Assembling a Village of Excellence

By Sis. Teresa Rogers

An old African proverb states “It takes a village to raise a child.” The sentiment behind the proverb is that no one person is an island and that we must work together as a community for the betterment of everyone, including our children. The time has come for New Yorkers to start preparing their children for the first day of school. We have had a few months to reflect upon the strengths and weaknesses of the previous school year, and now we must use what we have learned to make this next school year a successful one.

Unfortunately, as an educator, I find that each school year, our children are not only ill-prepared academically but they also lack the village that is necessary to have a successful school year. Not every child can perform or comprehend material in the same way; however, with the proper village assisting your child, each one can perform at or on grade level. I would like to offer a few suggestions as to how a proper village can be built within your community.

1) Make sure that your child has the proper school supplies and books. Most school supplies are perishable; therefore, make sure your child continues to have the usable school supplies. If economics prevent you from purchasing supplies, check around for school supply giveaways. There are many organizations that have supply giveaways in the months of August and September. Grace Baptist Church of Christ (GBCOC) will be hosting its first back pack/school supply giveaway on September 17, 2011. In addition, if you are experiencing hardship, contact your child’s teacher and/or the school’s parent coordinator. I am always willing to help a student when the parent has reached out to me to keep me informed about any issues.

2) Form a continual relationship with your child’s teacher. It saddens me that I have some students every year whose parents I never get to meet. Building a relationship means getting the teachers contact information and reaching out to them at least twice a month. Many teachers check their email on a daily basis. I offer my cell phone number to parents and welcome them to text or call until 9 pm. You should attend every parent teacher conference and collect every report card. Inquire about progress reports. Update your contact information as soon as it changes. Many times teachers try to contact the parent to no avail.

3) Teach your child time management, organizational and study skills. Every child should have a homework folder that details what they were assigned or homework. Check the homework folder every night. As soon as you slack on checking homework, your child may slack on doing homework. In addition, help them clean out their book bags every week. Important assignments are often crumpled and missing down in “the dungeon.” Your child should also incorporate study time every night, reviewing the topics that were taught that day. 2 Timothy 2:15 states “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth” (NLT).

4) Be aware of the resources that are available to help your children master the standards for their grade level. The DOE website for parents and students links to the current standards, information about what is happening in your child’s school, and a link to “Aris,” which is a portal that gives your child’s test scores throughout their public school education. (http://schools.nyc.gov/ParentsFamilies/default.htm)

5) Get your child involved in church. Grace Baptist Church of Christ provides tutoring through the Educational Resource Ministry. Do not be ashamed to allow someone to tutor your child. We should be ashamed to NOT get our children assistance. In addition, bring them to Bible Study and Sunday School so they can begin to develop their own relationship with Jesus Christ.

Build your Village of Excellence now. Your Child will thank you for it later.

Sis. Teresa Rogers serves as the Christian Education director and works as a gifted math teacher for New York City Department of Education. She is a doctor of education candidate with the University of Phoenix.