snacks I want to be like them because sometimes I cannot take it.” Well, I said pretty much the same thing to my mother many moons ago!!

My mother told me that her grandfather used to come see her at lunch time to bring her something special. He wanted to make sure she was not eating “grilled pigeons ” like the other kids. She wanted to be like “everybody”.  Sometimes our mother would buy those “fancy snacks” to  please us. Of course, I will pack my padwana some “store bought snacks”.  Personally, I am still enjoying my smashed super ripe banana sandwich which I added slivered almonds and honey. On top of it, I am making my own French baguette.  Oh yes, life is good!

The truth is that the social pressure and cultural dilemmas for multicultural and multilingual children will never fade away. And it takes time and patience.  It is not about the quality of the food. It is about fitting in. It is about blending in with trends to avoid cultural stereotypes.  Of course school will always display our socio –economic and cultural differences.  However, we as “family” are growing stronger and closer beyond generation gaps by sharing stories. 

Here a picture of my "all time favorite" store bought snack:

The number Seven

Lucky or not, seven is my favorite number.

Here a great link about  seven in this seventh day of 2011.

My ultimate  favorite  is the visible spectrum defined by Issac Newton's 7 colors of the rainbow.

Happy Friday!!!

"Seven A mystic or sacred number. It is composed of four and three, which, among the Pythagoreans, were, and from time immemorial have been, accounted lucky numbers. Among the Babylonians, Egyptians, and other ancient peoples, there were seven sacred planets. The Hebrew verb for "to swear" means literally to come under the influence of seven things; thus, seven ewe lambs figure in the oath between Abraham and Abimelech at Beersheba (Gen. 21:28); and Herodotus describes an Arabian oath in which seven stones are smeared with blood. There are seven days in Creation, seven days in the week, seven graces, seven deadly sins, seven divisions in the Lord's Prayer, and seven ages in the life of man; climacteric years are seven and nine with their multiples by odd numbers; and the seventh son of a seventh son was held noble. Among the Hebrews, every seventh year was sabbatical, and seven times seven years was the jubilee. The three great Jewish feasts lasted seven days; and between the first and second were seven weeks. Levitical purifications lasted seven days; Balaam would have seven alters, and sacrificed on them seven bullocks and seven rams; Naaman was commanded to dip seven times in Jordan; Elijah sent his servant seven times to look out for rain; ten times seven Israelites went to Egypt, the exile lasted the same number of years, and there were ten times seven elders. Pharaoh in his dream saw seven years for each of his wives; seven priests with seven trumpets marched round Jericho once every day, but seven times on the seventh day. Samson's wedding feast lasted seven days; on the seventh he told his bride the riddle, he was bound with seven withes [sic], and seven locks of his hair were cut off. Nebuchadnezzar was a beast for seven years. In the Apocalypse, there are seven churches of Asia, seven candlesticks, seven stars, seven trumpets, seven spirits before the throne of God, seven horns, seven vials, seven plagues, a seven-headed monster, and the Lamb with seven eyes. The old astrologers and alchemists recognized seven so-called planets. According to the Muslims, there are seven heavens. Benét's Reader's Encyclopedia (Siepmann, 1987)"

Astrobiology and Space Exploration by Lynn Rothschild

I got this link about Astrobiology from the Loom on Discover. 

It is a Free winter 2010 course from Stanford!!! 

A free access to 14 lectures about Astrobiology and Space Exploration by Lynn Rothschild!!Thank you to Lynn Rothschild! 

Let us explore…

Same Moonlight for our Dreams

"Lynn Rothschild is an evolutionary biologist-astrobiologist at NASA's Ames Research Center and a consulting professor at Stanford and Brown Universities where she teaches Astrobiology and Space Exploration. Dr. Rothchild's research has focused on how life, particularly microbes, has evolved in the context of the physical environment on Earth and potentially elsewhere in the solar system and universe."

Here

Les Mystérieuses Cités d’or (太陽の子エステバン, Taiyō no ko Esteban-The Mysterious Cities of Gold

“Les Mystérieuses Cités d'Or” is Japanese-French animated series. It was on TV in the late 80’s when we moved to France. It is a fabulous journey set in 1532.  The series describe the adventures of Esteban, a young Spanish boy who travels to the New World in search of the lost Cities of Gold and his father. I introduced them to our son this weekend as  “a super cool cartoon in French”.

