Suffer Our Children

2 Chronicles 1:10; Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?"

The United States of America is one of the most powerful nations in the world. This nation is a leader in economics, medicine, science, technology, higher education; the military is second to none. The Untied States competes on a global scale, but cannot sustain levels of competition when our children suffer from educational depravity in our schools. Our children are suffering from an expanding denial of a right to quality education. This is not a minority issue, but crosses racial and socioeconomic lines. The quality of an education is not based on pay increases of teachers, although this is a relative factor. The availability of qualified and certified teachers, administrators and the importance of support staff that want to help children is crucial. Educational resources include books, libraries, Physical Education, Arts/Music and in this day of technology integration, the correct implementation of computers is important to meet the needs of the various learning modalities in diverse classrooms.

One of the most dangerous threats to education in recent years is from those who are not educators, but politicians. Those that have no educational experience, but try to regulate and micro-manage the classroom from outside the classroom. How can children be taught from a legislative (political) agenda and not an education (children) agenda? When education is micromanaged by legislative measures teachers and children suffer.
The ten (10) evaluators of educational success (IMO) are; 1.The dedication of the parents (mother and father) who birthed that child (children) or legal guardian they are the FIRST teachers. 2. The student who is taught and fairly assessed by school, district and state assessment. That student should be taught basic reading skills and have a value for education. This goes back to the responsibility of the parent or guardian. 3. The quality of the teacher who is educated, certified, and supported by administration and the school district. 4. The student’s literacy and comprehension ability to read on grade level. 5. The promotional success from one grade level to another (AYP). 6. The lowering retention rate of students. 7. The growing graduation rate of all students regardless of race or socioeconomic status. 8. The acceptance of students into higher education, vocational/technical schools and military service. 9. The ability to gain/learn employable skills to obtain jobs. 10. Desire of students to continue a life of learning into adult years. These ten (10) areas are key indicators to measure the success of any educational system.  A quote from Governor Bob Wise “The best economic stimulus package is a high school diploma.”

During legislative sessions parents should not have a “wait and see” attitude, they may wait too late. Parents that are silent are ignored and do not have value, so the silent voice is a detriment and submission to political agendas. Parents should ask these questions; If a legislator has not visited schools in their districts how can they regulate education? How can a legislator evaluate teachers when they do not, have not, or will not sit down and talk to teachers who have concerns about the quality of legislative support and a safe educational environment? Support is not always monetarily, but listening to teachers, visiting and participating in classrooms. Those in political offices from Governor, to legislator cannot micromanage from Atlanta, Tallahassee or other state capitals. When was the last time a member of our legislative body had a student from any academic level read to them? When have members of legislature walked the halls of our inner city schools, eaten lunch in our cafeterias, attended a PTO meeting or even taken the time to sit in a parent advisory meeting? These actions should be done each year, not when it is re-elections time. Legislators are elected to service the people not serve themselves personal political agendas.

How can our governmental leaders slight and disrespect public education by signing legislation at a Charter School when that legislation affects public education? Parents of our challenged schools which are in all neighborhoods cannot wait on Superman, XMen or even Avengers and certainly cannot wait on those in position of legislative and governmental seats. Parents must take responsibility for their child(ren) in learning and having resources from the people they elected to office. The changes both economic and political will change the classroom environment, parents cannot complain about schools if they are not involved, cannot criticize teachers when the first teacher is the parent.  Being a public education educator over 20 years,
I and my educational peers have noticed the change in lower quality, irresponsible and unaccountable support from our legislators, this support is declining. Parents must research educational budgets, the change in state assessment levels (FCAT) and the requirement for graduation, entrance into higher education and the diminishing financial support from scholarships (Bright Futures) and financial aid. Our state governments view budgets, line items expenditures, opportunities to make money, invest in money making ventures (taxes), but does not view education as a support mechanism for current or future economic growth.

Parents, take the time to understand where your child’s education fits into a political agenda, the responsibility as a parent is to make sure those in positions that finance education, care about education to support education. Will the legislation support educational success for all students or cut budgets resulting in teachers and students becoming educational fodder. When interpreting the Bible and references to “suffering children” it is evident in this legislative session of slashed budgets, no child should be left behind, but children will be left further behind. In comparison, China and India have increased their educational budgets, how can students in Florida public schools hope to compete when they are already facing cuts? How can our children compete when technical careers require advanced degrees and our children cannot afford to continue their education? Teachers cannot be held accountable for budgets that take away resources from the classroom; The Arts, Physical Education, Music and Technology are all valuable to the enrichment of our children to compete in global economic and educational competitions worldwide. Foreign countries value Physical Education and The Arts because they understand the power of the integration of cross curriculum learning. Where will our students be in five (5) years relative to their educational levels? The time is now when all parents no matter color, culture or social economic status will have to take a stand.

