Love Lifted Me

At the age of 92, my father passed away today. I tell you this, not for sympathy, but to share my faith and heart with you.

Both my parents passed away in the comfort of their own homes, no tubes, machines or prolonged suffering. So many people kissed their loved ones good-bye this morning expecting to see them in the evening and unfortunately, they will not return. I had time to say all that I wanted before either of my parents passed. For that reason, I say that my worst day was a blessing.

Two Last wishes....

Thanksgiving

My father came to Florida last Thanksgiving and spent time with family and friends. He asked to spend a night at my house and my sister Marie's house. See, my father just wanted to know that we made a home and we would be just fine when he went home to rest in the arms of the Lord. We talked about many things...he was lucid, alert and sharp at age 92. He told me about the University of Wisconsin and his experiences in college. White people in town would treat him differently from the other black students, because he was from the caribbean. As I said, he just wanted to spend that night in our house and put his mind and heart at peace. That weekend was also the first and only time that he ever attended church with his three children.

Wheelchair

My father couldn't walk very far. Whenever he walked or talked, his breath was very short and he became light-headed. Both my sisters were traveling to Jamaica in a week and the only thing he ever wanted was a wheelchair. Why a wheelchair? As a result of his condition, we was unable to attend church and the chair would allow him to go to church. Two Sundays ago, he attended church with my sisters and had communion.

I prayed while my mother was sick and also for my father. I prayed that the Lord would take them home without suffering, when He was ready for them. In both cases, my prayers were answered.

My father lived a long life. 92 years...10/10/10 would have been his 93 birthday. His father died at age 94. As life would have it, 10/10/10 is also the due date of my twin boys. Two weeks ago I spoke to him about the wheelchair that he wanted. Whenever we spoke, I always reminded him that his grandchildren would be here in October. The day I told him Tanya was pregnant, he was beaming and filled with life. He even had a hearty appetite that day. See, my father was at peace, because his children were in good hands. His children attending church. The seeds that he planted were blooming, and he was proud. Every time I mentioned seeing his grandchildren, he would just laugh. My father knew all along that he would never see his grandchildren. My father also never told us no, he would just laugh. That's his way of avoiding a response or having to say no.

I don't cry because my father is in heaven, I cry because I'll never see him alive again. My mother and father are in God's hands, and for that I'm blessed. I can't tell you how at peace I am. I can't tell you how thankful I am to my parents for all that they have instilled in me. I can't tell you how thankful I am that God answers prayers. I can't tell you how thankful I am for every person that God has placed in my path.

Before my mother passed away, God placed my wife in my life.

Before my father passed away, God blessed us with twin boys.

God has been so good to me and blessed me in so many ways. I only hope that I'm able to help others during my brief time here on earth.

To all my family and friends...I love you all and I'm fine. My only wish is that you build your faith. Keep the fire burning and let no one stand between you and your destiny.

Red light - Green light

I did a little figuring today. Had to crunch the numbers. Feel free to check the math.

I was at the light today and a gentleman was holding a sign asking for money. The way I figure it, the light changes every 60 seconds and a new stretch of cars stops at the light. If the person begging for money gets .25cents each time the light changes, he/she would earn $15 each hour (.25 x 60). Now if the person stays there for 8 hours...they would make $120 each day. Standing a the intersection for 5 days would bring in $600.

What would they earn over the course of a year...52 weeks? $31,200. I'm not saying that I want to stand in the sun, rain or cold, but there are people with high school diplomas working 56 hours a week earning less than that.

Just wanted to crunch some numbers and see what you think.

$15/hour

$120/day

$31,200/year

This person would be living above the poverty line. Let that thought simmer for a few minutes. Remember, I use the calculation of .25cents each light change. The number may be closer to $1. If he/she could average $1 per light change, they would gross $124,800 for the year.

There's a group called the homeless voice. Not sure who they are or what they do, but they are at almost every major intersection. How much money do you think they collect over the course of the year?

Dollars and Sense

As I grow older(wiser), I begin the realize the unfortunate truth. Money is the motivation of so many things that others claim are for the better good. Most recently, Florida passed a teacher merit pay bill, which was vetoed by the governor.

Do I believe in merit pay? Yes

Do I think some teachers go above and beyond? Yes

Will the same teacher always yield the same result with different students? No

Merit pay was instituted to save money. It had nothing to do with improving the quality of instruction or raise the bar. Let's talk about some of the things that were in this "merit-pay" bill. Presently, teachers are paid on a scale that reflects years of teaching experience. The bill would have removed that salary structure. Under the new law, I'm certain the starting salary would have been increased. That's great for attracting new talent, but those at the top of the scale would have received severe pay cuts.

Possible outcome....There would be no incentive for a seasoned veteran teacher to continue teaching. It would also be in the interests of the school to cut cost by removing those teachers who were once tenured. You get a school composed of new teachers.

More salary stuff...teachers with advanced college degrees are paid more. The merit pay law would also remove this incentive. What's the incentive for pursuing a masters or specialist degree? None. So, we have a building of new teachers and no one with advanced degrees.

How do we even the playing field and measure student gains? If I'm an art teacher, what test or instrument will be used to measure the gains of my students? Will teachers get paid as a whole that is reflected in the gains of the entire school? Why would anyone teach the challenging students? Sure, those who are poor performers have the means to gain the most, but they are also the ones with the greatest challenges. They are the ones that require the most attention.

On the other end of the spectrum, the students in honors and AP classes may have already topped out and have little room for significant improvement.