However, the truth is that I want him to learn about the Mayan, Inca, and Olmecs. This cartoon perfectly mixes archaeology, lost technological wonders and science fiction. I want him to be exposed to another version of “the story” about Native Indians and Native Americans Indians. It is an attempt to expand his view on “Thanksgiving” without feeding prejudices or stereotypes. Esteban was Spanish and he befriended Zia (an Incan girl) and Tao (the last descendant of the sunken empire of Mu). Well check it out, DVDs were released in North America on April 7, 2009. According to rumors: “ A film version of the story is to be produced by the Movie Plus Group. On Chibi Japan Expo in Paris, Jean Chalopin announced that three new seasons of 26 episodes are planned with a release starting in 2011.” Legends or not, there are many stories!! I hope that our son will remember that every culture is wealthier than “ the seven cities of Gold”. 

This is my “Culturally Relevant Teaching" of the weekend!

Education is a collective rebellion against the status quo.
We are all distant relatives. Thanks to you all…

Same Moonlight for our dreams.

Gilbert, the Surfer Dude by Diane Degroat (Author, Illustrator)

I really want to thank Diane Degroat for this book!!! We are working on reading fluency with out loud reading. While reading this book my second grader was happy and laughing.Priceless...
His verdict: "Awesome!! Reading is so fun!"
Yeah....Yeah..Mission accomplished.
Thank you Diane Degroat for "Gilbert,the Surfer Dude"
Even at the age of DS,XBOX and Ipod, nothing can replace a good book.

"This I Can Read Book in the Gilbert and Friends series does its job. It’s short, amusing, and will keep kids reading. Gilbert and family are on their way to the beach when Gilbert remembers that he forgot something—his bathing suit. He insists on wearing his new trunks that say Surfer Dude, even though they’re too big. Surfing and oversize trunks can only lead to one thing. Adults will see it coming, but new readers probably won’t. They’ll enjoy looking at the seaside doings in the friendly art while they sharpen their reading skills. Grades K-2."

FreeReading: an open source reading program

I like this website. I love it!!! It is simple and clear. It is used by educators in all 50 states and in over 160 countries.It is a blessing for English as a Second Language Parents.We are on board!! Yes we can. It is free. It is FREE!
"FreeReading Intervention A is the first open-source instructional program to be approved through an official state adoption. The state of Florida recently approved FreeReading as a supplemental reading program that state schools may use during the 2008-2009 school year. To learn more about FreeReading and the advantages of the program, click here."

Reading fluency norms for linguistically diverse

  Once again it is about the struggle between "diversity", "norms" and "standards". It is obvious that  linguistic diversity  impacts the practice of speech ,articulation, language, and fluency. While I was reading on "linguistically diverse populations". I finally understood why, US born children can be labeled as English Language Learners(ELL)!!!Well here it is: "Frequently linguistically diverse individuals/public school students are classified or referred to as “Limited English Proficient”(LEP)/English Language Learners (ELL). These are individuals who are learning or have learned to speak, understand, read, and/or write English as a second or other language, even though they may have spent a number of years in an English speaking environment."  here.  So your LEP child is a ELL only when you disclose that he has learned to speak and understand another language.Voila..disclosing or not a reading gap will expose any exposure to foreign languages. And it is emotional for every children, LEP or ELL...

As a current simultaneous, sequential bilingual parent and  ELLish/LEPish student; I understand the pain  that comes with  non-fluency  and fluency norms. I was that child that would stare and just do instead of talking. I was that child  mixing languages and dialects while reciting a poem in front of the class. I would fight by not answering in the correct language to my parents so they would understand my pain. Linguistically diversity is a blessing that comes with a curse at the beginning!! Fluency building strategies are out there but the secret is patience. Be patient, everybody makes it  regardless of the norms.Here a comforting article for bringing up bilingual children.

Bilingualism is normal. Millions of children are growing with more than one language.However having to perform accordingly to the norm is not normal for linguistically diverse. It is normally intimidating. We are reading slow but reading, and speed will come along. Diversity is good, fluent or not.

Below the famous chart...so fluid...oh yeah...Reading is fun!