If education cannot get support from elected leaders the acceleration of children’s failure in the educational system will see more students dropping out, lower graduating classes and increased inability to gain employment. In Mark 9:41, the “cup” of our educational system is filled with knowledge and understanding. Parents must not allow someone to take this cup and fill it with the vinegar of ignorance.

We (parents and teachers) have a responsibility to teach children, guide them and support them, as parents have a responsibility to keep them safe from those who seek to keep them in ignorance and will do more damage to them cognitively and intellectually. In Mark 9:42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea.” This is not to bring threats or innuendo, but for a realizations that if our children are to compete in global markets funding should not be cut. Our children will be thrown into a sea of low income jobs, lack of technology skills and low expectations to be successful.

If we continue to allow these educational travesties to budgets occur educational systems will be stripped of the ability to educate fairly, with equality and compassion. It is written, documented in the oldest book of knowledge (The Bible) the importance of education, but this is being taken from our children, but parents should not allow this to happen.

Educate the Children and Fund Education Fairly and with Wisdom

Praise and Worship with FCAT

When challenges show up African Americans turn
to what has carried them through slavery, Emancipation,
Civil Rights, quest for educational equality
(Brown vs Board), equal economic opportunities
(Anti-Discrimination Act), in recent years the challenge
is Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT).
Praise and worship is similar to physically and meta-
phorically lifting everything a person has to praise
in submission, but in spiritual power.  Songs influence
our praise; God is My Everything, Change and other
songs that encourage praise to invoke change. African
Americans are a spiritual people, endowed with a
cultural heritage based on prayer, song and music to
the attainment of knowledge this coincides with
scripture that suggests because of lack of knowledge
people are lost; Proverbs 1:22 How long, ye simple
ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight
in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
FCAT assessment even though flawed, is used to
judge the level of intelligence of children. African
American children are losing to this challenge;
African American children need guidance, support
and discipline in school and home to learn effectively.
Learning does not stop when the school bell rings
at the end of the day, a home life that values
education is important as well.

Change and Support Minority Students
If the United States is going to continue to compete
in the global economy it is going to have to embrace
and support its minority students. The struggling is
the result of distractions at home and the community
that children live in. In many foreign countries distra-
ctions are removed and students are immersed in a
continuous and challenging learning environment.
A parent's responsibility is to their children, a parent's
additional responsibility is making sure their children
receive the best education they can, but it starts at
home. If a parent does not value education or seek
educational opportunities their children may follow.

There are inherent generational dangers in not
respecting the empowerment of education. 
In Philippians 3:16 (KJV) the statement,"Let us
walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing."
That same rule should be applied to success in
education. African American people have come too
far to be pulled back from what was gained years
before in the struggle for equal education, there
are still struggles. In the gospel song Change
(Traimaine Hawkins) the interpretation is there
needs to be a change in mind and behavior. 
In Jacksonville, Florida the change must be trans-
formational in behavior and abilities of our students.
The value of education must be embraced if not
four (4) schools will be changed and this will be
just the start, there will be more. No amount of
complaining will stop it.

Stated in Philippians 3:16 (KJV) concerning "let us
walk by the same rule" we have slowly been divided
and walking separately, as a result we as a people
have lost respect and power. Look in our failing
schools, in some churches and sorrowfully in some
neighborhoods. There should be an understanding
for African Americans that our churches and our
schools are representative of our neighborhoods.
The only people that are held accountable for our
neighborhoods are African American people.
Only through minding the same thing and having
the same goals will we succeed. There were
successes in the past, look at the achievements
in the 60's, 70's and 80's that we enjoy, but are
losing today. If we look closely we are losing
them, because of self imposed mindsets of
having arrived and being accepted as equal.
This is far from the truth, look at our graduation
rates as a race and look at the higher education
rates of our young Black men. Look at the
pregnancy rates of our girls as young at ten
and eleven and the growing numbers of teen
girls being killed.

Resurrection
Families and children need a resurrection in the
process of valuing education if not all that African
Americans have struggled to earn will be lost
because of growing educational ignorance. We
will be cursed to the role of slaves (again), but
as consumers and not blessed as creators of
products. Think about what African Americans
make that people want to buy, but African
Americans are buying other peoples products
and services. Education helps to develop skills
to be participants in technology, developing
market shares, learning about and participating
in global economies. What does this have to
do with FCAT; if African Americans don't value
education and detained/retained because of a
single assessment then they are in the position
to be SLAVES AGAIN. Parents should be
believers of educators (teachers), not blaming
teachers and schools for their children's failures.

These same parents that use profanity to
complain and condemn have not attended
parent teacher conferences, a school board
meeting, PTA meetings. How can parents be
critical on how a school is run if they do not
join school advisory boards or other school
committees? The first teacher of a child is
the parent. Parents are role models for their
children in scripture and as scholars.
Just as in scripture you reap what you sow;
Job 4:8 Even as I have seen, they that plow
iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same;
are we sowing success in our schools or are
we reaping failing schools because of failing
parental responsibilities?