On the outside, paying teachers for the performance of their students is a wonderful idea. However, there are so many variables to consider and eliminate, that it would take an MIT or Davidson College student to figure out all the particulars.

College and professional coaches get paid more when their team wins. The difference is...they get to pick who they want on their teams. We are trying to make a cheese cake that tastes better than the ones at cheese cake factory. They pick the finest ingredients and public schools have to use what they get. We get some great ingredients, but there is that 2% that could ruin the batter.

The systematic destruction of public education continues to roll.

A+

In order to make sense of the many schools and attach a measuring stick, schools are now graded. There's nothing I enjoy more than hearing people talk about a certain schools grade. The majority of people who talk about grades don't have the slightest clue how such grades are derived.

My wife and I were house shopping and the realtor mentioned that a certain neighborhood was great because the schools were "A" rated. It took all that I had not to ask her if she knew how schools were graded.

Schools are graded with a meter stick but no one is using the metric system. How can a parent really understand the intricate details when they don't speak the language? Oh, since private schools don't take federal money they are exempt from the same grading scale. Schools need to be graded. There needs to be a measuring stick that provides and normative scale for all. All schools should take the same test in order to truly compare apples to apples.

If you think healthcare needs help, education needs a complete overhaul. I go to work everyday and pray for a day when someone will have the vision and hutzpah to really look at what we are doing.

FCAT-Florida Comprehensive Aptitude Test. Each year, more students are passing the FCAT with greater success. However, each year the number of students who pass the CPT(College Preparedness Test) decreases. The test that is used to grade Florida schools is rendering our students unprepared for college. Testing has been around since the beginning of time. However, until recent when schools, not students, got grades, no one cared. You failed the test, tough. The school is graded as a "F", ring the alarm.

People...your children are not being educated, and I should know. Sure that was an exaggeration, but it's time to sound the alarm. The country and its children are not getting dumber, the education system is not preparing students for anything beyond high school.

Square peg

Whenever you try to fit the square peg in the round hole, two things are certain. The peg will be damaged and so will the hole. Each day I try to do just that; fit the square peg in the round hole.

Why am I trying to force students into a path that neither fits their goals or meets their needs?Has anyone ever asked a student if they want to go to college? Those who do aren't asking with any sense of sincerity. They are completing the rhetorical process that so often accompanies our profession.

Why is college seen as the ends to every means?

When the workforce was dominated by industrial jobs, a college education was afforded to only the elite few. As time and demand changed, we have also fought to reform education. The result of reform and change has devastated education.

Reap What you Sow

I have been waiting for the right time to share this story. One morning, I was standing in line at the supermarket. A lady was in front of me with a cart of items. She forgot something and went to get it. While she was gone I pushed her cart forward until she returned.

She paid for her items and asked the cashier for singles. She needed singles to take the bus, but the cashier didn't have any to spare. Since I had two singles, I gave them to her.

This is where the story gets good.

Tanya and I drove to Orlando that afternoon to watch the school's basketball team play in a tournament. Thanks to the direction on my iphone, we wound up at the back of the arena. As I parked the car and looked for an entrance, I noticed a gentleman holding open a door and talking on his cell phone. I asked if this was the entrance and he said no, but he would hold the door for me.

We gathered our belongings and entered through the door. The gentleman was actually one of the referees for our game. As we walked with him, he told the other refs that we were his guests. Remember...we don't know him and he simply allowed us to enter with him.

This is where the story get great.

We went to the bleachers and watched the game. Half way through the game, I gentleman came to Tanya and I to ask if we wanted two tickets for the VIP/hospitality room. Thanks to him, we didn't have to buy dinner that night, because the hospitality room provided food.

Oh...the following game, two days later...we got in free again.

I'm not saying that my giving that lady $2 dollars is the reason we got the red carpet treatment, but I'm also not saying that it didn't. Those $2 saved us about $40.

According to Pastor Troy at Flamingo Road Church, when you have entered into a covenant with God, you have put on the God-jersey and belong to his team. I want to talk all the team members who took great care of Tanya and I.

As my cousin Allan Rashford says, "keep the fire burning."

Say What you Mean.

I think we need to define the terms that we are using so that a common language is shared between us. War is a state or period of armed hostility between two or more separate entities, aimed at reorganizing a subjectively designed, geo-politically desired result. Terrorism is the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims. When we consider the acts of extremist, "acts of war," we legitimize and give credibility to them and their cause. Saying that you are at war with a terrorist is like comparing a boxing match to a street fight. One has a measured outcome and "rules" the other, no sense of purpose or measurable outcome. Who is the true winner in a street fight? The one with the most punches landed or the one that causes the greatest damage? We have killed 100,000+ terrorist and insurgents over the past 9 years. We have even removed a head of state (Sadam Hussein) from his position. People and countries have been bombed, attacked and held under siege. September 11, 2001 still remains vivid in our minds and continues to challenge all we hold sacred and dear to our heart. How did someone reach across the oceans and cause such grave damage to our homeland? The aim of a terrorist is simple..terror. Whether someone claims to have political gains in mind, their only goal is terror. On September 11, 2001, I watched the second plane hit the tower live. I returned to my classroom and watched it with my students. Those feelings reminded me of the day Ronald Reagan was shot. If someone could shoot the president, how safe am I. If a terrorist could penetrate our defenses and complete such a coordinated and devastating attack, what's next? That's the goal of terror! I have no fear of war, terrorism...that's a different story.