2006 Hasbrouck & Tindal Oral Reading Fluency Data

Grade	Percentile	Fall WCPM*	Winter WCPM*	Spring WCPM*	Avg. Weekly Improvement**
1	90 75		81 47	111 82	1.9 2.2
	50		23	53	1.9
	25 10		12 6	28 15	1.0 0.6
2	90 75	106 79	125 100	142 117	1.1 1.2
	50	51	72	89	1.2
	25 10	25 11	42 18	61 31	1.1 0.6
3	90 75	128 99	146 120	162 137	1.1 1.2
	50	71	92	107	1.1
	25 10	44 21	62 36	78 48	1.1 0.8
4	90 75	145 119	166 139	180 152	1.1 1.0
	50	94	112	123	0.9
	25 10	68 45	87 61	98 72	0.9 0.8
5	90 75	166 139	182 156	194 168	0.9 0.9
	50	110	127	139	0.9
	25 10	85 61	99 74	109 83	0.8 0.7
6	90 75	177 153	195 167	204 177	0.8 0.8
	50	127	140	150	0.7
	25 10	98 68	111 82	122 93	0.8 0.8
7	90 75	180 156	195 165	202 177	0.7 0.7
	50	128	136	150	0.7
	25 10	102 79	109 88	123 98	0.7 0.6
8	90 75	185 161	199 177	199 177	0.4 0.5
	50	133	151	151	0.6
	25 10	106 77	124 97	124 97	0.6 0.6

Life is an infinite sequence of bridges.

In high school mathematics had a huge place in my life.
I had dreams and nightmares full of numbers, trigonometry, sequences, series, geometry, and signs to the infinite. It was a constant struggle with victories and defeats. I was looking at mathematics as a reflection of my life. If I could not overcome difficulties and find the solution, I will never accomplish my dreams. I was not a brilliant student just smart and hardworking. And math was like a divine test that will predict which schools or programs will accept me. My future depended on mathematics. The best advice I had was from a teacher. He said that math is a reflection of my confidence that I have to work hard and trust myself because he believed in me. Bless his heart for that! 

My sophomore year in college; I was determined to thrive in math. So I could  prove to myself that I will be more than fine in life. And I did very well. For the first time I blossomed under that mathematical breeze. However I foolishly neglected other subjects because I desperately needed to conquer math's hills just once. Nevertheless nothing can take that victory away from me. 
And I realized that life was an infinite sequence of bridges. It is a succession of events that we do not control but we use probabilities to predict our actions. When we are young it is all about randomness and we learn from the results, then we know what to expect and predict more or less with wisdom. However it is a succession of bridges that we must cross because time does not halt for our consideration.
And no matter how you cross each bridge you will cross all of them. Sometimes we do not want to cross because the bridge does not look stable or solid, and we are afraid of the other side. Fog may blur our visibility, or sunshine may glare our sight but we will crossover like others before us. 

Our individual life is a singly infinite sequence but we must remember that Life is a double-infinite sequence. It means that “it has neither a first nor a final element”. So we must be gentle with ourselves and remember that we are children of the Universe. We must enjoy each step of the process and still believe, hope, dream, and keep faith.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinity_Bridge
Pics:Uploaded on December 11, 2009 by Tall Guy

Cartoon: Once upon a time Life by Procidis

For Children
Once upon a time series have the best educational cartoons.
Procidis is a French animation studio, founded by Albert Barillé. Procidis realized series that became cults in the 80’s. I grew up with them and now our son is enjoying them. Thanks to his super Grandma Chantal! We have the complete collection of Once upon a time Life in French.It is  funny, educational and well done. I am sure that my love for biology came from those lazy afternoons watching this cartoon.Procidis did a great job by creating an European audiovisual landscape and the programs are sold in more than 100 countries.This French independent producer has a wonderful international dimension.In my opinion the program about Life and Planet Earth are the best. I am a fan for twenty two years!!

My only request is that Procidis should consider launching “Once upon a Time: Africa”. I think it is time and we need it. As a fan, I will be delighted to help. Just in case it does not happen, I will be recruiting talented artists to create, produce and launch “our Once Upon a time: Africa!!” Sorry Procidis, it is not personal. I just think that it is time.