Praise and Worship
Praise and worship must be performed outside
the church house; the flow of anointing oil
should be poured onto children by parents who
should be anointed also. Those in Ministry
should be anointing flocks spiritually and educ-
ationally. Parents should anoint with love,
discipline, and understanding, but too many
anoint with rap music that contains profanity
and entertainment that promotes drugs and
sex. Parents should be taking ownership
making sure their children start their day off
with blessings of love and peace. I have
heard parents yell at children to get the he**
out of the car and if they get into trouble
they will beat the sh** out of them. I have
heard parents criticize teachers for caring,
sacrificing their time to help a struggling
child or because they are White they should
not be teaching Black children, but ignorance
is present because parents need to realize
that White teachers out number Black teachers
across this nation. Parents are setting their
children up for failure before the school day.
If the devil is busy in our schools as some
would say the failure rates and graduation
rates show that the Devil is having a Hellava
good time with African American students.

Families need a spiritual enema to clean out
mental weakness of poverty/slavery and
spiritual weakness.  Instead of praising and
worshipping basketball, football players;
rappers that use profanity and put down
women; worshipping reality show mothers
and wives,  movie channels that glorify teen
sex, pregnancy, drug abuse, prison sentences
and illegitimate births. Where is the
glorification of education and our successful
Black student's? Why can't we honor our
scholars like sports stars instead of teasing,
taunting and putting them down? True praise
and worship comes from spiritual strength
and education, it encourages learning and
improving a person to prepare for the future.

FCAT is a tool of man it can stop children
from growing only if parents allow it. 
Parents heed words of wisdom, get back to
the blessing of reading to your children,
praising good behavior, anointing with words
of love, encouragement and peace; get back
to family time that is devotional and anointing.
If parents cannot be a blessing, FCAT will
be African Americans Lodebar
(a dismal place of no pasture, no hope -
total desolation) of education.


No community can afford a school to fail.
No city can afford for any student to drop
out of school. No Ministry should allow
children to be lost to educational and
spiritual death. No parent should allow
their child to fail. We all will be held accountable.

What I Learned From President Obama

An Inspirational Message To Father’s
What I learned from President Obama

This should inspire and motivate all fathers to be the
best men their families, children, communities, and churches need.
We are in difficult times, spiritually, economically, environmentally
and politically. As men we should be taking the lead in continuing the
direction we need to move in to caring for our loved ones
our communities and supporting our churches.
Here are some suggestions to facilitate us all to stay on the right path.

1.       Fathers, should go to Jesus in prayer and pray with their children
and families. Leading prayer as the leader of the household.

2.       Fathers, make mistakes, but own up to them and correct the mistakes
they have made. Working not to repeat them.

3.       Fathers, discipline their children with love and not with physical violence,
verbal degradation or emotional manipulation.

4.       Fathers, take their children to church and bible study to share the
Word of God.

5.       Fathers, are not perfect so must ask God for wisdom, direction
and discernment.

6.       Fathers, don’t blame others for their weakness, but work to strengthen
themselves in the Word of God.

7.       Fathers, will not “follow the guys” when they are disrespecting women,
this sets an inappropriate and dangerous model for their sons to follow.

8.       Fathers, don’t block their children’s anointing with ungodly actions.

9.       Fathers, ask for discernment to recognize the signs of trouble before
they happen.

10.   Fathers, model respect for the church and church representatives.

11.   Fathers, lead grace at meal time and anoint their children with oil for
protection and mercy.

12.   Fathers, can purchase their daughters personal items and be proud in doing so.

13.   Fathers, promote education in the household.

14.   Fathers, talk to their children about drugs and sex before the street does.

15.   Fathers, do not whine about what “HIS” daddy did not do for him,
but follow a model indicative of Godly men.

16.   Fathers, do not blame where he came from for his short-comings.
He focuses on where he is going.

17.   Fathers, takes time to visit their children’s school and talk to the teachers
about their children’s progress.

18.   Fathers, will happily sacrifice for their family.

19.   Fathers, accepts responsibility for their children’s actions. Remembering
that the apple does not fall far from the tree.

20.   Fathers, will go visit their children and spend time with them even though
he may not be present in the home. Taking responsibility for a life that
they helped create.

21.   Fathers, aren’t afraid to show love to their children, children still need
reinforcement that they are loved and respected.

22.   Fathers, spend time just being together with their children and doing
things their children like and will remember, not just buying things
that will be forgotten.

23.   Fathers, teach your child to be responsible and accountable for
their actions.

24.   Fathers must model and teach respect, honor, patience, ethics
and fear of the Lord.

Quote:
A truly humble man is sensible of his natural distance from God; of his
dependence on Him; of the insufficiency of his own power and wisdom;
and that it is by God's power that he is upheld and provided for, and that
he needs God's wisdom to lead and guide him, and His might to enable
him to do what he ought to do for Him. Edwards, Jonathan

William Jackson, M.Ed.
William_j@e3businessgroup.us