Comments for Rhonda H. Lauer, CEO, Foundations, Inc.

Comment on Seeds for Spring by Gloria

Gloria — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:55:13 +0000

Completely awesome! You should write a book about this experience. Would love to hear more!

Comment on Supporting Success in School and Life by Scot

Scot — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 01:46:12 +0000

Having visited one of your schools (Pastorius) I can say that your team is providing wonderful support to the Philadelphia students, their families, and the community. Your organization, through programs like the ones discussed in this blog post, is truly impacting the lives of your students. Your team was knowledgeable, caring, and dedicated to improving the educational experience for the youth in your section of the city. Great vision – keep up the good work.

Comment on Literacy in Afterschool by Ginny Deerin

Ginny Deerin — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:44:48 +0000

After school programs offer a rich opportunity to help kids who struggle with reading, but not by merely tacking “drill ‘em and skill ‘em” type work onto the end of the school day. As you point out, the approach has got to be creative! At our programs in Charleston, we find that using fresh and fun activities to strengthen emotional skills that help kids motivate themselves and persist despite difficulties make a huge difference in improving the engagement of struggling readers. Thanks for beating the drum for the significant contributions effective after school programs can make in this area.

Comment on Literacy in Afterschool by Mike

Mike — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 10:06:26 +0000

Just passing by.Btw, you website have great content!

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Making Money $150 An Hour

Comment on Literacy in Afterschool by Suki

Suki — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:34:01 +0000

Thanks for the thought provoking post. How do you see technology playing a role in helping develop literacy skills? Do you see any barriers to the implementation of educational software in after school centers?

Comment on What’s Next for High School Students? by Barbara Geldersma

Barbara Geldersma — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 17:22:19 +0000

It’s frightening to think that after 40 years I could go back to HS as a freshman and sit in classes that follow the same curriculum and course of study and feel right at home. Course, socially I’d be in “culture shock”. The point is, our schools- especially high schools- have not evolved. Kids text, twitter, “hook-up” and share on social networks. The slow pace of education with an emphasis on lecture, isolation and minute details doesn’t match their learning style or the needs of commerce today. Kids will continue to tune out and drop out until we, as educators and business leaders, change what we teach and how we teach it.

Comment on What’s Next for High School Students? by SilverLady

SilverLady — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 03:57:47 +0000

Great article. Each year I look forward to the conference. This is my first time reading a blog.

Comment on Where are they? by Alicia Garcia

Alicia Garcia — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 01:24:23 +0000

J.F. your comments made me sad because unfortunately these type of instances have occurred at sometime. (Presently at my school this is not the case, because, I make sure it does not happen under my watch.)

In some cases we (school people) are the “only voice” for children who cannot defend themselves or for those who do not have parents that are educated enough to maneuver through the school system to get things done for their child.

Next time you hear or see or suspect a bully teacher please bring it to someone’s attention. This simply should not be allowed. What some people do not understand is that school is sometimes the “ONLY” happy place that children know.

Let’s be part of the solution.

Alicia

Comment on Where are they? by Judy Fabri

Judy Fabri — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 22:20:42 +0000

Sometimes, students simply feel unwanted by
their teachers. Maybe they are singled out for
some unchaingable feature, habit, or oddity that
the teacher points out to them and the classroom
Unsensitive teachers who simply do not like the
ways, apprearance, or personality of a particular
student is the reason many children miss school
they simply don’t want to face daily ridicule
and singling out that some teachers engage in.
When a teacher singles out a student through no
fault of the student, other students also feel
free to engage in the ridicule and the targeted
student feels helpless to take their case to any
one feeling that they have no sympathetic ears
to listen to them. I feel that when this type
of ridicule, once started, can spread throughout
the entire school and there is no where that the
targeted student can turn. It’s always their
fault, they must be doing something to bring on
this ridicule. But sometimes, teachers who are
bullies when they are young, continue the practice
well into adulthood and get a thrill out of and
power from placing another person, sometimes a
helpless child, into this situation.

Comment on What’s Next for High School Students? by Ginny Deerin

Ginny Deerin — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:21:32 +0000

Your point is so important, that in the midst of economic challenges we must ensure that our education system helps kids thrive in the 21st century.

We must do more to help kids obtain the skills they need to be successful so that they graduate from high school first of all – a dismal on-time rate prevails in too many schools! – and that they reach graduation with capabilities like flexibility, self-motivation, responsibility and more.

I was glad to see that the Partnership for 21st Century Schools just offered recommendations to the new Obama administration that are a call to action for everyone who cares about preparing kids to lead successful lives.

Those of us in the after school field, like WINGS, also know the importance of long-term efforts like the Center for Afterschool Education’s initiative designed to upgrade the skills of the under-trained after school workforce with courses and certficate programs in after school education. The hours after school are a rich opportunity for helping kids get the social, emotional and academic skills they need to thrive in this new world of ours.