Here is a great quote from Procidis founder Albert Barillé “Make our children want to know, arouse their curiosity. Also treat them as people in their own right, who understand much more than adults would have us believe. They will be all the stronger for it and be grateful to you.” Yes!! I am very grateful!! Lets enjoy the cartoons until the launching of samemoonlight programs "Once Upon a Time:Africa"  :)
 English

 French

Book of the week: The Autobiography Of Malcolm X by Malcolm X and collaboration of Alex Haley.

Here few quotes from the introduction by M.S.Handler that set the atmosphere of the book:“Malcom’s attitude was that of a man who had reached a crossroads in his life and was making a choice under an inner compulsion. A wistful smile illuminated his countenance from time to time_ a smile that said many things…I sensed that Malcom was not confident he would succeed in escaping from the shadowy world which had held him in thrall.” “It was always a strange and moving experience to walk with Malcom in Harlem. It always seemed to me that their affection for Malcom was inspired by the fact that although he had become a national figure, he was still a man of the people who, they felt, would never betray them."

So far my favorite part is that Malcom had a garden when he was a child. His mother gave him a little plot. He narrated how grateful and proud he was. “I loved it and took care of it well…And sometimes… I would lie down on my back ...and I would gaze up in the blue sky at the clouds moving and think all kinds of things.”I love this part because I had a little plot when I was a child. My mother did let me grow carrots and lettuces. I was ecstatic each time we ate my vegetables. It was priceless. My dirt was my most precious possession. Life, death, and time made more sense with a garden. I had to keep bugs away to protect my plants and they had to feed their colonies. Even the rabbits were not  cute anymore when they ate all my carrots.It was silent but colorful lessons about life through gardening. I did learn that you can dream and enjoy everything. But at the end  if you do not work you do not eat.

To conclude I will use Plato’s quote.“Apply yourself both now and in the next life. Without effort, you cannot be prosperous. Though the land be good, You cannot have an abundant crop without cultivation.”

Happy Friday to you!

Morality, Virtue and Us.

Albert Einstein states that "The most important human endeavor is the striving for morality in our action. Our inner balances and even our very existence depend on it. Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to life."In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle’s practical philosophy is based on moral action, which is opposed to the intellectualism of Plato. For Plato virtue appears to be a high level of knowledge. While Aristotle has a practical and social approach for whom virtue is a mean between two vices, deficiency and excess. Plato ethics defines the essence of virtue while Aristotle ethics shows how to become virtuous. Aristotle offers a real concept applicable in society because individual are rational and social animals. Through the analysis of pleasure as virtue in Aristotle’s ethics and his divergence from Plato, I will demonstrate that his ethics is not relative to an individual and his subjective experience of pleasure.

In his first book Aristotle justifies that for most people; pleasure is the best measure of whether we achieve the end of our action. He says that most men seem to “identify the good, or happiness, with pleasure” (BookI,).And the good is the final goal to “which all things aim” (BookI,).For him the proper end of human beings is the pursuit of good and happiness. In his first book, he defines “happiness as something final and self-sufficient, and is the end of action”. Which concurs whit his argument stating that the end for all that we do, will be the good achievable by action.(BookI) What  he indicates as the proper end of human being is the “activity of soul in accordance with virtue”.(BookI). This activity of the soul is linked to pleasure because he claims that pleasure is a state of soul. Adding that pleasure and pain are measures acquired by all in childhood. “And we measure even our actions, some of us more and others less, by the rule of pleasure and pain” (Book II). By analogical examples, such as “a good shoemaker makes the best shoes” he explains that pleasure must be the result of the achieved appropriate action.

            Then, Aristotle clarifies his argument, with the example of the doctor: who does not study health on itself but the health of man, in order to prove that moral action is directed at proper ends.   And it should be in accordance with appropriate excellence. (Book I). And his term of “appropriate excellence” also refers to the mean between two extremes.  An important justification was made in (Book II) about virtue. He says that “virtue is a state of character concerned with choice, lying in a mean…relative to us, this being determined by a rational principle and by that principle by which man of practical wisdom would determine”.(BookII) The principle of moral action is also based on the deliberated choice. A deliberated choice required critical thinking, morale disposition, and good habit. According to Aristotle, virtue is a disposition to act voluntary. And the chosen action must be guided by the “right rule”. (Book III). This statement shows that pleasure is not sufficient to indicate a virtuous action. By “pleasure appropriate to an action completes it”, he means that a completed voluntary action guided by the “right rule” will creates pleasure (happiness). Aristotle makes clear that we do not deliberate about ends but about means. (Book III) So by acting in accordance to the “right rule”, one will choose the best mean. Aristotle clarifies that the virtuous act can only be done in a unique way, which must conform to the “right rule”, which I believe is related to the intermediate temperance. “men are good in one way, but bad in many.” (Book II) Therefore the pleasure will result from the activity of the soul in accordance to the appropriate excellence.

