New Education Newletter

Sadly, my eldest nephew dropped out of senior high in the 12th grade. ... I fault his parents for not encouraging him to go back and for not being proactive enough in his early formative years. He was placed in special ed and on one of the many stimulant meds although he came off of it, he stayed in special ed. The parents did nothing when the school wanted to move my nephew out of special ed to regular classes because my nephew didn't want to because he'd grown accustomed to the low expectancy and being mediocre. It is my hope and prayer that the consequences of this decision to drop out of school won't be one that he can't overcome because he still is young and has a chance to correct it (at 19).

Moreover, I thank you for putting this kind of information out. I read your blogs because I'm a champion of the role a good education plays in the lives of young people. My youngest niece is as smart as a whip! I realized that early on and asked that her older sister teach (who by the way wants to go to teacher's college after graduating high school) her some fundamentals before she enters 4-K this August... like her alphabet, her primary colors, her numbers up to 10 but more is she deems she's ready... how to spell and write her name, her home phone number, her home address, and her mother's real name with the correct pronunciation. My son knew all this before entering 4-K; and he has a language disorder. I fought with the school the first 2 years to get him the appropriate resources rather than heeding to (all) their all recommendations (masked in the principal's hidden agenda to keep my son from foiling the school's record high test scores).

It's been a journey, but its one worth fighting... Thank you for your efforts!

Thanks for replying to my post. I agree that some parents do not care or they are unaware of the value of their participation in their child's education. Too many of our children end up stuck in special education. It is especially true for black males. Unfortunately many land in prison. My hope and prayer for your nephew is that his parents will wake up and see what they need to do to ensure that their son has some job skills. I am excited about your niece and what she is learning. I would also suggest sight words as an activity. The parent puts cards with the word that represents it on various items around the house. A parent can make this into a fun game too. The lack of good education for our children is real and we all need to diligently oppose it. Also I have a great study skills book for students titled the Seven Secrets of How to Study at http://www.DrStephenJones.net

..."My hope and prayer for your nephew is that his parents will wake up and see what they need to do to ensure that their son has some job skills."...

Amen and I'm also praying... I didn't think of sight words, wow! I will definitely let my older niece know about the site words. Thank for the link for the Study Secrets (you rock)!

Dear Jeni:

I have a great passion for for preventing students from dropping out of K12 schools and college. Please let me know if there are any schools in your area that can benefit from my books or workshops at Learn@DrStephen Jones.net . You can always reach me at 610-842-3843.

Absolutely, you can count on it!