A crucial distinction is made by his argument that “ we should not consider a wise man as model but a temperate man”, who is virtuous because he repetitively acts virtuously. He claims that actions are just and temperate when they are such as the just or the temperate man would do”.(Book II).  This distinction supports the fact that the pleasure is not subjective to each individual. But rather conforms to acting virtuously as the temperate man would. Because only the temperate man chose the appropriate actions therefore act virtuously. Happiness does not come from simple satisfaction of life but from the accumulation of experiences in a lifetime.  Aristotle claims the happy man will be happy all his life regardless of “Turns of fortune’s wheel”. He states “he will be happy throughout his life; for always, or by preference to everything else, he will be engaged in virtuous action and contemplation,..” Pleasure (happiness) is not subjective because it set in the time. Virtuous actions must be done in accordance to the right rule followed by the “truly good” and “foursquare beyond reproach”.(Book I).  Even if virtue is relative to us, it is a rationally determined by the right rule in accordance to the mean. So virtue is not subjective even if relative to us because it rationally determined by the “temperate man”. He his the measure that we ought all to follow, is not “ a chameleon or insecurely based”(BookI)

In conclusion, Aristotle provides a very detailed and concrete study of pleasure as measure of virtuosity. Aristotle focuses on moral action rather than moral theory, by taking in consideration the social context. It is where he diverges from Plato. In Crito, Plato says that individuals should be lead by the educated elite, because the opinion of a group is not valuable. The elite would be highly educated and would know what is “just and unjust”.  Plato promotes a moral obligation to obey to the laws of the state. Whereas Aristotle believes that the right rule is the mean of human passions and desires, and the proper of human being is to be happy in accordance to the virtue. For him, we are masters of our actions from beginning to the ends (Book III). And he adds that “the good man differs from others most by seeing the truth in each class of things, being as it were the measure of them”(BookIII)  Plato believes that there is not finality in virtue because it comes from continual self inquiry. While Aristotle presents happiness “as something final and self-sufficient, and is the end of action”.  He makes clear that pleasure is not subjective to individual experience but it is determined by a rational principle, which is relative to us. “Us” stands form all rational members of society. His justifications show that his practical philosophy is not a relative because happiness requires a lifetime commitment to act in accordance to the norm. The consistency appeals to the moral duty of all members of the moral community to act as “the temperate man”.

By Aline Diop-Nkunzumwami

Bande dessinées and Comics for field trips.

Bande dessinées, or BDs are comics. I grew up with Franco-Belgian comics, and Manga.Now as a parent I am thrilled to share my comics with our son. So far he did learn about the Smurfs, Boule and Bill, Asterix and Tintin. And few decades later, they are still great. For us it is a French-English tool. He said that everything is different from the jokes, the tricks, the happy and the sad. Once he said that “it is like going to a field trip”. And he is right. When I first went to Europe, I was his age. Belgium was a long field trip full of chocolates, delicious waffles, perfect fries with mayonnaise and my first snow. Everything was different and I had a tough time adjusting from my tropical island. When I was introduced to BDs, it slowly made sense. I could finally comprehend my new environment.
My seven and his seven are different but so similar!
He introduced me to the best American animated television series “Avatar: The Last Airbender”. I can wait for the movie! My favorite episode is "The Crossroads of Destiny"
Until then, I did find “Tintin in Iraq”! I had to share!

Yes,we did find a full episode!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy!

Youth activism and Union of students

The International Union of Students (IUS) is a worldwide nonpartisan association of National Union of Students with a focus on university students. The objectives of the IUS are stated in the 1946 preamble to the organization's Constitution: “The purpose of the International Union of Students, which is founded upon the representative student organizations of different countries, shall be to defend the rights and interests of students to promote improvement in their welfare and standard of education and to prepare them for their tasks as democratic citizens.” According to records at UNESCO, the priority work areas of the IUS are: "Exchange of information, defense of students' status, peace, environment, development, human rights".

I am happy to find out that there is an international Union of students.This global education crisis is the result of our global economic downturn.We all know that this crisis could or would create lost generations of children without a fair education. We kind of know why, they are children left behind. No matter how many reports are done, nobody cares until we see them or someone talks for them. Youth activism and student activism are indispensable to global awareness. So I am really inspired by 1,000 Burundian students that were protesting  after six weeks off. They have that urgency to succeed. And we know that they know- this is it!

Burundi schoolchildren protest over teachers' strike

“BUJUMBURA — About 1,000 schoolchildren in Burundi on Thursday blocked one of the country's main roads for several hours in a protest against a teachers' strike, now in its sixth week, an official said..... Many of the 50,000 teachers at primary and secondary schools in Burundi went on strike on March 8 over non-payment of salary arrears.....The central African country's government walked out of talks with the unions on April 16, accusing the teachers of intransigence.... On Tuesday, six schoolchildren were arrested by police in Bujumbura's Musaga district because they "attacked several private schools with stones," the local administrator, Desire Simbizi, said.Since Wednesday morning, dozens of police in anti-riot gear have been deployed around private schools in Bujumbura.”

International Creativity and Innovation Day is April 21.

Well I never knew about this one! It is tomorrow! So we still have time to be creative and innovate. It did start in 2002; communities in over 46 countries encourage their creative spirit from April 15 to April 21. It begins on Leonardo da Vinci’s Birthday. One slogan, I did find is “Imagine the world united through its creativity; where everyone takes a moment, a day, or the week to generate new ideas to create a brighter future wherever they are.” My plea is for a better, creative, innovative education. In order to created a sort of union. Creativity is an excellent approach. Here a great article on education, 21st-Century Skills: Evidence, Relevance, and Effectiveness by Scott Aronowitz. The opening quote is “The 21st century isn't coming; it's already here.... Public schools must prepare our young people to understand and address global issues, and educators must re-examine their teaching strategies and curriculum so that all students can thrive in this global and interdependent society. Dennis Van Roekel, president, National Education Association, April 2010”.

 School undeniably recreates and highlights the inequalities so creating a better education addressing global issues might help better the world. Then may be the students will be better citizens. And they may have a better stewardship of our global community. Let’s not forget that even our renaissance man, Leornada da Vinci himself, had teachers some moons ago. They exposed him to a vast diversity of techniques and approaches which help him unleash his creative genius. In conclusion I will use an African proverb"It takes a village to raise a child."Until next time be creative because it is about creating ourselves.

Moonlight serenade of the week

“When a finger points to the moon,the imbecile looks at the finger"    Chinese Proverb

“Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody" Mark Twain

“The moon, like a flower In heaven's high bower,

 With silent delight sits and smiles on the night.”

 William Blake

For Children:

1/ A website all about the Moon:

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/

The Lunar and Planetary Institute is a research institute that provides support services to NASA and the planetary science community, and conducts planetary science research under the leadership of staff scientists, visiting researchers, and postdoctoral fellows.

2/ A short story

The boy who gave life to moon..

By Malin Enbom (Stockholm Sweden) dedicated to "Simone Consolazione"

      From http://www.moonlightsys.com/themoon/the_boy.html

Once upon a time there was a boy who often went out to walk alone. Sad and lonely he tried to walk along every path. Maybe the friend of happiness would take his hand and walk beside him one day. His tears made every flower want to bloom and reach towards his warm heart.

Mother Sun who had been following him felt a deep pain over his sadness because she loved him as her own son. One day she decided to pick all of heavens stars for turning them into a long shiny stair. She wanted to take him in her arms and kiss away all his sorrow. One night she woke up the boy and told him to walk upon the stairs of the stars. When he was so high up in the sky that the dark night was the only thing that surrounded him Mother Sun took him in her arms and kissed him sweetly. Mother Sun knew that she had to bring him back down to earth but before she let him go she gave the boy the name of Moon. And then she took out one half of her own heart to create heaven's moon which would for all time remind her about the boy...

Links of Pictures used

Uploaded on April 5, 2010by catsmlk

Binta and the Great Idea by Javier Fesser

Javier Fesser's “Binta and the Great Idea” aka "Binta y la Gran Idea" was nominated in 2007 for the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film.    It is a Spanish-Senegalese co-production . Binta is an African girl that narrates the story . She is seven year old and blessed to attend school. She enjoys it but her cousin Soda lacks that privilege. Binta’s father is a humanist dreaming to change the world for peace, tolerance and solidarity. It is a beautiful story that reminds us that children are tomorrow. It is my all time favorite!!!!

Binta and the Great Idea | Movies & TV | SPIKE.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binta_and_the_Great_Idea
 The plot from wikipedia:
"Binta is a young African girl who serves as the narrator. She talks about her father and his 'great idea'. Binta's father is a small-time, local fisherman in a peaceful village in Senegal. His friend who recently visited Europe describes what fishing is like there. He tells him that the Europeans can catch thousands of fish with bigger boats equipped with sonar. The man, very impressed by this, encourages the father to approach the government and request a permit for a bigger boat. Binta's father also hears from his friend how once he attains wealth he must get a permit for a weapon so he can defend his wealth. The friend also shows off his watch which has an alarm set to ring every day at noon.
"What happens at noon?" asks Binta's father. "Why, the alarm rings!" his friend replies.
Binta's father is shown making his way up through the ranks of government, sharing his great idea with various officials. The film switches back and forth between the story of Binta and her father and the struggle between Binta's cousin, Soda, and her father, a village elder. Soda desperately wants to go to school, but her father believes African girls should not be educated; they should learn to tend the home and then get married and tend to home and family.
The village school children put on a play to convince Soda's father to let her attend school. Here we experience the power of art and solidarity; in the end, the father is finally convinced, and Soda is allowed to get an education.
Finally, when Binta's father meets with the provincial leader, we find out what his great idea was: He wants do his part to make the world a better place by adopting a tubab (white child), "preferably weaned," in order to teach him/her qualities which Western industrialized society has largely lost, such as sharing, solidarity, the sustainable use of resources. This film is unusual in that it allows us a glimpse of Western culture as viewed from a third world perspective.
Various themes are touched upon in this delightful film: the power of art to bring about change (see both the play-within-the-film and the film itself), sustainability and equitable division of resources, and the true meaning of progress and humanity."

Multilingualism and multiculturalism in a global community.

The election of Barack Hussein Obama is a victory for many of us, regardless of race. Of course he is the first black president in USA. However he is multicultural and multilingual. When he was elected I felt that I was in United States of America for this. It was fate, our son was born here and will  learn about the first black president at school. He was the proof that everything can change. I was proud to be here and proud to be me. And we all  felt  it, a step forward, and a change for the future. I was American that day!

I was raised in a multicultural and multilingual community. I did struggle with my identity during our migrations. The place that hurts me the most was school. That place of education was a battlefield for me. School reflects inequalities, differences, and injustices. I could enjoy being everything and nothing but at school I had to choose. Or the history lessons or teachers or others children would say something that will slowly tilt my balance. I was grateful that Obama won, because our son will hear and see a different History.

According to Eric John Ernest Hobsbawm a British historian, "The coexistence of peoples of different languages and cultures is normal. A single national language only became important when ordinary citizens became an important component of the state. The original case for a standard language was entirely democratic, not cultural."

That brings me to my parents that stressed the importance of education. My mother used to remind us that our brains have no color that we make it what we want. She did not take any excuses. She will make me wake up two hours earlier so I could memorize words, definition, addition tables and conjugations. I hated it but I loved having good grades. I was often up before Sunrise. Once I was done, I had the luxury to enjoy the sunrise eating breakfast. Priceless!!!

My parents studied in French, Burundi was a Belgium colony.They were able to have a better quality of life because of their education. As parents they sacrificed a lot to send us to a French private school. As much as I loved learning, the school did not say the same things as my parents. Every day, I was double checking with them. The worst day was when a teacher said that Africans were inferior to Europeans. For this reason they colonized Africans. At home my parents told me not to believe everything said even in books because it is theirs history. And my dad said “it is all about money, politic and democracy” .At six years old, I already knew a lot. I knew about passport, laisser passé, visa, transit, exile, refugees, immigrant, local, cooperant, work permit, citizenship, residency, private, public, war, ethnic, tribes, countries, America, Asia, Europe, Africa, theirs and ours.

So when Obama won, I won something priceless. Our son was proud to be him, in his multicultural complexity in this global community.